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. Not very often does a song define a singer, but when it does, its impact carries over to set the tone for an artist's entire career. None have done it more loudly than Janet in Control.



Control (1986)

Released in October of 1986, the tune was the album's theme song and set the tone for its nine tracks. It became her fourth Top 5 Billboard pop hit and was Number 1 on the R&B and Dance charts in the fall of that year. The single was Janet's mission statement -- defining her as an artist and serving as an autobiographic narrative of her rapidly changing life. "I had a lot to say, a lot on my mind and I wanted to share it with other people," she says. "It wasn't easy leaving the care of my father, but there was no going back."

Janet had to do a lot of protesting to get this project recorded and that same passion spills over into the song's lyrics. Before the groundwork was laid, executive producer Jimmy Jam and Janet's father Joseph shared a few choice words: "His advice to us was don't have his daughter sounding like Prince. He said, I know you guys are from Minneapolis; and Prince is from Minneapolis. Don't have my daughter sounding like Prince. We assured him that she wouldn't. She would have her own sound."

And that she did. Very early on Janet was closely involved in the creative process of Control, which was noteworthy because on previous albums she mainly sung material that was simply handed to her, but didn't personally relate to her life. Jam & Lewis, however, took a more proactive approach with Janet and the recording process. They all sat down and conversed about her life. Janet, unaware that the duo was concocting a game plan from their intimate chats, was shown the blueprint for a tune they had worked on: the album's title track. After which, it dawned on her that Control would not be like past projects. "Suddenly she got immersed into the writing process because she knew that her opinions and her voice was going to really be heard on this record," says Jam. "And that got her excited about it."

"I was looking for direction. Or rather looking for a new direction," she says. "I had been directed by others -- but no one who understood me as I was beginning to understand myself. I wanted... a way to express a mess of pent-up feelings. What I'm saying, I suppose, is that I wanted to be taken seriously."

In the tune, there's references to her brief, misguided marriage with James DeBarge, the struggle to break free from the demands of her domineering father and the promise that came with striking it out on one's own.

Sonically, the track itself was laid over a computerized Minneapolis Funk beat, that took cues from hip hop-tinged funk and urban R&B with a vocal style to match. The song was aggressive, defiant and punchy with Janet shouting out commands to her Flyte Tyme army. "She's a very rhythmic singer," says Jam, "her voice became a part of the funkiness of the track. To me, that's what made [Control] work. We could create these aggressive tracks and Janet would come in and just hit it."



Control was an important touchstone for a generation of music listeners. She was hailed as a role model by young women and the anthem, their call to arms. Critically, the song's lyrics were even spotlighted in academic texts as an example of great songwriting along with Paul Simon's "I Am A Rock."

Its video was also autobiographical. The dramatic prologue of the short film, in which she stands up to her father and joins the Jam/Lewis gang, is a moving piece of art imitating life, and a metaphor for Janet's movement from the Jackson family to her newly adopted clan of flamboyant funksters. The performance portion is frenetic, with Janet jamming on stage with her Flyte Tyme brethren, commanding an audience, hopping on a keyboard and pounding out her own groove.

This song and video showcases the relationship between she, Jam and Lewis -- a partnership that would continue to blossom and stand until this day.

As a result -- with the "Control" single -- people finally took Janet's music seriously and were blown away by her initimitable talents. She owned 1986. Every conceivable facet of the young entertainer had broken through and by the end of the year she closed out on top. At the dawn of '87, continued to glow with her next single, the ballad, Let's Wait Awhile.

- JANFAN4L

[...to be continued - Next "Let's Wait Awhile"]

Chart Activity - Peak Positions
The Billboard Hot 100: #5 (Gold) (debuted 11/1/86 - 18 weeks on chart)
Hot 100 Airplay: #4
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #1 (1 week) (debuted 11/1/86 - 19 weeks on chart)
Hot Dance Music/Club Play: #1 (3 weeks) (debuted 11/22/86 - 11 weeks on chart)
Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales: #2
ARC Top 40: #3
UK: #42 (debuted 11/1/86 - 5 weeks on chart)
Australia: #80
Belgium: #20
Canada: #3
Holland: #12
South Africa (sales chart): #2

U.K. Chart Run:
Debut: November 1, 1986 | Weeks On Chart: 5
56-47-42-53-71

U.S. Chart Run:
Debut: November 1, 1986 | Weeks On Chart: 18
73-57-41-35-27-21-17-13-7-7-6-6-5-6-16-31-49-62

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





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

Previous thread in series: When I Think of You

Jan's funkiest song. I love the remastered version on DOAD. I'm surprised this song didn't go all the way to number 1. and i remember being pissed she didn't sing it the first time i saw her in concert (janet. tour).

these threads rule janfan! can't wait for pleasure principle...

Since this is a television performance, I think this qualifies with the Org's rules on youtube ("At the same time, TV performances which there isn't an easy way to see again, I don't really have a problem with people putting up on other sites like youtube and linking to them... it's up to the copyright owners to get them removed from YouTube if they want that to happen."). Janet doing Control on Soul Train

http://www.youtube.com/?v=Et9Aa7FoIAs

These threads are the shit.

I totally look forward to them.

THANKS AGAIN JANFAN4L.

JANFAN4L said:

"Cuz it's all about Aquanet..."

I remember my sister had some pretty tall bangs in the 80s. She said what everyone was really going for was those Janet Jackson Control bangs.

Control owned me for the best part of a year, i was 16 back in '86 and my first 'proper' girlfriend bought it for me on cassette (Chrome cassette at that!) i still have it somewhere.

I'd bought 'What Have You Done..' purely on the back of who's little sister it was, but she deserved her success and her big breakthrough, loved it to pieces. I was a little shocked at seeing Controls UK chart run, on the face of it, that doesn't look too great, but like i said, i loved it and the singles did OK chartwise, i think. All the twelve inch singles were really great as well. Pleasure Principle extended is one of the greatest examples of how a remix should be done.

Nasty (Cool summer mix) was pretty hot too. Yeah '86/87 was pretty sweet. Janet, Madonna, Prince, RUN DMC, Beasties. that was pretty much what i was listening to back at that time.

Nice thread.

RipHer2Shreds said:

This is before she retired her vintage two-step, shoulder shaking, pelvis thrust dance! I love it!!!

And that hair!!!!!

Adisa said:

I KNOW!!!!! I watched that clip last night. I was like - shit! It's the "Dream Street" moves!!

CinisterCee said:

I love how the crowd are all just sorta standing around until the music starts.

Loved the video with the almost Time reunion. My strongest "Control" memory was when I went to a club in Albuquerque in 1986 and when the DJ spun "Control", a huge video screen came down behind the dance floor and aired the video at the same time. I thought that was the coolest thing ever.

RipHer2Shreds said:

"Get to the song bitch"

how can you talk about control and not mention the two acting cameos?

sosgemini said:

"Don't you think it's time we made a thread on our own?"

What two acting cameos?

"dried out jheri curl don king mullet" You know what? The night I moved out my mom's house (we had this HUGE argument) I BLASTED this while I was packing all my stuff up. Plus it was the first song I ever played in my apartment.

DynamicSavior said:

omg did you reenact that scene at the doorway, with your jacket over one shoulder?

wasnt it james evans and the actress who played her adopted mom? from good times...

sosgemini said:

wasnt JJ Walker riding in the car with The Time?

CinisterCee said:

No, that was Popeye.

sosgemini said:

It's times like these when I wish I had those old episodes of VH1's Pop-Up Video handy...

CinisterCee said:

Sosgemini: "...And I've got lots of it."

EDIT due to traffic
[Edited 2/27/06 13:10pm]

RipHer2Shreds said:

Thanks 4 providing! I'm gonna take a look at it later on...

sextonseven said:

MEGA! OK, that's MEGA for the mid-80s. I know I'd freeek if I saw something like that back then.

Time & Flyte Tyme!

Did Jam & Lewis ever reunite with the original Time on any old school summer tours?

JANFAN4L said:

I swear that Jam & Lewis did one reunion show in NYC at Madison Square Garden where The Time was part of a bigger package and I was away on vacation during the time so I didn't go. This was sometime during the 90s.

JANFAN4L said:

you dont remember their names either eh?

JANFAN4L said:

you dont remember their names either eh?

JANFAN4L said:

you dont remember their names either eh?