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Two decades after the singer’s 1989 album catapulted her to stardom, we speak to Guzman, the photography duo behind the iconic cover shot
29March 2019
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Rhythm Nation 1814 era Janet Jackson 1988-1991
"I thought it would be great if we could create our own nation. One that would have a positive message and that everyone would be free to join." -Janet
Janet Jackson
Jimmy Jam Terry Lewis Jellybean Johnson James Harris III @Guzman photographers: Constance Hansen and Russell Peacock Rhythm Nation World Tour 1990
"We are a nation with no geographic boundaries, bound together through our beliefs. We are like-minded individuals, sharing a common vision, pushing toward a world rid of color-lines."
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30 y.o. and hard to believe! | |
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Singles from Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814
1. "Interlude: Pledge" 0:47 2. "Rhythm Nation" 5:31 3. "Interlude: T.V." 0:22 4. "State of the World"
4:48 5. "Interlude: Race" 0:05 6. "The Knowledge"
3:54 7. "Interlude: Let's Dance" 0:03 8. "Miss You Much"
4:12 9. "Interlude: Come Back" 0:21 10. "Love Will Never Do (Without You)"
5:50 11. "Livin' in a World (They Didn't Make)"
4:41 12. "Alright"
6:26 13. "Interlude: Hey Baby" 0:10 14. "Escapade"
4:44 15. "Interlude: No Acid" 0:05 16. "Black Cat" Jackson 4:50 17. "Lonely"
4:59 18. "Come Back to Me"
5:33 19. "Someday Is Tonight"
6:00 20. "Interlude: Livin'...In Complete Darkness"
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“We made small directions but she really didn’t need it. We were just watching her. It was very voyeuristic” – Constance Hansen
The story behind the cover shoot for Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814
Sombre church bells sound as Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 begins. An eerie, unsettled feeling unfolds as Jackson recites the “Pledge” her voice layered to suggest a group who are bound together on this journey as one: "We are a nation with no geographic boundaries, bound together through our beliefs. We are like-minded individuals, sharing a common vision, pushing toward a world rid of colour-lines."
Then she dropped “Rhythm Nation” and the world would never be the same. On her fourth studio album, Jackson transformed from pop star into an icon.
Forever defiant and entirely her own, Jackson refused to give the record label what they wanted, a sequel to Control. But she had bigger things on her mind, and used her art to make a political statement about issues of race, bigotry, gun violence, poverty, drug abuse, illiteracy, and ignorance.
At 23-years-old, Jackson walked the talk. She co-wrote and co-produced every song on the album with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, except the hard rock gem, “Black Cat”, which she penned and Jellybean produced. Rhythm Nation dropped 12 September 1989 and was envisioned as the national anthem of the 90s, thus the “1814”, a reference to the year the “The Star-Spangled Banner” was written.
Jackson knew what the people wanted, and she delivered. “Miss You Much”, the lead song on the album, was a number one hit – and the second most popular song of 1989. With three more number ones on deck, Jackson was poised to have the bestselling album in the US in 1990 – her legend growing bigger with each and every hit.
Rhythm Nation shattered records left and right, becoming the first album to have seven top five hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100, and earning Jackson nine Grammy Award nominations, including the first woman up for Producer of the Year and the only artist in history to receive nominations spanning five genres on a single album.
Now, 30 years after changing the game, Jackson will finally be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, in a star-studded event on March 28, alongside Stevie Nicks, The Cure, Def Leppard, Roxy Music, Radiohead, and the Zombies. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will host a Class of 2019 exhibition, featuring iconic items from their careers – including the unforgettable portrait of Jackson taken by Guzman, which appears on the album cover.
Guzman is the husband-and-wife team of Constance Hansen and Russell Peacock, who, below, share memories and never-before-seen images from the iconic shoot.
https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/43770/1/janet-jackson-rhythm-nation-1814-guzman-photo-cover-shoot
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Can you take us back to the shoot and describe Janet’s arrival?
Constance Hansen: We started doing 8x10 Polaroids around 1987. We were working with Geoffrey Beene and Barney’s. Janet liked that look.
Russell Peacock: Janet knew exactly what she wanted. This was a big political statement on her part. After hair and makeup, she came in like a soldier.
Constance Hansen: A little girl came in. She was really a little girl, so cute, fresh-faced, no makeup. She was soft, very sweet, and had the tiniest, lovely voice – really delicate. She came with her boyfriend at that time, René Elizondo Jr. They were very cute together. It was a secret.
(Elizondo and Janet were married from 1991 to 2000. He co-wrote 37 of Janet’s songs and directed a few videos.’ Most famously, it was his hands covering Janet's breasts in the photograph that appeared on the cover of the September 1993 issue of Rolling Stone magazine and janet. Album. They kept the marriage a secret until they divorced.)
What stood out to you most about the shoot?
Russell Peacock: The thing I remember most vividly from the shoot happened while we were waiting for Janet to finish her hair and makeup. René invited us into his brand new Range Rover and we listened to ‘Black Cat’ full blast, everything was popping. It was the loudest car stereo I had ever been in and he was really excited.
Constance Hansen: It was a very long hair and makeup session, which is always the case when you are doing something like this. When she came out five hours later, it was the whole military look: the bandolier, the hair, the braiding, the key earring – what she wore in the ‘Rhythm Nation’ video.. That was the look but it was a very simple set. We just had a chair and it was very solemn, very stern. There is no laughing on the set.
I am always looking at what people are doing, how they are feeling. Once we got started it was almost like watching a stage because it was separate. We made small directions but she really didn’t need it. We were just watching her. It was very voyeuristic.
Could you talk about the process for making these photographs?
Russell Peacock: With the 8x10, you can’t look through the camera when you take the picture, so you say, ‘Don’t move,’ put the film in, click it, and hope the person didn’t move too much because it’s a shallow depth of field. It’s an old fashioned way of working. You can’t take a lot of pictures like this. It’s a lot of set up – then you do it and that’s it.
Constance Hansen: We were there a long time but we didn’t have that many images because it’s time-consuming. You are under a dark cloth, looking through the lens. When you are doing that, you are quite still. An exposure could be 15-30 seconds. We were controlling the perspective. You can make people thinner or taller, right in the camera, not in post. There was no post. Everything had to be perfection.
What makes this style of portraiture so revealing?
Constance Hansen: It’s more considered and it’s intimate. You’re really fixated on detail.
Russell Peacock: You get that look like in a daguerreotype, where people look like they are in a trance because they can’t move. You get this surreal feeling. I think during that time, what we liked about it was there was a neo-romanticism to the whole process.
Seeing the outtakes from the shoot, I realised the originals were colour, not black and white!
Russell Peacock: Yes, all the Polaroids were colour.
Constance Hansen: The black and white photographs are Russell in the darkroom and he really is a master. They were manipulated and various things happened. He sometimes solarises them subtly or he tones them with selenium or he bleaches them. Also, you see the numbers ‘1814’, which is on the side – that was added in the darkroom.
Russell Peacock: I made all these different prints for them to choose from but they used a pretty simple straight forward image in the end. After watching the videos, which we didn’t see, I realised what she wanted, whereas at the time, I wasn’t really sure. We didn’t even listen to the music aside from that one track.
What did you think when you finally heard Rhythm Nation?
Constance Hansen: When I heard the album, it was mind-blowing. It was a big deal. The military look, it was so different. It was a statement by a woman.
Russell Peacock: I don’t think I fully appreciated the message.
Constance Hansen: I think women did though (laughs). Janet knew exactly how she wanted to appear. She had thought about it.
Russell Peacock: I think she was very competitive with Michael. I don’t think it’s a negative thing, I think she wanted to be her own Jackson. Think of how difficult that is to be ‘Michael’s little sister’. That was the point where she really came out on her own and I think that’s what people like about that album: she’s very independent and she is establishing herself as an artist. At the same time, I think it was influenced by Michael.
Constance Hansen: But on a woman, there’s a big difference. There was such strength. I like that she was feisty (laughs). And she looks bigger than life, after knowing that she was this little girl, was fascinating – the transformation.
Russell Peacock: There’s a lot going on in that album, that period of her life, and it shows. I was expecting the kind of previous album, that girl. That’s always the case because artists are always transforming. The need to keep continually reinventing yourself is a challenge but that’s’ what it’s about. In a way, it’s almost like an actor performing a different character.
Constance Hansen: It might not be someone else, it might be themselves amplified.
In celebration of the album’s 30th anniversary, Park MGM hosts Janet Jackson: Metamorphosis, her Las Vegas Residency, opening May 17
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A reminder of of the last of a time period of great creative era's for artists. Crafting a whole vision around an album. We see a few scattered here and there throught the 90s and 2000s. But the 80s was jam packed with with from artists of all genre.
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I love the apocalyptic essence of Rhythm Nation. Something only those of the 1980s could express rightfully.
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The late '80s/early '90s are not a time I would like to relive. But I would, happily, only to experience the first time I sat in front of my parent's stereo wearing those big headphones with the long spiral cord, popping in that black cassette tape with the white text, and listening, in rapt, to this album. | |
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I wish this was on Blu-Ray Janet Jackson Keep Calm & Listen To Prince | |
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- Rhythm Nation Tour 1990
Keep Calm & Listen To Prince | |
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Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814 (The Short Film) (1989) (HD) I have this album but bought it cause of the previous one, without knowing any music on it except the title song. It was a big dissapointment to me, only that one title song does it for me (have the 12" as well). But that previous album, man, that was close to unbeatable as far as the singles concerned. Mega massive. | |
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When I think of Iconic albums... This is one of the first ones that pop in my head. This is the album that made me a huge fan. It had a little bit of everything. Everything was done right. From the music to the videos to the tour. I loved that she mixed social consciousness with rock, pop, and RnB. I could literally play this album from start to finish and not skip any songs. Which is rare. One thing I've always loved about Janet albums were that they were complete packages. Every era had a different look, sound, and feel to it. And this era lasted a long time. Lonely is my favorite song from this album. But Alright is my favorite video. RN however is by far the most Iconic video. I still listen to this album a lot. It reminds me of my childhood. BlackCat1985 | |
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Rhythm Nation _____________ Five, four, three, two, one This is the test People of the world today People of the world today People of the world unite Bass, bass, bass Say it people, say it different Everybody sing it People of the world today Rhythm nation
The distinctive bass groove was based on "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)" by Sly and the Family Stone. Its socially conscious lyrics preach racial harmony and leadership through dance, protesting bigotry, fascism, and geographic boundaries with "compassionate, dedicated people power." It uses a moderate funk tempo composed in the key of G major. Jackson's vocals range from C4 to A6, climaxing during the song's middle eight. It opens with prelude "Pledge," in which Jackson describes "a world rid of color-lines" over apocalyptic bells and ambient noise. According to The New York Times' writer Stephen Holden, the song is an "utopian dance-floor exhortation" whose lyrics "[call] for racial harmony and cooperative struggle to create a better, stronger world". Its chorus is supported by male voices, with Jackson addressing her audience in a similar vein to a politician, "abandoning the narrow I for the universal we and inviting us to do the same." Its final chorus closes with multiple ad-libs as Jackson encourages listeners to sing with her, spreading the song's message of multicultural solidarity in a "grand pop statement."
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- Thank you for listing the singles release dates. It really shows how much the industry has changed. Every 2-3 months she was releasing a single. The roll out and continued promotional campaign was handled perfectly. | |
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- Damn...I'm getting old. But I'm also getting better. What an album! | |
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- I've came to that conclusion too. "Lonely" is such a beautiful song. One of her best. "Alright' was fun wasn't it? And to have cameos from Cyd Charisse, The Nicholas Bros. and Cab Calloway just made it even better. | |
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Rhythm Nation
The accompanying music video for "Rhythm Nation" was directed by Dominic Sena, serving as the final inclusion in Jackson's long-form Rhythm Nation 1814 film. It portrays rapid choreography within a "post-apocalyptic" warehouse setting, with Jackson and her dancers adorned in unisex military attire. It was filmed in black-and-white to portray the song's theme of racial harmony. Jackson's record label attempted to persuade her against filming the video, but upon her insistence it became "the most far-reaching single project the company has ever attempted." The video received two MTV Video Music Awards for "Best Choreography" and "Best Dance Video." Jackson also won the Billboard Award for "Best Female Video Artist" in addition to the "Director's Award" and "Music Video Award for Artistic Achievement." The Rhythm Nation 1814 film won the Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video. The video's outfit was inducted into the National Museum of Women in the Arts and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, where its hand-written lyrics are also used in the museum's class on female songwriters.
. upcoming actor Tyrin Turner(Menace II Society) featured in the Rhythm Nation video
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- The longevity of that album speaks volumes. People just never got tired of it back then. I believe "State of the World" could've charted well if promoted as the other singles. Especially with a good video. The synth bassline on that track was sick. | |
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In this edition of #JCsMusicology, we celebrate thirty years of Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 album. You know the music. You know the message. Now know the story. Using multitracks to remix eight of the album's twelve songs, hear the music like never before, along with the narrative of how this groundbreaking production was made.
Always cry 4 love, never cry 4 pain. |
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HEAVEN
HEAVEN
HEAVEN
Music/Entertainment/and a message for the ages....
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"the gold standard for dystopian dance pop music videos,"
It was filmed as part of the long-form video Rhythm Nation 1814 Film at a power plant located in Pasadena, California.
directed by Dominic Sena
Sena was born in Niles, Ohio of Italian-American heritage. His family hails from the town of Bagnoli Irpino, Avellino, Italy. As one of the founders of Propaganda Films, Sena worked primarily in music videos early in his career. He directed several of Janet Jackson's image re-defining music videos from her Rhythm Nation 1814 album. The "Rhythm Nation" music video directed by Sena won the Grammy Award Best Long Form Music Video. Other artists that Sena has directed music videos for include Richard Marx, Tina Turner, Fleetwood Mac, Sheena Easton, Bryan Adams, Michael Bolton, Peter Cetera, E.G. Daily, and Sting. Sena was also the cinematographer for many of the music videos he directed.
Sena commented "She's always out there trying to give people something different and fresh, and exciting to look at. If it's been done before she doesn't want anything to do with it, it's like 'let's start over'.
Speaking to MTV, Jackson said, "I knew who I wanted to direct 'Rhythm Nation,' that was simple: Dominic Sena. After working with him on 'Let's Wait Awhile,' I absolutely fell in love with him. [...] Dominic understood story, and he could put onscreen, from front to back, the whole picture you had in your head." Deciphering the video's scenery, Jackson explained, "the foggy, smoky street and the dark, black-and-white tone, that was all intentional. When you've done a lot of videos, it can be difficult to keep it fresh and new. You have to try something you've never done, in fear of looking like something you've already created."
Anthony "Bam Bam" Thomas who choreographed Jackson's iconic 'Rhythm Nation' music video
"What I want people to get when they see the choreography is to take the whole picture, don't try to separate it from the message," says Thomas in the clip. "If you do the routine with the message, then it becomes a routine with power."
https://www.udiscovermusi...n-tribute/
"most of the video consists of Jackson with background dancers performing a synchronized dance routine. Judging by the serious facial expressions and vigorous body movements of Jackson and her dancers, the men and women in "Rhythm Nation" are confident, courageous, and display unmatched conviction."
"The solidarity of Janet Jackson's multi-racial Rhythm Nation dancers is evoked with hyper-synchronized movements while their individuality is expressed via their separate, distinct dances." - SLANT Magazine
"Janet's dance nation is a hard, angular, geometric battle plan, and as the title track's stunning, monochromatic video clip confirms, the schematic first calls for an almost Zen-like transcendence of self." — Slant Magazine
"Shot in stark black and white and set in a smokey, oppressive factory setting, Jackson leads what appears to be a hip paramilitary organization through some of the most memorable choreography in pop video history. The future may look bleak, but at least it's funky." — Rolling Stone
The video was also one of the only popular music videos considered suitable to be broadcast to US troops in Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf due to religious restrictions on the portrayal of female sexuality. Commenting on the situation, VH1 executive Jackie Sharp said "It's the perfect women's video, because they're all buttoned up to the neck and nobody touches".
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I signed up for a music membership either Columbia House or BMG just so I could get this cassette. I am not even sure if I was able to get the cassette through the membership, but I do remember rewinding the cassette over and over for State of World, Rhythm Nation and Lonely.
It's quite criminal that her Youtube viewership is so low. It makes no sense that Rhythm Nation has only 18M views. | |
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I cannot remember if I bought the CD or the tape. I know I still have the CD though. I bought the LP for Control. I don't think CD's were out yet or at least not popular. | |
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Guess it took me all these year's and this thread (thanks Old Friends) to appreciate what a dope album and era this was for Janet. * Sidenote- Alright was and still is my shit after all of these years. One of my favorite Janet song/video. Video was incredible- bringing a taste of the Harlem Renaissance (zoots suits, Cab Calloway, and great choreography) to the MTV audience. * Salute. | |
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Well you are welcome, hope you hang around for the rest of it. | |
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Hey OF4S, Thanks for this thread. Well deserved. - Two questions:
1. Which website did you use to post the lyrics for "Rhythym Nation?" 2. Does anyone know what instrument or sound Jimmy's playing at the intro of "Lonely" around the 13-14 second mark? It appears throughout the record but most noticably in the intro.
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I don't remember I think it is Source: LyricFind I typed in Rhythm Nation lyrics Janet Jackson in Google and those lyrics came up | |
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