CONTROL :: THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY

2006 marks the 20th anniversary of Janet's groundbreaking project "Control." The following threads are in celebration of the milestones reached by Janet with this album and its videos and singles. This is the album that made her a musical superstar in her own right and kicked off an impressive twenty years of successes, which led her to becoming the icon and music legend she is today. To keep Janet's influence on the music scene in context, and how she and this project exploded upon popular culture, we must remember one key song: Nasty.



Nasty (1986)

"Gimme a Beat!" And with that famous proclamation, ignites one of Janet's most iconic anthems, "Nasty." Released in April of 1986, this song went to number 3 on the pop charts and Number 1 on R&B; later becoming one of the most important dance songs of the 1980s. The tune's rabid success is best broken down two-fold: by the song's innovative production and its classic video.

To understand the impact this song had on the popular music scene, one must keep in mind how it was produced. The song's unmistakable industrialized loop came from innovative Mirage keyboard technology, which Flyte Tyme studios purchased during the production of Control: "It [had] a factory sound that was in there...more of a sound-effect," explains Jimmy Jam. "That was a very unmelodic type of sound, but we found a way to build a melody around it." Janet not only provided lead and background vocals -- along with Jam, Lewis and fellow Time members Jerome Benton and Jellybean Johnson in the tune's memorable male chants -- but also played keyboards.

Calling Nasty simply a "hit" is a vast understatement. Try monster. The song was literally everywhere the summer of 1986 and was played everywhere -- at house parties, dance clubs, basketball games, by jam bands, etc. Its appeal was virtually limitless. And its lyrics defined a new generation of women, most famously: "No, my first name ain't baby... It's Janet... Miss Jackson, if you're nasty." To quote reputed music journalist David Ritz, "[that line] has become an updated version of Aretha Franklin's hallowed 'Respect.'"



If her first video from Control made a splash with the oh-so-important MTV generation, then "Nasty" sealed the deal. Anyone who thought her first vid was a one-shot deal was sadly mistaken. Her videos now became the talk of the industry and "Nasty" an MTV staple. It appeared on the channel from its premiere in the summer of '86 well into '87, '88 -- and basically the close of the decade. Nasty went on to earn Janet her first (of many) MTV Video Awards. Even years after its release, the video still manages to be shown regularly on retrospective and "Best of" countdown shows to this day.

The stellar choreography of the short film was directed by Paula Abdul, who Janet also employed in her previous vid. It was sheerly infectious watching the tightly choreographed Janet dance and move upon the screen. Sure, people have seen incredible dancing from the likes of Michael Jackson, Prince and other male performers, but to see a woman groove harder than the rest of the pack was what made the video such a gem (and proved to show how influential and innovative Janet was on the scene -- and female entertainers -- when she finally did "arrive"). Female entertainers didn't move like this or commandeer a dance jam with such brazenness and fiery independence.

A video and song like this was never some mere stroke of luck, but a bold statement by a talent who no longer was going to be denied or relegated to anyone's "second-tier."

With the unprecedented success of her first single and the transformative music anthem "Nasty," Janet had finally reached what she could not with her first two albums: bonafide musical superstardom. And with that, arose her first #1 pop hit, When I Think of You.

- JANFAN4L

[...to be continued - Next "When I Think of You"]

Chart Activity - Peak Positions
The Billboard Hot 100: #3 (Gold) (debuted 5/17/86 - 19 weeks on chart)
Hot 100 Airplay: #5
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #1 (2 weeks) (debuted 4/19/86 - 22 weeks on chart)
Hot Dance Music/Club Play: #2 (2 weeks) (1 week) (debuted 5/17/86 - 13 weeks on chart)
Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales: #6
ARC Top 40: #2
UK: #19
Australia: #15
Bavaria: #10
Belgium: #4
Canada: #3
Germany: #9
Holland: #5
South Africa (sales chart): #3
Switzerland: #28

[all chart info courtesy of http://www.cravingjanet.com]



:::
song: written by james harris III & terry lewis
video: directed by mary lambert

Previous thread in series: What Have You Done For Me Lately

I love these threads, JanFan!


Gimme a beat!

pizza!!!

I think this is the song and video that made my family buy the Control cassette. "Nasty" is my all-time Janet favorite.

JANFAN4L: Cool "didn't-know-that" info about the track being created on the Mirage (sampler) keyboard.

CinisterCee said:

Same here!

I could learn to like...
I could learn to like...
I could learn to like...
Nasty food!

These threads are better than sex.



When the foschizzy is A&M gonna release this album in two CD format with some behind the scenes commentary from Jimmy & Terry?

CinisterCee said:

sosgemini said:

Starkisha: I'm Janet's biggest fan because I have all her albums on cassette. *snap*

This is the song that did it for me. Nasty was everywhere that summer. I remember trying to dance like everyone in the video when it would come on. Mom got the cassette not too long after this. Definitely one of the best dance songs EVER. It sounds just as good now as it did then. I can't believe all that was 20 years ago! Unreal but great to relive. Thanks for making these threads JANFAN4L. Makes me appreciate Janet all over again.
[Edited 2/13/06 19:32pm]
[Edited 2/13/06 19:34pm]

I so fucking love this song!! I can't explain! When it comes on ANYWHERE, how can you NOT dance to it? The beat and the sound is SO hard and it just kicks your ass.

a girl with Attitude

CinisterCee said:

LOL.

best fuckin song

I remember I was being driven to school when that song came on the radio. What a great song.

UK #19? Nasty?

I'm pretty sure it got higher than that. I only bought the 'Control' 12inch singles though so maybe that's right.

Marrk said:

I always heard that Control didn't go over that well in the UK
& thats why the remixed Control was released.

free music 4 u (two great mashups)

Nasty Amp
&
Nasty Subway

available for free legal download at: http://www.djjayr.com/janet.html

This guy drives voicescarry



Then there's this:


I love this part...

RipHer2Shreds said:

LOL @ the name of this file "lamedude.jpg"



I love that part, too.

JANFAN4L said:

I could think of no better name for him when I put the text over the picture.

For Paula Abdul fans, here's some pics of Jan and Paula rehearsing during the Control era (from Paula's official website)

They almost look like sisters in the bottom pic.

RipHer2Shreds said:

Ah, so you're a graphic artist, too.

JANFAN4L said:

Awww...look how cute Janet is! And for a brief second, I swear to the holy heavens, I thought that poodle was a bunch of hair extensions!


Smarty...

Smarty... [/quote]

Oh, Shreds, I mean that in the most innocent way possible!

RipHer2Shreds said:

My mind gravitated towards the shoes...

Janet & Paula are wearing them ADIDAS PROUDLY!!!

Make me wanna run out and get a pair.

People were wearin' them A-di-das in the 80's boy.

JANFAN4L said:

There's nothing arty about that graphic! But, yes, I can find my way around Photoshop and PhotoImpact.

JANFAN4L said:

I still have my Adidas with some fat laces in 'em! I'm still pretending it's 85 kickin' live!

RipHer2Shreds said:

I bought some ruby red-colored Adidas. They look really spiffy.

But I'm one of those people that's scared to wear a brand new pair of shoes on the street because I don't like getting them dirty (so I wait for a year or two before I actually get up the nerve to wear them everyday). HA!

.
[Edited 2/15/06 19:20pm]