Janet Jackson
Encyclopedia : J : JA : JAN : Janet Jackson
- For other people named , see
- ["Nasty" (1986)] ([file info])
- ["When I Think of You" (1986)] ([file info])
- Problems playing the files? See .
- ["Nasty" (1986)] ([file info])
Encyclopedia : J : JA : JAN : Janet Jackson
Control, released in 1986, became a smash hit, spawning five top ten singles, including her first number one single "When I Think Of You". The album became a breakthrough record for Jackson partly due to the singles' music videos that showcased a different side of her, displaying dynamic dance moves choreographed by Paula Abdul. Janet trademarked herself, wearing on one ear an earring with a key. She later revealed that the key belong to the animal cages at her family's estate.Gillings, Andrew. ["janet's new groove"]. Essence. Retrieved May 20 2006.
Control also featured such classics as "What Have You Done For Me Lately", "The Pleasure Principle", and the ballad "Let's Wait Awhile".
By fall 1986, the album went to the top of the Billboard 200 album chart. By the end of 1986, the album had sold over five million copies in America alone. Control was awarded a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, six Billboard Music Awards, four American Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards and three Soul Train Music Awards including Album of the Year. That same year, Jackson also took a crucial step towards her own independence: she fired her father-manager, Joseph Jackson.
Producers Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis, originally wanted the album's more upbeat tracks to be housed on the first half on the album, with the more socially-conscious material featured on the second half. Jackson disagreed. She thought the album had an important message and pushed it to be the record's main focus.
Released in September 1989, Rhythm Nation 1814 went straight to number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, and R&B album chart. The first single from the album, "Miss You Much", went straight to number one. A long form video which included songs "Miss You Much", "The Knowledge" and "Rhythm Nation" was shot by director Domenic Sena (See also Rhythm Nation 1814 Film). The video represented a coming together of all people, and took a strong social stance on issues such as bigotry, ignorance, and education. "Miss You Much" and "Rhythm Nation" were shot in black and white and featured elaborate military-style choreography and costumes. The set went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Video.
Rhythm Nation 1814 sold six million copies by the end of the following year, and became the first album to spawn seven top five singles, as well as four number one singles: "Miss You Much", "Escapade", "Black Cat", and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)".
In 1990, Billboard awarded the album with the #1 Selling Album of the Year award. Jackson won multiple awards including fifteen Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards, four Soul Train Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, and her first Grammy Award.
Jackson went on a top-selling tour, Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour, to promote the album that has since been regarded as the most successful debut tour of any artist. Janet also became the first artist to score a #1 hit simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock singles chart with "Black Cat" in 1990. The song's heavy rock influence was a departure for Jackson. The video served as a behind-the-scenes look at the Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour.By the end of its run, the album scored four number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, and the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and three number one singles on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
Janet, in an effort to take a turn with her image, decided to shoot a sexy video with photographer Herb Ritts, for the final single, "Love Will Never Do (Without You)." The video proved to be a turning point for Jackson. No longer was she the innocent, shy little girl that the public had known her as. She was now a fully developed woman who had finally carved out her own place in music history.
In 1991, Jackson and long-time boyfriend, Rene Elizondo Jr., were secretly married in a private ceremony. Both hid their marriage from the public for almost a decade.
In July 1993, Janet made her big screen debut in the John Singleton directed, Poetic Justice. Janet's biggest and most successful ballad, "Again", was featured on the film's soundtrack. The single went straight to number one and garnered Jackson a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song From A Motion Picture. ["JANET JACKSON BIOGRAPHY"]. Filmbug. Retrieved May 20 2006.
janet. became the first of the Nielsen SoundScan era to debut in the U.S. at number one, and it reached number one in twenty-two countries, sold seventeen million copies and won several awards, including a Grammy Award. It was the fourth best-selling album of the year in the U.S., and the eighth biggest selling album of the following year on the year end Billboard Top Albums chart.
The album spawned hits "If", "You Want This", "Again", "Any Time, Any Place", and "Because of Love". Jackson produced a racy video for the single "Any Time, Any Place" featuring herself in numerous sexual positions with another actor. Jackson included a message of safe sex in the video. The song stayed afloat at the top of the R&B charts for 10 weeks.
In September 1993, Jackson appeared topless on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. The magazine cover became one of the most celebrated photos ever taken of a rock artist, and Rolling Stone named it their 'Most Popular Cover Ever' in 2000. In a precursor of her Super Bowl controversy, Jackson was criticized for the explicitness of the photograph, but she shyly insisted that the male hands covering her breasts belonged to her husband.
The janet. Tour began in November 1993 and played for 12 full months to packed audiences all around the globe, ending in April 1995.
After years of reservations, Janet decided to collaborate with her brother, Michael Jackson, on the 1995 single, "Scream," the lead single from his first greatest hits collection. The song lashed out at the media, and a futuristic music video was created with the help of director Mark Romanek, showing off both artists' style of dance and fashion.
In October 1995, she released her first Greatest Hits package, Design of a Decade 1986/1996. The album focused primarily on her A&M period, but contained one Virgin Records track, "That's the Way Love Goes." Two new songs were recorded for the package, "Runaway," and "Twenty Foreplay."
In 1996, Jackson re-signed with Virgin for a reported $80 million ["Marketplace for January 12, 1996"]. Marketplace, Public Radio. Retrieved May 20 2006., which made her the highest paid female recording artist of all time. Around the same time, she was busy trying to create a concept around her fifth album, and went through clinical depression. The result was a dark, and self-revealing project, The Velvet Rope (1997). In September 1997, the album's lead single, "Got 'Til It's Gone" was released. The single sampled the Joni Mitchell classic, "Big Yellow Taxi" and featured a guest spot by rapper, Q-Tip.
Jackson returned with a new image, which included piercing, and tattoos, one of which, the Sankofa, an Akan symbol meaning, we must go back and reclaim our past so we can move forward["About Sankofa"]. Retrieved May 20 2006., was featured on the inside of her wrist.
Fans were a bit taken aback by the album's content. Songs dealing with domestic abuse, depression, low self-esteem, isolation, and S&M, made up for the bulk of the album's content. The woman who seemed to have everything, had hit the lowest point in her personal life. Velvet Rope's cover, shot by photographer Ellen von Unwerth, featured Janet with her head down, in and defeated-like pose, with only the word, Janet, glazed over top of the image. Many speculated the stories behind the songs, but Jackson has since remained quiet. Rope became her fourth number-one album on the Billboard 200. ["Janet Jackson: Biography and Much More from Answers.com"]. Retrieved May 21 2006. In 1998, Jackson set out on a world tour, The Velvet Rope Tour, hitting Europe, North America, and Asia.
The album yielded a total of four hit singles. The second single released off the album, "Together Again", an upbeat, musical tribute to her friends who had died of AIDS, became an instant smash hit. A portion of the sales from the single, were donated to AIDS research. The funky, "Go Deep", and the R&B heavy, "I Get Lonely", were both single successes. The last single off the album, "Every Time", produced a stunning music video, with Jackson being filmed underwater.
As her world tour in 1999 came to a close, Jackson guest-vocaled on songs, "Luv Me, Luv Me," with Shaggy, for the How Stella Got Her Groove Back soundtrack, and the Grammy-nominated, "What's It Gonna Be," with Busta Rhymes. Jackson also contributed vocals on the Blackstreet song, "Girlfriend/Boyfriend," and dueted with Elton John for the song, "I Know The Truth." With her newfound exposure to Hip Hop, Jackson toyed with the idea of doing a full album focusing musically on the genre. As 1999 ended Billboard Magazine ranked Janet as the second most successful artist of the 1990s, only behind Mariah Carey.
In mid-2000, Jackson returned to the big screen, with her second film, , with Eddie Murphy. Jackson also contributed to film's soundtrack with the hit, "Doesn't Really Matter." During this period, the public learned of Jackson's secret longtime marriage to Rene Elizondo. The couple announced that they were separating.
In March 2001 Jackson was awarded a top honor American Music Award 'Award of Merit,' and was named MTV's first 'Icon', which resulted in performances featuring Destiny's Child, N'Sync, Christina Aguilera, Usher, Britney Spears and others.["Janet Jackson"]. Contact Music. Retrieved May 21 2006.
Shortly after, Jackson's seventh studio album, All for You, was released in that same year. The album's number-one title track helped the album debut at number one, her fifth, in its first week of sales with more than 605,000 copies sold in the U.S. All for You would go on to sell more than three million copies in America alone, and spawned the Billboard hit "Someone To Call My Lover". By the end of the year, All for You won Jackson her fifth Grammy Award.["Reference.com/Encyclopedia/Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording"]. Reference.com. Retrieved May 21 2006.
In 2001, Rene Elizondo later sued Jackson for spousal support.["Celebrity Divorces: Janet Jackson and Michael Jackson"]. About.com. Retrieved May 21 2006. Their court battle finally ended in 2003 with the divorce finalized and Elizondo receiving half the multi-million dollar pay-off he was hoping for. ["Janet Jackson and Rene Elizondo divorce finalized"]. The Smoking Gun. October 21 2003. Retrieved May 21 2006.
After scoring a top forty single with "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)" featuring Carly Simon, the last off the album, remixed by rapper Missy Elliot, and performing her last concert for her All for You Tour in Hawaii in 2002, she collaborated with reggae singer Beenie Man on the top forty song "Feel It Boy." Jackson began work on her next album the following year, and accepted an invitation to join that following year's Super Bowl festivities.
In 2002, Jackson began a relationship with hip-hop producer Jermaine Dupri.
During the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII on February 1, 2004, Jackson performed with Justin Timberlake to an audience of more than one hundred million people. During this live performance, Jackson sang along with Timberlake on his song "Rock Your Body". When Justin sang the lyric "gonna have you naked by the end of this song," her top was torn open by Timberlake, exposing Jackson's right breast; the nipple was partially covered by a nipple shield. Timberlake called the incident a "wardrobe malfunction." Jackson apologized [Apologetic Jackson says 'costume reveal' went awry]. CNN. February 3 2004. Retrieved May 20 2006., calling it an accident and that Timberlake was supposed to pull away the bustier and leave the red-lace bra intact; however, she later said to an interviewer for Genre magazine that she wishes she had not apologized at all.
CBS, the NFL, and MTV (then one of CBS's corporate siblings), which produced the halftime show, disclaimed all responsibility under a hailstorm of controversy. Jackson and Timberlake confirmed those denials, but the FCC continued with its investigation. As a result, CBS invited Jackson to appear at the 2004 Grammy Awards ceremony to make another public apology. She declined, but Justin Timberlake apologized and appeared as both a performer and a presenter.
Jermaine Dupri, Jackson's boyfriend, left his post on the Grammy Awards committee after Jackson refused to apologize again for what happened at the Super Bowl. Since 2004, there have been rumors that the couple married, though they have constantly denied these reports. Dupri appeared in Jackson's video for "I Want You", while Jackson returned the favor by appearing in Dupri's video for his 2005 single, "Gotta Getcha".
In April 2004 she released her eighth studio effort, Damita Jo, with a high debut at number two and opening week sales of nearly 400,000 copies, a number which would usually guarantee a number one debut. The songs released from the album, including the Prince-inspired "Just a Little While," the Motown/Supremes-inspired ballad "I Want You," and "All Nite (Don't Stop)," also performed modestly on the charts. Jackson described the album as a portrait of the many personalities living inside her. ["Janet Jackson Says She Has a Sexual Mind"]. Yahoo! News. June 3 2004. Retrieved May 20 2006. Even though Damita Jo was considered a failure by her previous standards, the album sold over three million copies world wide and received nominations from the American Music Awards, Billboard Awards, Source Music Awards, BET Music Awards and Grammy Awards including Contemporary R&B Album of the Year.
Jackson appeared as a host on Saturday Night Live on April 10, 2004, over a month after the infamous wardrobe malfunction and performed a skit, as Condoleezza Rice, parodying the incident. The episode was the highest rated in sixteen months since Al Gore had hosted. Jackson also appeared in the sitcom Will & Grace, playing herself as Jack auditioned to be her back-up dancer. It was her first appearance in decades on the small screen.
On June 15 2005, Jackson was awarded a Humanitarian Award by the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender civil rights organization on behalf of her work and involvement in raising money for AIDS charities. She accepted the award saying, "what I've learned in these recent months is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it's real, it's a beautiful light that both comforts our minds and strengthens our souls. Tonight my heart is filled with gratitude for that light. I'm so grateful that prayers are answered, that faith is rewarded and tolerance is celebrated as a virtue. I'm grateful that God is of unconditional love."["Janet Jackson Honored with Humanitarian Award by a Gay Organization"]. Softpedia. June 20 2005. Retrieved May 20 2006.
On May 1 2006, Jackson revealed a new song called "Weekend" on her official website and left a message stating that she had finished working on 20 Years Old. The next day, Jackson left a new message on her website, saying that "Weekend" would not appear on 20 Years Old, and that the first single from the album, entitled "Call on Me", a duet with Nelly, would be released on June 19 2006. The single eventually premiered on the New York radio station Z100 on Saturday June 17. It was also reported that a tour in support of the album is being planned. Janet is set to release "So Excited" as the rumored second single from the album, due August 2006.["Janet Jackson Calls On Nelly For First Single"]. SOHH Soulful. May 11 2006. Retrieved May 20 2006.
Jackson celebrated her 40th birthday on May 16, 2006, with an all-star birthday bash, at Shereen Arazms Shag, in Los Angeles. Many of her former dancers from over the years also attended. Jackson was serenaded by singer Stevie Wonder. [Jackson celebrates 40th birthday]. Ireland Online. May 19 2006. Retrieved May 22 2006.
In May 2006, when speaking about her new album, Jackson was quoted saying, "I love this album, and I hate to say, 'expect an album that you'll love' – which I just said, but I love this, so hopefully everyone else will enjoy it ... and it's different, it's a little reminiscent, yet it's new and fresh."[Entertainment Tonight] ET Online. May 24, 2006. Retrieved June 4, 2006. On June 15, 2006, it was announced that Jackson's Us Weekly cover was the highest selling issue in the magazine's history, beating both "Brangelina", (Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt), and "TomKat", (Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes).[Janet Xone]. "Janet Jackson Celebrates 'Control'!". Retrieved June 15, 2006.
After its first full week of airplay, Jackson's "Call On Me" became the highest debut on the R&B airplay charts in seven years.[Janet Xone] Retrieved June 29 2006.
In a live radio interview on Power 106 in Los Angeles, on July 11 2006, Jackson, along with producer, Jermaine Dupri, revealed that a show is being planned where Jackson would only perform the Control album songs in celebration of it's twentieth anniversary. No specific date however, was given.
In 1977, 11-year-old Jackson's enthusiasm for acting caught television producer Norman Lear's ear. Lear was looking for someone to reawaken one of his groundbreaking shows from TV ruin - the family sitcom Good Times. Lear cast Jackson in Good Times as an abused child named Penny Gordon Woods. The show's star, J.J. Evans, played by Jimmie Walker, was the apple of Penny's eye on the show, a fact the character would make known every time she saw him. Jackson became one of the show's starring cast members during the 1977-1978 season, and would remain in the show until it was canceled in 1979.
Jackson continued her acting career, appearing briefly in a short-lived but Emmy Award nominated sitcom titled A New Kind of Family which also starred Rob Lowe, but was cancelled in early 1980. In 1981, she landed a recurring role on another family sitcom, Diff'rent Strokes, playing Charlene Duprey, the love interest of Willis (played by Todd Bridges). In 1984 Jackson reluctantly took the role of Cleo Hewitt in the musical series, Fame. She later told interviewers that her father told her to do the role. After a year, Jackson asked to be let go of her contract, and did not appear in another television series for nineteen years.
After finding success as a singer, Jackson was given a chance to resume her acting career when director John Singleton allowed her to audition for his film Poetic Justice, as a tough, poetic hairdresser from South Central, Los Angeles. Jackson won the role in the romantic drama, starring opposite rapper Tupac Shakur. The film opened at No. 1 opening weekend in 1993, and depicted a very different image of Jackson than what had been seen before; her character cursed and even threatened people who ever crossed her. This coincided with a change in Jackson's music as she entered the studio to record her fifth album, whose music was brasher and more sexually charged than her previous work. The movie did modest at the box office, grossing $27 million in the US.
In 2000, nearly seven years since her last film, Janet starred with Eddie Murphy in , the film went on to gross $142.7 million at the box office. Jackson recorded a single for the film's soundtrack, "Doesn't Really Matter", which reached number-one on the Billboard pop charts within a few weeks of its release, earning a gold disc. She was paid $3 million for Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, and paid an extra $1 million for the song "Doesn't Really Matter" for the film's soundtrack.
In 2006, Jackson was prepared to play the lead in the Lee Daniels' film, Tennessee, but due to scheduling conflicts, Jackson had to drop out and the lead was recast with Mariah Carey. Jackson, who had been learning guitar, and had gained weight for the role, said in an interview in mid-2006, that she and Daniels plan to work on a film project again in the near future.
| Janet Jackson |
|---|
| Studio albums: Janet Jackson • Dream Street • Control • Rhythm Nation 1814 janet. • The Velvet Rope • All for You • Damita Jo • 20 Years Old Other albums: • Janet. Remixed • Design of a Decade 1986/1996 |
| Discography • Singles • Videography • Filmography • Tours • Awards and accolades |
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.
