At this point in contemporary music, mentioning Janet Jackson is a no-brainer. A product of a dominant and historically overbearing musical family, by the time she was a teenage actor, her name had already been attached to worldwide phenomena and wildly successful records. Inevitably, Jackson should step into the blinding spotlight of this legacy, pass the torch in the name of her family, and be entrusted to carry it into new territory. Ironically, that moment wouldn’t come to fruition for the sensation until she discarded everything, minus the name, attached to her upbringing and familial history. It wasn’t until Jackson stepped into her own world, separated from her father, that her true promise and natural prowess began to shine, and 2026 marks forty years since this icon became what she was always meant to be.
On February 4, 1986, Jackson released her third studio album, Control. The now-legendary release marked the first album the artist released since dropping her father as her manager and cutting almost any ties to any musical happenings tied to him. The nine-song album, though, did more than establish Jackson as a singular voice for her generation; it made that same generation rethink popular music entirely. Free to employ any producer she’d like, Jackson landed on the team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who at the time had produced records for the likes of the S.O.S. Band and Klymaxx. The newly minted trio went into Flyte Tyme Studios in Minneapolis to record Control in the summer of 1985, and the results became one of the most famed albums of all time, and the starting point of Jackson’s acclaimed discography.
By the time of Control, Jackson had already released two albums to minimal noise. Call it timing, call it too much interference from non-creatives, but Jackson’s first forays into recorded music quickly fell by the wayside. Control is the moment Janet Jackson becomes the Janet Jackson we see before us today, and the chemistry she shared with Jam and Lewis is a significant part of her recipe for long-standing success. Control took the hard percussion of funk and combined it with the psychedelic nature of 80’s synth music, while Jackson’s melodies showcased complete control of the R&B of the time. All of these nuanced fusion elements blended into a danceable, vulnerable pop piece that reimagined the world around Jackson and the artist herself.
Look no further than the opening title track to get a sense of Jackson’s headspace during this period in her life. “Control” captures the anxious yet electrifying feeling of stepping out into the world as your own person for the first time, free of preconceived notions, or at least the effects they can have on a person. This title track captures the magic of Control, emphasizing the times it was created by existing as a pop anthem bursting with deeply personal truths, a combination that is rarely copied successfully.
Along with the anthemic title track, these nine songs act as a clinic on songwriting for Jackson. “What Have You Done For Me Lately” is a breakup song to scream from the other side of heartbreak, as the artist delivers an infectious performance over neck-breaking percussion. “He Doesn’t Know I’m Alive” personifies longing with soaring vocals and twinkling synths, while a hit like “Nasty” proved Jackson could pen a radio-ready chart-topper. All the while, Jam and Lewis’ production tints this world of emotions with neon-colored streaks of alien-like textures, emphasizing every emotional corner Jackson explored while writing Control.
Since its release, and to this day, Control continues to rack up accolades. The album went on to win Grammys, Video Music Awards, and Soul Train Awards. The album slowly climbed the Billboard 200, debuting at 84 and topping the list 20 weeks later. Recently, Apple Music placed it at 42 on their “100 Best Albums” list, while Pitchfork ranked it at eight on their “200 Best Albums of the 1980s” list, published in 2018.
Jackson’s third album is a critic’s darling, a commercial breakthrough, and an artistic landmark all wrapped into a 9-song tracklist. Forty years later, Control still feels fresh, exciting, and honest; a testament to Jackson’s timelessness and the power of independent thought.
