It's Your Anniversary!!!: Janet Jackson's self-titled 5th album turns 30 today!!
- Thread starter FluffyEyes
- Start date
Devil Plisken…CMS
Veteran
Janet has multiple monumental albums. My favorite being…
FluffyEyes
Mrs. Boss Lady
Sir Richard Spirit
Superstar
Janet Jackson gonna be about 17 minutes from me. I thought me and my wife had a chance since it’s not a major venue. $700 for the first section. 
FluffyEyes
Mrs. Boss Lady
Janet's run from the late 80s to the early 00s is kind of unprecedented. Every album was impactful commercially AND artistically. She is Legendary in every sense of the word.
FluffyEyes
Mrs. Boss Lady
Janet Jackson gonna be about 17 minutes from me. I thought me and my wife had a chance since it’s not a major venue. $700 for the first section.
Yea it's tough when artists are in demand. Maybe the tickets will go down closer to the date of your show.
Sir Richard Spirit
Superstar
FluffyEyes
Mrs. Boss Lady
Janet discussing her decision to release "That's The Way Love Goes" as a first single
FluffyEyes
Mrs. Boss Lady
Janet and co practicing choreography (by Tina Landon) for the song 'If'
FluffyEyes
Mrs. Boss Lady
FluffyEyes
Mrs. Boss Lady
Five Ways The 'Janet' Album Changed Pop Music:
Janet Jackson's iconic album was released 30 years ago today.
By Clay Cane
May 18, 2023 / 10:21 AM
The year was 1993.
Republican President George Bush lost reelection, leaving the country in economic shambles. Democratic President Bill Clinton -- who in many ways was a moderate -- was sworn in earlier that year and promised to be tough on crime. It was a profoundly conservative era. Sex was taboo, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic was killing thousands of people, with the government turning its back. The solution for many was to suppress and legislate anyone and anything encouraging sexual liberation. A year before, Madonna's career was nearly destroyed after backlash to her highly provocative Erotica album. In 1992, the only Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits by women were big ballads.
The war on drugs was raging; Black communities were being targeted with tropes of the welfare queen, crackhead -- and hip-hop artists were used as the scapegoat. In reality, this was the worst time to release an album like Janet, not only as a woman but as a Black woman. Janet Jackson defied the odds and, once again, changed the entertainment industry and pop music.
Released on May 18, 1993, Janet was a game-changer. As we reflect on its legacy, here are five ways the iconic album impacted music and our cultural landscape.
Janet represented a significant departure from Jackson's previous work, both sonically and thematically. The album embraced a more sensual and reflective tone, exploring themes of love, sexuality, and personal empowerment. She was criticized for going from a song like 1986's "Let's Wait Awhile" to "Any time, Any place." This bold artistic direction resulted in serious backlash.
The Times complained, "she tends to confuse sex with soul." A Los Angeles Times review with a title that read "Heavy Breathing as a Career Move," claimed the album will only be successful "not because it's any great piece of work, but largely for its aphrodisiacal aspirations." Entertainment Weekly accused Janet of trying to "rip-off" Madonna and added the album "sounds like a mess — period."
Thirty years and 14 million sold albums later, they were all wrong. Jackson's fearlessness made her an inspiration to countless women, empowering them to embrace their sexuality, especially as a Black woman, and demand respect. The Janet album should also be seen through the lens of feminism. While sexuality in music was nothing new, her use of sexuality wasn't at the order of a man or producer. Miss Jackson was the boss, it was her vision, her creation and she made no apologies.
Janet charted a path in a deeply conservative era for other artists to be unapologetic in their sexuality, from Beyoncé to Rihanna to Megan Thee Stallion.
Finish here:
Janet Jackson's iconic album was released 30 years ago today.
By Clay Cane
May 18, 2023 / 10:21 AM
The year was 1993.
Republican President George Bush lost reelection, leaving the country in economic shambles. Democratic President Bill Clinton -- who in many ways was a moderate -- was sworn in earlier that year and promised to be tough on crime. It was a profoundly conservative era. Sex was taboo, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic was killing thousands of people, with the government turning its back. The solution for many was to suppress and legislate anyone and anything encouraging sexual liberation. A year before, Madonna's career was nearly destroyed after backlash to her highly provocative Erotica album. In 1992, the only Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits by women were big ballads.
The war on drugs was raging; Black communities were being targeted with tropes of the welfare queen, crackhead -- and hip-hop artists were used as the scapegoat. In reality, this was the worst time to release an album like Janet, not only as a woman but as a Black woman. Janet Jackson defied the odds and, once again, changed the entertainment industry and pop music.
Released on May 18, 1993, Janet was a game-changer. As we reflect on its legacy, here are five ways the iconic album impacted music and our cultural landscape.
1. Sexual Liberation
Janet represented a significant departure from Jackson's previous work, both sonically and thematically. The album embraced a more sensual and reflective tone, exploring themes of love, sexuality, and personal empowerment. She was criticized for going from a song like 1986's "Let's Wait Awhile" to "Any time, Any place." This bold artistic direction resulted in serious backlash.
The Times complained, "she tends to confuse sex with soul." A Los Angeles Times review with a title that read "Heavy Breathing as a Career Move," claimed the album will only be successful "not because it's any great piece of work, but largely for its aphrodisiacal aspirations." Entertainment Weekly accused Janet of trying to "rip-off" Madonna and added the album "sounds like a mess — period."
Thirty years and 14 million sold albums later, they were all wrong. Jackson's fearlessness made her an inspiration to countless women, empowering them to embrace their sexuality, especially as a Black woman, and demand respect. The Janet album should also be seen through the lens of feminism. While sexuality in music was nothing new, her use of sexuality wasn't at the order of a man or producer. Miss Jackson was the boss, it was her vision, her creation and she made no apologies.
Janet charted a path in a deeply conservative era for other artists to be unapologetic in their sexuality, from Beyoncé to Rihanna to Megan Thee Stallion.
Finish here: