"Nasty" 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 ...
from her third studio album, ''
Control
Control may refer to:
Basic meanings Economics and business
* Control (management), an element of management
* Control, an element of management accounting
* Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization
* Controllin ...
'' (1986). It was released on April 15, 1986, by
A&M Records
A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
as the album's second single. It is a funk number built with samples and a quirky timpani melody. The single peaked at number three on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one on the
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 ...
chart, and remains one of Jackson's
signature song
A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...
s. The line "My first name ain't baby, it's Janet – Miss Jackson if you're nasty" has been used in pop culture in various forms.
The song won for Favorite Soul/R&B Single at the
1987 American Music Awards. It ranked number 30 on
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 ...
's 100 Best Songs of the Past 25 Years, number 45 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s, number 79 on ''
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 ...
''s 100 Greatest Pop Songs, and number six on ''
LA Weekly
''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...
''s Best Pop Songs in Music History by a Female. It has been included in each of Jackson's greatest hits albums: ''
Design of a Decade: 1986–1996'' (1995), ''
Number Ones'' (2009) and ''
Icon: Number Ones'' (2010).
Background
After arranging a recording contract with
A&M Records
A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
in 1982 for a then-16-year-old Janet, her father
Joseph Jackson oversaw the entire production of her debut album, ''
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 ...
'', and its follow-up, ''
Dream Street
Dream Street were an American pop music, pop boy band that was formed in 1999 by Louis Baldonieri and Brian Lukow. The band disbanded in 2002 following a legal dispute between parents of the band members and the band's managers.
History
The ...
'' (1984).
Jackson was initially reluctant to begin a recording career, explaining, "I was coming off of a TV show that I absolutely hated doing, ''
Fame''. I didn't want to do
he first record
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
I wanted to go to college. But I did it for my father ..." and elaborated that she was often in conflict with her producers.
Amidst her professional struggles, she rebelled against her family's wishes by marrying
James DeBarge
James Curtis DeBarge (born August 22, 1963) is an American R&B/soul singer. He was one of the members of the singing family vocal group DeBarge who became famous with their mid-1980s songs " All This Love", "Love Me in a Special Way", " Rhythm ...
of the family recording group
DeBarge
DeBarge was an American musical recording group composed of several members of the DeBarge family. In addition to various solo projects completed by members of the family, DeBarge was active between 1979 and 1989. The group originally consisted ...
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.
Jackson subsequently fired her father as her manager and hired John McClain, then A&M Records' senior vice president of
artists and repertoire
Artists and repertoire (colloquially abbreviated to A&R) is the division of a record label or music publishing company that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists (singers, instrumentalist ...
and general manager. 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.
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 and production duo
James "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Lewis, and Jackson and the duo started working on a third studio album for Jackson, titled ''
Control
Control may refer to:
Basic meanings Economics and business
* Control (management), an element of management
* Control, an element of management accounting
* Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization
* Controllin ...
'', in Minneapolis.
"Nasty" was Jackson's autobiographical account of confronting abusive men. She said,
The danger hit home when a couple of guys started stalking me on the street. 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. Control meant not only taking care of myself but living in a much less protected world. And doing that meant growing a tough skin. Getting attitude.
Jimmy Jam built the melody for this song around a sound from his then-new
Mirage
A mirage is a naturally-occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French ''(se) mirer'', from the Latin ''mirari'', meanin ...
keyboard: "It
ada factory sound that was in there... more of a sound-effect type of sound", he recalled. "I've always been – probably from being around Prince – interested in using unorthodox types of things to get melodies and sounds. That was a very unmelodic type of sound, but we found a way to build a melody around it."
In August 1999,
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...
revealed she was working with Jackson on an updated remix for the song; its working title was "Nasty Girl 2000". The following year, Elliott's close friend
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...
was added to the track, however due to undisclosed reasons the record was never released.
Composition
"Nasty" is set in
common time
The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...
, in the key of
F minor
F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature consists of four flats. Its relative major is A-flat major and its parallel major is F major. Its enharmonic equivalent, E-sharp mi ...
. Jackson's vocals range between approximately E
3 and C
5. The song is in a medium dance groove tempo of 100
beats per minute
Beat, beats or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area
** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols
** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men
* Battery ( ...
. At the beginning of the song, Jackson shouts, "Give me a beat!". The song is about respect as she tells all her male admirers "better be a gentleman or you'll turn me off".
[ For the '']Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', Jackson's approach is hard and aggressive in the song.
Critical reception
''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 ...
s reviewer Steven Ivory called "Nasty" a "hard-funk" song, along with other tracks from ''Control''. Rob Hoerburger from ''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 ...
'' remarked that "on cuts such as 'Nasty' and the single 'What Have You Done for Me Lately
"What Have You Done for Me Lately" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her third studio album, ''Control'' (1986). Jackson co-wrote the song with its producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It was released on January 13, 1986, by A&M Re ...
' Janet makes the message clear: She's still basically a nice girl but ready to kick some butt if you try to put her on a pedestal". William Ruhlmann of AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
picked the song as one of the album's highlight. Website Scene 360° commented that it was a confident, sassy song and influenced pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
in the following years of its release.
Music video
The accompanying music video for "Nasty" was directed by Mary Lambert and choreographed by 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 ...
, who also made a cameo. Abdul won an MTV Video Music Award 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 ...
.
Live performances
Jackson sang "Nasty" live at the 1987 Grammy Awards
The 29th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1987, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.
Paul Simon won Album of the Year for ''Graceland'', and Burt Bacha ...
, wearing an all-black outfit, along with Jam and Lewis and dancers. She also has performed the song on all of her tours. It was first performed on the Rhythm Nation Tour in 1990. On the Janet World 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 ...
which happened in 1993 and continued throughout the two following years, the song was the second to be performed along with "Nasty", with the singer wearing gold jewelry. The song was performed during a "frenzied" medley with "What Have You Done for Me Lately" and "The Pleasure Principle" on 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 ...
in 1998. The medley at the October 11, 1998, show at the Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
in New York City was broadcast during a special titled ''The Velvet Rope: Live in Madison Square Garden'' by HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
. It was also added to the setlist at its DVD release, '' The Velvet Rope Tour: Live in Concert'' in 1999. During the 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 2001 and 2002, "Nasty" was performed in a re-worked version, during a medley with "Control" and "What Have You Done for Me Lately". According to Denise Sheppard from ''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 ...
'', it was "another crowd favorite; perhaps best dubbed as the 'bitter' portion of the night", also adding that "this performer - who has been performing onstage for twenty-eight years - knows what the crowd comes for and gives it to them in spades". The February 16, 2002 final date of the tour at the Aloha Stadium
Aloha Stadium is a closed multi-purpose stadium located in Halawa, Hawaii, a western suburb of Honolulu (though with a Honolulu address). It is the largest stadium in the state of Hawaii. , the stadium ceased fan-attended operations indefinitely ...
in Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, was broadcast by HBO, and included a performance of it. This rendition was also added to the setlist at its DVD release, '' Janet: Live in Hawaii'', in 2002.
On September 9, 2006, Jackson went to France to perform "Nasty" and new single " So Excited" at NRJ
NRJ (NRJ is an acronym read as Nouvelle Radio Jeune, or ''énergie'' in French, pronounced , literally "energy") is a private French radio station created by Jean-Paul Baudecroux and Max Guazzini in June 1981, and was widely popularized than ...
's Back to School concert, as part of promotion for her ninth studio album ''20 Y.O.
''20 Y.O.'' is the ninth studio album by American singer Janet Jackson. It was released on September 20, 2006, by Virgin Records. Its title makes reference to her third studio album ''Control'' (1986), and is a commemoration to its twentieth ann ...
''. While on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show
''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...
'', she was interviewed and performed both tracks again. The show aired on September 25, a day before ''20 Y.O.''s release in the United States. A few days later, the singer performed on ''Today
Today (archaically to-day) may refer to:
* Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now''
* Current era, present
* The current calendar date
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...
''s Toyota Concert Series in Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commerce, commercial buildings covering between 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street and 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The 14 original Art Deco ...
, in New York City, to promote ''20 Y.O''. The setlist also included "So Excited" and " Call on Me". For her first tour in six years, titled 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 ...
, Jackson performed "Nasty" as part of it. Jackson made a surprise appearance on the ninth-season finale of ''American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' in 2010 to perform a medley of "Nothing
Nothing, the complete absence of anything, has been a matter of philosophical debate since at least the 5th century BC. Early Greek philosophers argued that it was impossible for ''nothing'' to exist. The atomists allowed ''nothing'' but only i ...
" and "Nasty" after joining the contestants to perform a rendition of her hit ballad "Again
Again may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Again'' (video game), a 2009 adventure game for the Nintendo DS
* ''Again!!'' manga
* ''Again!'', a 2011 children's book by Emily Gravett
* ''Again'' (film), a 2015 Japanese film
Music
* Again (band), a ...
". She also sang it at Essence Music Festival
The Essence Festival, known as "the party with a purpose", is an annual music festival which started in 1995 as a one-time event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of ''Essence'', a magazine aimed primarily towards African-American women. It becam ...
in New Orleans, in July 2010, which she headlined. It was also performed during her Number Ones: Up Close and Personal tour in 2011. John Soeder from Cleveland.com
''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday.
As of Ma ...
commented, "Yet the emphasis was on high-energy dance numbers, including 'Miss You Much,' 'Nasty,' 'When I Think of You' and other infectious blasts from the past, complete with pneumatic grooves and icy synthesizers. The net effect was akin to squeezing into an old pair of acid-washed jeans." It was also included on her 2015–2016 Unbreakable World Tour as the second song on the set list and as well on her current 2017-2019 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 is the fourth song on the setlist. Jackson included the song at her 2019 Las Vegas residence Janet Jackson: Metamorphosis. It was also included on her special concert series " Janet Jackson: A Special 30th Anniversary Celebration of Rhythm Nation" in 2019.
Legacy
In 1986, "Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...
included the song in his polka medley "Polka Party!
''Polka Party!'' is the fourth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on October 21, 1986. The album was produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between April and September 1986, the album was Yankovic's follow-u ...
" from his album of the same name.
Elvira
Elvira is a female given name. First recorded in medieval Spain, it is likely of Germanic (Gothic) origin.
Elvira may refer to:
People Nobility
* Elvira Menéndez (died 921), daughter of Hermenegildo Gutiérrez and wife of Ordoño II of León ...
performed the song as the opening number for her 1986 Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park located in Buena Park, California, owned and operated by Cedar Fair. In 2015, it was the twelfth-most-visited theme park in North America and averages approximately 4 million visitors per year. It features 40 ...
Halloween
Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...
"Shock and Rock Spooktacular" stage show.
"Nasty" was featured in the opening scenes of the ''Moonlighting
Moonlighting may refer to:
* Side job, a job taken in addition to one's primary employment
Entertainment
* ''Moonlighting'' (film), a 1982 drama film by Jerzy Skolimowski
* ''Moonlighting'' (TV series), 1985–1989 American television series, s ...
'' episode "Blonde on Blonde". It plays as Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Lynne Shepherd (born February 18, 1950) is an American actress and former model. Her film debut and breakthrough role came as Jacy Farrow in Peter Bogdanovich's coming-of-age drama ''The Last Picture Show'' (1971) alongside Jeff Bridges. ...
) is dancing in front of a mirror.
In the fall of 1989, NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
aired a pilot movie, and later a 13-episode mid-season replacement series, called ''Nasty Boys
The Nasty Boys are a group of supervillain Mutant (Marvel Comics), mutants appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. This group exists in Marvel's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe.
These characters are the pers ...
'' about a group of North Las Vegas
North Las Vegas is a suburban city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, in the Las Vegas Valley. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 216,961, with an estimated population of 251,974 in 2019. The city was incorporated on May 1, 19 ...
undercover cops and their unorthodox methods working in a narcotics unit. The theme music was Jackson's "Nasty", performed by Lisa Keith
Lisa Keith (born 1960) is an American contemporary/ pop singer, probably best known for her work as a backing vocalist for other artists and lead vocalist on Herb Alpert's hit single from 1987, " Making Love in the Rain". In 1993 she released her ...
, though the lyrics were slightly changed to make the song more pertinent to the storyline.
USA Network
USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...
used "Nasty" in a promo for the seventh season of the series ''Psych
''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observ ...
'', with past snippets from the show put together to create the song's call and response portion. Buckcherry
Buckcherry is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1995. The band released two albums, ''Buckcherry'' (1999) and ''Time Bomb'' (2001), before dissolving in 2002. Buckcherry's first album ''Buckcherry'' was DreamWorks first a ...
sang the song live as a tribute to Jackson during 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 ''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 ...
'' special in 2001.
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 ...
has paid homage to "Nasty" multiple times throughout her career; she performed live covers of "Nasty" and "Black Cat" on the "Baby One More Time Tour
An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...
". She also yelled "Stop!" in the single version of " (You Drive Me) Crazy" pays homage to Janet saying "Stop!" in the "Nasty" music video. The single version of the song, titled "The Stop! Remix", also references "Nasty". The chair routine in the song's music video pays homage to Jackson's "Miss You Much
"Miss You Much" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson. 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 t ...
" video. Additionally, her single "Boys
A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man.
Definition, etymology, and use
According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...
", released as the fourth single from her '' Britney'' album, references "Nasty" in the line "get nasty", with the song being described as "cut-rate '80s Janet Jackson" by ''Entertainment Weekly''. Spears also pays homage to the song in " Break the Ice", released as the third single from her fifth studio album '' Blackout'', in the line "I like this part", which references Janet saying "I love this part" in "Nasty". Spears' official site said she was "stopping the song à la Janet Jackson to say, "I like this part. It feels kind of good." The opening scene of her " Ooh La La" video also pays homage to Jackson's "Nasty" video, with MSN Music
''MSN Music'' was a part of MSN's web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. The website also served as a digital music store from 2004 to 2008.
History
I ...
saying, "The clip plays out like a more kid-friendly version of Janet Jackson's "Nasty" video, with Spears and her kids taking in a movie when mom is suddenly transported into the on-screen action."
In 2013, the Glee Cast
''Glee'' (stylized as ''glee'') is an American musical comedy-drama television series that aired on the Fox network in the United States from May 19, 2009, to March 20, 2015. It centers on the glee club called the New Directions at the fictional ...
covered the song on the episode " Puppet Master" as a mashup with Jackson's own "Rhythm Nation
"Rhythm Nation" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson, released as the second single from her fourth studio album, ''Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814'' (1989). It was written and produced by Jackson, in collaboration with Jimmy Jam and T ...
". Panic! at the Disco
Panic! at the Disco is the solo project of American musician Brendon Urie. It was originally a pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004 by childhood friends Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Brent Wilson. They recorded their firs ...
's single "Miss Jackson
"Miss Jackson" is a song by American rock band Panic! at the Disco, released on July 15, 2013, as the first single for the band's fourth studio album, ''Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!'' (2013). " is titled after Jackson and references "Nasty" in the line "Miss Jackson, Are you nasty?" during its chorus.
After Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
referred to Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
as "such a nasty woman
"Nasty woman" was a phrase used by 2016 US presidential candidate Donald Trump to refer to opponent Hillary Clinton during the third presidential debate. The phrase made worldwide news, became a viral call for some women voters, and has also la ...
" during the third Presidential debate of the 2016 US election
The 2016 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Republican nominee Donald Trump defeated Democratic former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, while Republicans retained control of Congres ...
cycle, the song rose up 250% as reported by streaming
Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
platform Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
.
Track listings
*US, UK, and European 7-inch single
:A. "Nasty" (Edit of Remix) – 3:40
:B. "You'll Never Find (A Love Like Mine)" – 4:08
*US and European 12-inch single / Australian limited-edition 12-inch single
:A1. "Nasty" (Extended) – 6:00
:B1. "Nasty" (Instrumental) – 4:00
:B2. "Nasty" (A Cappella) – 2:55
*US and European 12-inch single – Cool Summer Mix Parts I and II
:A. "Nasty" (Cool Summer Mix Part I) – 7:57
:B. "Nasty" (Cool Summer Mix Part II) – 10:09
*UK 12-inch single
:A1. "Nasty" (Extended) – 6:00
:B1. "Nasty" (Instrumental) – 4:00
:B2. "You'll Never Find (A Love Like Mine)" – 4:08
Personnel
* Janet Jackson – vocals, background vocals, keyboards
* Jerome Benton
Jerome Benton (born September 19, 1962) is an American musical performer, backup dancer and comedic actor. He can be seen in music videos by Janet Jackson and Prince (musician), Prince, but he is known for his association with Morris Day and The ...
– vocals
* Jimmy Jam – percussion, piano, drums, vocals
* Jellybean Johnson
Garry George "Jellybean" Johnson (born November 19, 1956) is an American drummer, guitarist, songwriter, producer and musician based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
A member and drummer of The Time who worked along with famed producers Jimmy Ja ...
– vocals
* Terry Lewis – percussion, vocals
Accolades
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
See also
* List of number-one R&B singles of 1986 (U.S.)
* Nasty woman meme
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nasty (Song)
1986 singles
1986 songs
A&M Records singles
Janet Jackson songs
Music videos directed by Mary Lambert
New jack swing songs
Song recordings produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Songs with feminist themes
Songs written by Janet Jackson
Songs written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis