The album that redefined R&B and pop for a new generation marks four decades of influence, independence, and iconic hits
by Paul Cashmere
Forty years ago, Janet Jackson released Control, an album that would not only launch her into pop superstardom but also redefine what it meant for a female artist to assert authority over her career. Released on February 4, 1986, through A&M Records, Control marked Jackson’s bold break from the familial oversight that had dominated her early career and positioned her as a pioneering force in the crossover of R&B, pop, and dance music.
Prior to Control, Jackson had struggled to emerge from the shadow of her famous siblings, particularly her brother Michael. Her first two albums, Janet Jackson (1982) and Dream Street (1984), achieved only modest commercial success, peaking at numbers 64 and 147 respectively on the Billboard 200. By 1985, after the annulment of her brief marriage to James DeBarge and ongoing frustrations with her father Joe Jackson’s management, Janet decisively took control of her career, seeking collaborators who would elevate her vision rather than maintain the family-directed status quo.
This decision led her to Minneapolis, where she teamed with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, recently independent from Prince’s band The Time. The sessions at Flyte Tyme Studios were intensive, spanning two months, during which Jackson co-wrote nine of the album’s ten tracks. Jam and Lewis’s innovative approach to synth-driven funk and R&B, combined with Jackson’s lyrical focus on autonomy and personal accountability, produced a sound that was both futuristic and immediately compelling.
Control opens with the title track, a manifesto of independence, with Jackson declaring, “This is a story about control, my control, control of what I say, control of what I do.” Other singles such as “Nasty,” “What Have You Done for Me Lately,” “When I Think of You,” and “Let’s Wait Awhile” further explored themes of self-determination, boundary-setting, and relational accountability. “Nasty,” with its crisp synthesizers and punchy bass, called out disrespectful suitors, while the melodic “When I Think of You” showcased Jackson’s ability to blend romantic yearning with rhythmic sophistication.
Collectively, five of these singles reached the Billboard Hot 100 top five, a record-breaking achievement for a female artist in the mid-1980s.
The album’s sonic identity was as assertive as its lyrical content. Jam and Lewis embraced experimental production techniques, from intentionally overdriven tape saturation to inventive use of the LinnDrum and Ensoniq Mirage sampler, creating layered percussion and synth textures that would influence subsequent generations of R&B and dance-pop artists. Tracks were built from minimal foundations into dense, rhythmic landscapes, with Jackson’s vocal ad-libs and spoken-word intros reinforcing the album’s sense of immediacy and authenticity.
Visually, Control reinforced Jackson’s professional independence. The iconic album cover, photographed by Tony Viramontes, features her in a structured black ensemble with exaggerated shoulder pads and a forward-directed headdress, set against a bold red backdrop. The imagery projected authority, confidence, and sophistication, signalling her evolution from the teen-oriented aesthetics of her earlier albums into a fully realised, self-directed artist.
Commercially, Control was a triumph. It became Jackson’s first number-one album on the Billboard 200 and sold over five million copies in the United States by 1990, with global sales reaching between 10 and 14 million units. The album’s enduring appeal is reflected in its long-term streaming success, anniversaries such as its 35th in 2021 driving renewed chart activity, and its continuing influence on contemporary R&B artists, from TLC to Aaliyah.
The album’s impact extended into awards recognition. At the 1987 American Music Awards, Control won Favorite Soul/R&B Album, while singles “Nasty” and “When I Think of You” secured accolades for their music videos. Jam and Lewis received the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, largely for their work on the album, cementing the trio’s place in music history. Retrospective evaluations consistently recognise Control as a blueprint for female autonomy in popular music, with its fusion of assertive lyrics, sophisticated production, and chart-topping appeal setting a precedent that continues to resonate four decades later.
Control remains a defining record in Janet Jackson’s catalogue and in the broader pop and R&B landscape, celebrating not just the hits it generated but the career-defining independence it embodied. As it turns 40, the album’s influence endures, a testament to the power of self-determination and artistic vision in shaping musical history.
Control Tracklist:
– Side 1 –
1 Control
2 Nasty
3 What Have You Done for Me Lately
4 You Can Be Mine
– Side 2 –
1 The Pleasure Principle
2 When I Think of You
3 He Doesn’t Know I’m Alive
4 Let’s Wait Awhile
5 Funny How Time Flies (When You’re Having Fun)
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