Janet Jackson
Studio album by
Janet Jackson
ReleasedSeptember 1982 (1982-09)
RecordedMay–August 1982
StudioAllen Zentz Recording, Los Angeles
Conway Studios, Hollywood; Media West, Los Angeles; Davlen Sound, North Hollywood; Wally Heider, Los Angeles; Larrabee Sound Studios, Los Angeles; Spindletop; Studio Masters; mixed at Sunset Sound and Studio 55, Los Angeles[1]
Genre
Length37:22 (vinyl)
38:50 (CD)
Label
Producer
Janet Jackson chronology
Janet Jackson
(1982)		 Dream Street
(1984)
Singles from Janet Jackson
  1. "Young Love"
    Released: July 7, 1982
  2. "Come Give Your Love to Me"
    Released: January 10, 1983
  3. "Say You Do"
    Released: April 29, 1983
  4. "Love and My Best Friend"
    Released: 1983
  5. "Don't Mess Up This Good Thing"
    Released: 1983

Janet Jackson is the debut studio album by American singer Janet Jackson, released in September 1982 by A&M Records. Janet Jackson is described as a dance and contemporary R&B record.[2][3] Songwriters Angela Winbush and René Moore contributed to much of the album's lyrics. Moore and Winbush share production credits with Foster Sylvers, Jerry Weaver, and Bobby Watson. On release Janet Jackson charted on the Billboard 200 and in New Zealand. Three singles from the album had little impact on Billboard Hot 100 charts, among them "Young Love", "Come Give Your Love to Me" and "Say You Do", though these singles achieved success on the R&B charts. Jackson performed "Young Love" and "Say You Do" on American TV shows American Bandstand and Soul Train in 1982. The cover artwork of Jackson's body submerged in water was based on a photo of Elizabeth Taylor. Worldwide, the album has sold 300,000 copies.

Production

Jackson was sixteen when she began recording the album. She was assisted by her father, working with a number of songwriters and producers.[6] Songwriters Angela Winbush and René Moore contributed to much of the album's lyrics. Moore and Winbush share production credits with Foster Sylvers, Jerry Weaver, and Bobby Watson.

The cover photo was shot by Harry Langdon in the swimming pool of the Jackson family's home. Jackson took the idea from a photograph of actress Elizabeth Taylor submerged in a swimming pool early in her career, which she found "dramatic".[7]

Release

The album was released in September 1982 by A&M Records.[8] The Baltimore Afro-American noted that the album had been released, commenting that Jackson does not have any members of the Jackson family helping out, that she is relying "solely on her own talent", and that she has "the poised voice of a dynamic individual."[3]

On the US Billboard 200, Janet Jackson had its peak at number 63 the week of January 22, 1983.[9] In New Zealand, the album peaked at number 44 on the New Zealand Albums Chart, during its only-week chart on April 17, 1983.[10] As of 2003, Janet Jackson sold 82,000 copies through BMG Music Club in the United States.[11] And sold additional 62,000 copies according to Soundscan since 1991.[12] But the majority of the sales occurred before Soundscan began tracking sales in the US in 1991. Worldwide, the album has sold 300,000 copies, considered a failure at the time.[7]

Singles

Five singles were released from the album. "Young Love" was the first. It reached number 64 on the principal American singles chart, the Billboard Hot 100, and number six on the American Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[13] In New Zealand, "Young Love" reached number 16.[14] The second single from Janet Jackson was "Come Give Your Love to Me" and peaked at number 58 on the Hot 100. The follow-up single, "Say You Do", only appeared on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and the Hot Dance Club Songs charts, peaking at numbers 15 and 11, respectively.[13] The last two singles from the album, "Love and My Best Friend" and "Don't Mess Up This Good Thing" did not appear on any chart worldwide.[13] In order to further promote Janet Jackson, she performed "Young Love" and "Say You Do" on American TV shows American Bandstand and Soul Train in 1982.[15][16]

Reception

In a retrospective summary for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine felt the album had "no distinctive musical personality", feeling that the choice of songs was poor, with "Young Love" as the only song which "stands out among the undistinguished, sub-disco thumpers and drippy ballads".[17] Bil Carpenter from the same website called Janet Jackson a "debut album of youth-oriented pop".[18] The Rolling Stone Album Guide book stated that the album and its follow-up Dream Street (1984) sound like bland dance-music ready-mades.[2]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Say You Do"
6:49
2."You'll Never Find (A Love Like Mine)"
  • Moore
  • Winbush
  • Watson
  • Moore
  • Winbush
4:09
3."Young Love"
  • Moore
  • Winbush
  • Watson
  • Moore
  • Winbush
4:56
4."Love and My Best Friend"
  • Moore
  • Winbush
  • Watson
  • Moore
  • Winbush
4:47
5."Don't Mess Up This Good Thing"
  • Wardell Potts, Jr.
  • Barry Sarna
  • Dana Meyers
3:53
6."Forever Yours"
4:57
7."The Magic Is Working"
  • Dorie Pride
  • Gene Dozier
  • F. Sylvers
  • Weaver
4:09
8."Come Give Your Love to Me"
  • Glen Barbee
  • Charmaine Sylvers
  • F. Sylvers
  • Weaver
5:03
Total length:37:15
  • "Say You Do" (12" single remix) is on the CD album. The original version (timed at 5:20) appears on the LP and cassette releases of the album.

Personnel

  • Janet Jackson – lead vocals
  • Bobby Watson, James Jamerson, Jr., Leon Sylvers III, Ricky Smith – bass guitar
  • Foster Sylvers – synthesizer, bass, drums, producer, rhythm arrangements
  • Marlo Henderson, Greg Moore, Tony Maiden, Michael McGloiry,
    Fred Jenkins, Pepper Read – guitars
  • Paulinho Da Costa, Edmund Sylvers, Melvin Webb – percussion
  • André Fischer, John JR Robinson – drums
  • Wardell Potts, Jr. – drums, rhythm arrangements
  • René Moore – keyboards, background vocals, handclapping, producer, rhythm arrangements, Moog bass
  • Angela Winbush – keyboards, background vocals, producer, rhythm arrangements
  • Phillip Ingram – keyboards, string machine, background vocals
  • Joey Gallo – keyboards, synthesizer
  • Eddie Fluellen – string machine
  • Jerry Hey – horn arrangements
  • Humberto Gatica – mixing
  • Stuart Furusho – engineer, mixing assistant
  • Kirk Ferraioli – assistant engineer
  • Gene Dozier – keyboards, horn arrangements, string arrangements
  • Jeff Lorber, Barry Sarna, Ian Underwood – synthesizers
  • Attala Zane Giles – background vocals
  • Monica Joy Rhodes, Wendell C. Wellman – handclaps
  • Dana Meyers – background vocals, vocal arrangement
  • Howard Hewett – background vocals
  • Chuck Beeson – art direction
  • Bob Brown – engineer
  • Jerry Knight – background, vocals
  • Harry Langdon – photography
  • Nyya Lark – assistant engineer
  • Peggy McCreary – mixing assistant
  • Taavi Mote – engineer
  • Ambrose Price – handclapping
  • Lynn Robb – design
  • John Stronach – engineer
  • Steve Thume – engineer
  • Wally Traugott – mastering
  • John VanNest – engineer, mixing assistant
  • Trevor Veitch – contractor
  • Gerald Vinci – concertmaster
  • Jerry Weaver – producer, rhythm arrangements, synthesizer
  • Benjamin Wright – string arrangements

[1]

Charts

References

  1. 1 2 "Janet Jackson – Janet Jackson (1982, Indianapolis Pressing, Vinyl)". Discogs. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  2. 1 2 3 Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 411. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone janet jackson album guide.
  3. 1 2 3 "Janet Jackson". Baltimore Afro-American. October 12, 1982. p. 13. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  4. ↑ Pitchfork Staff (September 10, 2018). "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 25, 2023. By 19, Janet Jackson had already appeared in several television shows, been married and divorced, and released two bubblegum pop albums.
  5. ↑ Breihan, Tom (January 8, 2021). "The Number Ones: Janet Jackson's "When I Think Of You". Stereogum. Retrieved September 30, 2023. She'd never much liked the frothy soft-pop sound of her first two albums...
  6. ↑ Cornwell, Jane (2002), Janet Jackson, Carlton Books, pp. 2, 10, 24, ISBN 1-84222-464-6
  7. 1 2 Jackson, Janet (2011), True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself, Simon & Schuster, pp. 92, ISBN 978-1-4165-8724-8
  8. ↑ "New LP/Tape Releases". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 36. September 11, 1982. p. 14.
  9. ↑ "Billboard 200". Billboard. 2013-01-02. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  10. ↑ "Janet Jackson - Janet Jackson". Official New Zealand Music Chart. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Shania, Backstreet, Britney, Eminem and Janet top all time sellers". Mi2N.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Answers to readers' questions about Annie Lennox, Janet Jackson and Kelis". billboard.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2006.
  13. 1 2 3 "allmusic Janet Jackson > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Janet Jackson - Young Love". Official New Zealand Singles Chart. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Janet Jackson / Laura Branigan - American Bandstand". American Bandstand. Season 26. Episode 5. October 30, 1982. 90:00 minutes in. ABC.
  16. ↑ "Michael McDonald / Janet Jackson - Soul Train". Soul Train. Season 12. Episode 10. December 18, 1982. 45:00 minutes in. Syndication.
  17. ↑ Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. "Janet Jackson - Janet Jackson". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on March 12, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ↑ Carpenter, Bil. "Janet Jackson – Janet Jackson". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on January 31, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Charts.nz – Janet Jackson – Janet Jackson". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  20. ↑ "SA Top 20 - 5 Maart 2016" (in Afrikaans). RISA. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Most Successful Female Recording Artists in South Africa". RISA. Archived from the original on 2019-06-02. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  22. ↑ "Janet Jackson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Janet Jackson Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1983". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
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