Janet Jackson – Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814

[B-Boy]

I love all of the singles. I remember singing “Black Cat”, “Love Will Never Do Without You”, and “Miss You Much” as a kid. lol.

[areyoureadytojump]

www.billboard.com/articles/news/8530425/janet-jackson-rhythm-nation-1814-songs-ranked?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1u4t23-dXDLN4R79-Nk9bf3rGnwMO3mVRC-ZWoWGxZ7f7mxsZZ4j0CZ7I

'Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814' Turns 30: All the Songs Ranked
9/19/2019 by Sal Cinquemani

There was a brief moment in the late 1980s when producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were unsure whether they'd be involved in the follow-up to Janet Jackson's multiplatinum breakthrough album Control. It's an outcome that seems unthinkable today -- and one that could very well have changed the trajectory of pop music as we know it.

Released 30 years ago on Sept. 19, 1989, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 is the only album in history to spawn seven top five singles on the Billboard Hot 100. But while pop has always been a singles-driven genre, Rhythm Nation also helped revitalize the concept album, which -- with a few exceptions, like Marvin Gaye's similarly themed What's Going On -- had largely been the province of rock auteurs.

"I remember people coming to me and saying we should do a record called Control II," Jam told Billboard. The impulse to try to recreate the success of that album, which yielded five consecutive top five singles on the Hot 100, was understandable. With Control, Jam and Lewis had helped personalize Jackson's music, but with Rhythm Nation, they set their gaze outward.

"It was a crazy time," Jam recalled. "The Reagan years were ending. There were school shootings. There were all these unbelievable things starting to happen." And so Jackson, Jam and Lewis channeled the carnage they witnessed on TV every day into songs like "State of the World," "The Knowledge," and, of course, the title track, which became one of the singer's most iconic hits.

The theme of social justice permeated every aspect of the album's creation. An ABC News special titled Black In White America, which aired just weeks before Rhythm Nation was released, inspired the use of black and white in the album's artwork and videos, including a 30-minute short film of the same name and subsequent world tour.

Though the '80s are known for fostering a culture of indifference, Rhythm Nation possesses a wide-eyed idealism that would be impossible today. It's something Jackson herself acknowledged on "Shoulda Known Better," a song from her 2014 album Unbreakable: "I had this great epiphany/And rhythm nation was the dream/I guess next time I'll know better."

As a body of work, Rhythm Nation is often considered in its entirety, but to celebrate the album's 30th anniversary, we decided to break down its individual parts, most of which are no less impressive on their own merits. We've ranked each of the album's 12 tracks below, with the exception of its eight interludes...

[Dammn Baby]

Listened to this today and I think it is my favourite album of all time. It is a joy to listen to and literally nothing sounds like it. I think I have memorized every element of every song. I love the thought and intention behind every aspect. A good example is how "Escapade" builds through each chorus, adding flourishes ("ooh-ooh-ooh-oooooh" background vocals only come in on chorus #2 and additional backing vocals on chorus #3) that are like easter eggs.

[bat1990]

Sept 19, 2019 13:23:35 GMT -5 B-Boy said:

I love all of the singles. I remember singing “Black Cat”, “Love Will Never Do Without You”, and “Miss You Much” as a kid. lol.

There's only 4 songs that aren't singles, lol

[B-Boy]

Mar 12, 2022 15:27:54 GMT -5 bat1990 said:

Sept 19, 2019 13:23:35 GMT -5 B-Boy said:

I love all of the singles. I remember singing “Black Cat”, “Love Will Never Do Without You”, and “Miss You Much” as a kid. lol.

There's only 4 songs that aren't singles, lol

I didn’t know “State Of The World” was a single when I said that. lol. Thought the last single was “Love Will Never Do Without You”.

[jenglisbe]

Sept 19, 2019 19:28:54 GMT -5 areyoureadytojump said:

'Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814' Turns 30: All the Songs Ranked

"Escapade" being so low renders this irrelevant.

[divasummer]

Mar 12, 2022 16:38:05 GMT -5 B-Boy said:

Mar 12, 2022 15:27:54 GMT -5 bat1990 said:

There's only 4 songs that aren't singles, lol

I didn’t know “State Of The World” was a single when I said that. lol. Thought the last single was “Love Will Never Do Without You”.

“State Of The World” wasn’t an official single.
(Airplay only)

[balletgirlmom]

I love this entire album but my ultimate favorite is her Black Cat.

[🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲]

My earliest memories of this era was my dad playing the remix to "Love Will Never Do Without You" and "Alright" with Heavy D as a little kid.

And...also this!! My mom used to own a copy.

[RoseColoredGirl]

Iconic album and definitely one of my faves from her. I ironically just relistened to this a couple weeks ago without remembering it was close to the anniversary. So many good songs on here, although my favorite is "Rhythm Nation."

[bat1990]

Probably my favorite Janet album though The Velvet Rope jockeys with this one for the top spot.

I wish we'd get a reissue with You Need Me, The Skin Game, and Work tacked onto the end (or even woven into the middle, if done well).

[🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲]

50 Greatest Black Albums Of The Modern Era


www.vibe.com/lists/greatest-black-albums/rhythm-nation-1814-janet-jackson-1989/

If 1986’s Control was Janet Jackson’s coming-of-age album, then her 1990 record-breaking set Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 was the singer’s proof of social consciousness. Showing herself as more than a sweetheart, Jackson used her light-as-a-feather vocals to tackle heavy topics, from homelessness and hunger to racial inequality, substance abuse, and beyond.



The album puts Jackson front and center—a pony-tailed general, leading her unisex squadron as they pledge allegiance to their vision of a better world through songs and interludes. The fearless Jackson’s contemporaries had to have been shaking in their boots. Sure, Whitney Houston and Madonna were stars, but somewhere between the edginess of Jackson’s look, the concept of her album, and the coolness of it all–this was Janet’s moment, and undeniably so.

The single “Rhythm Nation” captures it all–a perfect synergy of planetary peace anthem plus pop star polish. As she charged through genres, Jackson kept a foot in at least one of those worlds, if not both. She produced her fourth studio album, alongside longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Guitar strings growl on “Black Cat,” and new jack swing takes over on “Love Will Never Do (Without You).” Jackson is poised in pop dreamgirl fashion on “Miss You Much” and “Escapade.” And along with singles “Rhythm Nation,” “Alright,” and “Come Back to Me,” all seven songs found their way into coveted high spots on Billboard’s charts.

That said, Rhythm Nation 1814 was big and took the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart in 1990. From a massive tour to unforgettable choreography, the album helped catapult Jackson to icon status as a dancer, an entertainer, and a star who would use her voice and distinguish herself from being her brothers’ adorable little sister. — Melanie J. Sims