Janet Jackson — Control
Appropriately titled, Janet Jackson’s third studio album Control pushed the singer to commercial success, after leaving the management of her father and taking more control over her own career.
With her first two albums 1982’s Janet Jackson and 1984’s Dream Street, Janet Jackson’s father Joseph Jackson saw control over her career. So much so that Janet herself stated that she didn’t even want to make her first album and did it for her father. Prior to production of her third studio album, Janet opted to fire her father as her manager, and teamed with John McClain who in turn introduced her to Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam. The decision to move on from her father clearly paid off, as Control spawned five top 10 singles and Janet’s collaboration with Lewis and Jam continued for another two decades.
“This is the story about control, my control”
The album starts with the fourth single, “Control”, and right off the bat Jackson describes the meaning behind the album with the intro. “This is the story about control, my control”, are the first words we hear on the album and the song itself represents a coming of age tale, as Janet leaves her teens and enters her 20s. The song itself is a fantastic 80s dance track, with lyrics that embody and represent female independence.
The two follow up tracks “Nasty” and “What Have You Done For Me Lately”, went on to be successful singles, reaching number three and four on the charts respectively. Similar to “Control”, both singles are examples of women empowerment. “Nasty” is a song inspired by a frightening real life event where Janet was harassed on the street. The song is a response to street harassment, and targets men who target and harass women. Whilst “What Have You Done For Me Lately”, is a single inspired by Janet’s relationship and annulment with James DeBarge. The lead single from the album, the song speaks from the perspective of a woman who has grown dissatisfied from their draining and uneventful relationship with their partner.
Both singles though touching upon important topics incorporate up-beat instrumentals that can still get you on your feet. Comparing the two singles, the writing for “Nasty” is more inferior. Though “Nasty” is a single that touches upon a very heavy and important topic, to which I respect, the writing on the single’s verses are unfortunately not good and unimpressive. With lyrics such as “I don't like no nasty car, I don't like nasty food, the only nasty thing I like is a nasty groove”.
The middle row of the album consists of two records that are sonically the best on the whole album. “The Pleasure Principle” written by Monte Moir, who was a part of The Time band, is arguably the best written song on the whole album. The song is based on Janet leaving a relationship, it uses a metaphor of riding a limousine to represent materialism within the relationship, and a yellow taxi meter to represent that she no longer wants to be within the relationship and wants to leave. The second record, “When I Think of You” is a step away from the topics of failed relationships and takes a more positive direction, as the song focuses on Janet’s love for her partner. The song takes a more up-beat direction with its content and is definitely welcomed.
The last three records take a more somber and relaxed approach with its sound. “He Doesn’t Even Know I’m Alive” is arguably the weakest record sonically, both from a production and vocal standpoint, whilst the writing and content of the song does come across quite childish. “Let’s Wait a While” fares out much better, with Janet’s smooth and relaxed vocals, the song is a sweet record about abstinence. The album finishes strongly with “Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)”, compared to the other singles the song failed to chart well. On the other hand it’s one of the best records on the whole album, and is the best song when compared to the previous two songs mentioned.
Control may not be Janet Jackson’s best album, as that title is perhaps given to Rhythm Nation or her fifth album Janet. However, the importance of the album should not be overlooked. It’s the album that pushed Janet to superstardom and without it we wouldn’t have witnessed the amazing career that followed the album’s release. The album embraces and promotes female independence and women empowerment, influencing many women that came out after the release of Control.