Control (Janet Jackson album)

Joseph Jackson, patriarch of the Jackson family of musicians, was known for managing the careers of all nine of his children – most notably, the successful career of The Jackson 5.{{cite book|last=Gaar|first=Gillian G.|title=She's a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock & Roll|publisher=Seal Press|year=2002|pages=323–324|isbn=1-58005-078-6}} After arranging a recording contract with A&M in 1982 for a then 15 year old Janet, he oversaw the entire production of her debut album, Janet Jackson,{{cite magazine|title=Pro Equipment & Services|magazine=Billboard|volume=94|issue=19|page=47|date=May 15, 1982}} and its follow up, Dream Street (1984); the latter of which was written and produced by her brothers Marlon and Michael, and Jesse Johnson.{{cite news|last=Bream|first=Jon|title=Janet Jackson still seeks an identity|newspaper=Star Tribune|page=03.C|date=February 7, 1986|issn=0744-5458}} Best known as a television actress, she was initially reluctant to begin a recording career. She said, "I was coming off of a TV show that I absolutely hated doing, Fame. I didn't want to do [the first record, Janet Jackson]. I wanted to go to college. But I did it for my father ..." and elaborated that she was often in conflict with her producers.{{cite news|last=Saunders|first=Michael|title=The 3 Divas Janet Jackson turns her focus inward|newspaper=Boston Globe|page=D13|date=October 3, 1996}} Amidst her professional struggles, she rebelled against her family's wishes by marrying James DeBarge of the family recording group DeBarge in 1984. The Jacksons disapproved of the relationship, citing DeBarge's immaturity and substance abuse. Jackson left her husband in January 1985 and was granted an annulment later that year.{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Jessie Carney|title=Notable Black American Women|volume=2|publisher=Gale|year=1996|page=[https://archive.org/details/notableblackamer00jess/page/324 324]|isbn=978-0-8103-9177-2|url=https://archive.org/details/notableblackamer00jess/page/324}}

Jackson subsequently fired her father as her manager and employed John McClain, then A&M Records' senior vice president of artists and repertoire and general manager.{{cite journal|last=Edmond Jr.|first=A.|title=John McClain creates solid gold money-makers|volume= 18|page=54|journal=Black Enterprise|year=1987|issn=0006-4165}} Commenting on the decision, she stated, "I just wanted to get out of the house, get out from under my father, which was one of the most difficult things that I had to do, telling him that I didn't want to work with him again." Joseph Jackson resented John McClain for what he saw as an underhanded attempt to steal his daughter's career out from under him, stating, "I've worked hard for my family. The problem comes, though, when others come in behind you and try to steal them away. The wheels have already been set for Janet Jackson. Anyone who jumps on now will be getting a free ride."{{cite news|last=Taraborrelli|first=Randy|title=Janet Jackson's in 'Control' with latest album|newspaper=Sun Sentinel|page=1.E|date=May 27, 1987|issn=0744-5458}} McClain responded by saying "I'm not trying to pimp Janet Jackson or steal her away from her father." He subsequently introduced her to the songwriting/production duo of James "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Lewis, former Prince associates and ex-members of The Time.{{cite web|last=Goldberg|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Goldberg (writer)|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/jam-and-lewis-take-control-19870423|title=Jam and Lewis Take Control|work=Rolling Stone|date=April 23, 1987|access-date=November 4, 2017|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107031326/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/jam-and-lewis-take-control-19870423|url-status=live}}

When Jam and Lewis agreed to produce Jackson's third studio album, they wanted to appeal primarily to the African American community, in addition to achieving crossover success on the pop music charts. Jam commented in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, "We wanted to do an album that would be in every black home in America ... we were going for the black album of all time." Before their association with Jackson, Jam and Lewis had originally planned to record an album with tracks they wrote for Sharon Bryant, but she found their lyrics and sound to be too "rambunctious".{{cite book|last=Marsh|first=Dave|title=The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made|publisher=Da Capo Press|year=1999|page=492|isbn=0-306-80901-X}} The duo presented the same set of recordings to Jackson, who gave her input and took co-writing and co-production credits for the album's content. Jam and Lewis recalled that to collaborate with Jackson on the material, they spent the first week simply getting to know their new client. Lewis explained, "We got into her head. We saw what she was capable of, what she wanted to say, where she wanted to be, what she wanted to be. We put together some songs to fit her as we saw her, as she revealed herself to us. It was as simple as that."

{{Listen

|filename = Janet Jackson - Nasty.ogg

|title="Nasty"

|description = Jackson's second single, "Nasty", is one of the primary examples of what inspired the new jack swing sound, mixing funk with contemporary R&B in addition to its triplet swing beat. The song's lyrics recount Jackson's encounter with sexual harassment.

}}

For the song "What Have You Done for Me Lately", which was originally penned for one of Jam and Lewis's own records, the lyrics were rewritten to convey Jackson's feelings about her recent annulment from James DeBarge.{{cite book|last1=Halstead|first1=Craig|author2=Craig Halstead|author3=Chris Cadman|title=Jacksons Number Ones|year=2003|publisher=Authors On Line|page=126|isbn=0-7552-0098-5}} The song was chosen as the lead single for Control, as Jam and Lewis felt it best represented Jackson's outlook on life. "Nasty", which in Jackson's opinion was the most innovative song on the album, was inspired by her experience with street harassment in Minneapolis by a group of men outside the hotel she resided at during the recording of Control. She recalled, "They were emotionally abusive. Sexually threatening. Instead of running to Jimmy or Terry for protection, I took a stand. I backed them down. That's how songs like 'Nasty' and 'What Have You Done for Me Lately' were born, out of a sense of self-defense."{{cite journal|last=Ritz|first=David|title=Sexual healing|issue=665|page=38|newspaper=Rolling Stone|date=September 16, 1993|issn=0035-791X}} Jimmy Jam wrote and played the keyboard arrangement, with Jackson playing the accompaniment. Background vocals were sung by Jackson, Jam and Lewis. The distinctive triplet swing beat of the song was developed by Jam on an Ensoniq Mirage keyboard. "Let's Wait Awhile" was centered on safe sex and abstinence, a subject of significant social commentary at the time. Jam commented that it is common practice for songwriters to use current events as a means of inspiration for lyrics and that the AIDS pandemic had raised awareness about sexually transmitted diseases. He commented, "The theme of the song ('Let's Wait Awhile') was Janet's idea. She's not a preachy person. She's not telling people how to live their lives. All she's doing is offering an opinion."{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Belma|title=No Fooling Around for Pop: Safe Sex Is the Song of the Day|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|page=39|date=June 21, 1967}}

Although Joseph Jackson initially demanded that his daughter's new album be recorded in Los Angeles so that he could keep an eye out for her, Jam and Lewis refused.{{cite news|last=Hunt|first=Dennis|title=Harris and Lewis, Two Guys Firmly in 'Control'|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|page=81|date=January 25, 1987|issn=0458-3035}} They required the entire production of the album to be done at their own studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota, "far from the glitter and distractions of Hollywood and the interference of manager-fathers." Jam stated, "We required that they put her in our hands. We had to do it on our turf, with no bodyguards, no star trips and none of Joe Jackson's people hanging around making suggestions." Jackson relocated to Minneapolis in order to record the album, where it was recorded at Flyte Tyme Studios, the site for Flyte Tyme Records, founded by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis in Minneapolis.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/janet-jackson-control-30-year-anniversary-6866860/|title=Remembering 'Control' 30 Years Later: How Janet Jackson's Third Album Cemented Her Icon Status|magazine=Billboard|date=February 4, 2016|access-date=March 29, 2024|first=Julian|last=Kimble}} "There's a little radiator I used to sit on when we did the Control album," Jackson recalled in 1993.Q, June 1993 John McClain served as the executive producer.{{cite book|last=Gregory|first=Andy|title=International Who's Who in Popular Music: 2002|publisher=Routledge|year=2002|page=253|isbn=1-85743-161-8}}

Jam and Lewis were the primary instrumentalists for the recording, including percussion, piano, drums, and also provided background vocals.{{cite web|title=Control > Credits|website=AllMusic |year=2008|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r10042|access-date=June 29, 2008|archive-date=October 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002173859/https://www.allmusic.com/album/control-mw0000650289|url-status=live}} Jackson accompanied Jam and Lewis on keyboard and took part in composing the arrangements. Stephen Holden of The New York Times observed the album was a prominent example of the developing relationship with musicians and modern technology, stating "... technology has altered the form, shape, scale and even the meaning of popular music ... The album wasn't created by a studio band, as were most pop-rock albums in the 1960s and '70s, but by the producers and the singer programming mechanized drum and keyboard textures."{{cite news|last=Holden|first=Stephen|title=How Rock Has Become More Mechanized / Since the late '50s, man-made sounds have shifted to robotic rhythms|page=39|work=The New York Times|date=April 12, 1987}} Jackson's father disapproved of the new material and image of Control, claiming it would never sell. In a cover story for Spin magazine titled "Damn It, Janet: The Battle for Control of Janet Jackson," Joseph was reported saying "[i]f Janet listens to me, she'll be as big as Michael."{{cite news|last=Goldstein|first=Patrick|title=Pop Eye|page=85|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=December 21, 1986}} She and McClain disregarded his objections. Commenting on the final product, Jackson stated: "It's aggressive, cocky, very forward. It expresses exactly who I am and how I feel. I've taken control of my own life. This time I'm gonna do it my way."{{cite news|last=Zekas|first=Rita|title=Janet Jackson in Control but terrorism trashes tour|newspaper=Toronto Star|date=May 9, 1986|page=D.22|issn=0319-0781}}

Fashion photographer and illustrator Tony Viramontes created the stylized cover for the new album and the singles "Nasty" and "Control". Jackson said of Viramontes, "He was very creative, and I believe one day his work will be iconic. He was such a joy to work with. I miss him."Rhys-Morgan, Dean. Bold, Beautiful and Damned: The World of 1980's Fashion Illustrator Tony Viramontes, London: Lawrence King Publishing Ltd., 2013 {{ISBN|978-1-78067-3073}}, pp.140–141. Author Dean Rhys Morgan in Bold, Beautiful and Damned: The World of Fashion Illustrator Tony Viramontes discusses how Jackson was "transformed from a former child star into an assured fashion forward figure with her trendsetting big hair and severe all black ensemble. Until this point, Jackson had been more a reflection than pioneer, more interpreter than innovator. This album was all about Janet and who she wanted to be." Alexander Fury wrote in The Independent, "the artwork created with Eighties illustrator Tony Viramontes for Control stands the test of time."{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/alexander-fury-ive-long-been-obsessed-with-rhythm-nation-8538095.html|title=Alexander Fury: I've long been obsessed with Rhythm Nation – Features – Fashion|work=The Independent|last=Fury|first=Alexander|date=March 13, 2018|access-date=November 4, 2017|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107004845/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/alexander-fury-ive-long-been-obsessed-with-rhythm-nation-8538095.html|url-status=live}}

File:Janet Jackson 6.jpg of the album's singles, "The Pleasure Principle", "Control" and "What Have You Done for Me Lately", during the Rock Witchu Tour in 2008.]]

Although A&M did not consider a full concert tour to promote Jackson's album, the label funded a three-week promotional tour across the United States in 13 cities following its release.{{cite magazine|title=Janet Jackson's Secret to Success|magazine=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4SQEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Janet%20Jackson%27s%20Secret%20to%20Success%22&pg=PT96|date=August 16, 1986|access-date=November 5, 2020|archive-date=October 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002173859/https://books.google.com/books?id=4SQEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Janet%20Jackson%27s%20Secret%20to%20Success%22&pg=PT96|url-status=live}} In addition to the studio release, a remix album, Control: The Remixes, was released in select countries in November 1987.{{cite book|last1=Warwick|first=Neil1|author2=Jon Kutner, Tony Brown|title=The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles & Albums|publisher=Omnibus Press|year=2004|pages=547, 548|isbn=978-1-84449-058-5}} Jackson's lyrical expression has been noted as one of the key elements of the album's success. Author Dave Marsh in The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made (1999) comments: "Certainly, Janet must have written her own lyrics, which went after men—in particular, not very well disguised stand-ins for her father and former husband—more venomously than another guy would have dared. Control, the resulting album, was one of the best-sellers of 1986–1987, producing five hit singles."

Jesus Garber, then-director of A&M's black music marketing and promotion, noted that in addition to crossover promotion from black to pop music charts, music video was utilized to launch Jackson into superstardom.{{cite news|last=Bessman|first=Jim|title=Janet's Secret To Success: 'Control'|newspaper=Billboard|volume=98|issue=33|pages=3, 75|date=August 16, 1986|issn=0006-2510}} Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine credits the release of Control as "the birth of Janet the music video star, as six of the nine tracks were turned into popular videos that all but announced her as queen of the production dance number." Henderson commented that Jackson's dancing ability, trained by a then-unknown Paula Abdul, only served to propel her into further stardom. Charlie Minor, then-senior vice president of promotion for A&M stated: "The images completed the image of Janet Jackson with the buyer ... They gave her a face, dance, action identity with the songs, and a visual image of her as a rock 'n' roll star." Jonathan Cohen of Billboard magazine commented "[Jackson's] accessible sound and spectacularly choreographed videos were irresistible to MTV, and helped the channel evolve from rock programming to a broader, beat-driven musical mix."{{cite magazine|last=Cohen|first=Jonathan|title=Billboard Feature: Janet Jackson: Still In Control|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-retail-stores-not/4614593-1.html|magazine=Billboard|date=December 15, 1999|access-date=October 12, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110093834/http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-retail-stores-not/4614593-1.html|archive-date=January 10, 2011|url-status=dead}} The video for "Nasty" received three nominations for the fifth annual 1987 MTV Video Music Awards, winning Best Choreography for Paula Abdul.{{cite news|title=Peter Gabriel's 'Sledgehammer' video dominates MTV awards|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|page=11|date=September 13, 1987|issn=1074-7109}}

File:JanetJacksonUnbreak 1797 (22751821917) (cropped).jpg" during her 2015–16 Unbreakable World Tour.]]

Control debuted at number 84 on the Billboard 200 on March 8, 1986, and at number 26 on the Top R&B/Black Albums on March 1, 1986. After twenty weeks, it topped the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Black Albums chart, selling 250,000 copies in a single week, a record for an album by a female artist.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5wTUmx2uZYsC&pg=PA57|title=Janet Jackson|date=June 1993|publisher=Spin|access-date=August 26, 2017|archive-date=May 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200519001200/https://books.google.com/books?id=5wTUmx2uZYsC&pg=PA57|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SiQEAAAAMBAJ&q=control&pg=PT89|title=Top Black Albums|page=66|magazine=Billboard|date=March 8, 1986|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=October 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002173859/https://books.google.com/books?id=SiQEAAAAMBAJ&q=control&pg=PT89|url-status=live}}{{cref|a}} The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) first certified Control gold in April 1986, denoting 500,000 units shipped within the United States.{{cite web|title=Control|work=gold and platinum|publisher=Recording Industry Association of America|year=1986|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Control&artist=Janet%20Jackson&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25|page=25|access-date=June 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924152856/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Control&artist=Janet%20Jackson&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25|archive-date=September 24, 2015|url-status=dead}} Two months later, in June 1986, the album was RIAA certified platinum, denoting 1 million units shipped. Three years later, Control was RIAA certified fivefold platinum in October 1989. By 1990, Control had sold 5 million copies in the United States{{cite journal|title=Janet Jackson's year|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z70DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA60|journal=Jet|date=October 14, 2009|access-date=November 5, 2017|archive-date=March 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312203404/https://books.google.com/books?id=z70DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA60|url-status=live}} and as of December 2009, the album has sold 496,000 copies in the U.S. since 1991 according to Nielsen SoundScan, which does not count albums sold through clubs like the BMG Music, where she sold 883,000.{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/11/19/2009-11-19_janet_jacksons_hopes_for_new_future_with_old_label_am_records.html|title=Janet Jackson's hopes for new future with old label, A&M Records|work=Daily News|location=New York|date=November 19, 2009|access-date=November 4, 2017|archive-date=November 22, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091122182313/http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/11/19/2009-11-19_janet_jacksons_hopes_for_new_future_with_old_label_am_records.html|url-status=live}} Combined, it has sold over 6,379,000 copies in the U.S.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/267479/ask-billboard-life-after-discussing-divas|title=Ask Billboard: Life After Discussing Divas|magazine=Billboard|date=April 9, 2009|access-date=November 5, 2017|archive-date=November 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120054302/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/267479/ask-billboard-life-after-discussing-divas|url-status=live}} Since its debut, Control has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

The album's lead single, "What Have You Done for Me Lately", peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and at number one on the Hot Black Singles chart.{{cite web|title=Janet Jackson > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles|publisher=AllMusic|year=2008|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4572|access-date=November 4, 2017|archive-date=February 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217221037/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4572|url-status=live}}{{cref|b}} The single was certified gold by the RIAA in November 1990.{{cite web|title=What Have You Done for Me Lately|work=gold and platinum|publisher=Recording Industry Association of America|date=November 12, 1990|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=What%20Have%20You%20Done%20for%20Me%20Lately&artist=Janet%20Jackson&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25|page=25|access-date=June 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924153510/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=What%20Have%20You%20Done%20for%20Me%20Lately&artist=Janet%20Jackson&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25|archive-date=September 24, 2015|url-status=dead}} The song was compared favorably to similar recordings of female empowerment released by black women, such as "New Attitude" by Patti LaBelle, "Better Be Good to Me" by Tina Turner, and "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" by The Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin. Oprah Winfrey commented: "What you're seeing in all the areas of arts and entertainment is black women internalizing the idea of black power and pride ... Black women started listening to their inner cues, rather than society or even the black community's idea of what they are supposed to be and can be."{{cite news|last=Infusino|first=Divina|title=Black Women Get R-E-S-P-E-C-T|newspaper=The San Diego Union|page=E.1|date=August 10, 1986}} "Nasty", the album's second single, beat "What Have You Done for Me Lately" by one position, peaking at number three on the Hot 100 and at number one on the Hot Black Singles chart. It was certified gold in November 1990.{{cite web|title=Nasty|work=gold and platinum|publisher=Recording Industry Association of America|date=November 13, 1990|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Nasty&artist=Janet%20Jackson&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25|page=25|access-date=June 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924153211/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Nasty&artist=Janet%20Jackson&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25|archive-date=September 24, 2015|url-status=dead}} Critic Jon Bream noted "the songwriters have slyly juxtaposed a nasty-sounding groove and the repetition of the word 'nasty' with a subtle antinasty message."{{cite news|last=Bream|first=Jon|title=3 Twin Cities bands put albums in Top 10|newspaper=Star Tribune|page=4.C|date=February 21, 1986|issn=0744-5458}}

"When I Think of You" reached number one on the Hot 100, becoming Jackson's first single to top the chart, and was certified gold in November 1990.{{cite web|title=When I Think of You|work=gold and platinum|publisher=Recording Industry Association of America|date=November 12, 1990|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=When%20I%20Think%20of%20You&artist=Janet%20Jackson&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25|page=25|access-date=June 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924153512/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=When%20I%20Think%20of%20You&artist=Janet%20Jackson&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25|archive-date=September 24, 2015|url-status=dead}} The album's fourth single and title track, "Control", reached its peak position at number five on the Hot 100 and at number one on the Hot Black Singles chart, later certified gold by the RIAA in November 1990.{{cite web|title=Control|work=gold and platinum|publisher=Recording Industry Association of America|date=November 12, 1990|page=25|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Control&artist=Janet%20Jackson&format=SINGLE&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25|access-date=June 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924152858/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Control&artist=Janet%20Jackson&format=SINGLE&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25|archive-date=September 24, 2015|url-status=dead}} "Let's Wait Awhile" reached the number two position on the Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Black Singles chart. Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune commented in a similar vein to "Nasty", the ballad "throw[s] cold water on the passions of young love 'before we go too far'."{{cite news|last=Page|first=Clarence|title=Rock Music in Tune With the Times, Now Trumpets Restraint|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|page=19|date=June 17, 1987|issn=1085-6706}} Unlike its predecessors, "The Pleasure Principle" did not reach within the top five of the Hot 100, instead peaking at number fourteen. It did, however, become Jackson's fifth number one single on the Hot Black Singles chart. Each of the album's singles excluding "Let's Wait Awhile" peaked within the top five of the Billboard Club Play Singles.{{cref|c}} "Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)" was not released as a commercial single in the United States. It peaked at number 59 on the UK Singles Chart.

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web|last=Thurston|first=Jason|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/control-mw0000650289|title=Control – Janet Jackson|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=April 24, 2021|archive-date=June 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613204853/https://www.allmusic.com/album/control-mw0000650289|url-status=live}}

| rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide

| rev2score = B{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|chapter=Janet Jackson: Control|chapter-url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=5023|access-date=November 5, 2017|title=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s|title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s|publisher=Pantheon Books|year=1990|isbn=0-679-73015-X|page=205|archive-date=September 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905102119/https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=5023|url-status=live}}

| rev3 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|chapter=Jackson, Janet|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|publisher=Omnibus Press|edition=5th concise|year=2011|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8|page=303}}

| rev4 = The Guardian

| rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite news|last=Petridis|first=Alexis|author-link=Alexis Petridis|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jul/25/janet-jacksons-classic-albums-reissued-review|title=Janet Jackson album reissues review – proof that more than one Jackson ruled|newspaper=The Guardian|date=July 25, 2019|access-date=April 24, 2021|archive-date=February 1, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201183527/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jul/25/janet-jacksons-classic-albums-reissued-review|url-status=live}}

| rev5 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite book|last=Sinagra|first=Laura|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-link=Nathan Brackett|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-link=Christian Hoard|chapter=Janet Jackson|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&pg=PA411|access-date=November 4, 2017|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=Simon & Schuster|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/411 411–12]|archive-date=May 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160522113926/https://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&pg=PA411|url-status=live}}

| rev6 = Slant Magazine

| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last=Henderson|first=Eric|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/janet-jackson-control/|title=Review: Janet Jackson, Control|website=Slant Magazine|date=October 30, 2003|access-date=November 5, 2017|archive-date=May 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520031744/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/janet-jackson-control/|url-status=live}}

}}

Upon its release, the album received universal acclaim from critics. Rolling Stone's Rob Hoerburger commented that the "sharp-tongued" Janet Jackson is "more concerned with identity than with playlists", as Control declares she is no longer the Jacksons' baby sister.{{cite magazine|last=Hoerburger|first=Rob|title=Janet Jackson: Control: Music Reviews: Rolling Stone|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=April 24, 1986|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/control-19860424|access-date=November 4, 2017|archive-date=November 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131116053148/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/control-19860424|url-status=live}} Hoerburger expressed the view that tracks such as "Nasty" and "What Have You Done for Me Lately" erased the former "pop-ingénue image" of Jackson's first two albums, and that "Control is a better album than Diana Ross has made in five years and puts Janet in a position similar to the young Donna Summer's—unwilling to accept novelty status and taking her own steps to rise above it." Steven Ivory of Billboard expressed "[v]ocally, Jackson is more aggressive than ever. Indeed, her exhibition of sass and funkiness is certainly more provocative" in comparison to her previous work.{{cite news|last=Ivory|first=Steven|title=Rhythm and Blues|newspaper=Billboard|volume=98|issue=8|page=52|date=February 22, 1986|issn=0006-2510}} NME wrote: "Jackson has gone a long way in shaking off the experience of being a shadow Jackson child. She is an artist in her own right."{{cite news|last=Hilburn|first=Robert|title=British Critics Turn All Ears To America|page=65|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=January 11, 1987|issn=0458-3035}} Newsweek stated "[i]n an era of big-voiced pop-soul divas ... her current hit album, is taut, funky, hard as nails, an alternative to the sentimental balladry and opulent arrangements of Patti LaBelle and Whitney Houston."{{cite news|title=Singer Janet Jackson|volume=108| issue=3|page=61|newspaper=Newsweek|date=July 21, 1986|issn=0028-9604}} In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau "scoffed at Janet's claims of autonomy", but applauded Jam & Lewis's beats as "their deepest ever" while finding Jackson's contribution entertaining enough.{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=July 1, 1986|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv7-86.php|title=Consumer Guide|newspaper=The Village Voice|location=New York|access-date=November 5, 2017|archive-date=September 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919202510/http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv7-86.php|url-status=live}} Los Angeles Times critic Connie Johnson wrote: "Though still a teen-ager, this singer's stance is remarkably nervy and mature. She has a snotty sort of assurance that permeates several cuts, plus the musical muscle to back it up."{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Connie|title=Jackson Jive|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|page=78|date=February 23, 1986|issn=0458-3035}} Jon Pareles of The New York Times notes Control takes obvious influence from Prince, describing "[t]he album's pacing, its clipped vocal lines—even the spoken introduction that starts things off" as pure Minneapolis sound; he adds "[b]ut where the Prince style is usually connected with heavy-breathing come-ons, Miss Jackson is cheerfully standoffish."{{cite news|last=Pareles|first=Jon|title=Pop and Jazz Guide|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/25/arts/pop-and-jazz-guide-239586.html|page=C.23|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 25, 1986|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 6, 2017|archive-date=February 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190221165754/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/25/arts/pop-and-jazz-guide-239586.html|url-status=live}}

For the 29th Annual Grammy Awards, Control received four nominations: Album of the Year, Best R&B Song for "What Have You Done for Me Lately", Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Non-Classical Producer of the Year for Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Jam and Lewis won Producer of the Year.{{cite news|last=Harrington|first=Richard|title=The Grammy Guide; Picking Tonight's Platters: A Handicapper's Report|page=C.01|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=February 24, 1986|issn=0190-8286}} The album earned a record-breaking twelve nominations from the American Music Awards, winning four.{{cite news|last=Smith|first=Kathleen|title=American Music Awards tonight to honor Presley posthumously|newspaper=St. Petersburg Times|page=7.D|date=January 26, 1987}}{{cite news|title=Travis tops music award winners|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=January 26, 1988|page=1|issn=1074-7109}} Jackson also won three Soul Train Music Awards and six Billboard Music Awards.{{cite news|last=Harrington|first=Richard|title=Classy Soul Train Awards; Janet Jackson, Run-DMC Among Winners|newspaper=The Washington Post|page=C.02|date=March 24, 1987|issn=0190-8286}}{{cite book|last=Campbell|first=Lisa|title=Michael Jackson: the king of pop|publisher=Branden Books|year=1993|page=194|isbn=978-0-8283-1957-7}}{{cite news|last=Bream|first=Jon|title=Several Minnesotans' musical works appear on Billboard's year-end charts|newspaper=Star Tribune|page=5.C|date=December 2, 1986|issn=0744-5458}}

Later reviews continue to find the album favorable. Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine expressed that the misconception that Control is Jackson's debut album only confirmed the "quintessential statement on personal and artistic self-actualization" that it set out to accomplish. Henderson claimed critics who judged Jackson harshly for her thin voice "somehow missed the explosive 'gimme a beat' vocal pyrotechnics she unleashes all over "Nasty" ... Or that they completely dismissed how perfect her tremulous hesitance fits into the abstinence anthem "Let's Wait Awhile." However, Henderson also commented that the "Jam-Lewis formula wasn't completely infallible" as "You Can Be Mine" and "Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)", were two of the album's least impressive misfires. While William Ruhlmann of AllMusic commented Jackson "came across as an aggressive, independent woman", he asserts the album's true value is the production talents of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.{{cite web|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/control-mw0000650289|title=Control – Janet Jackson|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=November 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106021158/http://www.allmusic.com/album/control-mw0000650289|archive-date=January 6, 2014|url-status=dead}} In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Laura Sinagra said that on Control, "Jam and Lewis perfected their melodic, full-blown funk attack", while Jackson "filled each track with a breathy believability" with vocal performances that ranged from yearning to seductive. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked Control number 111 on the reboot of its list of 'The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time'.{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/janet-jackson-control-3-1063122/ |title=Rollingstone |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=August 3, 2021 |archive-date=August 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803223633/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/janet-jackson-control-3-1063122/ |url-status=live }}

{{quote box|quote="Her 1986 album Control is important to the development of R&B for a number of reasons. The primary producers of Control, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Jackson herself, crafted a new sound that fuses the rhythmic elements of funk and disco, along with heavy doses of synthesizers, percussion, sound effects, and a rap music sensibility."|source= -Richard J. Ripani, The New Blue Music, 2006|width=310px}}

Control is widely considered to be the breakthrough in Jackson's career, establishing her independence and dominance in the realm of popular music. In The Sex Revolts: Gender, Rebellion, and Rock'n'roll (1996) author Simon Reynolds wrote that "Janet Jackson became a superstar with the immaculately designed soft-core feminism of Control."{{cite book|author=Simon Reynolds|title=The Sex Revolts: Gender, Rebellion, and Rock'n'roll|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=1996|page=[https://archive.org/details/sexrevoltsgender00reyn/page/297 297]|isbn=978-0-674-80273-5|url=https://archive.org/details/sexrevoltsgender00reyn/page/297}} Jet magazine commented that although the Jackson family's musical legacy had given her an opportunity to tap into an international audience, Control was the turning point at which "her career took off and she became a bona fide superstar. Control showcased Janet as a person who was firmly and finally in control of her own life."{{cite news|title=Janet Jackson receives American Music Awards' top honor highlighting stellar career|newspaper=Jet|volume=99|issue=7|page=56|date=January 29, 2001|issn=0021-5996}} Dennis Hunt of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "Previously, she had recorded two unsophisticated, kiddie soul albums. If you listened carefully to that kid stuff, there was a grown-up singer there somewhere struggling to get out. [Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis] liberated the real Janet Jackson."{{cite news|author=Dennis Hunt|title=Harris and Lewis-Two Guys Firmly in Control|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=January 25, 1987|page=81|issn=0458-3035}}

Lyrically, Jackson's album is said to exhibit a "politically driven feminist" message, as stated by Lilly Goren in You've Come A Long Way, Baby: Women, Politics, and Popular Culture (2009).{{cite book|last=Goren|first=Lilly|author-link=Lilly Goren|title=You've Come A Long Way, Baby: Women, Politics, and Popular Culture|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|page=61|year=2009|isbn=978-0-8131-2544-2}} Musically, according to Rickey Vincent, author of Funk: The Music, The People, and The Rhythm of The One (1996), Jam and Lewis's collaboration with her is said to be one of the high points of the 1980s, as they redefined dance music by mixing a youthful sound with industrial-strength beats.{{cite book|last1=Vincent|first1=Rickey|author2=George Clinton|title=Funk: The Music, The People, and The Rhythm of The One|publisher=Macmillan|year=1996|page=[https://archive.org/details/funkmusicpeopler00vinc/page/284 284]|isbn=0-312-13499-1|url=https://archive.org/details/funkmusicpeopler00vinc/page/284}} As documented by musicologist Richard J. Ripani, author of The New Blue Music: Changes in Rhythm & Blues, 1950–1999 (2006), Control is regarded as one of the most influential albums in the history of rhythm and blues and the first album to bridge the gap between R&B and rap music. Its success in both the mainstream R&B and pop music charts "led to the incorporation of many of the stylistic traits of rap over the next few years, and Janet Jackson was to continue to be one of the leaders in that development."{{cite book|last=Ripani|first=Richard J.|title=The New Blue Music: Changes in Rhythm & Blues, 1950–1999|publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi|year=2006|pages=130–132|isbn=1-57806-862-2}} Furthermore, the album's second single "Nasty" has been credited with influencing the new jack swing genre, pioneered by Teddy Riley.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8462009/new-jack-swing-summer-1988-new-edition-bobby-brown|title=New Jack Summer: In June '88, Bobby Brown, Teddy Riley & New Edition Announced the Arrival of R&B's New School|magazine=Billboard|date=June 20, 2018|access-date=May 2, 2019|author=Stereo Williams|archive-date=May 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520012225/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8462009/new-jack-swing-summer-1988-new-edition-bobby-brown|url-status=live}} Laura Sinagra in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide wrote that the album impacted popular music with a "blockbuster momentum all its own", while Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine noted Control "was every bit the hit machine that her brother's Thriller was." Additionally, Control made Billboard Hot 100 history having the longest continuous run on the Hot 100 with singles from one album at 65 consecutive weeks, breaking her brother Michael's record by one week; Thriller by comparison charted singles for 64 consecutive weeks.{{citation|author=Paul Grien|title=Chart Beat|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1987/Billboard-1987-05-16.pdf|publisher=Billboard|page=6|date=May 16, 1987|access-date=February 24, 2019|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728075140/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1987/Billboard-1987-05-16.pdf|url-status=live}} Steve Morse of The Boston Globe commented: "All things considered, 1986 was a stellar year for the black female vocalist—the best, in fact, since the disco era of a decade back ... Black music crossed over to the pop charts in dramatic fashion, with Whitney Houston, Patti LaBelle and Janet Jackson each having No. 1 albums."{{cite news|author=Steve Morse|title=Pop|newspaper=Boston Globe|date=December 28, 1986|page=A.36|issn=0743-1791}}

File:Katy Perry 9 (42287412124) (cropped).jpg performing "What Have You Done for Me Lately" during Witness: The Tour at Madison Square Garden]]

In addition to stepping out of the Jackson family shadow, Control established Jackson as one of the preeminent female artists of popular music, rivaling fellow pop star Madonna, as critics began to acknowledge their influence on the record industry and younger artists. Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World Volume 8: Genres: North America (2012) documents that both women redefined house music, repackaging it "as part of a global metropolitan pop aesthetic."{{cite book|author=John Shepherd, David Horn|title=Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World Volume 8: Genres: North America|publisher=A&C Black|year=2012|page=353|isbn=978-1-4411-6078-2}} With regard to marketing singles, Paul Grein of Billboard reported: "10 or 20 years ago you would have had two singles from an album at the most. Now we're in an era where Madonna is on her fifth single from the album True Blue and Janet Jackson is on her sixth from the LP Control."{{Cite web |title=RECORD PRODUCERS BETTING ON B-SIDES |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1987-05-15-0130090075-story.html |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=Orlando Sentinel |archive-date=October 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002173900/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ |url-status=live }} Jackson subsequently became the first female artist to produce six top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 from a single album.{{cite news|last=Trust|first=Gary|title=Chart Beat Thursday:Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Billie Holiday|newspaper=Billboard|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/267431/chart-beat-thursday-whitney-houston-mariah-carey-billie-holiday|date=September 10, 2009|access-date=November 4, 2017|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924071855/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/267431/chart-beat-thursday-whitney-houston-mariah-carey-billie-holiday|url-status=live}} Los Angeles Times writer Paul Grein wrote a segment titled "The influence of Madonna and Janet Jackson", reporting Debbie Gibson's manager Doug Breitbart claimed "Madonna has brought back a really strong, melodic component to pop music", while Teen Beat editor Maggie Murphy remarked "Janet Jackson may have started this more than anyone else."{{cite news|last=Grein|first=Paul|title=Teen-Agers Making Their Voices Heard Tiffany, 16, Is Not 'Alone Now' on Pop Scene as Recording Industry Capitalizes on Young Artists|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|page=1|date=December 1, 1987|issn=0458-3035}} Anthony DeCurtis, author of Present Tense: Rock & Roll and Culture (1992) wrote that "Madonna and Janet Jackson have produced videos that explore the female gaze," and described Jackson's music video for "Nasty" as feminist theory on film that deconstructs the objectification of women.{{cite book|last=DeCurtis|first=Anthony|title=Present Tense: Rock & Roll and Culture|publisher=Duke University Press|year=1992|page=257|isbn=978-0-8223-1265-9}} Laura Sinagra documented that within two years of the release of Control, "a new crop of female singers (such as Paula Abdul and Karyn White) were charged with imitating Janet." Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone remarked: "Control—with its quintuple-platinum sales and string of hit singles—established" a then-twenty-year-old Jackson "as one of the most popular recording artists in the world."{{cite magazine|author=Anthony DeCurtis|title=Janet Jackson: Free At Last|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/free-at-last-19900222|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=February 22, 1990|access-date=November 5, 2017|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107025301/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/free-at-last-19900222|url-status=live}} The Guardian described the album's release as one of the 50 key events in the history of R&B and hip hop.{{cite news|author=Gareth Grundy|title=50 key Events in the History of R&B and hip hop|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/13/janet-jackson-releases-control|newspaper=The Guardian|date=June 13, 2011|access-date=November 5, 2017|archive-date=October 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025225128/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/13/janet-jackson-releases-control|url-status=live}}

Upon the 30th anniversary of the album's release, Julian Kimble of Billboard magazine wrote: "In hindsight, Control is both evolutionary and revolutionary. As Jackson’s first album to land atop the Billboard 200, it marked professional and personal breakthroughs. Distancing herself from the immense Jackson family shadow, she created one of the most influential projects across contemporary R&B and pop music. And not only was Jackson’s maiden voyage with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis at the forefront of R&B, pop and hip-hop’s intersection, it birthed a novel sound in the process."{{cite magazine|author=Julian Kimble|title=Remembering 'Control' 30 Years Later: How Janet Jackson's Third Album Cemented Her Icon Status|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/6866860/janet-jackson-control-30-year-anniversary|magazine=Billboard|date=February 4, 2016|access-date=November 5, 2017|archive-date=February 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223065632/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/6866860/janet-jackson-control-30-year-anniversary|url-status=live}} Morgan Y. Evans for PopMatters' wrote: "Janet Jackson's Control is worth reconsidering as, perhaps boldly, one of the top three or four pop records of the '80s...It is unquestionably the most coherent and powerful full album statement from any female solo pop artist during much of the '80s, some of Kate Bush's more eccentric triumphs that decade notwithstanding."{{Cite web|date=2016-06-17|title=Principled Pleasure: Janet Jackson's 'Control' at 30 Still Commands Respect|url=https://www.popmatters.com/principled-pleasure-janet-jacksons-control-at-30-still-commands-respect-2495428498.html|access-date=2021-02-07|website=PopMatters|language=en|archive-date=October 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031013313/https://www.popmatters.com/principled-pleasure-janet-jacksons-control-at-30-still-commands-respect-2495428498.html|url-status=live}} Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly commented: "The videos from Control were all over MTV, and Janet established herself as an instantly dominant pop figure talked about in the same sentences as Madonna and her older brother Michael."{{cite magazine|url=http://music-mix.ew.com/2014/09/19/janet-jackson-rhythm-nation-1814-25th-anniversary/|title=Janet Jackson's 'Rhythm Nation 1814': Still dancing and dreaming 25 years later|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|publisher=Anderson, Kyle|date=September 19, 2014|access-date=September 19, 2014|archive-date=September 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140921015643/http://music-mix.ew.com/2014/09/19/janet-jackson-rhythm-nation-1814-25th-anniversary/|url-status=live}} MTV's Meaghan Garvey asserted "it's hard to overstate the significance of Control, whether in terms of the pop landscape, the evolution of the music video as a vessel for promotion and expression, or Top 40 feminist anthems." She also argued "it's important to note that Control’s self-actualization anthems were expressions of black female pride. Control spawned a whopping six videos—great ones, at that—which played an immeasurable role in the shift toward visible black pop."{{cite news|author=Meaghan Garvey|title=On 30 Years of Janet Jackson's Control|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2735889/on-30-years-of-janet-jackson-control/|publisher=MTV|date=February 4, 2016|access-date=November 5, 2017|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107013056/http://www.mtv.com/news/2735889/on-30-years-of-janet-jackson-control/|url-status=dead}} Gerrick D. Kennedy of Los Angeles Times wrote that Jackson's continued influence is evident in the careers of Rihanna, Beyoncé, Ciara, FKA Twigs and Tinashe in that "all of them take cues from Jackson's blueprint. And all that began with Control."{{cite news|author=Gerrick D. Kennedy|title=Janet Jackson's 'Control' at 30: A look back|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-janet-jackson-control-30-years-later-20160204-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=February 4, 2016|access-date=November 5, 2017|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107022219/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-janet-jackson-control-30-years-later-20160204-story.html|url-status=live}} In 2016, a cassette of Control was added to the "Musical Crossroads" exhibition of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).{{cite news|author=Roger Catlin|title=The New Exhibition on Black Music Could Give Other Museums a Run for Their Money|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/new-exhibition-black-music-to-your-eyes-180960565/|work=Smithsonian|date=September 22, 2016|access-date=March 27, 2021|archive-date=May 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527141007/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/new-exhibition-black-music-to-your-eyes-180960565/|url-status=live}}

{{Track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Control

| length1 = 5:53

| writer1 = {{hlist|James Harris III|Terry Lewis|Janet Jackson}}

| extra1 = {{hlist|Jimmy Jam|Lewis|Jackson{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| title2 = Nasty

| length2 = 4:03

| writer2 = {{hlist|Harris|Lewis|Jackson}}

| extra2 = {{hlist|Jam|Lewis|Jackson{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| title3 = What Have You Done for Me Lately

| length3 = 4:59

| writer3 = {{hlist|Harris|Lewis|Jackson}}

| extra3 = {{hlist|Jam|Lewis|Jackson{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| title4 = You Can Be Mine

| length4 = 5:16

| writer4 = {{hlist|Harris|Lewis|Jackson}}

| extra4 = {{hlist|Jam|Lewis|Jackson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Jellybean Johnson{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

}}

{{Track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length = 41:48

| headline = Side two

| title5 = The Pleasure Principle

| writer5 = Monte Moir

| extra5 = {{hlist|Moir|Jackson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Steve Wiese{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length5 = 4:58

| title6 = When I Think of You

| length6 = 3:56

| writer6 = {{hlist|Harris|Lewis|Jackson}}

| extra6 = {{hlist|Jam|Lewis|Jackson{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| title7 = He Doesn't Know I'm Alive

| writer7 = Spencer Bernard

| extra7 = {{hlist|Jam|Lewis|Jackson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Bernard{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length7 = 3:30

| title8 = Let's Wait Awhile

| writer8 = {{hlist|Harris|Lewis|Jackson|Melanie Andrews}}

| extra8 = {{hlist|Jam|Lewis|Jackson}}

| length8 = 4:37

| title9 = Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)

| length9 = 4:29

| writer9 = {{hlist|Harris|Lewis|Jackson}}

| extra9 = {{hlist|Jam|Lewis|Jackson{{ref|a|[a]}}}}}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Japanese first pressing edition

| total_length = 46:07

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title5 = Start Anew

| writer5 = {{hlist|Ralph McCarthy|Yuji Toriyama}}

| extra5 = 30th Music

| length5 = 4:19

| title6 = The Pleasure Principle

| writer6 = Moir

| extra6 = {{hlist|Moir|Jackson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Wiese{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length6 = 4:58

| title7 = When I Think of You

| length7 = 3:56

| writer7 = {{hlist|Harris|Lewis|Jackson}}

| extra7 = {{hlist|Jam|Lewis|Jackson{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| title8 = He Doesn't Know I'm Alive

| writer8 = Bernard

| extra8 = {{hlist|Jam|Lewis|Jackson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Bernard{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length8 = 3:30

| title9 = Let's Wait Awhile

| writer9 = {{hlist|Harris|Lewis|Jackson|Andrews}}

| extra9 = {{hlist|Jam|Lewis|Jackson}}

| length9 = 4:37

| title10 = Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)

| length10 = 4:29

| writer10 ={{hlist|Harris|Lewis|Jackson}}

| extra10 ={{hlist|Jam|Lewis|Jackson{{ref|a|[a]}}}}}}

Notes

• {{sup|{{note|a|[a]}}}} signifies a co-producer

{{div col}}

• Janet Jackson – background vocals, bells, co-producer, keyboards, lead vocals, piano, producer, rhythm arrangements, synthesizers, vocal arrangements
• Melanie Andrews – background vocals, vocal arrangements
• Troy Anthony – saxophone
• Lyle Baker – project coordinator
• Chuck Beeson – art direction
• Jerome Benton – vocals
• Spencer Bernard – co-producer, guitar, rhythm arrangements, synthesizers, vocal arrangements
• Geoff Bouchieiz – guitar
• Mark Cardenas – synthesizers
• Roger Dumas – drums, programming
• Steve Hodge – assistant engineer, mixing, recording engineer
• Jimmy Jam – assistant engineer, background vocals, drums, keyboards, percussion, piano, producer, programming, rhythm arrangements, sampling, synthesizers, vocal arrangements, vocals
• Jellybean Johnson – co-producer, guitar, rhythm arrangements, vocals
• Lisa Keith – background vocals, vocal arrangements
• Terry Lewis – assistant engineer, background vocals, bass, drums, guitar, percussion, producer, programming, recording engineer, rhythm arrangements, vocal arrangements, vocals
• John McClain – executive producer
• Monte Moir – assistant engineer, drums, guitar, producer, programming, rhythm arrangements, synthesizers, vocal arrangements
• Melanie Nissen – art direction, design
• O'Nicholas Raths – acoustic and 12-string guitar
• David Rivkin – recording engineer
• Gwendolyn Traylor – background vocals
• Tony Viramontes – photography
• Hami Wave – background vocals
• Steve Weise – assistant engineer, co-producer, mixing, recording engineer

{{div col end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{certification Table Top}}

{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Canada|artist=Janet Jackson|title=Control|award=Platinum|relyear=1986|relmonth=02|certyear=1987|certmonth=09}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Netherlands|type=album|award=Platinum|title=Control|artist=Janet Jackson|relyear=1986|certyear=1988|access-date=September 15, 2018}}

{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=New Zealand|artist=Janet Jackson|title=Control|award=Gold|certyear=1987|id=1987-02-13|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|relyear=1986}}

{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=Janet Jackson|title=Control|award=Platinum|certyear=1990|relyear=1986|relmonth=09|id=1506-2821-2|salesamount=324,000|salesref={{cite news|last=Copsey|first=Rob|title=Janet Jackson's Official Top 10 biggest albums revealed|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/janet-jacksons-official-top-10-biggest-albums-revealed__26915/|date=July 26, 2019|work=Official Charts Company|access-date=March 16, 2024}}}}

{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United States|artist=Janet Jackson|title=Control|award=Platinum|number=5|certyear=1989|relyear=1986|relmonth=09|salesamount=6,379,000|salesref={{cref|d}}}}

{{Certification Table Summary}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|nocert=true|region=Worldwide|salesamount=10,000,000|salesref={{cite news |last1=Harrington |first1=Richard |title=Janet Jackson's live Ammunition |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/03/22/janet-jacksons-live-ammunition/026e2e7d-0059-4d0a-b5cd-59ebfd079705/ |newspaper=Washington Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321093239/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/03/22/janet-jacksons-live-ammunition/026e2e7d-0059-4d0a-b5cd-59ebfd079705/ |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |date=22 March 1990 |url-status=live}}}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|format=3col|nosales=yes}}

• List of best-selling albums by women

{{cnote|a|Originally titled "Top R&B/Black Albums", the chart is now known as "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums"}}

{{cnote|b|Formerly titled "Hot Black Singles chart", the chart is now known as "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs"}}

{{cnote|c|Originally titled "Club Play Singles", the chart is now known as "Dance Club Songs"}}

{{cnote|d|By 1990, Control had sold 5 million copies in the United States. As of December 2009, the album had sold 496,000 copies in the US since 1991, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which does not count albums sold through clubs like the BMG Music Club, where she sold 883,000. Combined, the album has sold over 6,379,000 copies in the US.}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.janetjackson.com/release/all/control-5 Control Video Page at janetjackson.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713085430/http://www.janetjackson.com/release/all/control-5 |date=July 13, 2011 }}

{{refbegin}}

• Cornwell, Jane. Janet Jackson. Carlton Books, 2002. {{ISBN|1-84222-464-6}}

{{refend}}

{{Janet Jackson}}

{{featured article}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1986 albums

Category:A&M Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

Category:Janet Jackson albums