Janet Jackson Top 10 Hits

My favorite singer Janet Jackson turned 60 on May 16th! Fans are admiring the private stance she opted out of her late brother's Michael Jackson's current biopic Michael, re-discovering her terrific music! The Jacksons threw Janet a big party to celebrate, and The Grammys inducted one of her songs in their Hall of Fame. As a fan, I'll share my wide admiration of her and content to check out her amazing life in this countdown!

Top 10 Hits playlist:
10. “Runaway” (1995)
9. “Again” (1993)
8. “When I Think of You” (1986)
7. “Any Time, Any Place” (1993-1994)
6. “Someone to Call My Lover” (2001-2002)
5. “Together Again” / '(Deeper Remix)' (1997-1998)
4. “Nasty” (1986-1987)
3. “That’s the Way Love Goes” (1993)
2. “All for You” (2001)
1. “Rhythm Nation” (1989-1990)

Janet Jackson Documentary (2022)

Janet & "Gymnopédie; Who Sampled

Grammy Hall of Fame speech

Poetic Justice / Usher's "Call Me A Mack"

PIck A Disc interview episode

Microsoft glitch; laptop crash: https://www.instagram.com/p/Chc6XHcJ6AT/

Sunday Inspiration quotes hashtag

My other favs: "Young Love", "Say You Do", Control 35, "If", The Body That Love You", "Got 'Til Its Gone", "Every Time", "Come On Get Up", "Feels So Right", "Love Scene (Ooh Baby)", "All Nite (Don't Stop)", "Spending Time With You", "Truly", "Take Care", "Rock With U", "Rollercoaster", "Can't B Good", "What's Ur Name", "Make Me", "Nothing", "Unbreakable", "Dammn Baby", "After You Fall", "Broken Hearts Heal", "Made For Now"

Follow our social media pages on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube!

Email: musicmediareviewpodcast@gmail.com

Theme Song: "Gym Track (2026 Remix)", composed by Jessica Ann Catena

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

This episode contains sexual explicit content. Listener discretion is advised.

SPEAKER_00 0:15

Welcome to Music Media Review, critiquing modern headlines about music and media. I'm Jess. Extremely excited to celebrate this episode's theme with you all. My favorite singer, Janet Jackson, turns 60, and she's got so much going on for herself now. New fans are discovering her music after she opted out of Michael Jackson's current file pick, Michael. The Jackson family threw her a huge birthday party a few weeks early and received a Grammy Hall of Fame induction, May 8th. I've contemplated which format to honor Janet's music and chose three ways. A top 10 containing favorites from the first half of her career, 1986 to 2001, listed tracks I enjoy marking the second half, 2004 to 2018, and some extras in the episode description. I've always adored Janet Jackson's dancing, vocals, and creating different ambiances suiting themes just right. About 20 years ago, when iPods were acclimating our digital devices, she had the most songs I sorted under an individual singer, claiming my utmost fanaticism ever since. On a special escapade, Anytime, Anyplace, let's take control, diving this Janet Jackson Top 10 Hits Countdown. Number 10. Run away. Compilations tend to come out when an artist needs a little boost to regain momentum. Design of a decade was the opposite. Pursuing music outside of her brother's and father's thumbs, Janet Jackson trailed a separate identity altogether. This decade time frames 1986's album Control, 1989's Rhythm Nation 1814, and 1993's Janet. I was born end of the 80s, so I wasn't aware of 1982's Janet Jackson and 1984's Dream Street until my iPod rediscovery days. If you were to go back to those two disco albums, there's no way you'd believe the transformation exploding each album to 2015. That stamped my approval forever. Runaway opens Design of a Decade's track list, gratefully documenting exotic places Janet toured internationally. Humbling sinking it all in, she virtually invites fans as a thank you, confidently continuing the good times ahead. Two concerts I've seen her was 2011's Number One's Tour at Radio City Music Hall and 2018's Panorama Festival at Randall's Island in Harlem. A panorama attendee made an outfit like Janet's Runaway video. She was starstruck I recognized it and allowed me to take a photo. I'll share that later on Music Media Review's social media follow-up post. Runaway's music video shows Janet jumping out a window, flying around landscapes to dance with NATOs, safely lands back home to her cat. The epic part Runaway includes is Janet correcting herself near the end. Her voice cracked repeating, and I just know we'll have a good time. Time's note was low, so she ad libbed, ooh, didn't quite hit the note. That wasn't such a good time. Leaving that error in on the final version and video, genuinely humorous and adorable. 24 play closest design of a decade in a bluesy RB groove, Runaway sets everything in motion. In 1995, it charted number eight Dance Club Songs, number seven Adult Contemporary, Adult Top 40 Radio, number six Hot RB Hip Hop Songs, Number 3 on the Hop 100 Rhythmic Radio, and No. 2 Top 40 Radio. Mariah Carey's fantasy blocked it being number one. Right on Janet's birthday recently, I was trying on a new purchase in a fitting room. Soon as I unlocked the door to leave, Runaway came on the stereo. Tell me that's not fate.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

I sang it all the way back to my car. Number nine. Again.

SPEAKER_00 4:49

Acting was an unexpected skill Janet acquired along her brothers. She'd tagged along on variety shows that Jackson 5 would appear in the 70s and took a liking to it into the 80s. Good Times, A New Kind of Family, Different Strokes, and Fame. I need to watch those back sometime. Late writer-director John Singleton pulled off 1991 urban crime film Boys in the Hood and came up with a second one, 1993. Poetic Justice story arcs a female perspective and the relationships around her life. Seeing the impact Spikely did in movies and hip hop was hardcore expressing in rap. John wanted to mix both, casting celebrity musicians. Janet Jackson portrayed Justice, Tupac Shakur as Lucky, Tone Loke being Lucky's sidekick, Bone, Q-Tip briefly starring as Justice's boyfriend Markel, and 90s RB vocalist Keith Washington played one of the hairstylists named Dexter. Another non-musician legend had a key role too, poet Maya Angelou. Every poem Janet's character recites was written by Maya and she cameos at a family reunion picnic scene. VH1 occasionally televises an edited version of Poetic Justice. I learned on former sister channel VH1 Soul how notorious it was for a debut artist on the soundtrack. Usher Call Me a Mac introduced Usher Raymond swaying a girl to come his way in his puberty tenor voice and rapped bridge. You gotta see it. Smooth Talker even then. Tupac features definition of a thug N-word. I also like Cultural Revolutions, Night and Day, and Stevie Wonder's 1971 ballad, Never Dream You Leave in Summer. Again's off 1993's Janet Record, never intended to be tied to poetic justice or the lead character. Must have been a last-minute decision to add because it's not on the soundtrack or presented in the music video. The closing credits faded out and an instrumental cut when Justice confides her background to Lucky at the Beach and they hook up. Piano driven by producer Jimmy Jam, James Harris III, Janet laments running into an ex and trying to fight back old feelings. I like the flute's dreaminess to symbolize the love story. Probably the mellowest pop ballad in Janet Jackson's catalog. How can I be strong? I asked myself time and time. I said that I'll never fall in love with you again. Nominated the Oscar's Best Original Song and ASCAP Awards RB music winner, again charted number seven Hot RB Hip Hop Songs, No. Adult Contemporary, No. 3 Rhythmic Radio, and Number 1 on the Hop 100 for two weeks. Bruce Springsteen Streets of Philadelphia Triumph 1994's Best Original Song Academy Award. Two other films Janet acted and sang were 2000's Doesn't Really Matter from Nutty Professor 2 The Clumps and 2010's Nothing for Why Did I Get Married 2? Doesn't Really Matter debut number one on the Hop 100, Nothing's Melody Sounds Like Again in the Pre-Corus, and charted a number one iTunes video performance at American Idols finale.

SPEAKER_01 8:37

Number 8, when I think of you.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

Janet Demita Joe Jackson was born May 16, 1966, in Gary, Indiana. As Michael Jackson's solo career soared greater than the Jackson 5, Joe Jackson enlisted his youngest daughter into the music business. AM Records signed a 1982 contract formatting background singers guiding high school graduate Janet. Disco couldn't compete MTV's rock pop craze, and Janet wasn't enjoying the experience. Breaking the cycle watching her brothers trapped on their dad's constant control, Janet took drastic actions, aloped with El DeBarge member James DeBarge in 1984, annulled the marriage a year later due to his drug addiction, and fired Joe professionally. Going to AM CEO John McLean, she pitched ideas and he became her new manager. Pairing Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis from Prince's produced group The Time, the trio formed synthesized RB Dance Fusion. Following Prince and Michael Jackson's MTV success, Control achieved six epic music videos, seven out of the nine single tracks spanning two years entering Janet's 20s. What have you done for me lately? Nasty, when I think of you. What a change having the background singers rhythmically assist and giving room for Janet finding her adult voice. I love how joyful it is. Hearing her laugh at the end, parading around the neighborhood said in the video, brightens everything. The Grammys nominated Control Album of the Year, Paul Simons Graceland won, but A ⁇ M's new team split producer of the year non-classicals win. Control's one of the 80s highlights guaranteed. Always admire Janet's courage and conception. Its third 1986 single charted number ten adult contemporary, number three hot black singles, number one on the Hop 100 for two weeks, and Dance Club Play for three weeks. Number seven, Anytime, Anyplace. Fresh off Poetic Justice and two successful albums, Janet's self assem felt sensual. In the best shape, a steady relationship appropriated a marketable signature, except an inappropriate cover artwork. Sepia Filtered, a curly haired Janet holding her hands behind her head on the front, bare armed and below neck, back covers unzipped jeans assumed to be around her waist. Rolling Stone publicly published a censored full shot for September's 1993 cover story issue, four months after the successful album release. A pair of hands censored Janet's boobs consensually done by her quote unquote boyfriend Renee Alizondo Jr. I'll elaborate when I'm insinuating next break. Anytime, any place realistically reflects romanticizing a seven-minute jazzy RB experience. Whatever that clicking effect in the song is, I always thought of it like kissing. Janet seductively moaned in Funny How Time Flies When You're Having Fun, Someday Is Tonight Ending Rhythm Nation 1814, Anytime, Any Place Illuminates Up to the Thunderstorm Outro. The music video has Janet peering at her hallway apartment neighbor unlocking his door, fantasizing their encounter. Guilty pleasure every sense. Kendrick Lamar looped Anytime Anyplace's opening line in 2013 rap Poetic Justice. And I immediately compared Doja Cat's Agora Hills borrowing the PDA Public Display of Affection from 2023. She sings Kissing and Hope They Caught Us. Whether they like it or not, I wanna show you off. I wanna show you off. I wanna brag about it. I wanna tie the knot. I wanna show you off. I wanna show you off. I wanna show you. Hold my hand, you can hit it while they watch, boy. Janet says, I don't wanna stop just because people looking around are watching us. I don't give a damn what they think. I want you now. I don't wanna stop just because you feel so good inside of my love. I don't wanna stop. No no no. I want you now. All I wanna say is anytime and any place, I don't care who's around. A dream collaboration would be Doja and Janet. Imagine they're dancing and composing together. I also recommend The Body Who Loves You, a New Age Sexy Track on Janet, and 1994's Janet Remixed Album. Between 1993 and 1994, Anytime, Anyplace, charted number 34 Adult Contemporary, I'm assuming at night, number two on the Hop 100, Beneath All For One's I Swear, and number one Hot RB Hip Hop Songs for 10 weeks. Number six, someone to call my lover. Renee Elizondo Jr. met Janet Jackson in 1987 through a mutual friend. He directed films and some of his wife's videos. That's the way love goes, again, and together again, deeper remix. I don't know how this never leaked out, but Renee and Janet's 1991 elopement was a secret until he filed divorce in 2000. The Jacksons were raised Jehovah's Witnesses, so unless someone was paid to keep quiet officiating, nobody knew about this marriage. Not even their friends or family. Renee walks with Janet around Paris in 1999's music video Come Back to Me and cameoed as one of the mailman Tupac works with in Poetic Justice. She disclosed in her 2022 self-titled documentary that Renee got addicted to painkillers and became domineering over his wife's looks. He's been remarried in 2010 to Britt Coelho, and they had a daughter year after. Lyrically more graphic than 1993's Janet, 2001's All For You sequeled a sexualized concept album. Someone to call my lovers a favorite amongst my girlfriends and fans, singing happily single, ready to mingle. Fans also admire the guitar sample taken from America's 1972 folk ballad, Venturer Highway. That was Jimmy Jam's idea coming a year after Destiny's Child lifted Stevie Nicks's Edge of 17 1981 guitar lick on Boot Delicious. Grammy-winning rapper Dochi quoted Someone to Call My Lover's Lyrics on X last year, and Janet replied, finishing the line. Following up the viral post, Janet Jackson posted a personal video March 27, 2025, crediting an interpolated melody also on the track, 1890s Gymno PDA by classical composer Eric Satie. Recollecting a childhood commercial advertising Dove, then hearing the song in a store much later, Janet snuck the chords in the hopeful chorus whenever she says the song title. Talk about Destiny, Gymno PDA followed again playing on a toy hedgehog Janet brought her son, and her grandnephew learned it on the piano as a sweet gesture to them both. Honestly, it fulfills Janet as motherhood does. Isa was born 2017, partnered with third ex-husband Wasam Elmana, whom she married 2012 to 2017. Someone to Call My Lovers effortly sung true. My tiny criticism is the last half's repetitive singing the chorus. Nominated Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at 2002's Grammys, Someone to Call My Lover charted number 29 Adult Contemporary, Number 11 Hot RB Hip Hop Songs, Number 3 on the Hop 100, and Number 1 Dance Club Songs. Nellie Furtado's I'm Like a Bird be the Grammy Nod. 5 Together Again. 1997's The Velvet Rope is Janet's favorite album. The way Rhythm Nation 1814 tackled political outcry, the Velvet Rope unlocks uneasy topics society condemned talking publicly equal rights, domestic violence, depression, and sexual exploration. Sonically, the production fit in 90s RB, rock, and pop. The 70s are revisited covering Rod Stewart's 1977 hit Tonight's The Night, my favorite from him. Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi overtakes Got Till It's Gone, Hip Hop Scratching with Q-Tip, Post Poetic Justice Reunion, Go Deep and Together Again, Dance Up a Storm, Every Time and I Get Lonely solemnly deals infatuation anxiety. What about fights back tender verses and hard work confrontation closely resembling Michael Jackson angst he sing. I should listen back to Velvet Rope, gets tucked away compared to Janet's other stuff. Together again's Upbeat Tempo relieves sadness Janet faced behind her Velvet Rope reputation. A close friend succumbed to AIDS, she received fan mail from an England boy who lost his father, and let's not forget Tupac was murdered 1996. I'm sure that had a huge effect. I beam hearing Together Again's Harp, keyboard riffs, and drum beats believing a higher power lives on through loving memories. I love the intro's slow delivery and sped up to kickstart the first first. There are times when I look above and beyond. There are times when I feel your love around me, baby. I'll never forget my baby. I'll never forget you. The chorus is dream about us together again. What I want us together again, baby. I know we'll be together again, 'cause everywhere I go, every smile I see, I know you are there smiling back at me. Dancing in moonlight, I know you are free, cause I can see your star shining down on me. Together again, ooh, good times will share again. Together again, ooh, makes me want to dance. Together again, ooh, say it loud and proud. Together again, ooh, all my loves for you. I own two DVDs showcasing Janet's videos, Design of a Decade and From Janet to Demita Joe, which is 2004's album she promoted during that infamous wardrobe malfunction halftime show. Anyway, I bring it up because I saw a Together Again Deeper remix and love the romantic theme flip. Slowing down the tempo and sung a lower octave, one of the few remixes I equally rate with an original. I've listed both on the countdown. Streaming sites added the remix as a Velvet Rope Bones track I added from the digital single version mixes. Let me know your thoughts of both. Between 1997 to 1998, Together Again charted number 29 Adult Top 40 Radio, number 8 Rhythmic Radio, Number 5 Top 40 Radio, Number 1 Dance Club Songs, and the Hop 100 for two weeks. Number 4, Nasty. A huge advantage why controls phenomenon happened, it wasn't recorded in Detroit or LA like her brothers did. Flight Time Studios was in Edina, Minnesota, near Minneapolis. That's why Janet shouts out the city in Escapades Bridge on Rhythm Nation 1814. Janet used to walk to record from a hotel room, the hit on remarks guys would say made her so uncomfortable, especially calling her baby unattractively. She told Jimmy and Terry, supporting a feminine stance to set them straight. Building up a tough sound, drums and synthesizers slammed so hard, symbolizing fighting. I can't help air conducting the rhythms, it's fantastic. Morally speaking, I'd equate it to Michael Jackson's beat it. Having no use for nasty boys, Janet Jackson epically brands independence in Nasty's Bridge. I'm not a prude, no, I just want some respect. That's right. So close the door if you want me to respond. Cause privacy is my middle name, my last name is control. No, my first name ain't baby, it's Janet. Miss Jackson, if you're nasty. You can thank Paula Abdul choreographing the dance moves young Janet does in the music video, accompanying her in the movie theater, and what have you done for me lately is video cafe. Ten years ago, nasty went viral after Donald Trump debated Hillary Clinton. When he interrupted saying such a nasty woman, Spotify reported 250% stream increase. Rightfully, Janet kept quiet, letting her lyrics do the talking. American Music Awards named it Favorite Soul RB single and ranked number five on VH1's 100 greatest songs of the 80s in 2006. Exactly 40 years ago, Nasty charted number six dance singles sales, number three on the Hop 100, number two Dance Club Songs, and number one Hot Black Singles for two weeks. Peter Gabriel Sledgehammer surpassed Nasty on Dance Club Songs. Number three, that's the way love goes. Offering $40 million in 1992, Richard Branson invested a Virgin Record contract for Janet Jackson. He posted an anniversary post on his Instagram, photographed on a haughtyer balloon ride he took her to meet and accept the deal. May 18th's caption reads, On this day in 1993, Janet Jackson released her iconic album, Janet, through Virgin Records. Everyone wanted to sign Janet and I knew I would have to put out all the stops to sign her. I convinced Janet to join me on a hot air balloon ride which sweetened the deal, but I knew in the end her managers would make it all about the upfront money. Throughout my business life, I have always tried to keep on top of costs and protect the downside risk as much as possible. This was a rare exception, for I knew it would cement us as the hottest label on the planet. After talking with Simon and Ken, I decided to offer Janet the largest amount of money ever to be offered to any singer. On top of this, I decided to break all the rules of the record industry. Rather than tying her down for a number of future albums, Virgin would offer a contract for just one album. Thankfully, the risk was worth it. Janet loved Virgin and remained signed to us for 17 years, a period in which she released five top-selling albums, including Janet, which sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Ironically, Virgin is not the word coming to mind for Janet's content, but when you play That's the Way Love Goes flirty groove, you'll be blown away as everyone else was in 1993. Meshing a seductive haiku to That's the Way Love Goes title hypnotizes a mystical aura getting in the mood. Like a moth to a flame burned by the fire, my love is blind. Can't you see my desire? Madonna led this move in speaking 1991's Justify My Love, 1992's Erotica album, and a sex memoir. Saturday Night Live ruined me parodying Justify My Love with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey spoofing Waynes World's duo Wayne and Garth. Janet pokes fun in That's the Way Love Goes video. She's shy sharing the demo, and Jennifer Lopez plays a friend swiping the cassette from her hand to play in the stereo system. They all dance in the apartment space swaying the beats. Jennifer had a breakup moment on the Wayne's Brothers sketch comedy show in Living Color with star in Selena Quintania's 1997 memorial biopic Selena and wound up developing her own music career 1999. Lots of history tied to That's the Way Love Goes and is considered Janet Jackson's biggest hit, named Billboard Music Award's Top RB Single, Best RB Song at 1994's Grammys, and American Music Awards Favorite Soul RB Single. Statistically charted number 16 Adult Contemporary, number one Dance Club Songs in RB four weeks and the Hop 100 for eight weeks.

SPEAKER_01 28:31

Number two, All For You.

SPEAKER_00 28:38

The photo I chose for this episode cover is an All For You's album booklet. Janet looks so beautiful and happy, maybe my favorite look of hers. She was 35 and many bloggers are remembering its release. Singing the title track around my 12-year-old classmates wasn't a smart idea deciphering her chant, though my gym teachers mixed a minute workout tape for an obstacle course routine we do and included all for you. Radio stations limit the graphic chorus in the intro and leave it one stanza to fade out in the edit version. Come on get up's a great track to try too. Across the board, 2001 commemorated high accolades feeding off the energy, Billboard Music Awards top selling RB hip hop single, Rolling Stone's favorite album cover, Essence Awards Entertainer of the Year given a Best Dance Recording Grammy, Teen Choice Best Single, and Album. The color animation dancing on the train platform was cool CGI for its time. Surprisingly, Janet never heard the Luther Vandros sample tune. Jimmy Jamps showed her 1980s The Glow of Love by RB Group Change, riffing whenever all for you's words are sung. I'm sure Luther was honored and another shared technique done by Kendrick Lamar. His Grammy winning duet Luther with Sizza emulated 1982's If This World Were Mine. All for You remains a classic title track flaunting an attractive guide at dance, and if things go well, spend the night together. Charted number 28 Adult Top 40 Radio, number one Hot RB hip hop songs for two weeks, top 40 and dance club songs for three, and Hot 100 for seven. Topping number one on our Janet Jackson Top Ten Hits playlist is. Rhythm Nation. To go from Controls High Streak to addressing societal issues through dance, music wasn't an art to Janet. It was an important voice as Nasty meant personally. Controls road crew watched CNN while traveling and were horrified over the violent occurrences reported. Worse than that, children's safety and innocence were compromised. Brought up in a big close family, Janet couldn't sit back and based a majority towards Rhythm Nation 1814's concept. 2018 State of the World Tour concluded Janet singing that Rhythm Nation track which is just as strong. Drugs and crime spreading on the street. People can't find enough to eat. Now our kids can't go out and play. That's the state of the world today. Dressed in black military attire in Rhythm Nation's video and cover, serious Janet urged civilians to make the difference as one. The year 1814 was when the Star Spangled Banner was composed and coincidentally has numerology meaning. In the American alphabet, N is the 14th letter, R is the 18th. Among countless achievements, Rhythm Nation won an MTV video vanguard at the VMA's Best Long Form Video at the Grammys, accumulated multiple awards for its eight singles spanning over three years. Miss You Much, Rhythm Nation, Escapade, Alright, Come Back to Me, Black Cat, Love Will Never Do Without You, and State of the World. If you owned a Microsoft computer during September 2022, a blue screen glitch if trying to play Rhythm Nation. Its high-pitched Enote baseline triggered a global shutdown, causing Microsoft reprogramming an audio filter to repair. Isn't that insane? Australian radio station KIIS tested on video how rapid the technical difficulty clicked. Janet commented two blushing emojis and a monkey covering its eyes. To finish out, I like to read the acceptance speech she said at May 8th's Grammy Hall of Fame ceremony. I'm so grateful and honored that Rhythm Nation is being recognized tonight in this wonderful, wonderful way. It's beautiful to relive the memories attached to this project that's so, so precious to me tonight. Rhythm Nation still resonates on a deep and profound level. It's an ongoing force that fights bigotry and promotes understanding. It cannot be stopped. It's simply too strong, too positive. Rhythm Nation is a movement of people of all ages and backgrounds, seeking to give and receive love free of judgment. As we celebrate tonight, let's remember that it transcends all borders, nationalities, and faiths. I hope you hear my heart's desire when we first created this suite of songs. More than ever, my hope is that we might live in a world free of fear and despair. The prayer driving this remains exactly the same, that peace prevails. Peace the world over, peace among nations, peace in our neighborhoods, peace in our homes. May the music of Rhythm Nation continue to bring us together in peace, and may that peace allow us to celebrate this precious gift of life that God has given us all. Between 1989 and 1990, this signature title track charted number two on the Hop 100, number one, Hot Black Singles and Dance Club Play for three weeks. Phil Collins's Another Day in Paradise hovered the Hop 100 spot, spreading the same well wishes helping the underprivileged. Janet Jackson, happy birthday, and until we get more music, your Sunday inspirational quotes on X are as lovely as you are.

SPEAKER_01 35:25

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to this episode.

SPEAKER_00 35:28

I hope my fandom entertain a sliver of Janet Jackson's talent for you in a new light. I'm always looking to discuss her with fans. Reach out to Music Media Review Podcast at gmail.com. Comment on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Please rate and review after listening. I'm Jess. Next episode will review Casey Musgrave's latest album, Middle of Nowhere. Talk to you next week.