Rhythm Nation 1814

I saw Janet Jackson at a grocery store in Charlotte yesterday. I told her how cool it was to meet her in person, but I didn’t want to be a douche and bother her and ask her for photos or anything. She said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?” I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but she kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing her hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard her chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw her trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in her hands without paying. The guy at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Ma'am, you need to pay for those first.” At first she kept pretending to be tired and not hear him, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter. When he took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, she stopped him and told him to scan them each individually “to prevent any electrical infetterence,” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After he scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, she kept interrupting him by yawning really loudly.

Fuck the low reviews i love this album and it’s incorporation of the real world.

I don't think this is a bad album. Honestly, it's a pretty good one. But I didn't like it too much. The weird over production on an album that's sort of trying to display the hardships of the world. Just this whole, over the top rich celebrity singing about the woes of poor people. Just feels so fake and I sorta hate it for that. It's not bad. Just seems dated and out of touch even though it's supposed to be in touch. She can sing pretty damn well though.

I don’t really like this style of overproduced studio showcase, but it is so well done for what it is. Wavering between a 3 and a 4. I’ll go with the 4 because… my god did she ever get the short end of the stick after the Superb Owl.

Bangers Galore, and I'm not just saying that because Bangers Galore is also my mom's stripper name.

New Jack swing is a genre that had a brief heyday in the late 80's and early 90's, arising partly from Prince's Minneapolis sound and increasing popularity of hip hop. Fusing these funk grooves and drum samples with r&b songwriting and sensibilities provided a new sound that can only be described as transitionary for African American music. While others would come before her, Janet Jackson would be the first big star to embrace this new genre. Rhythm Nation 1814 is bombastic. Drums are hard-hitting and synths are in your face. It's incredibly cool and also incredibly dated. Jackson is a great singer regardless, and I think she's a generally good fit, though she consistently needs backup vocals to help her stand out against the notably loud drums and synths. I can also do without the ballads. 80's ballads are especially bad, though this comes with the exception of the closing track Someday Is Tonight, which is a lush track that caps things off superbly. Writing is hit or miss. Livin' in a World (They Didn't Make) tried to appeal to youth culture and weaves in a news broadcast about children being shot, puts a real damper on the whole thing as we move into the next song that brings back the big drum samples. I don't think Jackson's socially-conscious lyrics are wholesale bad, just corny and not well-delivered. I think that Rhythm Nation 1814 is a well-developed album with some spotty moments. I appreciate it's purpose and it's place in the western popular music canon, but it's not a genre I see myself returning to anytime soon.

Cool sounds, never realized Janet has such range

An hour of Janet Jackson, are you serious? uggghhh. This is like pop music on steroids, which I guess is kinda cool? But it does get old. If it only went for half an hour it'd be a 3, but here we are. 2/5.

Wow! So good. Thoughtful, powerful, well-produced. Loved listening to the whole thing.

I feel like her music really only belongs in the time it was created. It sounds out of place now

The production on this is so grating I couldn’t get through more than 4 songs. 80’s popular music, hands down, has the worst produced records of any decade. You know that shitty Yes song from the 80’s? What’s that? I’m not being specific enough? “Owner of a Lonely Heart”…that shitty 80’s Yes song. The one with the breakdown with synthesized orchestral stings and other shitty casio keyboard sound effects. Imagine a double album with that type of dreck comprising every song. That’s this record, pretty much. What are the sounds on this record even supposed to be? They’re not emulations of actual instruments in most cases, just weird amorphous approximations of an “instrument”. Call me close minded, if you must. 80’s synthesis and production sucks and it was detrimental to my enjoyment of this record.

Good fun, positive vibes. Makes really nice Cities: Skylines background music if anyone was curious

I don’t think I’d ever listened to Janet Jackson before this but it was a pleasant surprise. Most of the songs were catchy but it got verrrry preachy in parts

Really enjoyed this! The interludes in between practically every song was something I hadn’t seen before, but I thought it fit the flow of the album. Really enjoyable!

A bunch of interludes thrown in between songs that are so samey you'll be thinking about what's for dinner before the 5th track begins.

Pop comercial.

Damn fine album. Fuck Justin Timerlake. 5 stars.

Fun album. The social commentary was a bit heavy handed at the beginning but after the first 3 tracks she said, "Get the point? Good. Let's dance." Afterwards followed more typical songs

Great!

I almost bumped this up to a 4.5 because of Antonio sabato jr in the video for love will only do bc I thought we can all agree he’s a perfect ten and then Rob informed me that he’s now a trump supporter so here we are.

Another album I expected to be Meh on but I was totally grooving to this. A bit overlong (idk why but the second an album hits 60 minutes I’m DONE) but a great intro to Jan Jack

Pop production at its most '80's, upbeat dance tracks with great hooks, hard-hitting lyrics. Not a perfect album but close.

Rhythm Nation 1814 manages, somehow, to be a satisfying and frustrating listen at the same time. I swear it's all down to the sequencing. The top of the album is loaded with squelchy bass-heavy stompers; the tail consists of twinkly dream-pop, its influence palpable in acts like We Are King. Somehow, the two dullest songs - 'Love Will Never Do' and 'Livin' in a World' - find themselves sandwiched back-to-back. Somewhere amidst all this is 'Black Cat', one of my favourite songs by any of the Jackson clan. Despite some individual clunkers, RN1814 is not boring as a listening experience. It's lopsided for sure but this gives it a mildly eccentric character. And hey, it contains some excellent pop.

Knew a couple of the singles but this is immense. Seriously impressive pop, the production is next level (give or take a few of those late 80s synth sounds). Can I become a Janet Jackson fan at my age?

Good album 💿

good album, much better than I remember, a lot of good songs.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Rhythm nation, State of the world, Love will never do, Escapade

Lots of singles, good concept album

Solid dance jams

This album sounds really dated by today's standards, but there's still something about that to be enjoyed. Namely, the hard-hitting drums and synth create such a fun atmosphere -- despite this being a distinctly 80s sound, this particular sound didn't see really heavy use before the music scene moved on into the 90s. But that's not the only thing that this album offers; Janet shows a lot of range on this album, dabbling in a few different areas and creating a diverse album. In fact, Michael would go on to be inspired by a lot of the sounds on this album. Again, this album is no doubt a product of the times, but it was certainly a defining moment for Janet, pushing her into stardom outside of the shadow of Michael -- no doubt an important moment when you are his sibling and seeking fame of your own.

Classic 90s sound, very prince. Some cool off beat drum patterns, interesting high end synth hits. Can see the influence on subsequent pop sounds like nsync, bruno, kimbra even

I like it when major artists figures their shit out in public, especially when they rationalise it with--like the title says--rhythm. Also, when they show the decency to just *feel* something about it ('Livin' In A World'). I don't expect Janet had much to add around homelessness or literacy, but if every time we opened our mouths we had to drop something groundbreaking, we'd all be fucked. Also, for an hour run time, it flies by.

I always wondered how an artist so popular in her time and with so much cultural influence doesn’t seem to have any staying power today in 2024. After listening, it’s immediately obvious it’s the new jack swing that poisons this to be “of a time”. That said the songs are decent, particularly the rock oriented ones. I can see me liking this album a lot more if I was 20-40 when it came out

I don't remember any of these songs but I do remember when she flashed her breast at the Superbowl. That probably says more about me than it does about this album.

Liked it more when I was a kid and lacked awareness for quality.

Do I really need Janet Jackson lecturing me for an hour about all that's wrong with the world? No. Having said that, did I enjoy listening to this? Also no, not really. No disrespect to Miss Janet, but this is just not my thing. 2 stars.

Ei uppoa tämä genre, eikä tämä Janetin levy ollut mitenkään poikkeus. Miksiköhän tässä oli niin paljon noita interludeja joka välissä? Tuli mieleen Missy Elliotin levy, jossa kanssa oli paljon välihöpinöitä. Kai se on joku mustien naisten juttu, että kun on kerran päässyt studioon niin on kiva purkittaa omaa ääntään. Levyn biisit olivat sellaista Jackson-kamaa, että hyvin pystyin kuvittelemaan siihen laulajan tanssiesityksen mukaan. Ei ihan pahinta kuraa, mutta en minä tätä enää jatkossa tule kuuntelemaan.

What's not to like when a giant pop star gains a conscience and then decides to tell you all about it? Everything. It sounds like a hot mess. Parts of it are like people have got the button on their sampler stuck. Best Tracks: Rhythm Nation; Miss You Much; Escapade

I was excited to see this come up on the list. It's one of those iconic albums that I really do think I should listen to. I figured I would know at least a few tracks, but I was surprised by how many I knew well. Great dance music and variety of sounds.

I always wanted to be a part of the Rhythm Nation. I think it's pretty cool that Michael Jackson and Prince were supposed rivals — exaggerated or not, depending on whose stories you believe about ping-pong games and Prince ducking out on "We Are The World" — but that Michael's sister and dudes from Prince's band created some of the greatest pop songs ever made. That's the kind of utopia I imagine in Rhythm Nation. There are just so many hits on this album. This is an amazing statistic: It is the only album in the history of the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart to have seven commercial singles peak within the top five positions. It is also the first album to produce No. 1 hits on the chart in three separate calendar years, beginning with "Miss You Much" in 1989, "Escapade" and "Black Cat" in 1990, and culminating with "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" in 1991.

So of its time, but strangely timeless, Ms. Jackson (because I'm nasty at heart) and producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis weave a tapestry of samples, loops and New Jack Funk to drop an album filled with club bangers. Social consciousness is heavy on her mind here, songs about racism, poverty, injustice, politics, sex, 35 years later and it feels very much on point today. In fact today this would be branded "woke" and all the connotations that go along with it. Meanwhile I'm still here trying to perfect the 5-4-3-2-1 hand countdown she does in the "Rhythm Nation" video.

5/5. This is one of those albums that feels unfair that it was made, akin to Boston debut, where every song is just a perfect hit. This is just a greatest hits album, every song has its strengths and there are no weaknesses I can see. Sure, it helps she is a Jackson but there is no denying that the name doesn't matter here. These are all just really well-made. There are some more melancholy songs that do sometimes feel out of place but the interludes really help, when normally they wouldn't. It gives the listener that break between each song. First half is much better and with 3 less songs total, this would be a classic for the history books (more than it already is) but it is still really good to keep it at a 5. There is a weird vibe of dark lyrics of the state of the world with poppy music but honestly, dealing with tragedy with danceable and accessible music feels like a very healthy way to go about it. We live on in spite of the evil of the world, that is how we fight it instead of giving into the pessimism the world expects us to do. Best Song: Miss You Much, Escapade, Rhythm Nation

I was in college when this album came out. And since she wasn't angry or unclean, I didn't pay much attention. Shame on me. This is a fun record! It kind of loses steam towards the end, but there's a lot of great stuff here.

This was easy. It’s one of my favorite albums from the 90s anyway.

Stellar writing - very catchy beats.

So great

I have had a run of so many bad, unremarkable albums over the last several months. This has given me energy to continue for at least a few more weeks

This album's concept is half-baked at best, but the industrial new jack swing sound goes so hard that I don't even care. favs: Rhythm Nation, Black Cat, State of the World, Miss You Much, Come Back to Me, The Knowledge least fav: Lonely

My gimp

Socially conscious, rhythm&industrial, chunky-funk, Janet-Storm. I can't comprehend how deeply this album hits. Minneapolis!

WOOOOOO!!!!

Janet should've deserved better. One of the best damn albums of the 90s. Easy 5.

I’m at a 5. I would go much higher if I could. I hold Michael Jackson in a lot of reverence, and maybe that’s a character flaw, for a multitude of reasons I could write about whenever we get Thriller or Bad or Off The Wall. To segue into my point, I’ve never really given Janet a fair shake for whatever reason – I’m genuinely not sure why. I think Scream is one of the best tracks on HIStory, and I know some of her bigger hits. I’ve just never really had an excuse to tackle this album other than laziness. Once again, I have proven myself to be a fucking moron – this album is fantastic, from top to almost bottom (sorry to “Someday Is Tonight”, it’s just a very awkward fit on this album to me – still a good track though!). While it's definitely stuck in the late 80s, this is New Jack Swing at some of its earliest and its finest; the entire stretch of Rhythm Nation to Livin' in a World (They Didn't Make) is off the charts in terms of production, instrumentals, lyricism, social messaging, and vocals. Even as the back half of the album transitions into more of a love-driven record, I don’t think anything changes that much other than the atmosphere and mood – obviously, it climaxes at Someday Is Tonight, but there’s still great production and a big variety of styles to keep the album feeling fresh, even if its subject matter grows narrower and narrower. Regardless of anything else, what I’m most impressed by is that she wrote this at the ages of 22 and 23. Singers nowadays at that age would dream to have something like Rhythm Nation in their catalog, let alone the seven Top 5 singles she had on this album. That’s about as old as Billie Eilish is now, and she's probably the only other artist I can think of with similar critical acclaim at the same age. Hell, it would be a real miracle if Olivia Rodrigo’s next album after GUTS somehow has the cultural impact and acclaim of this. Ultimately, I truly think Janet broke out an album that could genuinely rival some of Michael’s best (ok, maybe not Thriller, but possibly Bad, and probably Off The Wall). What’s here is nothing short of fantastic, and I don’t think there’s a single miss. A few tracks go a little long, and some production quirks are a little overused, but those are nitpicky in relation to how much I just deeply enjoyed this. It’s so easily deserving of a 5, and I’m very glad I finally listened to it. There better be more Janet on this list.

My girl, Janet! This era of Janet's music changed my life forever. The video to Rhythm Nation made me realize that I wanted to learn to perform. As an 8th grader looking for something bigger than kid stuff, I decided to join the pep squad, dance team, and cheerleader once I got to high school...and so I did for all four years. To this day, I have a video playlist dedicated to Janet Jackson complete with the Rhythm Nation choreography with the original choreographer. My dream was to BE Janet, not like her. She's an incredible dancer and one of the best all-time pop performers. Miss You Much, Escapade, Black Cat, and Love Will Never Do (Without You) are always on my playlist. The video for Love Will Never Do is sooooo sexy. Hello, Antonio Sabato Jr. The album does seem to lag at the end, but it's cohesive and keeps me entertained. 13 yr old me deeply appreciates this album, and adult me will forever love Janet. 5 stars.

reminds me of junior high great album

i dunno if it was being born too late or growing up around other mostly suburban, mostly white folks, but somehow I completely missed Janet Jackson on my cultural radar. i only really know her from the superbowl wardrobe malfunction (which I always felt was stupidly overblown) and two of her songs ending up in Weird Al's polkas, which probably says more about me than anything I've written up to this point. anyway, this album was awesome. lots of haters in the top comments but not all music has to be timeless! sorry that a black woman made a great album and now you have to listen to it once, there will be plenty more led zeppelin and the eagles in this list for you. i basically liked every other track on here (which ends up being most of them minus the interludes) and found the subject matter and genre explorations cool and unique. some songs felt a bit heavy-handed in their message (see: livin' in a world (they didn't make)'s school shooting news report at the end) and i didn't really care for the ballads, but beyond that, this album slapped. the seamless pivots between 80s synthpop, industrial, hard rock, R&B, and more kept me engaged until the last few tracks and I'll definitely come back to this! favorites: rhythm nation, state of the world, the knowledge, miss you much, love will never do (without you), alright, escapade, black cat

Love love love this album

Absolutely love this album .

Loved it. All good, and some really great songs on here. I remember when it came out - I fell in Love with Janet!

Absolute fire

Such an undeniable legendary pop album. Listened to it twice today because I was having so much fun with it. Miss You Much is my fav I think, such a banger. I feel like Janet Jackson is often overlooked when talking about the greatest pop stars of all time, but you can see that a lot of what she did is in the DNA of many of the modern pop stars we love.

Janet Jackson was ahead of her time creating a social justice album. So many good songs and it's wild how the themes still resonate today. This is a classic and should be on everyone's list.

I am about 99.9% sure I owned this cassette tape when I was very young, so listening it now was such an awesome experience. I was able to connect and sing along because I remembered it all, but old enough now to process what she was talking about. Janet Jackson does not get enough credit for her contribution to the musical world. Great album and so many amazing one off songs. She really weaved it all together into a wonderful album.

I wore the hell out of this cassette in the late 80’s. It’s the Janet album I always go back to. There is not one bad song, though I will say that Escapade has a hissing sound in it that always makes me feel queasy. I can’t explain that. This is Janet at her best: catchy dance bliss.

So many iconic songs on this album, and some great messages too. It’s one of those albums that feels like a greatest hits compilation. The interludes are a nice little touch to help with smooth song transitions. Really love this as a whole package!

Wow this album is good. Starts strong and maintains it throughout. Even with the ballads towards the end.

One of my favorite albums of all time, truly cohesive and flawless !

Fantastic blend of pop, funk and social consciousness. (The dancing in her videos takes it to a whole other level.)

All time classic.

We really are all part of the Rhythm Nation

the musical talents run through the jackson blood. not just michael, but her sister too. my god. imaginative catchy new jack swing, but don't get too distracted by the amazing beats, plenty of lyrics about the human condition and the issues of the world today, the good, bad, and ugly. ah who am i kidding the music itselfffff it's so good not to ignore. few artists actually know how to do the new jack stuff right.

Quintessential Janet! So many great songs here. My only real gripe is how unnecessarily long some of the songs are. But overall a spectacular album!

Loved it. “Is that the end”!!!

No Notes!

love this album!!!!!!! Janet is a queen and there are so many classic bops on this record!!!!!!!

80-90s pop vibes here other than her brother is some of the best of it too. I maybe could’ve only done without one track and definitely had some 👍s.

•Owned •An album that frantically (often coldly) jumps between social commentary/breaking news and ballads/dance pop, Rhythm Nation expects you to dance to the hits but demands that you hear the message it's brought along. All with love and no cynicism. The New Jack Swing palate may feel dated, but hey, these goosebumps are still happening. •5/5

This is probably one of the albums when people ask what surprised me from the list that I will use as an example. I always wrote this off as it came out when I was quite young and as it wasn’t in my typical genre I summarily wrote it off. Turns out I really like the theme and execution. This is the type of record that I was hoping to find in this 1001 journey.

Jackson's immaculate vocals contrast with crunchy, aggressive electronic pop to amazing effect. The complete opposite of the rather bland and unchallenging pop of the 70s and 80s. And you can just feel how this was produced from the ground up to sound great on a CD hifi.

I miss listening to this album!

Awesome.

I wasn't sure what I was going to think of this one, but I loved it beginning to end. I was surprised how many of the songs I'd known although I'd never listened to them in album form. I enjoyed the flow from song to song and even the bits between. The title track is such a good funky intro to the album. "Escapade" remains one of my all-time favorite songs. I drove a few extra miles to keep listening to it while driving. Perfection. "Black Cat" was a song I didn't remember much, but I really enjoyed the heavy metal feel. That was unexpected. I could listen to it all over again today.

Yes, I am a part of the Rhythm Nation!!

Listening to this today was a real treat. I'd forgotten how much it defined the late 80s for me. Apart from a couple of songs, every track is a winner. This album needs to be in my regular rotation.

I emigrated to the Rhythm Nation shortly after its release and have remained a happy citizen ever since. What an impressive accomplishment. Scads of hit songs that sound as great as ever today. Phenomenal!!!

There is a lot going on behind the beats on this one. I forgot how young Janey Jackson was (23) and that this is overtly message driven (compared to Control). The artistic maturity since Control is noteworthy and the production by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis could be their best. This album was huge and unlike many releases of the time, one spin makes it obvious why that was the case. A masterclass in popular dance, hip-hop, pop.

This one was a lot of fun and features a totally distinct production style from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (distinct from others, not anything else they made bc it all sounds like this from what I’ve heard). A classic 80s, over the top pop album is both the best and worst ways. This album clearly took a lot of work to make and it shows in the number of tracks stacked on top of each other here. I can also hear the influence on Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, and maybe even Prince? I do however think it suffers from including some of the same surface level political commentary that her brother utilized on some of his later albums. I think it’s great that Janet Jackson had something to say and was willing to use her platform to do so, but there’s a way to do political commentary that’s not so simple and (in my opinion) clumsy. My favorite tracks were “Miss You Much” , "Lonely", and “Alright".

can't believe i hadn't listened to this

This album is pretty amazing for how many great song/hits it contains. Though the interludes and theme don't make the package better, there's at least 5 great songs, catchy, melodic and enjoyable.

Strong 9 this is straight bangers

Amazing! One of my favourites of all time.

Soft spot for this one. Every song is great, even the moody romantic ones. I used to think it is badly paced with all that slow burn at the end, but I like it now. This can pep up any doldrum day.

Legendary badass!

Makes sense that it sounds a lot like Michael's stuff. I'd have to listen to her more than just this to see if I actually liked /her/ stuff. But it's on a good track.

So I usually joke about how I hate production from around this year for sounding too cheap and fake but maaaaaan. What a fucking record. The production sounds of-its-time but it only makes the record stronger. Pretty much every song is a bop. Also, I'm not usually one for slow, sex jams, but "Someday Is Tonight" is making me feel some sort of way. Shout out to Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Holy shit. Favorite tracks: "Rhythm Nation", "Someday Is Tonight", "Black Cat", "Love Will Never Do"

Great album

Great, fun album.

Girl.

Had very low expectations but this wasn’t that bad in the end. Black Cat is a banger.

i love this sound i feel like you just don’t hear music like this (at least in the mega pop sphere) anymore