For those of you who weren't there, "Control" took over everything. Girls at school were wearing their housekeys on their hoop earrings, kids practiced her dance moves during lunch and in the halls between classes. If you missed recording it on cassette off the radio, you didn't have to wait long for another chance.
While fans dreamed of rivalries between Prince and Michael Jackson and squared up behind the star of their choice, Janet tried a different approach. She knew she didn't want to go into the studio with a label, engineers and producers who'd worked with her family and the Motown sound for many years. She wanted to do something new and exciting. She was listening to the Minneapolis sound. And she liked what Prince and other artists surrounding him were doing. But she also knew her parents would never let Prince produce their baby girl.
So she did the next best thing. She's met Jam & Lewis during her previous recording sessions in Minneapolis. And they were excited to work with her. But the trick was... Blending the pop sensibility of Motown's hit making traditions with the vital and exciting energy of the Minneapolis sound. She brought the experience and the knowledge of the Motown history and Jam & Lewis brought the Minnesota funk.
The blend was something new and exhilarating. When it hit the streets, fans couldn't keep their hands off it. Her parent's worried she'd sound like Prince, but Janet didn't let it stop her. Ultimately, it was the blending of these two very different styles of musical tradition that helped Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis develop their own signature version of the Minneapolis sound. And once the hits started coming, they never stopped.
With one declarative statement, Janet ... Sweet little baby sister Janet, stepped out into the spotlight and seized control of her own life. And her message, heard all the way around the world, was a very public wake up call to her family and friends.
Her first single, 'Control' was accompanied by a live performance video letting everyone know, this time she meant business. And the album released single after hit single. I think there are only a couple songs that didn't actually get a single release.
Listening to it now, some of the drum sounds are a bit outdated and there are songs where they rely heavily on old R&B sounds on the keyboards, but otherwise, the disc has held up. 'Control' kicks it off with just the right blend of both musical schools of production that you think you know what you're in store for. Fans of The Time who know Jam & Lewis saw it as a Time performance. But it was completely different. For one thing, instead of the misogynist preening of the Morris Day character, this band was led by a woman. Her dance moves were bold and avoided being overtly sexual. She took the stage as a confident band leader and rocked the house down. This is when we knew something special was happening.
Even now, the drum track on 'Nasty' sounds amazing. It was such a different sound and no one really copied it. Where Madonna empowered 80's women to own their sexuality, Janet empowered them to expect/demand equality and projected an image of a strong female archetype who didn't rely on sensuality to send a message. In fact, the message of 'Nasty' was a demand for respect rather than objectification. It was followed by, 'What Have You Done For Me Lately' which tells the story of a partner who takes his lady for granted. All three of these songs were released as singles and had huge chart success.
After the progressive and new sounding opening of 'Control', 'Nasty' and 'What Have You Done For Me Lately', 'You Can Be Mine' sounds a little outdated and weak. The message is empowering and as the song progresses, the music clears up and you get some wonderful arrangements from the masters of Minnesota funk. It goes out on a high note. Next up are two more tracks that saw single releases... 'The Pleasure Principle' and 'When I Think Of You'. 'The Pleasure Principle' is the first track appearing on the album not written by Jackson, Jam & Lewis. However, it's written by former bandmate and Time member, Monte Moir. Most of the original Time members went on to produce and write for other artists and they were all part of that Minneapolis sound. Although this tune does have a distinctive quality that sets it apart from the others, it still sounds like it belongs in the fused sound they'd created.
Both 'The Pleasure Principle' and 'When I Think Of You' reached the US top five. The next track is the one song that seems utterly and completely out of place on the record. 'He Doesn't Even Know I'm Alive' was written by Spencer Bernard. Although I'm not sure where he comes from or how he hooked up with Jam & Lewis, he's been with them ever since and contributed numerous songs to their artists. This one, however, sounds like dated Motown, not something that belongs with the innovative style of the rest of the album. In addition, the song seems take the powerful strong woman Jackson has presented throughout the rest of the album and turn her into a tiny, frightened uncertain little girl. It's demoralizing to see it happen. This song would have better served the record if it'd stayed in a drawer for another artist.
I don't even consider it part if the album. More like a filler track left over from her previous two albums recorded under her father's watchful eye.
The next two tracks set up a formula Janet would repeat a few times over the years. Both are ballads. It wasn't uncommon for her to save the slow music for the end of the album and use it to segue out of the disc. 'Let's Wait Awhile' is a song about abstinence and not allowing yourself to be pressured into sex. Once again, Janet was empowering women to say no. To control with whom and when they choose to engage in sexual conduct. Although today this isn't seen as a radical concept, in the 80's it was still a topic people wanted to ignore and pretend didn't happen.
The disc ends with Janet gently but firmly rebuffing her beau in the middle of an intimate setting choosing instead to wait until the time is right for both of them. 'Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)' is both sensual and serious without being preachy or pandering to one specific ideal. With this final track, Janet told an entire generation of women, intimacy is wonderful and can be extremely fun, but you have the power to say no. You can stop at anytime.
The importance of this record and how it shaped women's roles in society cannot be taken for granted. Madonna and other pop singers of the time wanted to free women from oppressive sexuality and allow women to enjoy and control sex. But the message of "Control" branched out into virtually ever corner of society and expressed strength for almost every conceivable obstacle a young woman in that decade might face in her life.
Her social awareness, dedication to empowerment and strength made her an overnight icon. The impact of this record may never be fully known. But it does demonstrate a social awareness none of her family possessed in any great amount. Her brother Michael produced and wrote songs he used to inspire change in others but his attempts were almost always extremely direct and lacked the inventive approach Janet took each time she planned an album.
My final words: THIS ALBUM EMPOWERED ME! HER BROTHER WANTED TO HEAL THE WORLD, BUT JANET CHANGED IT.
JANET JACKSON - CONTROL
01. Control
02. Nasty
03. What Have You Done For Me Lately
04. You Can Be Mine
05. The Princeiple of Pleasure
06. When I Think Of You
07. He Doesn't Even Know I'm Alive
08. Let's Wait Awhile
09. Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)
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