"Love Will Never Do (Without You)" is a song by American singer

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

. Composed by songwriters and record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, it was recorded for the singer's fourth studio album, '' Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814'' (1989). As with all tracks for the album, recording took place at Lewis and Jam's Flyte Tyme Studios in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. The song was released as the seventh commercial single from the album on October 2, 1990, by A&M Records. It topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart in 1991, becoming the fifth number one hit of Jackson's career and the fourth number one single from ''Rhythm Nation 1814''. This gave her the distinction of being the only recording artist in the history of the chart to have seven commercial singles from one album peak within the top five positions, surpassing a record held by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

and

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

. She also became the third woman in the chart's history to amass four number one hits from one album, following

Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreograph ...

and

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

. Additionally, Jackson became the first artist to achieve Hot 100 number one hits from a single album across three separate calendar years, preceded by "

Escapade Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE) is a planned spacecraft mission to Mars consisting of two spacecraft known as ''Blue'' and ''Gold''. The mission, expected to launch in August 2024, is part of NASA's SIMPLEx progr ...

" and "

Black Cat A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay b ...

" in 1990 and " Miss You Much" in 1989. The single also peaked with the top five position of the US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

charts, as well as becoming a top 40 hit across several international singles charts. It is

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA), denoting sales of 500,000 units in the US alone. Lyrically, "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" speaks of love conquering all, despite negative perceptions about a tumultuous relationship. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis originally conceived the song as a duet, potentially featuring male vocalists such as their former employer

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

, or former New Edition members Johnny Gill or Ralph Tresvant. Jackson ultimately recorded the song solo, singing alternate verses in different octaves to simulate a duet. Music critics have praised the song as one of the highlights of ''Rhythm Nation 1814'', with reviews focusing on the execution of Jackson's layered vocals and harmonies. Although released as a single in 1990, '' Pitchfork'' included it on their list of "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s." A music video directed by Herb Ritts and featuring actors

Antonio Sabàto Jr. Antonio Sabàto Jr. (born February 29, 1972) is an Italian-born American model and actor. Sabàto first found fame in the 1990s as an underwear model for Calvin Klein and playing Jagger Cates on the soap opera ''General Hospital'' from 1992 to 19 ...

and Djimon Hounsou was produced to promote the single. In contrast to Jackson's typical videography where she is part of a dancing troupe, the cinematography utilizes a minimalist aesthetic, absent of back-up dancers and elaborate choreography. Jackson, Sabàto Jr., and Hounsou appear along a desert landscape, with a visual emphasis on bare skin and physical intimacy. The video is frequently regarded as the first instance in which Jackson takes on a sexually mature persona, setting the tone for her future projects. Critical analysis in

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

and queer theory also examine the video's use of the female gaze through which Sabàto Jr. and Hounsou's bodies are given equal focus. It won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video at the

1991 MTV Video Music Awards The 1991 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 5, 1991, honoring the best music videos from June 2, 1990, to June 15, 1991. The show was hosted by Arsenio Hall at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. This year saw the introduction ...

and appears on the 100 all-time greatest music videos lists produced by MTV, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' and

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

. It has been cited as an influence in the videography of other artists such as

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

and

Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...

. Beginning with the Janet World Tour in 1993, Jackson has performed "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" live in each of her concert tours. She also included the song in the setlist for her first

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

regency show, Janet Jackson: Metamorphosis. In 2001, a cover of the song was performed live by Macy Gray in tribute to Jackson as part of the television special ''

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

'', celebrating the singer. Covers have also been recorded by Sally Yeh and

Sahara Hotnights Sahara Hotnights are a Swedish rock band from Robertsfors, Sweden. Their style incorporates elements of garage rock, power pop and punk. History The band formed sometime around 1991/1992, "due to boredom". While in Australia, Josephine Forsman b ...

. The song appears on two of Jackson's greatest hits compilations, '' Design of a Decade: 1986–1996'' (1995) and ''

Number Ones A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The original examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers can ...

'' (2009).

Background and composition

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis considered the idea of making this song a duet. According to Fred Bronson's ''The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits'', they thought about possibly getting

, Johnny Gill, Ralph Tresvant, or someone else working with them at the time. However, there was no concrete plan. During the recording of the first verse, Jimmy Jam told Jackson, "Sing it low like some guy would sing it." As a result, they kept the idea of her singing the first verse in a low octave but go an octave up on the second verse. In 1996, the song was

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

ed by Roger Sanchez. The Single Edit was included on the international release of Jackson's 1995 greatest-hits compilation '' Design of a Decade: 1986–1996''. Although being one of the album's last singles, it was one of the first songs recorded for ''Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814''. The song's background vocals were recorded in late 1988, while Jackson recorded the lead vocals in January 1989. Herb Alpert plays

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

on the track. "Love Will Never Do" is written in the key of

A major A major (or the key of A) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The key of A major is the only k ...

and has a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 103 beats per minute in common time. Jackson's vocals span from F₃ to C₆ in the song.

Critical reception

Andy Healy from Albumism noted that "the slinky bassline" of "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" "seduces with ease as Jackson sings about the desire for a fulfilling love, even one against the odds." He added further, "With a shimmering arrangement beneath her, Jackson delivers one of her finest moments on record. Often characterized as having a whispering vocal, here Jackson sings with strength and confidence and layers the song in lush backing harmonies that glisten with every passing line."

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' wrote, "Here's yet one more sparkling gem from La Jackson's bejeweled "''

Rhythm Nation 1814 ''Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814'' is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Janet Jackson, released on September 19, 1989, by A&M Records. Although label executives wanted material similar to her previous album, ''Control'' (19 ...

''" epic. This time, she strikes a sexy

swing Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing rid ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

pose". A reviewer from ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' described it as "a suspenseful, sparsely arranged dance-floor track sporting some great vocals and subtle licks."

Chart performance

The song became Jackson's fifth number-one single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and the final of seven top five singles from the album, making her the only artist to achieve seven top five singles from one album. On the

Radio & Records ''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...

Airplay chart the song debuted at #24 on the November 23, 1990, issue, after four weeks it reached #1 staying at the top of the chart for three weeks and staying on the top 10 for seven weeks, the single remained on the chart for twelve weeks. The success of "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" also helped the album to become the first in history to produce number-one hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in three separate calendar years, those being "Miss You Much" in 1989, "Escapade" and "Black Cat" in 1990, and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" in 1991. The single was certified Gold by the RIAA, but achieved even greater airplay success, topping the Airplay Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks, becoming the longest-running airplay number one single at the time.

Music video

The accompanying

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...

was directed by American photographer Herb Ritts, and choreographed by Ritts, Jackson and

Tina Landon Tina Landon (born January 6, 1963) is an American choreographer based in Los Angeles who has worked with Prince, Anastacia, Mýa, Pink, Jay-Z, Marc Anthony, Kristi Yamaguchi, Aerosmith, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, Janet Jack ...

on September 13, 1990. Jackson originally planned to wear a dress for the video, but Ritts envisioned Jackson in nothing more than a black top, a pair of jeans, and light brown hair. The video features cameos by actors

and Djimon Hounsou. Ritts commented,

"Because Janet is known for her instinctive talent for dance, as well as being an all around entertainer, Janet and I decided to try something innovative on the video. The video is a departure from her elaborate dance production routines and focuses, instead, on her alone, She is fresh, sensual, womanly and vulnerable as she reveals herself to the camera. We wanted to show this intimate and more personal side of Janet".

The video begins with the shadows of Jackson and a dancer, leading to images of a man running through a desert. As she starts singing the song, accompanied by her love interest, a man doing stunts also appears. As the video advances, a black man is seen running in a large wheel, and also begins lip-synching to the song. He then appears on top of a white half circle. The video ends with Jackson sharing caresses with her lover. Calvin Thomas on his book ''Masculinity, Psychoanalysis, Straight Queer Theory'' noted a lightening of Jackson's skin tone and a notable transformation of the shape of her body in the music video. Two versions of the video were produced, one in

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

, and the other colorized, both of which appear on the '' Design of a Decade: 1986–1996'' video compilation. The video won for

Best Female Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the Y ...

and was nominated for

Best Choreography The MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography is a craft award given to the artist, the artist's manager, and choreographer of the music video. From 1984 to 2007, the full name of the award was Best Choreography in a Video. The biggest winner ...

and

Best Art Direction The Academy Award for Best Production Design recognizes achievement for art direction in film. The category's original name was Best Art Direction, but was changed to its current name in 2012 for the 85th Academy Awards. This change resulted fro ...

at the

. It ranked 13 on ''

s The 100 Top Music Videos, 72 on

's 100 Greatest Videos, and 88 on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's 100 Greatest Videos Ever Made.

was inspired by the video for her "

Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her second studio album, '' Oops!... I Did It Again'' (2000). It was released on March 12, 2001, by Jive Records as the fourth and final single from the album. A ...

" clip, saying "he did Janet Jackson-remember when she made her comeback?" she says, alluding to Janet's makeover, which was orchestrated by Ritts when he directed her "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" video." American recording artist

revealed that she was inspired by the video for her " Your Love" clip.

Live performances

Jackson has performed the song on most of her tours including the

janet. Tour Janet World Tour (stylized as janet. World Tour and known as Summer Escapade during the summer of 1994) was the second concert tour by American singer, performer, songwriter and dancer Janet Jackson. It was launched in support of her fifth studi ...

The Velvet Rope Tour The Velvet Rope Tour was the third concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson. Launched in support of her sixth studio album ''The Velvet Rope'' (1997), the tour visited Europe, North America, Japan, New Zealand, Africa, and Austral ...

All for You Tour The All for You Tour was the fourth concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson, in support of her seventh studio album '' All for You'' (2001). The show was designed by Mark Fisher and Jackson. It was originally scheduled to start in ...

Rock Witchu Tour Rock Witchu Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Janet Jackson, in support of her tenth studio album '' Discipline'' (2008), and her first in nearly seven years, following a total blacklist of the singer's music, due to ...

Number Ones, Up Close and Personal Number Ones, Up Close and Personal World Tour was the sixth concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson. It showcased her sophomore compilation album, '' Number Ones'' and visited Asia, North America, Europe, Australia, and Africa. Ja ...

, Unbreakable World Tour, and

State of the World Tour The State of the World Tour was the eighth concert tour by American singer Janet Jackson. Launched in promotion of her eleventh studio album ''Unbreakable'' (2015), the tour is produced by Live Nation and is under the creative direction of Gil ...

. It was included on her 2019 Las Vegas Residency Janet Jackson: Metamorphosis.

Legacy

Sally Yeh and

Alex To Alex To (born Alejandro Delfino on 10 February 1962) is a Hong Kong- and Taiwan-based singer and actor. He is the winner of the 4th annual New Talent Singing Awards in 1985. He has released numerous albums throughout his career and mainly ha ...

covered the Cantonese version "信自己" (Believe Myself) in 1991 on Sally 14th album. Macy Gray sang the song live as a tribute to Jackson during

's ''

'' special in 2001. The song was recorded by

in 2009 on their album ''

Sparks Sparks may refer to: Places *Sparks, Georgia * Sparks, Kansas *Sparks, Kentucky *Sparks, Maryland * Sparks, Nebraska *Sparks, Nevada *Sparks, Oklahoma *Sparks, Texas * Sparks, Bell County, Texas * Sparks, West Virginia Books * ''Sparks'' (Raffi ...

''.

Manilyn Reynes Manilyn Reynes-Jimenez (born April 27, 1972), simply known as Manilyn Reynes, is a Filipino actress, singer, TV host and commercial model. In the Philippines, Reynes has been referred to as "The Star of All Decades" and is recognized as one of ...

performed the song on the film, Kung sino pa ang minahal (1991). Carnie Wilson revealed to

that while creating a song for a

Trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other marine ...

commercial as a task for

The New Celebrity Apprentice ''The New Celebrity Apprentice'' (also known simply as ''The Apprentice'') was the eighth and final installment of the reality game show ''The Celebrity Apprentice'', thus making it the fifteenth and final installment of ''The Apprentice'' as a wh ...

it was inspired by this song.

Track listings

* Dutch 7-inch single (390 606-7) # Work It Out" 7-inch With Intro – 4:48 # The Love 7-inch – 4:36 * UK 12-inch single (AMY 700) (limited edition with tour patch & sticker) :Dutch 12-inch single (390 606-1) # The "Work It Out" Mix – 7:30 # UK Funky Mix – 6:25 # The "Work It Out" Dub – 4:50 * UK CD single (AMCD 700) :European CD single (390 606-2) :U.S. CD single (75021 2400 2) # Work It Out" 7-inch With Intro – 4:48 # Shep's "Work It Out" Mix – 7:37 # UK Funky Mix – 6:25 * U.S. 12-inch single (75021 2346 1) # The "Work It Out" Mix – 7:30 # The "Work It Out" Dub – 4:51 # Work It Out" 7-inch With Intro – 4:48 # UK Funky Mix – 6:25 # UK Instrumental – 6:05 # Single Version – 4:30 * U.S. cassette single (75021-1538-4) # Single Version – 4:30 # Work It Out" 7-inch With Intro – 4:48 * Japanese 3-inch CD single (PCDY-10021) # Single Version – 4:30 # Work It Out" 7-inch With Intro – 4:48 # "The 1814 Megamix" – 7:24 * Japanese CD maxi-single (PCCY-10164)Janet Jackson - Love Will Never Do (Without You) (The Remixes)
/ref> # Single Version – 4:30 # Work It Out" 7-inch With Intro – 4:48 # UK Funky 7-inch – 4:29 # The Love 7-inch – 4:36 # Work It Out" 7-inch – 4:13 # The "Work It Out" Mix – 7:30 # UK Funky Mix – 6:25 # Shep's Love Mix – 6:03 # The "Work It Out" Dub – 4:50 # The Love Dub – 6:07 # Shep's Original 7-inch – 4:28 # Acapella – 3:49 # "The 1814 Megamix" – 7:24 # "You Need Me" – 4:35

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

Herb Ritts
{{Authority control 1989 songs 1990 singles Janet Jackson songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video Music videos directed by Herb Ritts Black-and-white music videos Songs written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis RPM Top Singles number-one singles Song recordings produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Sahara Hotnights songs A&M Records singles New jack swing songs