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. Janet's widely known for her hard-hitting dance tracks, but her slower fare also makes quite the impression, the first ballad to set the stage was Let's Wait Awhile.



Let's Wait Awhile (1987)

By the dawn of 1987, Janet had already made one heck of a statement. Her breakthrough exceeded multiplatinum and was the eighth biggest-selling album of '86. All four of its singles went Gold, each hitting Top 5 on the Billboard pop charts, with three shooting to Number 1 on R&B. For her first release of the new year, however, Janet decidedly trades in the role of dance diva for that of "balladeer." Released in January '87, "Let's Wait Awhile" was the album's premier slow song. It hit Number 2 on the pop charts -- kept from the summit by Club Nouveau's "Lean On Me" -- becoming her fifth consecutive Top 5 smash and R&B Number 1.

The single reflected Janet as a young woman and, at the time, spoke to an era of young lovers connecting in a hurried world. Its lyrics were immensely sweet and near ingénue-like -- with Jackson extolling the virtues of taking one's time in the intimate development of a relationship; and was viewed by many as an ode to abstinence.

Vocally, Janet's angelic mezzo-soprano hovers above a soft arrangement of distant keyboards and digital bells -- which she also performs. This track demonstrates a sizable artistic leap, for it is the first time Janet personally had a hand in producing and arranging.

The tune was a staple at high school proms and slow dances and was one of the most requested songs on American radio in 1987, not to mention a perennial call-in dedication favorite. Outside of the U.S., the single made phenomenal impressions. It became her first Number 1 in South Africa and hit Number 3 in the U.K.

"Let's Wait Awhile" demonstrated the musical versatility of Janet Jackson. It showed that her slower fare could equally rival -- even outperform -- her more uptempo numbers. Her ballads became timeless mainstays on the FM dial. The single, along with the album's final release (in the U.K.) "Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)," has been rotated on quiet storm and Adult Contemporary set lists almost nightly throughout North America for the past 20 years.

On the pop cultural front, the tune gained wings and became a frequent subject of inclusion in social commentary regarding peer pressure and sexuality amongst youth by researchers in countless fields, ranging from sociology and beyond.

"The whole feeling of [Let's Wait Awhile] just has this innocence," reflects British soul vocalist Jamelia. "It's lovely, and I think that's what people really like about Janet Jackson. No matter what she looks like or what she wears, she always has this innocence."



The penultimate short film reflects the tune's pristine elements. Captured in letterbox format, it is a romantic narrative set amidst a New York cityscape -- with interchanging images of passing taxi cabs, moonlit Manhattan skylines and Janet engaged in a series of vignettes with video love interest Taimak Guarriello.

Video director Dominic Sena launched an impressive film career based on his working relationship with Janet in "Let's Wait Awhile." It was his first of many iconic shorts, including the album's final video. His visual eye documents the constantly changing Jackson as she develops from demure sweetheart to playful adult.

Janet would later go on to shed her buttoned-up persona in future ballads, but with "Let's Wait Awhile," listeners are witness to a delicate snapsnot of a mindful young woman who's not only in Control of her music and life, but body. Determined to keep people on their toes -- and not a stranger to flipping the script -- Janet cranks up the volume yet again for the project's grand showdown, The Pleasure Principle.

- JANFAN4L

[...to be continued - Next "The Pleasure Principle"]

Chart Activity - Peak Positions
The Billboard Hot 100: #2 (1 week) (debuted 1/17/87 - 19 weeks on chart)
Hot 100 Airplay: #4
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks: #1 (1 week) (debuted 1/24/87 - 18 weeks on chart)
Adult Contemporary: #2 (1 week) (debuted 1/24/87 - 18 weeks on chart)
ARC Top 40: #2
UK: #3 (Silver - 200,000 units - 10 weeks on chart)
Australia: #19
Canada: #14
Germany: #34
Holland: #16
South Africa (sales chart): #1 (? weeks)
Switzerland: #27

U.K. Chart Run:
Debut: March 21, 1987 | Weeks On Chart: 10
31-9-3-4-5-9-15-21-36-60

U.S. Chart Run:
Debut: January 17, 1987 | Weeks On Chart: 19
75-60-46-36-30-22-15-10-3-2-3-4-13-26-41-50-55-73-93
Kept from #1 by: Lean On Me - Club Nouveau

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





:::
song: written by james harris III, terry lewis, janet jackson & melanie andrews
video: directed by dominic sena

Previous thread in series: Control

Great song. one of absoulte favorites. love the video!!

i've always prefered Funny How Time Flies over this one..too surgery sweet for my taste.

The ultimate puppy love moment!!!

TonyVanDam said:

ditto

Paula abdul did the reverse on "rush rush" message wise. For that reason i prefer paula's song over "lets wait awhile" (and the fact its a better song)

thesexofit said:

sosgemini said:

Is that ur lunch?

sosgemini said:

lets pray for a dedication post


Anyway...Lets Wait Awhile always was very touching to me especially the la la la da da da da dai ditty.... part


its so sweet and innocent....


Then u learn how not so innocent it is on

"Funny How Time Flies" That song used to scare me when I was little

paisleypark4 said:

You know, I really feel that "scary" element in LWA because Janet sounds so naïve and nubile, you're afraid she's going to get taken advantage of. I really feel that in FHTF(WYHF), too, during the final segment when the anonymous person is seducing her and she starts speaking in French. Soo risqué.

sosgemini said:

I agree with the former part of this statement, but I still like Let's Wait Awhile a good deal. Funny How Time Flies would have fit well on this album or on RN1814.

And wait..."surgery sweet?"






...
[Edited 3/7/06 19:24pm]

I prefer the remix for "Let's Wait Awhile" with reverb on the 808 kick and extra claps and synth coloring. All the other songs I prefer the album version.

We had the remix version (the video mix) on a hits compilation back then. I was pleased to find it on (one of) the Control Remixes album(s).

Would it be a big deal if I said I met Taimak and his mother is friends with my family?

sosgemini said:

Funny How Time Flies is a bootleg The Lady In My Life. Not only is it the last track of the album, She really sounds like at her brother at the end of the song to.

CinisterCee said:

Are there any dance mixes of Let's Wait Awhile worthy enough to spin? I haven't ran across any.

I have that same Control Remixes album with the Remix of LWA. I'm sort of borderline on whether I like it better than the album version. I feel the album version is more subdued and really captures the quiter, whispery elements of the track.

lilgish said:

That's cool. That's like only a couple degrees of separation from Janet.

JANFAN4L said:

Control is one of the Greatest Pop albums of all Time! Period.

All though there was a lot of Prince influence, it was still a landmark album, it was a fresh hip sound. R&B was a little bland at the time and Janet (coming out at the height of her brother's success) was this hip-young, sexy female who had style, grace, charisma, attitude, and using some of Jimmy Jam & Terry's most creative stuff - the timing was perfect. It was POP, R&B, hip-hop, dance..

When I think of Control, I think of Madonna's - Like A Virgin, Micheal's - Thriller, Prince - PR and SOTT, Rick James - Street Songs, Bobby Brown - Don't Be Cruel, etc. It was one of those records that just blew U away as a teenager growing up in the 80's

This album is so CRUNK!

did i just see Dont Be Cruel mentioned with a bunch of classics?

sosgemini said:

LOL, Don't Be Cruel, @ the time, was a great POP record, damn near perfect! It was Teddy Riley and Babyface at their very best!

This video is filled with beautiful images and scenery, I'll post some screen caps later on...

This was the single from the album that I liked the least. Like the other singles though, the remix improves on the song as subtle as it is.

funny how time flies...

Isn't Come Back To Me supposed to be a sequel to this song?

Tom said:

The sequel is "Someday Is Tonight".

Tom said:

A lot of people love that song, don't they...

at janfan4l's avi..

sighs..... why pay credit to Janet Jackson?

she has a thin voice.....

she has nothing usefull to say...

most of her music is crappy r&b.....

she has no charisma.....

she is a 3 or 4 out of 10.....why do you care for her?

Riverpoet31 said:

everything okay?

sosgemini said:

::bows::