Джанет Джексон: «Джанет» альбомының тарихы

1993 studio album by Janet Jackson

Janet (stylized as janet.) is the fifth studio album by American singer Janet Jackson. It was released on May 18, 1993, by Virgin Records America. Prior to its release, Jackson was at the center of a high profile bidding war over her recording contract. In 1991, her original label A&M sought to renew her contract, while others, such as Atlantic, Capitol, and Virgin all vied to sign her. After meeting with Virgin owner Richard Branson, she signed with the label. The contract was worth an estimated $40 million, making her the world's then highest paid musical act. Janet marks Jackson's second eponymous record after her debut studio album, Janet Jackson (1982). Its title, read "Janet, period. ", is meant to disassociate her public image from her family, dropping her surname. An R&B record, Janet incorporated pop, hip hop, soul, funk, rock, house, jazz, and opera, eliminating the rigid, industrial sound of her previous records. Lyrically, the theme of Janet is sexual intimacy—an abrupt departure from her conservative image. Much of her lyrics emphasize a woman's perspective on sexuality and the demand for practicing safe sex. In the United States, Janet became the singer's third consecutive album to top the Billboard 200 and her first to debut at number one. Selling 350,000 copies in its first week, it set a record for the highest first week sales for a female artist at that time. Certified sixfold platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), it has sold over seven million copies in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan. Internationally, Janet topped the record charts in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom, and has sold an estimated 14 million copies worldwide. Janet remains one of only seven albums in history to produce six top ten hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, including the number one singles "That's the Way Love Goes" and "Again". The MTV sponsored Janet World Tour supporting the album received critical acclaim for Jackson's elaborate stage performances, reinforcing her reputation as one of the preeminent artists of the MTV generation. Janet cemented her as an international icon and sex symbol, and is listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 200 Definitive Albums of All Time. Academics argued the erotic imagery in her music videos have contributed to a higher degree of sexual freedom among women.

Rumors of a multimillion dollar bidding war over Jackson's recording contract began to circulate in spring 1991. Jet magazine reported: "A recording company has offered in excess of $50 million to sign superstar Janet Jackson to a recording contract, making the 24 year old singer/songwriter/dancer/actress the key player in one of the hottest bidding wars among today's major record companies." Reports indicated that Capitol, Virgin and Atlantic were all bidding for Jackson's contract, as her ties to A&M would soon expire; by March, she had signed with Virgin. The New York Times declared "Janet Jackson has signed what is believed to be the most lucrative contract in the history of recording. The 24 year old singer, songwriter and actress signed an exclusive contract with Virgin Records it was announced yesterday." Her new contract guaranteed a twenty two percent royalty payment, in addition to her then historic signing bonus. Chuck Philips of the Los Angeles Times reported that it had been the largest bidding war in recent memory and that "[o]ne reason the bidding was so heavy, various industry observers have noted, was that Jackson at just 24 is still a relatively fresh face on the pop scene and that her dance pop style is ideal for today's pop/video climate." In addition, her potential as an international superstar proved to be the primary motivation for the label's investment. Jeff Ayeroff, co managing director of Virgin in the US stated: "Janet is a world class artist and we expect her growth to be enormous." Richard Branson rebutted this argument stating "Ms. Jackson has met with great success working with the production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, just as her brother Michael Jackson has experienced his greatest successes with the producer Quincy Jones. It is interesting that Mr. Holden doesn't mention this similar 'liability' when discussing Michael Jackson. To say that Ms. Jackson is 'dependent' on her producer is a shortsighted observation. She is a formidable talent who stands on her own." Michael Jackson would break his sister's record only days later, when he signed a $60 million contract with Sony Music Entertainment. Both sibling's contracts garnered considerable criticism. Los Angeles Times reported that "A&M Records President Al Cafaro, whose company lost the fierce bidding battle over Janet Jackson to Virgin Records, said record companies may be vesting too much importance in individual performers" as the funds used as advances to the Jacksons could have launched recording careers for numerous unknown talents. Cliff Burnstein of Q Prime management commented that recording artists demands for advances upon signing would begin to escalate from that point forward. Jackson and Vandross recorded the duet "The Best Things in Life Are Free" featuring Bell Biv DeVoe and Ralph Tresvant, which peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Hot R&B Singles chart. Shortly afterward, Jackson began filming for her first feature length role in John Singleton's Poetic Justice. Although she was encouraged by a major studio executive to take on a film in which she could portray a singer, she insisted on finding a different role. She explained: "About that same time John Singleton asked me to read his new script. John and I became buddies—I loved Boyz n the Hood—so I thought he was just asking my advice. I was shocked and honored to learn the screenplay had been written with me in mind. 'Would you play Justice?' he wanted to know. Yes! I'd finally found a role—a dramatic nonsinging role—that was right." Released in July 1993, Poetic Justice debuted at number one at the box office, grossing $11,728,455; it grossed a grand total of $27,515,786.

quote box|quote=Sex isn't just fire and heat, its natural beauty. Doing what comes naturally. It's letting go, giving and getting what you need. In the age of AIDS, it certainly requires being responsible. On a psychological level, though, good sex, satisfying sex, is also linked with losing yourself, releasing, using your body to get out of your body. Well, for the first time, I'm feeling free. I love feeling deeply sexual—and don't mind letting the world know. For me, sex has become a celebration, a joyful part of the creative process.|source=Janet Jackson, Rolling Stone, 1993 She stated in an interview with David Wild for Rolling Stone that "[w]hile I was doing Rhythm Nation, I was thinking about how things were so hard, so regimented and so black and white  I thought I'd do something on the sexy side—which is hard for me since I grew up as a tomboy and don't really think of myself that way. But I think this album is more on the feminine tip." She also commented on how her experience acting in Poetic Justice played a role in taking a new direction with her music. Speaking with biographer David Ritz, she stated that "Rhythm Nation was a heavy record, and Poetic Justice was a heavy movie. I wanted to do something lighter but also daring  When I wrote the album, I was still in a poetic frame of mind, inspired by Maya's beautiful language. You can hear that inspiration or the interludes and especially on the song 'New Agenda'. This time I felt much freer expressing myself." Virgin Records expressed the album title "punctuates the declaration of strength the singer, songwriter and producer boldly expresses on this moving collection of songs which explore love, sensuality, the power of sisterhood and her own evolving self identity." Thomas Harrison, author of Music of the 1990s (2011) wrote that "[t]he conscious decision was made, by the company and/or Jackson, to put her into the same league as other one named artists, such as Madonna, Bono, Beyoncé and Prince, or at least to put her on the same standing as others in the industry who are often called by one name, such as Whitney, Mariah, Britney, Diana, Dolly, and Garth among others. Jackson could now, in a sense, stand on her own and not be seen as a product of the family entertainment machine." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine recounted the title of the album ultimately "announced the singer as completely independent of her male dominated family [and] it positioned her as the person in charge of her sound."

The album was recorded at Flyte Tyme Studios in Edina, Minnesota, from September 1992 to February 1993. Songs on the album, with the exception of "What'll I Do", were written by Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and mixed by Steve Hodge and Dave Rideau; "What'll I Do" was written and produced by Jackson and Jellybean Johnson. Jackson took a larger role in songwriting and production than she did on her previous albums. She explained that "[a]ll my records are personal, and janet, is the most personal of them all. That's why this time around it was important for me to write all the lyrics and half of the melodies." David Ritz noted that Jackson and her producers took risks by experimenting with musical influences that had not appeared in their previous work. He explained: "She asked Kathleen Battle and Public Enemy's Chuck D to contribute—an opera diva and a hardcore rapper, two artists one would not associate with Janet—and somehow pulled if off. Beyond Jam and Lewis, there's now a recognizable Janet Jackson production style that's gutsy and, in some cases, even eccentric." The song "Again", was originally just an experimental sound the production duo was considering. While Jackson found its melody compelling, the trio did not give the song serious contemplation until the film producers from Poetic Justice requested a ballad for the film's soundtrack. The album expanded Jackson's musical endeavors from the more electronic based soundscapes of her prior albums. Like its immediate predecessor, janet. also features a number of interludes between songs that vary from short conversations, instrumentals, and ambient based tracks.

In September 1993, Jackson appeared topless on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine with the hands of her then husband René Elizondo Jr. covering her breasts. The photograph is the original full length version of the cropped image used on the cover of the Janet album, shot by Patrick Demarchelier. In the cover story, "Sexual Healing" by David Ritz, Jackson explained, "sex has been an important part of me for several years. But it just hasn't blossomed publicly until now. I've had to go through some changes and shed some old attitudes before feeling completely comfortable with my body. Listening to my new record, people intuitively understand the change in me".

"That's the Way Love Goes", the album's lead single entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number fourteen and peaked at number one. The single was certified gold by the RIAA on November 12, 1993. Virgin Records intended for "If" to be the lead single for the album, but Jackson, Jam and Lewis disagreed. "If" was released as the album's second single and peaked at number four on the Hot 100, receiving gold certification on September 28, 1993. To promote the album, Jackson performed a medley of the first two singles at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards. "Again", peaked at number one on the Hot 100 on December 11, 1993, and topped the chart for two weeks. The single earned a nomination at the 66th Academy Awards for Best Original Song, and she also performed the track at the ceremony. "Because of Love" reached number ten, but was not certified by the RIAA. "You Want This", the album's final commercial single for the United States, peaked at number eight on the Hot 100 and was awarded gold certification on December 6, 1994. The album's hidden track "Whoops Now" was released as a single in selected territories in 1995. The album's massive popularity at the time of its release made it one of the first instances in which an album's songs would chart prior to them being released as proper singles. "Throb", which would eventually be released as a B side to "Any Time, Any Place" in June 1994, charted an entire year before due to unsolicited radio airplay, reaching number 66 on the Radio Songs Chart. Similarly, the album cut "Where Are You Now" reached number 30 on the same chart, being present on the chart for 37 weeks. Bonus track "One More Chance" peaked at #42 on Billboard's Rhythmic Airplay chart based on unsolicited airplay toward the end of the album's rollout. Jackson's music video for "If" was staged as a futuristic Asian nightclub, with spy cameras monitoring the intimate interactions of patrons within their private boudoirs. The video is an elaborate metaphor for the single's message of sexual fantasy, desire and voyeurism.

Jackson embarked on her second world tour in support of her debut album with the Virgin Records label. Costumes and wardrobe for the tour were designed by stylist Tanya Gill, with outfits "rang[ing] from pipebone vests with high heeled moccasin boots to zoot suits top hats to circus ringmaster bustiers." With a show encompassing over 100 costumes, a team of over 50 costume makers was led by wardrobe supervisor, Helen Hiatt. Jackson held a four show engagement at Madison Square Garden which began on December 17, 1993, with the final performance held on New Year's Eve. Michael Snyder of the San Francisco Chronicle described Jackson's stage performance at the San Jose Arena in February 1994, as what erased the line between "stadium size pop music concerts and full scale theatrical extravaganzas". Blockquote|The one hour and 45 minute performance was so tightly choreographed—down to two built in pauses for "tears" at overwhelming waves of crowd adoration and a contrived bit of seductive repartee with a handsome, buffed hunk plucked from the front row for the ode to lust, "Any Time, Any Place"—that it breezed by like a glitzy Vegas revue or a television variety show. However, the St. Louis Post Dispatchs Steve Pick observed Jackson's stage show at the Riverport Amphitheatre on July 12, 1994, made the Janet album's numerous hit singles more effective with her "larger than life stage persona".

Later reviews were generally positive. In a retrospective review, Christgau gave Janet an "A−" and said that although the costly production by Jam and Lewis makes the music sound "more pornographic than obscene", "this achievement is Janet's, period Better nose than Michael, better navel than Madonna, better sex than either." Laura Sinagra wrote in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) that with janet, Jackson "took more risks" lyrically than on her previous albums. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine notes that the album "was at the forefront of the increasingly popular sampling trend in the '90s, with one song even employing three different samples as its foundation. Some make perfect sense on a thematic as well as sonic level, like Kool & the Gang's 'Kool It (Here Comes the Fuzz)' and Stevie Wonder's 'Superwoman, Where Were You When I Needed You' on 'New Agenda', or the orchestral flourish from Diana Ross & the Supremes' 'Someday We'll Be Together' on 'If', which seems to exist for the sole purpose of providing the impetus behind one of the greatest dance break routines in music video history." Commenting on the album's broad range, he states: "The mother of eclectic, genre hopping records by Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, and Fergie, janet. incorporates new jack swing, house, pop, rock, hip hop, jazz, and even opera, but the album's range of styles isn't jarring in the least  Janet has never been one thing and janet. is a feminist statement, to be sure."

Janet debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums charts. It was the first time a female artist debuted at number one since the start of the SoundScan era; with the largest first week sales in history for a female artist at the time with 350,000 units sold in its first week. The album also earned worldwide success, debuting at number one in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia. It also debuted in the top 10 in Sweden, the Netherlands, Canada (with 65,000 copies sold at the first week) and Switzerland. In Germany the album peaked at number five and charted for 49 total weeks, becoming Jackson's longest charting album. Janet was first certified gold by the RIAA on August 8, 1993, denoting 500,000 units shipped within the United States. The same day, the album's certification was raised to 3× platinum, denoting 3,000,000 units shipped. Within seven months of release the album had sold over ten million copies worldwide. Other certifications include a Double Gold certification in France, a Platinum in New Zealand and a Gold certification in Norway. and also sold an additional 860,000 copies through BMG Music Club. With estimated worldwide sales of over 14 million copies, it is Jackson's best selling album.