"Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her third studio album, '' Control'' (1986). It was released on November 25, 1987, 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 seventh and final single. The song was written and produced by Jackson and collaborators

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 ...

. While "Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)" was officially released in the United Kingdom and Australia, it was released solely for airplay in the United States in 1987. The single reached number 59 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and number 24 on the Irish Singles Chart. In the US, it was ineligible to chart. No music video was filmed for the single.

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

musician

Stanley Clarke Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, film composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first ja ...

covered the song for his 1988 album '' If This Bass Could Only Talk''. The song was also

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...

on The Lost Boyz's " Renee" and on

Camp Lo Camp Lo is an American hip hop duo, formed in 1995, which hails from The Bronx, New York. The duo consists of rappers Sonny Cheeba (Salahadeen Wilds) and Geechi Suede (Saladine Wallace). The duo is perhaps best known for their 1997 hit "Luchi ...

's "Coolie High", both from 1996. In 2014, it was sampled on

Tinashe Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe ( ; born February 6, 1993), known mononymously as Tinashe, is an American singer, dancer, and actress. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Tinashe moved to Pasadena as a child to pursue a career in entertainment. Her notab ...

's "How Many Times" from her debut album '' Aquarius''. Two years later, it was sampled on

SWV SWV (Sisters with Voices) is an American R&B vocal trio from New York City whose members are Cheryl (Coko) Gamble, Tamara (Taj) Johnson, and Leanne (Lelee) Lyons. Formed in 1988 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B g ...

's " MCE (Man Crush Everyday)".

Live performances

Jackson included the song as an instrumental interlude on her Rhythm Nation World Tour 1990. She performed the full song on her 2008 Rock Witchu Tour. Jackson also included the song in her performances at the 2010, 2018, & 2022 Essence Music Festival, held in New Orleans, Louisiana. The song was used as an interlude for the video introduction on the Unbreakable World Tour (2015–2016), and was later included on the second leg of the 2018

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 residency Janet Jackson: Metamorphosis.

Track listings

*UK and Australian 7-inch single :A. "Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)" – 4:29 :B. "

When I Think of You "When I Think of You" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her third studio album, ''Control'' (1986). It was released on July 28, 1986, as the album's third single. Composed by songwriters and record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Le ...

" – 3:57 *UK 12-inch single :A1. "Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)" – 4:29 :A2. " Nasty" (Cool Summer Mix – Part One) – 7:57 :B1. "When I Think of You" (Dance Remix) – 6:25

Charts

References

{{authority control 1986 songs 1987 singles Janet Jackson songs Songs written by Janet Jackson Songs written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Song recordings produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis