Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (commonly referred to as Rhythm Nation 1814) is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Janet Jackson. Released on September 7, 1989 by A&M Records, Rhythm Nation 1814 is the second album of Jackson co-written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Jackson also shares production credits with long-term collaborator Jellybean Johnson and executive producer John McClain. Departing from themes of independence present in Jackson's 1986 breakthrough album Control, Rhythm Nation 1814 is a concept album based on social injustice. Though A&M executives wanted an album similar to Control, Jackson insisted on addressing social issues. Jackson and her producers routinely watched television news reports—predominately from CNN—as a source of inspiration for the album's lyrics. Though Jackson understood she could not change social norms with a single album, she intended to create a socially conscious message strong enough for listeners to take notice of. Capitalizing off the rise of new jack swing, the album incorporates R&B, soul, funk and jazz, as well as use of sample loop and triple swing. Rhythm Nation 1814 became Jackson's second consecutive album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 and emerged as the best-selling album of 1990 in the United States. Its seven commercial singles, "Miss You Much", "Rhythm Nation", "Escapade", "Alright", "Come Back to Me", "Black Cat", and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" all peaked within the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Rhythm Nation 1814 subsequently became the only album in history to contain seven top five hit singles and the only album to ever achieve number one hit singles in three separate calendar years (1989-1991). The Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour became the most successful debut tour by a recording artist. Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 has been certified 6x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and has sold eight million records worldwide.
[edit] ConceptionFollowing the commercial and critical success of her 1986 number one hit album Control, Jackson was motivated to continue songwriting and took a larger role in the creative production of her new album.[1] Originally, executives at A&M wanted Jackson to expand on the ideas presented on Control—such as independence and sexual abstinence—but she was not willing to compromise her artistic integrity and substituted her concept for theirs.[2][3] Protest songs were commonplace among rap artists in the late 1980s, but the concept was rare with in other genres.[4] Following in the footsteps of rap music, Jackson aspired to create a concept album addressing politics and social ills - racism, crime, poverty, substance abuse, homelessness, illiteracy - in addition to topics of love and relationships.
The album's title was a composite of Jackson's pledge, "We are a nation with no geographic boundaries, bound together through our beliefs. We are like-minded individuals, sharing a common vision, pushing toward a world rid of color-lines"[6] and its supporting creed, "Music, Poetry, Dance, Unity".[6] 1814 referred to the year "The Star Spangled Banner" was written;[7] in addition, 'R' is the 18th letter of the alphabet and 'N' the 14th, hence Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814.[8] [edit] Music[edit] ProductionThe album was produced by James "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Lewis, with co-production credit given to Jackson.[9] A&M executive John McCain served as the album's executive producer.[9] Complete lyrics were included in the album. All of the tracks were recorded and mixed at Flyte Tyme productions studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis also penned or co-wrote the songs with Janet Jackson, as well as arranging and programming the music, and playing much of the instrumental tracks.[9] The background vocals for "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" and "Miss You Much", both penned by Jam and Lewis, were recorded prior to Jackson recording the lead vocals.[10] The song "Black Cat" was written solely by Jackson and was produced by Jellybean Johnson; it was the final song to be recorded on the album.[2] Total production time for the album was seven months.[5] On the album's interior, Jackson dedicated the album to her mother, Katherine Jackson. [edit] ContentAudio samples:
Rhythm Nation 1814 (as well as its predecessor Control) was one of the primary albums that used the full spectrum of R&B musical techniques known as new jack swing, which emerged during the mid-1980s. The use of sample loop, triple swing, rap vocals and blues notes are present in the album's title-track "Rhythm Nation".[11] "Rhythm Nation" samples a single measure of "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" performed by Sly & the Family Stone, which became the basic background loop for the song.[11] Vocals for the single are alternatively sung in octaves or rapped in spoken verse; a trend which became commonplace in R&B music by the mid-1990s. The song presented the overall theme of the album's message, with Jackson urging "a generation full of courage" to "break the color lines."[12] Jam, Lewis and Jackson used new media as a source of inspiration for the social and political content of the album's lyrics.
The album's soulful dance-pop songs included "Escapade" and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)", while the Prince-inspired "Miss You Much" and "Alright" mixed R&B with funk;[14] the latter sampling Lyn Collins' "Think (About It)" (1972). "Escapade" was inspired by the Martha & the Vandellas 1965 single "Nowhere to Run", which Jackson originally intended to remake, but instead choose to record a new song with a similar feel after a suggestion from producer Jimmy Jam.[15] "Black Cat" departed from Jackson's typical musical style, being the sole rock production of the album.[16] Jackson was inspired to write a song about a young man who was suffering from substance abuse and asked Jimmy Jam for his assistance in writing the chorus and verse.[16] Once the initial track was established, Jam suggested Jackson speak to Jellybean Johnson to produce the song as he was a "closet rock-and-roller."[16] Johnson later confirmed his love of heavy metal guitar and agreed to produce the song.[16] Johnson asked David Barry, who had worked on Jackson's previous album Control, to play guitar for "Black Cat".[16] To give the song a heavy metal feel, it was recorded using a mixture of rockman and Marshall amplifier.[16] [edit] Release and promotionThe album was released by A&M Records on LP, chrome cassette, and compact disc, demonstrating the label's expectation of broad appeal.[17] A companion video compilation, the Rhythm Nation 1814 Film, was also issued on both VHS and Laserdisc.[18] [edit] SinglesThe album's lead single "Miss You Much" became the first of four to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The single hit number one on October 21, 1989, and topped the chart for thirteen weeks, selling over one million copies.[19] The RIAA originally certified the single gold and then platinum on November 3, 1989.[20] The album's second single and title-track "Rhythm Nation" peaked at number two on the Hot 100, kept from the number one position by Phil Collins "Another Day in Paradise".[21] The single was certified gold by the RIAA on January 16, 1990.[22] "Escapade" became the second single to top the Hot 100 at number one and was certified gold on May 11, 1990.[23] "Alright" peaked at number four and certified gold on June 5, 1990, while "Come Back to Me" hit number two.[24] "Black Cat" reached number one on October 27, 1990, six weeks after its debut on September 15, 1990, and was certified gold on November 13, 1990.[16][25] "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" became the seventh and final single to be released off the album on November 6, 1990; it rose to number one on January 19, 1991, topping the chart for one week.[10] The single was certified gold on February 12, 1991.[26] "State of the World" was released on radio airplay but not as a commercial single, as A&M executives felt the album would garner high sales if there was a song receiving airplay that was not commercially available.[10] [edit] VideographyTogether with director Dominic Sena, producer René Elizondo, Jr. and a team of dancers and choreographers, Jackson produced the Rhythm Nation 1814 Film, featuring four songs from the album.[13] According to Sena, the film short was originally referred to as the "1814 project" so that the general public would not know Jackson was in the middle of production while filming on location in Los Angeles.[13] Shot predominately in black and white, the Rhythm Nation 1814 Film tells the story of two young aspiring musicians (one black, one white) who are friends with Jackson. One of the young men becomes a victim of substance abuse and is eventually killed by a drug dealer, leaving his friend to seek comfort from Jackson.[13] The film short has a duration of 30 minutes and includes an extra 30 minute feature documentary of the making of the film.[18] Yvonne Tasker, author of Working Girls: Gender and Sexuality in Popular Cinema (1998) observed the video, shot in a "bleak industrial setting" had Jackson and her dancers dressed in military outfits to represent a sense of "community" and "unity".[27] Gender and Qualitative Methods: Gender and Qualitative Methods (2003) documented "the choreography suggests self-control and military discipline...Jackson is also dressed in a uniform and is performing asexually and almost anonymously in front of, but as one of the members of the group".[28] Rhythm Nation won the 1989 Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video.[2] The music video for "Alright", directed by Julian Temple, embodies classic Hollywood musicals, as Jackson portrays a 1950s woman dressed in drag.[27] An homage to Michael Kidd's opening sequence in the 1950 Broadway production of Guys and Dolls, Jackson requested Kidd co-create the music video.[29] Jackson and many of her male cast members appear dressed in Guys and Dolls-style pen-striped zoot suits.[27] [edit] Rhythm Nation 1814 TourThe "Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour" was Jackson's first world concert tour in support of a studio album. Described as "an elaborately choreographed spectacle" by Entertainment Weekly, the tour aimed to re-create the award–winning, visually innovative music videos of Rhythm Nation 1814's numerous hit singles and those of its predecessor, Control.[30] The debut concert in Miami, Florida on March 1, 1990 sold out prior to the performance.[30] Time magazine stated Jackson's stage show integrated "sleek high tech and smooth dance rhythm into an evening of snazzy soul with a social conscience".[3] The first international concert, which took place in Tokyo, Japan, sold out the Tokyo Dome within seven minutes; a record for the fastest sellout in the history of the Dome.[31] The "Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour", with an attendance of over two million patrons, remains the most successful debut tour by any recording artist.[32] [edit] Reception[edit] CriticalAt the time of release, Rhythm Nation 1814 received predominately positive reviews for its musical content, with a mixed reaction on Jackson's choice to dedicate the album to social and political issues.[1] People Weekly's David Hiltbrand commented that "Jackson's heart may be in the right place -- she's against all the bad, hurtful stuff in a vague, Tinker Bell sort of way," but asserted her music had not improved from her previous hit album Control.[33] Vince Aletti of Rolling Stone magazine likened Jackson to a politician, "abandoning the narrow I for the universal we and inviting us to do the same".[12] Aletti complimented Jackson's political resolve and musical accompaniment as she "[balances] despair with optimism, anger with hope, in the currently fashionable formula," without forgetting social progress is a result of hard work.[12] Contemporary reviewer Alex Henderson of Allmusic criticized Jackson's "wafer-thin" voice, but commented that her soul, spirit and enthusiasm make up for the limits of her vocal range on the numerous political and non-political "gems" throughout the album.[34] Henderson credited Rhythm Nation 1814 as "an even higher artistic plateau" than Control, and commented to anyone interested in purchasing an album by Jackson for the first time that "Rhythm Nation would be an even wiser investment than Control -- and that's saying a lot."[34] Sputnikmusic's Zachary Powell complimented the album as a work of quality, as its "top notch production from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and a musically diverse collection of songs flow[ed] with the natural talent Jackson possesses".[35] [edit] CommercialRhythm Nation 1814 debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[36] The album spent four weeks atop the Billboard 200.[5] On November 11, 1989, the Recording Industry Association of America certified Rhythm Nation 1814 gold, denoting 500,000 unit shipments.[22] This number quickly rose to a platinum certification, denoting 1,000,000 units and 2x platinum by the end of the year. On February 19, 1990, the RIAA certified Rhythm Nation 1814 3x platinum. This number rose again later that year as the album was certified 4x platinum on May 5, 1990 and 5x platinum on December 14, 1990.[22] On November 19, 1992, Rhythm Nation 1814 was certified 6x platinum.[22] Since its debut, the album has sold an estimated eight million records worldwide.[37] [edit] LegacyThe best-selling album of 1990, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 became the only album in history to generate seven top-five Billboard hits; "Miss You Much", "Rhythm Nation", "Escapade", "Alright", "Come Back to Me", "Black Cat", and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" all peaked within the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.[38][10] Rhythm Nation 1814 is the only album in history to have number one hits in three separate calendar years; "Miss You Much" in 1989, "Escapade" and "Black Cat" in 1990, and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" in 1991.[39] The album earned Jackson eight Billboard Music Awards, including Top Pop Album and No. 1 Hot 100 Singles Artist and the best-selling album of 1990.[40][41] The album's success placed Jackson on par with several other entertainers, including older brother Michael Jackson, and Madonna.[42]
The 1000th issue of Entertainment Weekly dated July 4, 2008 celebrates the new classics: the 1000 best movies, TV shows, albums, books, etc. from 1983 to 2008. In "The Classics: Music" category, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, is listed at number 54 on the Top 100 Best Albums of the past 25 years.[44] The album is also ranked number 275 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. [edit] Track listings
Note: Due to the fact that many pressings of CD's around the world doesn't support the editing of tracks with less than 4.00 seconds of duration, some editions of the album including a cut-down version of the 3-second interlude "Let's Dance" leaving the fourth second in silence before the next track begins. This creates a sensation of interruption due to the fact that "Let's Dance" and "Miss You Much" are mixed together, without an original pause. [edit] Personnel
[edit] Charts positions[edit] Album
[edit] Singles
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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