"When I Think of 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 ...

from her third studio album, ''

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'' (1986). It was released on July 28, 1986, as the album's third single. Composed by songwriters and record producers

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most ...

, the song is about a person who finds relief and fun in a lover. It was Jackson's first number-one single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and also peaked at number 10 in the United Kingdom. ''

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'' included the song on their "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s" list at number 48. The song was resurrected in 1995 when released on two limited-edition CD single formats in the United Kingdom, one containing remixes by Deep Dish and Heller & Farley, and the other containing remixes by

David Morales David Morales (; born August 21, 1962) is an American disc jockey (DJ) and record producer. In addition to his production and DJ work, Morales is also a remixer. David Morales has remixed and produced over 500 releases for artists including Ma ...

. That same year these remixes were included on certain releases of " Runaway". "When I Think of You" 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).

Commercial performance

"When I Think of You" became Jackson's first number-one single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, spending two weeks atop the chart. After "When I Think of You" reached number one, it made Jackson and her brother

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 ...

the first, and only siblings to both have solo number-one singles on the Hot 100. It also reached number three on the

Hot Black Singles 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 p ...

chart (making it the only single from the ''Control'' album that did not top the R&B chart) and number one on the

Hot Dance Club Play 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 ...

chart in 1986. "When I Think of You" was the 32nd biggest Hot 100 single of 1986, as well as the 47th biggest Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs single of 1986 and the 22nd biggest Hot Dance Club Play single of 1986.

Music video

The music video for "When I Think of You" finds Jackson going around a neighborhood. Each location she visits has the same mysterious man in different costumes saying a brief statement to her and then vanishing as she turns around. The director of "When I Think of You",

Julien Temple Julien Temple (born 26 November 1953) is a British film, documentary and music video director. He began his career with short films featuring the Sex Pistols, and has continued with various off-beat projects, including ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll ...

, would later direct Jackson's "

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" video. Some scenes were staged by Hollywood choreographer

Michael Kidd Michael Kidd (August 12, 1915 – December 23, 2007) was an American film and stage choreographer, dancer and actor, whose career spanned five decades, and staged some of the leading Broadway and film musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Kidd, stron ...

. The video uses an edit of the 12-inch dance remix version of the song instead of the album version. In February 2007, the video was made available on the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

. Jackson would later repeat the same type of format for her video "

Rock with U "Rock With U" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her tenth studio album, ''Discipline'' (2008). It was written by Ne-Yo, Jermaine Dupri, and Eric Stamile, and produced by the last two. The song was released as the album's second si ...

" from 2008's ''

Discipline Discipline refers to rule following behavior, to regulate, order, control and authority. It may also refer to punishment. Discipline is used to create habits, routines, and automatic mechanisms such as blind obedience. It may be inflicted on ot ...

''.

Live performances

Jackson has performed the song on all of her tours,

Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour The Rhythm Nation World Tour 1990 was the first headlining concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson. It was launched in support of her fourth studio album ''Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814'' (1989), and also contained material ...

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 studio ...

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 ...

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, 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 ...

. 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.

Track listings

;US 7-inch single # "When I Think of You" – 3:56 # "Pretty Boy" – 6:32 ;UK 7-inch single #"When I Think of You" – 3:56 #"

Come Give Your Love to Me "Come Give Your Love to Me" is the second single from Janet Jackson's self-titled debut album '' Janet Jackson'' (1982). The song was written by Glen Barbee and Charmaine Sylvers. It peaked at number fifty-eight on the U.S. pop chart, seventeen ...

" – 5:03 ;US 12-inch single # "When I Think of You" (Dance Remix) – 6:12 # "When I Think of You" (Instrumental) – 4:00 # "When I Think of You" (Extra Beats) – 2:00 # "When I Think of You" (Dub/A capella) – 3:15

Remixes

;

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/ pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most ...

mixes * "When I Think of You" (Dance Remix) – 6:12 * "When I Think of You" (Dub/A capella) – 3:15 * "When I Think of You" (Extra Beats) – 2:00 ; Deep Dish mixes * "When I Think of You" (Deep Dish Chocolate City Mix) – 9:35 * "When I Think of You" (Deep Dish Quiet Storm Dub) – 7:52 * "When I Think of You" (Deep Dish Dished Out Bums) – 11:22 ; Heller & Farley mixes * "When I Think of You" (Heller & Farley Project Mix) – 10:46 * "When I Think of You" (Heller & Farley Project Mix - UK Edit) – 6:58 * "When I Think of You" (Junior Trackhead Joint) – 7:08 ;

mixes * "When I Think of You" (Morales Extended House Mix '95) – 7:43 * "When I Think of You" (Morales House Mix '95) – 4:33 * "When I Think of You" (Morales House Mix '95 - 12-inch UK Edit) – 6:22 * "When I Think of You" (Morales House Mix '95 - 7-inch UK Edit) – 3:30 * "When I Think of You" (Morales Crazy Love Mix) – 8:45 * "When I Think of You" (Morales Crazy Love Mix - UK Edit) – 7:08 * "When I Think of You" (Morales Classic Club Mix) – 6:57 * "When I Think of You" (Morales Jazzy Mix) – 10:19 * "When I Think of You" (Morales Drum Mix) – 5:10 * "When I Think of You" (Morales Incredible Boss Dub) – 7:12

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1986 singles 1986 songs A&M Records singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Music videos directed by Julien Temple Janet Jackson songs Song recordings produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Songs written by Janet Jackson Songs written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis