From janet-xone.com Saturday, January 24, 2004
'Love Me For A Little While' & 'Dirty Mind' connection
The title of Janet's new single, "Love Me For A Little While," has raised an eyebrow among Prince fans who noticed that one of the lyrics in the Minneapolis artist's 1980 song "Dirty Mind" is:

"But honey, all I wanna do is love you for a little while"

Just this past week, producer Dallas Austin compared the sexual nature of Janet's new untitled album to that of Prince's album "Dirty Mind" during an interview with MTV.

At this time it is unknown if this is simply a coincidence, or if there is an intended connection with Prince's song.

theVelvetRoper said:

That's interesting because Janet has been good for lifting tracks for interpolation in her singles. Specifically, vocal tracks) To note:

'Got Til It's Gone' - ('Big Yellow Taxi' - Joni Mitchell; lyric: "don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got til' it's gone...")

'Son Of A Gun' - ('You're So Vain' - Carly Simon; lyric: "I'll bet you think this song is about you...")

Sounds like lightning could be ready to strike again...

violator said:

Janet has always sampled, but "Son Of A Gun" was horrible. I couldn't believe Carly Simon would stoop low enough to contribute guest vocals - and rap, no less.

VoicesCarry said:

Carly (and Joni) got paid.

Would be cool if Janet returned to that old electro-new-wave-funk-drum-machine style.
Even though the idea is sooo 2002 (Felix Da Housecat? holla!), it would sound right if Janet was doing that this album.

That's the sound I imagine if she ends up interpolating "Dirty Mind".

VoicesCarry said:

I think "Son of a Gun" is a great song. Not anything special by Janet's standards, but I still think it's great.
[This message was edited Sun Jan 25 5:23:48 PST 2004 by theVelvetRoper]

CinisterCee said:

felix is no joke! too bad he didn't really blow up in the states.

VoicesCarry said:

that's funny, i thought son of a gun was one of the best tracks on all for you. but was carly rapping? to me, it just sounds like she was talking...albeit dramatically, but talking nonetheless.

SassyBritches said:

Now, I'm one of the world's biggest Janet fans, and I love her so much, and I agree that "Son of a Gun" is one of the best tracks on All For You, but that's not really saying much as far as Janet albums go, in my opinion. All For You is my least favorite album of her's since Dream Street.

theVelvetRoper said:

LOL. i said the same thing to one of my friends!

but for real, though, son of a gun is HOT, baby!

SassyBritches said:

Agree, and I love the lyrics.

theVelvetRoper said:

"...i'd rather keep the trash and throw you out
stupid bitch, in my beach house
no i ain't gonna go and act a fool
be the lead story
on the nigga news
oh not me sucka
i'll never be your lover
i'd rather make you suffer
you stupid motherfucker..."

miss janet was mad!

SassyBritches said:

Yup, and when she did it live, she said the "stupid bitch" part with such hatred in her voice. It was great!

I also love the beginning...

"Sharp-shooter into breakin' hearts.
Baby gigolo, sex pistol..."

VoicesCarry said:

Carly Simn rapping :shudders:

JANFAN4L said:

Wait a minute...Joni has an ego the size of Christina Ricci's forehead, so she basically refuses to work with anyone. But when Janet Jackson calls up on the phone and says "hun, have I got a proposition for you", she sells out in 30 seconds?

And yeah, I think Carly must've been desperate for some cash to do that song. I just listened to it again, and she doesn't really rap, but she makes an attempt, and it sounds ridiculous.
[This message was edited Sun Jan 25 11:42:56 PST 2004 by VoicesCarry]

VoicesCarry said:

I'm sorry, but I don't think she was attempting to rap. Which parts are you referring to? Are they hidden or something? All of her parts are spoken-word.

theVelvetRoper said:

clearly.

just because it is not sung does not mean it is rap.

theVelvetRoper said:

Well, it's my opinion. I think she definitely attempts it in the track, particularly towards the end, when she's delivering that idiotic monologue on clouds.

VoicesCarry said:

Carly "rapping" is a misconception. It is a fact that she is doing spoken word. Janet has said so in countless interviews and even Carly has said so. The only thing that's an opinion is your criticism on her clouds monologue.

VoicesCarry said:

I love Chistina Ricci!

But did Joni add new vocals? I don't think so! Janet can take the part of the song if she wants whether Joni likes it or not as long as the people get paid for their part.

JANFAN4L said:

Agree. There is no "opinion" on whether she's rapping because a rap is not what she intended.

SassyBritches said:

I know he ain't no joke; he gets major respect
I was just saying...
with the "prediction" that Janet might cop this style for this album (given the comparison to "dirty mind") it's not exactly a new idea considering the whole electroca$h trend in 2002.

CinisterCee said:

hee hee, i gotcha...i was actually just agreeing with you, lol.

IF she's gone electroclash, the album will be dated before it hits the shelves. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, if the music's good. But it doesn't generally translate into sales. If the music is on par with All For You (a few great singles, some enjoyable sex romps, and a lot of filler), an electroclash-heavy production will not serve it well, and sales will disappoint.

Case in point: Kylie Minogue, Holly Valance. Both recently released albums that were heavily doused in electroclash. Both utterly tanked, despite high expectations.

I just hope her effort doesn't end up sounding "sooo 2002", which was when electroclash sounded "sooo 80s". I'm pretty sure minimalist electro has had its day in the sun.

It would be nice if she co-opted Fischerspooner for some remixes, though.
[This message was edited Sun Jan 25 14:09:52 PST 2004 by VoicesCarry]

VoicesCarry said:

Everything I was thinking but failed to communicate. Thanks, VoicesCarry

CinisterCee said:

Yeah, it's pretty difficult to humanize synths. It requires one or both of: a) a spectacular voice or b) an incredible command of synth production, and an ability to create a definite mood.

Donna Summer did, with "Our Love" and "I Feel Love" (oddly robotic and sexual at the same time) and later in her career with "This Time I Know It's For Real" (maybe the only artist to make a SAW production sound anything but robotic...with perhaps the exception of Rick Astley). Roland Orzabal was able to do it, but TFF had the benefit of both incredible production AND his amazing voice. I think he could make the phone book sound emotional. Bowie also had the knack for it. New Order and the Pet Shop Boys were production masters (and they often employed cryptic, mysterious lyrics), and their vocals were quite good, as well.

It's interesting that Madonna pretty much stays away from harsh, overbearing synths, and when she uses them, the results are pretty disastrous ("American Life"). You need to pretty damn good to make them work.

I hope Janet's smart enough to know her limitations. I love her music, but this would be ill-advised.
[This message was edited Sun Jan 25 14:27:52 PST 2004 by VoicesCarry]

SassyBritches said:

hehe.. k.

OK, I read all of that VoicesCarry.. one side of me says, HEY! when it was ACTUALLY the 80s, Madonna and Janet sounded great over synths! "Into The Groove" & "When I Think Of You" for example. You are right about all the people that humanized synths. And obviously, we like Prince because of that, too.

btw, I was looking forward to Kylie's album but I haven't seen it in the store here yet.

CinisterCee said:

Oh yes, Madonna and Janet have done some nice synth-based music ("When I Think Of You", "What Have You Done For Me Lately", "Into The Groove", etc.) but they're songs that are built on intricate production, with other elements incoporated - nowhere near the minimalism that I think she'd go for if she went electroclash (nothing like Kylie's "Slow" for example). It also helped that they had incredibly graceful, catchy melodies, something I find electroclash often lacks.

I think we have to distinguish between electroclash synth and most 80s synth. You could make an 80s synth production sound warm and inviting by adding other elements (Jam & Lewis used drum machines, flourishes of piano, bells, etc.). In other words, they didn't restrict themselves to synths. On "Into The Groove", there are multiple layers of both synths and other instruments, which coalesce into a warm, layered song. A corollary would be Madonna's "Rain", which feels "warm" because it's so dense and layered - it feels like it's enveloping you. Electroclash doesn't work to create that effect. That's why "American Life" sounds harsh, soulless and just plain obnoxious. I wouldn't have an objection to Janet harkening back to her 80s days because that was immaculately-produced music that hasn't dated itself. But if you basically use pure synths (or a heavy dose of them), then you're asking for trouble. That's what I meant.

A good example would be Kylie's "Come Into My World", which in its original form, was pretty seductive. Then Fischerspooner remixed it, turning it into a killer dance track. But it sounded hollow once they got a hold of it. Janet has always done emotionally-charged, SEDUCTIVELY smooth R&B, and that just wouldn't work for her.

Unless Prince deigned to produce it, that is.

Kylie's album will be released in the US on Feb. 10th, by the way. I suggest you listen to it before you buy it, considering how many people absolutely hate it.
[This message was edited Sun Jan 25 15:31:34 PST 2004 by VoicesCarry]