“He Doesn’t Know I’m Alive” from Control (1986)

When most people think of Jackson’s “Control” album, they probably think of sass and feminism. Well, not on this little-known album cut, “He Doesn’t Know I’m Alive.” It’s the worst song on the album, but it’s still a cute showcase of Ms. Jackson’s more vulnerable side. Her high notes are to be appreciated, too. —Vincent Anthony

“Funny How Time Flies (When You’re Having Fun)” from Control (1986)

Janet’s voice exudes a sexiness here that may seem at odds with the message of the previous track “Let’s Wait Awhile,” but if anything it reinforces that song’s message. Time running away makes her want to see her lover again, not rush into things. —Reece Davis

“Lonely” from Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)

The echoing thunderstorm opening and the Spanish lines “Todos necesitamos / Un amigo en la soledad” set the mood immediately for this anthem about the importance of friendship to battle solitude and isolation. —Mario M.

“Living in A World (They Didn’t Make)” from Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)

The only disappointing aspect of Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814, is the fact that the social themes used on that album are still so painfully relevant. On this track, placed towards the end of the album, Janet mournfully lists all of the present-day issues of the world; all while pointing out that the people most impacted, and influenced by its evils, are the children. A trope we sadly still see today with all of the black and brown children felled in the era of #BlackLivesMatter. —Jordan Listenbee

“Someday Is Tonight” from Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)

The wicked sister of “Let’s Wait Awhile” from “Control,” “Someday is Tonight” is effectively the answer to that song. Echoing the sensuality only previously shown on “Funny How Time Flies,” Ms. Janet turns it up a notch for this quiet storm serenade. It’s quite an effective transition to the “janet.” era that followed. If you listen to the albums back-to-back (skipping the outro), “Someday is Tonight” would be followed by Jackson proclaiming, “We had the kind of night where morning comes too soon.” —Vincent Anthony

Check out our full “Janet Jackson: The Deep Cuts” playlist here.

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“What Have You Done For Me Lately?” was the first single from Control and acted as the introduction to the all-new Janet. It served as a sampler, a taste of what was to come, hinting at the themes of independence, feminism, and control, it was just the right mix to set the era off. The single found a frustrated Janet chiding her boyfriend for his lack of effort in their relationship. Its video was a cinematic, Paula Abdul-choreographed game-changer. Her first true hit, it established Janet as a pop star and a leader in female empowerment music.

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Ms. Jackson delivered this iconic catchphrase at the start of her classic hit “Nasty,” the second single, and track, from Janet’s Control album, and with it, the music world would never be the same again.

In response to Janet’s demand, producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis certainly delivered. The beat is a funky yet ferocious dancefloor-ready jam. Inspired by a real life run in with some “nasty boys,” the song’s lyrics chide any perverted boy who steps to a woman disrespectfully. Janet’s scolding not only yielded a game-changing hit, but also a new nickname for the pop star when she proclaimed that, her “first name ain’t baby, it’s Janet… Ms. Jackson-if-ya-nasty!”

Aggressive was certainly never a word one would have chosen to describe Janet before 1986’s “Nasty” – but this song changed that forever. While she indeed was softspoken and sweet, Ms. Jackson made it very clear that if you get nasty with her, well, she will get nasty with you too, because the only nasty thing she likes, “is a nasty groove.”

With that nasty groove, Janet started yet another trend for her music: the dance break – built into the actual track. “Nasty” had a fittingly nasty interlude where pop’s new Queen of Dance could showcase her moves in its iconic music video. It started a movement that put nasty boys everywhere in their place … and gave ladies the inspiration to stand up for themselves and, all the while, jam to Janet’s new feminist anthem. “Nasty” laid the blueprint for the girl power movement of the 90s, with acts like Lil Kim, TLC, Destiny’s Child, and the Spice Girls unapologetically throwing men under the bus and asserting their power as females. In the 2000s and beyond, that movement shifted to being called feminism, with Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, and even Taylor Swift trying their hands at the task. It was Janet, however, who opened that door with this, now classic, song.

From that point on, Janet’s competition (and those nasty boys) had every reason to fear the next time someone gave her a beat.

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Janet Jackson has never required an introduction, whether it’s today or 1986, she has been a household name by default. She is one of nine siblings in pop’s most successful musical family, the Jacksons, and grew up in the spotlight. Her entertainment career began in 1976 on The Jacksons’ Variety Show, followed by a role on the sitcom Good Times in 1977. She did not begin her music career until 1982, however, with the release of her self-titled debut album. In 1984, she followed it up with her sophomore set Dreamstreet. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to match the success of her brothers with the nondescript, bubblegum pop sound of her first two albums. So, what was Janet’s sound?

If you listen to those first two albums, you’ll hear a lot – a lot of extra, 80’s production, a lot of bubblegum pop and a lot of generic lyrics – but not a whole lot of Janet herself. Perhaps this could simply be attributed to her age – she was between 15-17 when recording her first two albums – but more so, it was because of her father’s stifling control.  So, her sound was as-yet-undefined… until 1985; when she finally had enough. She fired her father as her manager and his replacement, John McClain, introduced Janet to Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The sessions for what would become Control began in Minneapolis in 1985, when she decided it was time for her to take control of her career, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis helped orchestrate this move – literally and figuratively.

Jam and Lewis encouraged Janet to experiment with a new sound, musically, as well as new, more personal topics lyrically. The story goes that while Janet stayed in Minneapolis recording the album, she was inspired by certain life experiences, which yielded several of the album’s tracks. The lead single was the sassy “What Have You Done For Me Lately?”; but in retrospect, the title track is the essential first step to any discussion of the album. Since Control, we have seen many pop stars who have undoubtedly been inspired by Janet, touting themselves as feminists. However, Janet was one of the first female pop stars to make songs that flat-out emasculated her suitors; asserting herself as a woman in charge, in control.

In what would later become a trend on her albums, Control begins with its mood-setting, theme-defining introduction: “This is a story about control. My control. Control of what I say, control of what I do. And this time, I’m gonna do it my way. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. Are we ready? I am. ‘Cause it’s all about control, and I’ve got lots of it.” From there, the set launches into its title track, an unabashedly brazen pronouncement – no, assertion – of Janet’s new found “Control.” While there is a certain, inherent sweet quality to Janet’s voice, there is still a fire behind it. That fire was ignited by the work of her newfound production team, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Their hard-hitting sound perfectly juxtaposed Janet’s vocals, while at the same time perfectly complimenting her ferocious, defiant lyrics. It asserts her independence, maturity, and the theme of the album.

“Control” – the song, and album – was a proclamation, a declaration of independence by a then-20 year old Janet Jackson. She separated herself from her family, from her musical peers, from the constraints of her youth. She became a household name in her own right, independent of her famous brothers. She revolutionized the sound of female crossover R&B and how female pop music videos looked. She brought dance to the forefront, and gave women a more defiant voice in music. Without Ms. Jackson, who would’ve gotten the “Nasty” boys together?

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