US release date: February 4th 1986
US album chart peak: #1
UK album chart peak: #8
Buy Control here (Amazon UK)
Buy Control - The Remixes here (Amazon UK)
Read all my Janet Jackson album anniversary posts here
I must admit I was a late comer to the world of Janet Jackson. 1986 passed me by in a whirl of Whitney, Madonna, Bananarama and Pet Shop Boys. It was only when a relative bought me the remix version of her seminal Control album that I sat up and paid attention. Suddenly I was thrust into a world of intoxicating beats, empowering anthems and irrepressible refrains. The album may have only ("") been nine tracks long, but I was smitten by every single second of it. I scoured through old issues of Smash Hits to find out any and all information I could, perusing the racks at my local record emporium to see whether 7" and 12" single releases had any other mixes or songs on them that weren't available on the album/remix album. And although it wouldn't be for several years until the songs on Control became the soundtrack to my own personal conflicts in life, the messages were certainly seeping into my subconscious every time I tried to perfect the accompanying dance routines that went with each spin of the album. Thirty years later, the album still stands as an important musical representation for anyone who has felt the burning desire to forge their own path in life, free from the weighty expectations of others. Ms Jackson's collaboration with Jam & Lewis provided a groundbreaking sound that would redefine pop and shape the musical landscape for years to come.
It all started in January 1986 when the single, What Have You Done For Me Lately, was released. For many people (following on from two not particularly commercially successful pop albums), it felt like Janet's debut single - and in a way it really was. Written to describe her feelings about her recent divorce, she blasted away any preconceived notions about her music and delivered an indelible uptempo groove that sounds just as exhilarating thirty years on. The message is a timeless one - life is not just about what you say; it is also about what you do. Amidst the mesmerising beats, Janet delivered a vocal that bought a real assertive authority to the track - I just remember thinking that it made you sit up and pay attention. It was her first worldwide success - peaking at number four in the US and etching one position higher in the UK. The theme of 'don't mess with me' continued on the album's second single, Nasty. The hard-funk grooves were preceded by the iconic opening line "give me a beat" - and the thumping bass didn't let up until the track fades out. I do recall my mum being particularly enamoured with this song and using it as a tool to teach us about the respect that women deserve. It is a narrative that is still (sadly) required today - and the song experienced somewhat of a renaissance when Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton a "nasty woman" during one of the presidential debates in 2016. When I was looking through record racks for this single, I was quite happy to find that it was remixed for the single version. It is what helped the single become another top five hit in the US while racking up a second top twenty hit in the UK.
Her first of many US number ones came with third single, When I Think Of You. This gloriously, euphoric gem stands shoulder to shoulder with luminary feel-good greats like Madonna's True Blue and Whitney's I Wanna Dance. After two empowerment anthems, Janet revealed her romantic side with this evocative composition. It was fun and fresh and I was instantly smitten by it - I do actually recall hearing the song before I got the album, but not being aware of who it was (foolish me - though I was 12). Who can't relate to the giddiness that being in love brings out in you? It also rocketed her back into the UK top ten - and 10 years after its original release was remixed again for the clubs to coincide with her greatest hits album. The ten minute plus Morales Jazzy Mix is well worth seeking out. An edited version of the album's title track, Control, became single four. I belated mourned its lack of success in the UK (it stalled outside the top forty, though was her fourth consecutive top five US hit). I actually think it is a really important independence song that encapsulates all the themes of the parent album in four minutes of delirious r'n'b-pop magic. Play it next to songs like Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves, Can't Hold Me Down and Miss Independent and you see the influence it had. As glorious as the song is the nine minute autobiographical video and seven minute extended version on the 12". Oh and I have no shame in remembering squealing with glee when the spoken intro was worked into Kylie's Too Much of a Good Thing in 1991...
A change of pace heralded the lovely, languid single five. Let's Wait A While is often categorised as a song promoting abstinence (a message hammered home to me during my religious upbringing); for me, it was always a reminder to be sure of what you want to do and not to be pressured into anything. There is a fragility and tenderness to Janet's vocals that perfectly represents the hesitance and tremulous nature of the theme she is lyrically exploring. The music is just exquisite with a melody that endures in your mind long after the song is finished. It clearly struck a chord because did the phenomenal job of becoming a fifth top five US hit and reviving the album's success in the UK by equalling the peak of What Have You Done For Me Lately. My second favourite JJ ballad of all time (Again just inches ahead). The album wasn't done there, however. Two more singles were to follow - although there was brief interlude (and another US top five hit) when she guested on the Jam & Lewis penned, Herb Alpert single Diamonds. Set to the type of instrumental that defined Janet's Control album, Herb enlivened the song with his sumptuous horn riffs while Janet took lead vocal (alongside Lisa Keith). The collision of sixties style jazz with a contemporary production was (and is) irresistible. Janet and Lisa deliver the sass with the lyrics - so it is easy to see why it feels indelibly part of the Control singles campaign.
It was back to the album for The Pleasure Principle. It was in stark contrast to Let's Wait A While yet previewed the more sexually liberated Janet who would be more prevalent on subsequent albums. It was a musically bold single where synths bump like busted shock absorbers and the electric guitar screeches like rubber on pavement. It is the the only song on Control not to be written or produced by Jam and Lewis. Instead, it was penned by American producer Monte Moir, The Time's keyboardist, yet slots seamlessly next to their creations. It may not have reached the heights of her previous US singles but it was a massive dance smash thanks to some sizzling Shep Pettibone remixes that remain essential to this very day. The album's single campaign concluded with the final track of the opus, Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun). By the time it was released in the UK (no official US release), the album was nearly two years old and Control: The Remixes was enjoying success. This quiet storm ballad felt a bit out of place alongside that collection of dance mixes but shouldn't be overlooked because of that - it is a soothing ballad that demonstrates one final time on the album that Janet knows how to command a melody and imbue a song with the nuanced emotion it deserves.
It seems a shame that this evolutionary and revolutionary album has never had a special edition. You can certainly create one yourself through purchasing the two versions of the album linked at the top of this post. My proposal would be:
Control (Disc One): Control / Nasty / What Have You Done For Me Lately / You Can Be Mine / Diamonds / The Pleasure Principle / When I Think Of You / He Doesn't Know I'm Alive / Let's Wait A While / Funny How Time Flies / What Have You Done For Me Lately (single version) / Nasty (Edit of Remix) / When I Think Of You (video mix) / Control (edit) / Let's Wait A While (Remix) / Diamonds (Cool Summer 7" edit) / The Pleasure Principle (Shep Pettibone Single Mix)
Control (Disc Two): What Have You Done For Me Lately (Extended Mix) / Nasty (Extended Mix) / When I Think Of You (Dance Mix) / Control (Extended Version) / The Pleasure Principle (Long Vocal Remix) / Nasty (Cool Summer Mix Part 1) / Nasty (Cool Summer Mix Part 2) / The Pleasure Principle (Legendary Club Mix) / Diamonds (Dance Mix)
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