One of the bigger surprises this winter has been the success of Janet Jackson’s “Number Ones” tour. After the relative failure of the singer/actress’s “Rock With U” tour a couple of years back, many thought that the youngest Jackson sibling was washed up and done for. However, Janet scaled back from arenas to theaters and has enjoyed a fairly successful run through the country. At a time when many legendary artists are struggling to fill venues (it’s called lowering ticket prices, folks), it’s a definite plus that Janet’s doing well.
Should we be surprised, though? Far be it for me to say this about one of the most successful artists in any genre over the past twenty-five years, but it seems like Janet’s a bit underrated/underappreciated.
Let’s compare her to the woman who’s been her chief competition for most of their careers-Madonna. Janet’s first album was released in 1982, Madonna’s first 12″ single was released the same year, with her debut album following a year later. Madonna’s peak was roughly 1984-1990 (“Lucky Star”/”Borderline” through “Vogue”). Janet’s peak was roughly 1986-1994 (“Control” through the end of “janet”‘s run). Madonna has twelve number one singles and seven number one albums, Janet has ten number one singles and six number one albums. Madonna has seven Grammy Awards, Janet has five. Both have contributed a great deal to the writing and production of their music (on a collaborative level, for the most part). Both are video icons, both have embraced the gay community, and both have had periods where their public image has overshadowed their music-Madonna had the “Sex”/”Erotica”, “Body of Influence” era of the early-mid Nineties, and Janet had Nipplegate, the lingering effects of which seem to continue to this day. Both have been chastised for their vocal shortcomings, both have undergone their share of messy relationships, and both have given acting a shot. Janet’s been more commercially successful (three of her movies have opened at #1), while Madonna’s got the Golden Globe Award (for “Evita”).
So, why isn’t JJ mentioned in the same breath as Madge when it comes to legendary status? A lot can be attributed to that infamous nip slip. There’s a definite sense that Madonna’s redeemed herself after her hypersexual escapades in the early Nineties. There was “Evita”, then there was Lourdes, then there was “Ray of Light”. The Queen of Reinvention staged her most successful reinvention of all. For better or worse (mostly worse), the Super Bowl incident has had a lingering effect. The silent boycott that was placed on her music by MTV and pop radio has been lifted, but although she’s been a mainstay on MTV again for about five years, radio has never turned all the way around. There’s also the sense that she’s paying for the sins of some of her relatives (hey, being a Jackson won’t get you everywhere), and there’s the dreaded “R” word-race. May not be the foremost reason, but in terms of legacy, really the only thing separating Madge and Janet in terms of career achievement is the fact that Madonna is white and Janet is not. When you consider the fact that Janet is probably the most influential Black non-hip-hop artist of the past 25 years (BritneyChristinaMonicaBrandyCiaraAaliyahKeriHilson…need I go on?), and has not yet even ย been considered for the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame while Madonna’s already enshrined…well, something’s up.
Going back to the reinvention topic again, though-I feel like that’s what Janet needs. Because let’s face it, her music has gotten progressively stale since “The Velvet Rope”, her most artistically ambitious album. Each of her albums since have had some decent material on them (even “20 Y.O.”-easily the shittiest album to ever come out under her name), but Janet also has to relieve herself of some bad habits-her over-reliance on sexual material (no one likes a one-trick pony-even a HOT one-trick pony) and her albums’ tendency to O.D. on unnecessary skits. Thank God for iTunes, because Janet’s albums (even the good ones) had a tendency to wear out the “skip” button on my CD player just by virtue of the damn skits.
Should Janet be trying to reclaim her musical throne commercially? No. That would require having to make commercial concessions, something Janet doesn’t need to do and shouldn’t have to do. At this point, it should be about preserving her legacy. I’d advise a return to the studio with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis STAT. No, Jimmy & Terry aren’t the hitmakers they once were, but they and Janet are an excellent working team-a near-perfect match of singer/songwriter and producer. She’s strayed from them over the past three albums…time to come back home. She also needs to focus less on the coochie-talk and write songs about her life-again, go back to the “Control”/”Rhythm Nation”/”janet.”/”Velvet Rope” template. Of course, that starts with her actually resuming WRITING SONGS. One of the most disheartening things about “Discipline” (which wasn’t a bad album, just not up to JJ’s standards) was that Janet had not one writing or production credit on the entire album-and Janet had written or co-written just about every hit single she’d had for twenty-plus years prior.
Or maybe Janet’s satisfied. She can tour singing her greatest hits, Tyler Perry will probably have an unlimited supply of movie roles for her (as long as Janet doesn’t start appearing in Madea movies, we’re good), and the success of her recent (and awful) new book proves that the spotlight still looks good for her (random aside: since she’s legally prohibited from discussing Rene, does that mean we’ll never get the juicy autobiography that I know she has in her?). So, maybe it’s just me (and the rest of Janet’s fans) who want her to create music that speaks to us and show us some true artistry-something she’s only done intermittently for the past decade or so. You don’t have to bring the black bodysuits and baseball caps back, but give us something with substance! Not only do your fans deserve it, but so do you.
15 comments
Sonia says:
Apr 15, 2011
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis both produced and write on Damita Jo,and 20 Y.O. The only album JJ&TL did not participate in was Discipline. Nice article by the way. Janet is the Queen of Pop ๐
blerd says:
Apr 15, 2011
Never said they didn’t participate in either album, but their participation in both was limited. As opposed to producing every song Janet made from “Control” through “All for You”, they only did about half of “Damita Jo” and they did 2 or 3 songs (truthfully, the only good ones) on “20 Y.O.”. The point I was trying to make is that they need to collaborate with her full-time again.
Jheri Curl Fridays: “The Finest” | Popblerd!! says:
Apr 15, 2011
[…] Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis became known as the team behind Janet Jackson’s astronomical success, they produced a series of R&B bangers for a range of artists including Patti Austin, Cheryl […]
GG says:
Apr 15, 2011
Maybe it’s because of what my favorite music is, but I’ve always had Janet a step above Madonna, and I know that’s not how most of the music audience has it.
What did you think of her single from the recent Tyler Perry movie she did? I thought it was sort of a cousin to Again/Every Time.
If Janet can put together a creative album where she speaks from where she is today rather than talking about dude’s junk, I’m buying it.
Tyler says:
Apr 15, 2011
Well done, sir.
jflorez says:
Apr 15, 2011
I see your point and acknowledge a personal bias against JJ vis-a-vis Madonna. It isn’t, however, rooted in the social mania that was the super bowl incident. Rather, as someone who hasn’t been a fan of either since before the Ice Age (don’t ask me how old I am), my perception of JJ is, as you referenced, of a one-trick pony gyrating in choreograph with a group of dancers to an out of style type of music. Whenever I see artists doing that I think of JJ, and not in a good way. Perhaps I could seek out some of her later material to realign my perception, but honestly, I’m not that interested. With Madonna, because my perception is that she *can* change her style to suit what is currently popular, I’d be more inclined to giving her a chance before switching the dial, as it were. But, since I listen to Pandora “stations” more often than not these days, it’s likely I’d never hear anything recent or new from them anyway. That’s my $.02 and I’m sticking to it! ๐
GG says:
Apr 15, 2011
@jflorez
That’s interesting that your perception of Janet is of her over-sexed music from the late 90s and on. From the mid-80s to the early to mid-90s, she was one of the more well-rounded pop artists when it came to giving you everything in her albums.
blerd says:
Apr 15, 2011
I’d actually disagree here. Janet’s most popular work isn’t her over-sexed work. I actually feel like the period of her career when she was most popular represented a fairly diverse array of work. It wasn’t just dance-pop (even if the hits were), but especially if you look at the “janet” and “Velvet Rope” albums, there was pop, there was funk, there was hip-hop, she did songs with Kathleen Battle and Vanessa-Mae, there was drum ‘n bass flavored stuff, there was rock. I just feel like her last two albums in particular have leaned a bit too heavily on standard-sounding music. I don’t think she’s been diverse (or daring) enough. Too much focus on making hits, not enough focus on making art.
blerd says:
Apr 15, 2011
And so am I. I didn’t like “Nothing”-thought it was boring. But I also don’t like “Every Time”, and I can’t remember the last time I listened to “Again”. Her poppy ballads generally don’t do much for me (and truthfully, neither do Michael’s).
jflorez says:
Apr 15, 2011
@GG
Funny, my reference was to her stuff in the mid/late 80’s. But as I said, I wasn’t a fan of either her or Madonna back then, my exposure being limited to what was played on mainstream radio and to a lesser degree MTV, e.g. I’ve never liked either enough to buy and listen to a full album of either of theirs. Where I think your point has significant merit, and where I am in full agreement, is that she, like all ethnic American’s – but African-Americans in particular, are judged more harshly by middle [read:white] America. That she also had the personal oddities surrounding MJ, the wackiness that are LaToya and her dad didn’t help. Would the reaction have been as harsh or prolonged had the super bowl incident been Brittany Spears or Jessica Simpson?
blerd says:
Apr 15, 2011
I can answer that. No.
Gonzo says:
Apr 16, 2011
Truthfully, neither Madonna or Janet has put anything compelling on record for years. “The Velvet Rope” was a creative peak for Janet, and I’d honestly call it her most consistent album. Material after that is good, but not great.
I’d argue that Madge’s last great works were around the same time – “Erotica” and “Bedtime Stories.” We all loved “Ray of Light” when it came out, but in 2011, I find it a really boring album to listen to. Then she fancied herself a guitarist, turned British, and hasn’t really done anything I’ve cared about since. “Confessions” wasn’t bad, but I remember thinking at that time “Gwen Stefani is doing Madonna better than Madonna is doing Madonna.”
I think Janet has reclaimed her cultural cache, and will be able to successfully maintain it for years to come. She may not make any more great albums, but the fact of the matter is that in the wake of Michael’s death, she’s viewed as the head of the Jackson Family as far as popular culture is concerned. I honestly think that part of her recent resurgence in popularity is because fans have a renewed interest in Michael’s absence.
Just my $0.02.
Also, I talked about Nipplegate in my lecture this week.
blerd says:
Apr 16, 2011
Ha. I’m curious to hear what the details of your lecture were.
I agree-Madonna’s last above-average record was “Ray of Light” and Janet’s last above-average record was “The Velvet Rope”. Madonna’s albums since have been fairly awful, with only maybe 3 good songs per album, until “Hard Candy”. The Timberlake stuff on “HC” was really good (they should’ve done the whole album together) while the Neptunes stuff sucked terribly. Janet’s last few albums have had a better decent songs-to-crappy songs ratio, but still…they haven’t been up to the standard she set between “Control” and “Rhythm Nation”. Basically, the mixtape containing the best stuff from Janet’s last four albums would probably be twice as long as the mixtape containing the best stuff from Madonna’s last four albums.
Jamz says:
Jul 29, 2011
Good article.
There is a really big difference between the two women, although they’ve shared similar accolades. And I should state, first that I’m a HUGE fan of BOTH of them. Nearly every female artist after Madonna could be traced back to her, unlike Janet where the female artist has to be a specific type (usually the Beyonce, Ciara, Britney type that sing, dance, and have big choreographed numbers in their videos). Madonna’s legacy is female empowerment, sexuality, reinvention…and this was all before it was COOL. Janet’s been awarded for her career and acknowledged (didn’t MTV do a whole ICON special for her) and I think if she had quit after “All for You” musically (because I do love her in the Tyler Perry films) she would’ve had a sold out arena tour for Rockwithu. She still could’ve recorded a few new songs, added them to a Rockwithu tour CD and fans would be clamoring for her. But three albums in a row of just barely there songs doesn’t really work for her because of the GREATNESS that she is. It’s 2011…that means it’s been ten years since “All for You.” And of course it’s debatable but her last three albums, commercially and critically were failures, whether or not hardcore fans like them.
Madonna’s still able to put out great music. Yeah a few fans here and there may not have liked her albums since “Ray of Light” but “Music” “American Life” “Confessions on a Dancefloor” and even “Hard Candy” were still either commercially or critically successful. And even though “American Life” wasn’t commercially successful, critics raved about it. Janet’s slowly diminished her music career which is why her tours weren’t selling out. Meanwhile Madonna’s last tour was the most successful for a solo artist EVER.
But then there’s one more thing…I actually saw Janet’s Up close and personal tour. I’ve never seen her before and I’ve never seen Madonna on tour. However a year or so ago, a fellow Janet fan and friend of mine was telling me that she’s gotten stale. She sings the same songs, does the same dance routines (If, Miss You Much, Pleasure Principle, etc). Since I’ve never seen her in concert it was AMAZING to me, but after all these years I can imagine that even hardcore fans must get tired of seeing the same songs and routines. On the flip side, Madonna doesn’t have the same kind of routines attached to her hits, so she’s able to remix them, alter them, provide different choreography, and that makes each tour unique (just like each album). Janet will always be remembered for her 80’s and 90’s hits as she should because she deserves it but Madonna has the career that the females in the industry talk about wanting, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, if only because of her longevity (which she continues to prove, and since she’s currently recording new music, she’ll probably prove it again as early as next year).
Vmonroe says:
Jul 4, 2012
I’m surprised I’m just now getting this article I loved it and I totally agree.Janet had me way back in 1993.there was alot of talk about Janet vs. Madonna give them were credit is due but at the end of the day most people go with who they like and that for me is Janet it wasn’t about her coming from a famous family background although interesting, it was about Her and what she was doing.I’m sure Madonna dose that for other people.There are better singers in the world but it was about Ms janet,songs that move me,the girl can dance plus she’s outwardly beutifull be it big or small(that just say’s your human,real),make up or no make up,boob comes out or not.It’s about who you are.And if you have earned it which she has, she should be in the Rock and Roll hall of Fame.You know they’re waiting for Ms janet to get alot older, do alot more songs, do some more dance routines that what it is. Alot of things make sense to me now,from the Jermaine Duprie days to now I was like why are you doing this or that doesn’t make sense.I’m taking it for what she has always stated that she writes about what’s going on in her life that her music reflects what she going threw ,it’s her art imitating her life Okay we all do this. boob slips that didn’t bother me as much as it bothered everybody else,the disappointment with true you,unnessary tours,celeberty endorsed products and I’m trying to give her up and coming movie project a chance didin’t stop me from caring about her,just making thing a little scary. From a nonasskisser Fan