Janet taught me how to count to 5! Kidding, obviously. Oddly enough though, my first experience with this album was math-related.
I was sitting in my 7th Grade Pre-Algebra class, and that particular day Mr. McKinley gave us a day without lessons so we could spend the period studying. He hit play on this boombox on his desk, and what I heard blew my fucking MIND. “Mr. McKinley! What are you playing?”
“Janet Jackson’s new album Rhythm Nation.” I thought he actually said “Rhythmnasia,” like Disney’s Fantasia or something. Didn’t matter. I had already loved and danced my little butt off to her previous album Control, but I knew right away that this was going to be something legendary. If Control put Janet on the map, Rhythm Nation 1814 was going to cement her as a pivotal shift in pop music.
Most gay men I know have their go-to “diva.” Beyoncé, Carly Rae, Gaga, Chappell etc. Men my age would typically say that Madonna filled this role for them, and don’t get me wrong I’ll be writing about Madonna too, but for me, nothing beat Janet. Her album releases tended to be exactly what my younger self needed to hear. Control came out when I was 9 years old, and all I wanted to do back then was dance. Rhythm Nation when I was 12, and it inspired me to do and be something better for the world. Janet came out when I was 16, puberty in full swing, and her sexual awakening on that album made me start to feel like my own desires were natural. And then Velvet Rope, when I was 20, freshly out of the closet. Her outspokenness about the queer community and making musical expressions that fought against the discrimination of people like me… life saving at the time.
My foolish younger self actually thought “Rhythm Nation” was a real army, no joke. I so hoped that one day I could be recruited, get my own chrome “1814” badge, and become a warrior to fight social injustice. (This would happen to me later on as well with the KLF; I definitely hoped I could take “The Last Train To Trancentral” and join the “Justified Ancients of MuMu” in “MuMu Land.")
I even mailed the fan club address in the liner notes in the back of the cassette. I received a postcard back in the mail that was “signed” by Janet. I was so excited and I brought it on the school bus, exclaiming “JANET WROTE ME BACK!!” This stupid girl Tara had to rain on my parade, as she laughed and said “She didn’t write you! She sent you the back of a cereal box!” Ooh I was mad at her for a long time after that.
ANYWAY, let me break it down for you:
“Interlude: Pledge / Rhythm Nation”
First off, I love the interludes between songs. But this opening interlude, where you hear multiple “soldiers” pledging to fight injustice, it STILL gives me goosebumps. Then she counts down “5, 4, 3, 2, 1” and the title track starts and it goes HARD. She knew what she was doing. If any song ever roused me to be part of a cause, this was the one.
Also this whole album is such a flex for Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The instrumentation, beats and even the minimal yet clever use of samples took elements of pop, jazz, hip-hop and rock and made them work so seamlessly.
And then when she shout-sings “Sing it people! Sing it children! Sing it if you want a better way of life!!” Gives me chills. She wasn’t fucking around on this one.
I do have a confession to make; I loved to dance to these songs but I was far too lazy to actually learn the actual choreographed moves from her videos. I just learned like the first couple of shoulder taps and bullshitted my way through the rest of it. I honestly wish I had taken more time to learn those. Especially later on, with that iconic dance she does in the “If” video.
“Interlude: T.V. / State Of The World”
Again, the impressionable teenager I was hearing this, I wanted to HELP. And so much of what she was talking about back then I just barely understood. Like I thought I understood racism back then, but I know now I was WAY off. And the “drugs and crime” part I knew very little about at all. Still, it inspired me to try to be a better person.
“The Knowledge”
Now this track in particular, I’d say is one of Janet’s top-tier up-tempo songs, for me at least. Even more than “Rhythm Nation” and “Miss You Much,” this song has something special about it that I can’t really put my finger on. The opening harmonies, crazy good dance beat, driving bass line, the broken glass sounds, the spoken instead of sung lyrics… yeah it sounds a little dated these days but I still go back and listen to this track more than most of these. And again, it was inspiring me. “Prejudice… NO!”
Incidentally, I also loved the Rhythm Nation 1814 film companion to the album, and “The Knowledge” sequence was my favorite. Just her, by herself on a roof, dancing and breaking glass. Of course I loved the Tina Landon choreography in the other videos, but something about Janet dancing by herself is so intriguing. See also: “The Pleasure Principle” video.
“Miss You Much”
“Get the point? Good, let’s dance!” Ohhh man you guys, I was OBSESSED with this one back then. This song was so fun to dance to. I had to dance every single time it came on. Shit, I still do it sometimes, if I hear it in the grocery store or something, wiggling my shoulder and ass in the frozen aisle, you know?
And that video, damn. I mean, first of all I loved the whole look and theme of all of the videos from the first half of the album. What do you call that, art deco crossed with retro-futurism? Like that cool-ass loft with the pool table and clean decorative lines that looked so good in black and white, but also a big block of TV screens in the background showing static. I mean the detail of this set, even the diagonal diamonds of the coat hook she puts her jacket on, the large opaque white windows covering the whole set, the pool table… and so on.
Then she breaks into this amazingly slick choreographed dance number just to tell her friends about her being in love. Tina Landon, a GODDESS of choreography, truly. I love that she slowly walks down the stairs and as she comes into proximity of any of her friends they get up and dance with her. And dude flipping the pool stick, so COOL.
I also need to talk about the trend of these female pop artists having visibly effeminate and presumably gay male backup dancers. It would be a LONG time before I rid myself of internalized homophobia, so in my youth it was hard not to feel a tiny bit of disgust for men who presented that way. However, it also started to plant the seed in my brain that my favorite artists were embracing these men and giving them visibility, and that would eventually develop into a love and appreciation for those kind of men.
And of course, I couldn’t talk about this video without mentioning the legendary chair dance sequence that only existed on the companion film. The studio album cut and the main video ended with her saying “That’s the end?”
But in the film, she answers her own question with “NO!” and does this AMAZING choreographed chair dance with two of the dancers. No lie, my dad had this hat that was very similar to hers that sat in the closet in a box and never got worn. He said I could have it, and you know my gay ass was trying to do that chair dance in the basement next to the pool table. (You can find this clip on YouTube, btw, just search “Miss You Much Chair Dance.")
“Love Will Never Do Without You”
I’m not going to say a whole lot about this song, although it’s arguably one of her best from that era. Back in the day though, I didn’t like this song. I didn’t like the video either. I tended to skip it. These days, I always love to hear it. And it’s one of the songs she does her signature fake laugh on, which I’m always a fan of. (Also worth noting Djimon Hounsou’s fine ass being in the video, oof. And Antonio Sabato Jr, but he’s just okay.)
“Livin' In A World (They Didn’t Make)”
I’m going to gloss over this one too. I always skipped this as well, to the point that as I’m listening to this album again while I’m writing, I forgot what this song even sounded like. Thing is, it’s a really good song, but it ends with the sounds of a school shooting, guns and kids screaming. It was hard to hear.
I’ll go to bat for this song though, it’s really well written and has a great melody. And it fit her theme of fighting against injustice. Also, it’s crazy that a song that speaks out against school shootings is 2 billion times more relevant NOW then it was back then in 1989. It’s like she was predicting the future a bit.
“Alright”
It’s so wild that there’s 3 versions of this song and they’re all equally cool. The studio cut, which is the shortest of the three, yet perfect on its own. Then there’s TWO video versions, one featuring the legendary Cab Calloway, and the second one with everything from the first video but ALSO a rap cameo by Heavy D. I always loved when there were different mixes released for videos (see also Missy Elliot.)
If “Miss You Much” was my favorite song from this album to dance to, “Alright” was a close second. The snare hits, the horn blasts, background shouts and vocal harmonies all came together for a perfect groove. And one thing I want to mention about the video versions is there’s an extra interlude of horn blasts near the end that I fucking LOVE. If you watch the regular video version on YouTube (the one sans Heavy D) you can hear those horn blasts start at the 5:30 mark. I was thinking the other day if there was any way for me to pinpoint where in my childhood my deep love for jazz came from, in part I could honestly give a lot of credit to Janet backed by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
I also love how the video has a very similar aesthetic to the “When I Think Of You” video.
“Escapade / Interlude: No Acid / Black Cat”
My least favorite section of the album. “Escapade” is just okay. And I hate “Black Cat.” It doesn’t fit the album at all, and it just sounded like she was trying to do the same thing Michael did with “Beat It” and “Dirty Diana” but it wasn’t executed as well. I DO love the interlude though, always makes me laugh. You hear broken glass, then “Ain’t no acid in this house,” then a panther roaring before jumping into “Black Cat.”
Like, what was she doing? Breaking and entering into someone’s house to make sure they didn’t have any LSD?? That’s kinda fucked, Janet. I also kind of wondered if it was a backhanded nod to “Acid House,” as the genre had gained popularity a couple of years before.
And I would always do a terrible impression of the panther roar just saying “WOW WOW WOWWW!” Ridiculous.
“Lonely / Come Back To Me / Someday Is Tonight”
As an adult, this is definitely my favorite section. I loved it back then too, although it was bringing to the surface some feelings of sex and romance that in early puberty I really didn’t know what to do with.
She had a thing for having a block of ballads near the end of her albums. On Control, it was “Let’s Wait Awhile / Funny How Time Flies.” On Janet, there’s “Where Are You Now? / The Body That Loves You / Any Time, Any Place” Those are all great tracks, going from emotional to sensual and back again.
I love the dreamy, airy atmosphere of “Lonely.” It almost sounds strictly platonic, but it’s clear she’s singing to a lover. I also love the sexy way she speaks some of the lyrics in Spanish. And the acoustic guitar is a perfect fit for this song.
“Someday Is Tonight” is basically a direct callback to Control’s “Let’s Wait Awhile.” She speaks softly in the intro “Remember? When I said someday we’d be together? Well, someday is tonight.” Ooooh that shit is good. I love when an artist does a callback to a song on a previous album, for one. But also it just begins the song by releasing an implied tension that she’s been waiting years to relieve.
Back then this song made me feel kind of weird and funny in a way I didn’t really understand. It ramped up romantic feelings inside me of the crushes I had on the jock boys in middle school: wearing the Umbro soccer shorts, spiky gelled hair, and constantly adjusting their junk with their hand. I would lay in bed, pretending they were laying on the pillow next to me, and I was softly singing to and kissing them. I laugh at this but I mean I kind of always do that when I have a crush to this day.
And it’s totally epic that she had Herb Alpert playing a muted trumpet solo throughout the outro. There’s never enough muted trumpet in the world of pop music. Shit, not enough jazzy horns in general. The one recent exception I can think of being Victoria Monet. Her music is so good I barely even consider her pop.
But I’m going to end this entry talking about “Come Back To Me.” EASILY one of her best songs of all time, if not the best. During that younger era, it really spoke to and amplified this feeling of longing for something that I couldn’t have. And that feeling is at the core of any person who still hasn’t come out of the closet yet. That sucked. It always kept me sad while I saw straight people dating and in love all around me.
And although as an adult now I’m happily married and feel no deficiency of love in my life, this song still hits a nerve that makes it hard not to tear up.
First it opens with her vocal harmonies just humming the intro, and the melody alone indicates a melancholy that’s not quite abject sadness but really sets the tone. And as harmonies go, this song has some of the best I’ve ever heard. I’m not trying to brag, but I’m really good at picking out harmonies by ear and being able to sing them correctly. But this song? NO WAY. I’ve tried and tried again and I still can’t suss out the right notes. Yet it sounds so flawless.
Also the airy atmosphere of the song is created by the string instrumentation and the well placed acoustic guitar, even though some of the drum sounds are similar enough to remain thematic to the rest of the album. Those latter drums could potentially make the song sound dated, but this is the only song on this album I’d say with absolute certainty DOESN’T sound dated. Songs like this are timeless, and that just about any human being on the planet can relate to.
BUT the part that really gets me? The part that makes me cry like a baby? It has to do with the structure of the song and the slightly surprising way it ends.
I may not explain this right, because I have a minimal understanding of music theory, and when I just looked up the chords, it seemed to say the opposite of what I thought it would. The song starts with the pre-chorus, which kind of has this feeling of hope, then sadness, then repeat one more time. (I wanted to say “major” and “minor” but apparently that is incorrect.) Then the verse sounds so pleasant, like uplifting and maybe things aren’t so bad, while still maintaining the forlorn quality of the song. Then pre-chorus again, fucking with my emotions, and the chorus is the same progression as the verse. It sounds hopeful, like she might really get her man back.
The way the song ends though… it kills me. You hear the pre-chorus one more time and it sounds like everything might be good. Even in the video during that last pre-chorus, you see her and her man smiling, embracing and walking happily together. She’s good right?
BUT HANG ON. That was all a dream. Because when that last pre-chorus ends, there’s no chorus after it to relieve the sadness. It just repeats that last chord until the end of the song and it’s SO FUCKING SAD. I’m fighting tears just typing about this. And the video too, you see her alone again and walking away, as she says “I don’t know what else to say… da da doo doo.” Like she’s completely defeated. If a song can touch my emotions that much, it’s a brilliant song.
While it’s clear that I don’t love every song on Rhythm Nation 1814, once I heard this as a kid Janet became an absolute favorite artist of mine for the rest of my life. 12-year-old and 48-year-old me both thank you for this album, Janet.
