Janet Jackson (album)
Encyclopedia
Janet Jackson is the self-titled debut album by American recording artist Janet Jackson
, released on September 21, 1982 by A&M Records
. Jackson's career as a recording artist was established by her father and manager Joseph Jackson, who arranged her recording contract with A&M Records.
The album's musical content contains bubblegum pop
mixed with elements of disco
and funk. Songwriters Angela Winbush
and René Moore
contributed to much of the album's lyrics. Moore and Winbush share production credits with and Foster Sylvers
, Jerry Weaver, and Bobby Watson. Janet Jackson debuted at number six on the Billboard
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
and its single "Young Love" peaked at number six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart.
and Charlene on Diff'rent Strokes
. Janet didn't want any of her family members to participate in the making of the album. She wanted it to be her own project, judged by its own merits. She sang part of the song "The Magic is Working" on the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes to promote it. The cover photo of Janet was taken in the swimming pool of the Jackson family's home.
with Allmusic gave it two out of five stars, saying "On her eponymous debut album, Janet Jackson demonstrates no distinctive musical personality of her own. If her producers had concocted a sharper set of songs and more interesting beats, Janet Jackson might have been a pleasant set of sunny dance-pop, but as it stands, only "Young Love
" stands out among the undistinguished, sub-disco thumpers and drippy ballads."
The Baltimore Afro-American
gave it a favorable review, saying "The eight songs simply feature the poised voice of a dynamic individual."
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
, released on September 21, 1982 by A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
. Jackson's career as a recording artist was established by her father and manager Joseph Jackson, who arranged her recording contract with A&M Records.
The album's musical content contains bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
mixed with elements of disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
and funk. Songwriters Angela Winbush
Angela Winbush
Angela Winbush is an American R&B/soul singer-songwriter who rose to fame first in the 1980s R&B duo René & Angela, also scoring hits as a solo artist.-Early life and career:...
and René Moore
Rene Moore
René Moore is an American singer-songwriter and producer, and is more memorable musically for hits he produced with his soul co-singer Angela Winbush as part of René & Angela, including "I'll Be Good," "Save Your Love ," "Your Smile," and "You Don't Have to Cry."-Biography:Moore and singer Angela...
contributed to much of the album's lyrics. Moore and Winbush share production credits with and Foster Sylvers
Foster Sylvers
Foster Emerson Sylvers is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist...
, Jerry Weaver, and Bobby Watson. Janet Jackson debuted at number six on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
and its single "Young Love" peaked at number six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart.
Background
Prior to her recording contract with A&M Records, Janet Jackson was best known as a television actress; most notable for her role as Penny on the series Good TimesGood Times
Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
and Charlene on Diff'rent Strokes
Diff'rent Strokes
Diff'rent Strokes is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from November 3, 1978 to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985 to March 7, 1986...
. Janet didn't want any of her family members to participate in the making of the album. She wanted it to be her own project, judged by its own merits. She sang part of the song "The Magic is Working" on the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes to promote it. The cover photo of Janet was taken in the swimming pool of the Jackson family's home.
Reception
Stephen Thomas ErlewineStephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
with Allmusic gave it two out of five stars, saying "On her eponymous debut album, Janet Jackson demonstrates no distinctive musical personality of her own. If her producers had concocted a sharper set of songs and more interesting beats, Janet Jackson might have been a pleasant set of sunny dance-pop, but as it stands, only "Young Love
Young Love (Janet Jackson song)
"Young Love" was the first single from Janet Jackson's self-titled debut album. The song peaked at #64 on the Pop Charts and #6 on the R&B Charts, becoming her first top ten R&B single...
" stands out among the undistinguished, sub-disco thumpers and drippy ballads."
The Baltimore Afro-American
Baltimore Afro-American
The Baltimore Afro-American, commonly known as The Afro, is a weekly newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It is the flagship newspaper of the Afro-American chain and the longest-running African-American family-owned newspaper in the United States.-History:The newspaper was founded in...
gave it a favorable review, saying "The eight songs simply feature the poised voice of a dynamic individual."
Track listing
Charts
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
44 |
| South African Albums Chart Recording Industry of South Africa The Recording Industry of South Africa is a trade association that represents the collective interests of producers of music sound recordings, major and independent record labels in South Africa. Formerly known as the Association of the South African Music Industry it was established in the 1970s... |
98 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
63 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
6 |
Personnel
- Chuck Beeson – art direction
- Bob Brown – engineer
- Paulinho Da CostaPaulinho Da CostaPaulinho da Costa is a Brazilian percussionist born in Rio de Janeiro, considered one of the most recorded musicians of modern times. Playing over two hundred percussion instruments, he has participated in thousands of recording sessions, Grammy Award-winning albums, hit songs, soundtracks, radio...
– percussion - Gene Dozier – horn arrangements, string arrangements
- Kirk Ferraioli – assistant engineer
- André Fischer – drums
- Stuart Furusho – engineer, mixing assistant
- Joey Gallo – synthesizer
- Humberto GaticaHumberto GaticaHumberto Gatica is a Chilean-born American record producer, music mixer, audio engineer anda long-time collaborator with producer David Foster....
– mixing - Marlo Henderson – guitar
- Howard HewettHoward HewettHoward Hewett is an American R&B and gospel singer and former lead vocalist of the R&B group Shalamar.Raised in Akron, Ohio, Hewett moved to Los Angeles. He would eventually meet Soul Train dancer and future first wife Rainey Riley-Cunningham, then a secretary of the show's creator and original...
– background vocals - Jerry HeyJerry HeyJerry Hey is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Thriller and the distinctive flugelhorn solo on Dan Fogelberg's hit Longer....
– horn arrangements - Phillip Ingram – string machine
- Janet Jackson – vocals, background vocals
- Fred Jenkins – acoustic guitar
- Jerry Knight – background, vocals
- Harry Langdon – photography
- Nyya Lark – assistant engineer
- Jeff LorberJeff LorberJeff Lorber is an American Grammy Award-nominated keyboardist, composer, and record producer.After leading his own group, The Jeff Lorber Fusion, he went on to pioneer the smooth jazz genre....
– synthesizer - Tony Maiden – guitar
- Peggy McCreary – mixing assistant
- Michael McGloiry – guitar
- Dana Meyers – background, vocals, vocal arrangement
- Greg Moore – guitar
- René MooreRene MooreRené Moore is an American singer-songwriter and producer, and is more memorable musically for hits he produced with his soul co-singer Angela Winbush as part of René & Angela, including "I'll Be Good," "Save Your Love ," "Your Smile," and "You Don't Have to Cry."-Biography:Moore and singer Angela...
– keyboards, background vocals, handclapping, producer, rhythm arrangements, Moog bass - Taavi Mote – engineer
- Wardell Potts, Jr. – rhythm arrangements
- Ambrose Price – handclapping
- Lynn Robb – design
- Barry Sarna – synthesizer
- John Stronach – engineer
- Edmund SylversEdmund SylversEdmund Theodore Sylvers was the lead singer of the 1970s family disco/soul music group The Sylvers. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Sylvers was 15 years old when he started singing with the family-based musical group, and was 18 when he sang lead on the group's biggest hit, "Boogie Fever" .Sylvers...
– percussion - Foster SylversFoster SylversFoster Emerson Sylvers is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist...
– synthesizer, bass, drums, producer, rhythm arrangements - Leon F. Sylvers IIILeon Sylvers IIILeon Frank Sylvers III is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the family group The Sylvers and became one of the most successful producers in black music in the late 1970s to the mid 1980s through his association with Dick Griffey's SOLAR...
– rhythm arrangements - Patricia Sylvers – synthesizer, background vocals
- Steve Thume – engineer
- Wally Traugott – mastering
- John VanNest – engineer, mixing assistant
- Trevor VeitchTrevor VeitchTrevor Veitch is a Canadian musician/record producer who has worked behind the scenes on many pop trends from the 1960s to the present. He is mostly known for his involvement in the popular 60s folk rock group, 3's a Crowd...
– contractor - Gerald Vinci – concert master
- Jerry Weaver – producer, rhythm arrangements
- Melvin Webb – percussion
- Mike West – guitar
- Angela WinbushAngela WinbushAngela Winbush is an American R&B/soul singer-songwriter who rose to fame first in the 1980s R&B duo René & Angela, also scoring hits as a solo artist.-Early life and career:...
– keyboards, background vocals, producer, rhythm arrangements - Benjamin Wright – string arrangements
External links
- Janet Jackson Lyrics at MetroLyricsMetroLyricsMetroLyrics is a lyrics-dedicated website, founded in 2002. It is the highest trafficked lyrics website in the world, with 48 million+ unique users per month and 125+ million page views per month, and is the 3rd largest music site in the US and Globally...
- Janet Jackson Image Page at janetjackson.com