"The Pleasure Principle" is the sixth single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 from Janet Jackson

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...

's third studio album, Control

Control (Janet Jackson album)

Control is the third studio album by American recording artist Janet Jackson, released on February 6, 1986 by A&M Records. Her collaborations with songwriters and record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis resulted in an unconventional sound: a fusion of rhythm and blues, funk, disco, rap vocals,...

 (1986). The photo for the single cover was shot by famed fashion photographer David LaChapelle.

Song information

Written and produced by Monte Moir

Monte Moir

Monte Moir is the original and current keyboardist for The Time, as well as songwriter and producer for Janet Jackson, Alexander O'Neal, Gladys Knight, the Deja duo and Lolly Pop. He is also credited for working with Prince, Vanity 6, Deniece Williams, Thelma Houston and various other artists...

, the song is an "independent woman" anthem about love gone wrong built around a dance

Dance music

Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...

 beat. It was nominated for Best Single, Female at the 1988 Soul Train Music Awards

Soul Train Music Awards of 1988

The 2nd Annual Soul Train Music Awards were held on March 30, 1988 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA. The show was broadcast live in select cities and aired later in other areas...

.

Jackson has performed the song on the Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour

Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour

The Rhythm Nation World Tour is the debut concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson. It was launched in support of her fourth studio album Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 , and also contained material from her third studio album Control...

, The Velvet Rope Tour

The Velvet Rope Tour

The Velvet Rope World Tour is the third concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson. Launched in support of her sixth studio album The Velvet Rope , the tour embarked on an international trek that included Europe, North America, Africa, Asia, New Zealand and Australia.Due to the fact...

, and Rock Witchu Tour

Rock Witchu Tour

The Rock Witchu Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer-songwriter, Janet Jackson, in support of her tenth studio album Discipline. This was Jackson's first tour in nearly seven years. The tour visited North America...

. It was also included in her current tour, Number Ones: Up Close and Personal

Number Ones: Up Close and Personal

Number Ones: Up Close and Personal is the sixth concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson. Described as her "largest world tour", the show is in support of her second compilation album, Number Ones...

. It was not included on the janet. Tour

Janet. Tour

The Janet. World Tour is the second concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson. It was launched in support of her fifth studio album Janet . It began in November, 1993 and continued through April, 1995...

 and the All for You Tour

All for You Tour

The All for You Tour was a worldwide concert tour in 2001 by American pop/R&B singer Janet Jackson in support of her multi-platinum album All for You...

.

Chart performance

Released in mid-1987, "The Pleasure Principle" peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 that summer, becoming the only song released from Control to miss the top five of the chart. It nevertheless became her fifth chart-topper 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,...

 and her third on the Hot Dance Club Play. It was ranked number 34 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs year-end chart of 1987. Outside the U.S. the single would be able to make it into the top 40 in most markets, but failed to match the international success of Controls previous singles.

Music video

For the Dominic Sena

Dominic Sena

-Life and career:Sena was born in Niles, Ohio. He is of Italian-American heritage. His family hails from the town of Bagnoli Irpino, Avellino, Italy. As one of the founders of Propaganda Films, Sena worked primarily in music videos early in his career. Sena directed several of Janet Jackson's...

-directed music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

, the Shep Pettibone

Shep Pettibone

Robert E. Pettibone, Jr. is a record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. His earliest work known to the public was for one of New York City's top disco/dance radio stations, WRKS 98.7 "Kiss" FM, and later as remixer/producer for the disco label Salsoul...

 Mix was used. At the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards

1988 MTV Video Music Awards

The 1988 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 7, 1988, honoring the best music videos from May 2, 1987, to April 1, 1988. The show was hosted by Arsenio Hall at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles....

 the video won for Best Choreography

MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography

The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Choreography in a Video....

 and was nominated for Best Female Video

MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video

The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the Year, and it awarded the artist's whole body of work...

.

In the video, Jackson enters a loft to practice her dancing. She gives a solo dance performance while singing about the pleasure principle

Pleasure principle (psychology)

In Freudian psychology, the pleasure principle is the psychoanalytic concept describing people seeking pleasure and avoiding suffering in order to satisfy their biological and psychological needs...

. Elements of the choreography incorporate a chair and a microphone stand.

During MTV

MTV

MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

's first-ever mtvICON

MTV Icon

MTV Icon was a series of annual television specials produced by MTV between 2001 and 2004, each paying homage to a musical artist or band selected as a cultural icon, in a format similar to the network's annual Video Music Awards and Movie Awards events...

 in 2001, Jackson was paid tribute by singers Pink

Pink (singer)

Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....

, Usher

Usher (entertainer)

Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...

, and Mýa

Mya

-A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code...

. Mýa paid tribute by re-enacting Jackson's choreography from the video, most noticeably the mirror scene. On April 27, 2007, the video was made available on the iTunes Store

ITunes Store

The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...

.

Track listings

U.S. 7" single

A. "The Pleasure Principle" – 4:58

B. "Fast Girls

Fast Girls

"Fast Girls" is a song by Janet Jackson and is the third and final single released from Dream Street. It peaked at #40 on the R&B charts. The song was written and produced by fellow A&M artist Jesse Johnson.The single had two different B-Side's...

" – 3:20

U.S. and European 12" single
Australian limited edition 12" single

A1. "The Pleasure Principle" (Long Vocal) – 7:23

A2. "The Pleasure Principle" (A Cappella) – 4:23

B1. "The Pleasure Principle" (12" Dub) – 6:58

B2. "The Pleasure Principle" (7" Vocal) – 4:19

UK and European 7" single

A. "The Pleasure Principle" (The Shep Pettibone Mix) – 4:19

B. "The Pleasure Principle" (Dub Edit - The Shep Pettibone Mix) – 5:10

UK 12" single

A1. "The Pleasure Principle" (Long Vocal Remix) – 7:28

B1. "The Pleasure Principle" (Dub Edit) – 6:58

B2. "The Pleasure Principle" (A Cappella) – 4:19

UK CD single and 12" single – "The Pleasure Principle"/"Alright" – Danny Tenaglia/Todd Terry Mixes

1. "The Pleasure Principle" (Legendary Club Mix) – 8:16
2. "The Pleasure Principle" (NuFlava Vocal Dub) – 7:21
3. "The Pleasure Principle" (Banji Dub) – 7:10
4. "The Pleasure Principle" (D.T.'s Twilo Dub) – 9:04
5. "Alright
   Alright (Janet Jackson song)
   "Alright" is the fourth single from American R&B and pop singer Janet Jackson's fourth studio album, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 .-Song information:...
   
   " (Tee's Club Mix) – 6:22
6. "Alright" (Tee's Beats) – 3:25

Official versions/remixes

1986/1987

• Album Version – 4:57
• A Cappella – 4:23
• 7" Vocal/The Shep Pettibone Mix – 4:19
• Long Vocal/Long Vocal Remix – 7:23 (appears on the UK edition of Control: The Remixes
  Control: The Remixes
  - Personnel :* Melanie Andrews – Vocal Arrangement* Tuta Aquino – Editing* Mark Collen – Compilation* Steve Hodge – Mixing, Mixing Engineer* Janet Jackson – Producer, Vocal Arrangement, Rhythm Arrangements...
  
  )
• Dub Edit – 5:19
• 12" Dub/Dub Edit – 6:58

1996

• Design of a Decade Edit – 4:13
• D.T.'s Twilo Dub – 9:04
• NuFlava Vocal Dub – 7:21
• Legendary Club Mix – 8:16
• Legendary Radio Mix – 4:17
• Banji Dub – 7:10

Charts

Chart (1987)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...	50
Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995...  (Flanders)	17
Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...	15
Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...	23
New Zealand Singles 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...	37
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	24
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	14
U.S. Billboard 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,...	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	1

Chart procession and succession