Janet jackson janet jacksons rhythm nation 1814 songs

By 1989, Janet Jackson had made a name for herself with the overwhelming success of 1986's mega-hit Control. Nevertheless, Janet was still viewed as Michael's little sister. Indeed, Control proved to be such a mission statement that it seemed a tough act to follow- many were left wondering if Miss Jackson would be a one-album wonder. However, Rhythm Nation 1814 somehow managed to top its predecessor and launched Janet into megastardom.

Rather than produce a retread of the themes that made Control such a smash, Janet would take many risks on the "1814 Project", deciding to shift gears and turn the focus outward onto the world surrounding her. Consequently, the album serves as a platform for Janet to address her concerns with the world, but perhaps surprisingly given her background, she manages to do so without sounding too preachy or out of touch. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are once again on board to cast her message atop some highly danceable, hook-filled and state of the art tracks. Whatever the reason, Rhythm Nation 1814 is truly an "album experience", bolstered by sonic and thematic unity, seven cracking singles and a short film filled with iconic imagery.

In truth, the album plays like a finely sequenced greatest hits record. Proving that her commercial success was no fluke in the fall of 1989, "Miss You Much" burst forth with hard-hitting funk fresh from the Minneapolis Sound tree. Janet rides the song's multiple hooks with a commanding attitude that is nonetheless still welcoming. Following in its footsteps is the title track, a towering new jack swing banger that would garner the most attention. ”Rhythm Nation” synthesized Janet’s inclination for funk (thanks to a Sly Stone sample), her dance expertise (culminating in the iconic choreography that would go on to become her trademark) and her socially conscious message promoting unity in the face of sundry societal divisors, which would garner her praise from critics and scores of inspired fans struggling through the plight of the 80s. In the spring of 1990, ”Escapade” proved to be pure pop confection- a perfect slice of ear candy celebrating the universal need for a reprieve from the 9-to-5. ”Alright”, with its street-wise groove and feel-good message of the enduring power of real friendship, featured a truly epic video paying tribute to a decadently clad in yellow Cab Calloway within the framework of a celebration of 1930s urban life. Slowing things down, ”Come Back to Me” reveals Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis as masters of late 80s balladry, and Janet delivers an ethereal, honest, and understated vocal that underpins the true yearning aimed for within the song. Showcasing the diversity of the album, ”Black Cat” was written solely by Janet and roars through the speakers as a hard rock stomper. As a 10-year old who got his kicks out of hair metal (Mötley Crüe was a real favorite!), this marriage of Janet’s street-but-sweet consciousness and the over-the-top rock bombast was my absolute favorite, as Janet warns her lover of the impending danger of his involvement in a gang. Finally, in early 1991, ”Love Will Never Do (Without You)” saw the ever-reserved Janet let her hair down and reveal herself as the truly sexy woman she was. Her ensuing career may have diminished the impact that such a thing had at the time, but prior to this video, Janet was always clad to the max in full-length suits, so it felt like a genuine epiphany at the time of a woman growing into her own. Over the space of a year and a half, these singles serve as a chronicle of Janet's personal journey growing up and a benchmark for popular music of the time.

Although anchored by a solid succession of hits, Rhythm Nation 1814 features five other strong songs. As collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis noted at the time, Janet could have very easily gotten by with a 10-track album called Escapade that featured typical pop fodder of the day, but she insisted on putting her message out on the forefront. My favorite track on the album is “State of the World”, an of-the-time glimpse into the difficulties facing so many people in the 80s, including a poverty-stricken teen mother and a homeless boy on the verge of suicide. Elsewhere, ”The Knowledge” chugs along to some sparse funk and encourages its listeners to further their education, being "the one thing we all need in life", while ”Livin’ in a World (They Didn’t Make)” is a desperate call to us all to strive to make the world better for children- a simple message to be sure, but a genuine one, as is evidenced by her heartfelt vocals. Near the end of the album are two excellent examples of R&B slow jams of the late 80s: the morose "Lonely", which echoes solitude while also managing to be inviting, and the closer "Someday Is Tonight", one of the album's highlights that serves as an appropriate sequel to Control's "Let's Wait Awhile". Peppered throughout the album are a series of interludes, which although commonplace today, were rather new and innovative and 1989. Due to their brevity, they merely preface and provide context for the songs rather than serve as a distraction from them.

Rhythm Nation 1814 is the preeminent collaboration between Janet and her tried-and-true team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. While the album definitely sounds as if it came from 1989, it still packs a great punch and Janet injects each song with enough personality to make it memorable. If Control had chronicled Janet’s personal call for independence and established her as an artist in her own right, Rhythm Nation 1814 expounded upon her views of the world and cemented her legacy as a bona fide superstar, breaking several records.

It was the biggest selling album in the United States in 1990. Each of its seven singles cracked the Top 5 in the United States, a record that no other album has matched. It spawned four number 1 singles, including one in each of 1989, 1990 and 1991, becoming the first (and only) album to have a number 1 single in three separate years. The Rhythm Nation Tour launched in support of the album would prove to be the most successful debut tour of all time.

If this alone is not enough to cement its status as a benchmark album, the fact that it proved inspirational to thousands of people struggling to get by will ensure that it is remembered fondly. Unlike so many pop stars today with their token charities and obligatory PC messages, Janet actually took a risk by imbuing her messages into the actual content of the album, making her a heroine to many, including me. Simple and naïve as they may be, they are the ponderings of an idealist 23-year old woman concerned about the world around her and optimistic about the efficacy of her actions. I suppose the fact that I also tend to have my head in the clouds and am an eternal optimist endears the album to me as it does, but the youthful exhuberance and optimism here is as appropriate as it is infectious. Dare it say it- Rhythm Nation 1814 is late 80s pop’s landmark in the lineage of socially conscious predecessors such as What’s Goin’ On, There’s a Riot Goin’ On and Stevie Wonder’s 70s work.

While the ensuing albums would be commerical juggernauts in their own right, it was with Rhythm Nation 1814 that Janet Jackson cemented her legend. Under the wing of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Janet harvested a truly landmark album in the history of music. The black and white videos. The key earring. The militaristic choreography. Those industrial beats and irresistible funk grooves. This is Janet Jackson's bread and butter. And all of this at the age of 23.

Rhythm Nation 1814 was one of the first albums I ever owned, and it has remained vital to me throughout the past 20 years. As time progressed, my initial star-struck fanaticism was replaced by a mere appreciation of the finely crafted pop gems and the boldness and guileless altruism with which they were delivered. It’s become a cliché to announce that an album has “changed your life”, so to speak, but this album really did change mine. It helped to educate me in music and ideals, and I would definitely be a lesser person without its place in the world. For me, it's one of those rare albums that becomes such a personal pillar that its impact extends well beyond the duration of the songs therein, so much that I carry a copy of it around with me everywhere I go. Through all of life’s peaks and valleys over the past two decades, I’m still happy to enlist in the utopia she proposes. I won’t let my eyes deceive me.

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