Janet Jackson's 'Rhythm Nation 1814' 25Years Revisited By Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis: Track-by-Track Review By Kenneth Partridge | September 18, 2014
Cover for Janet Jackson's 1989 album "Rhythm Nation"
Courtesy of A&M Records
If Janet Jackson's third album, 1986's Control, was a declaration of independence. The follow-up, Rhythm Nation 1814, was a constitution--a blueprint for the kind of country that this confident, sexy and newly independent 23-year old woman wanted to live in. At least it was for roughly a third of its runtime. Released 25 years ago tomorrow, on Sept. 19, 1989, Rhythm Nation 1814 begins with a pledge: "We are a nation with no geographic boundaries, bound together through our beliefs." From there, it goes into the title track, a national anthem for this colorblind utopia Janet has imagined. The four digits in the album's title refer to the year "The Star-Spangled Banner" was written, and with the help of James "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Lewis -- the production team behind Control --Jackson gives Francis Scott Key's greatest hit a New Jack Swing remake.
Rhythm Nation stays political for a few songs and then segues into kinder, gentler relationship songs, many of which dominated radio and MTV. An unprecedented seven of the album's singles made the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, and four of them -- "Miss You Much, "Escapade," "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" and "Black Cat" -- hit No. 1. The album, not surprisingly, topped the Billboard 200, vaulting Janet to a level of pop mega-stardom almost on par with that of her brother Michael Jackson.
Janet is starting to be missed. But she is about to come back & reclaim her throne again!!! She is an ICON!. She is the reason every female artist is revelant today!!!
http://www.billboard.com/...-jam-terry
[Edited 9/21/14 21:12pm] will ALWAYS think of like a "ACT OF GOD"! N another realm. mean of all people who might of been aliens or angels.if found out that wasn't of this earth, would not have been that surprised. R.I.P. |