"The Pleasure Principle" is a song recorded 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 ...

for her third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

, ''

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 * Controlli ...

'' (1986).

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 ...

released it as the sixth single from ''Control'' on May 12, 1987. Written and produced by Monte Moir, with co-production by Jackson and Steve Wiese, the song is an "independent woman" anthem about taking control of a personal relationship by refusing to settle for loveless

materialism Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materialis ...

. Musically, "The Pleasure Principle" is an R&B song built around a

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

beat. The photograph for the single cover was shot by

David LaChapelle David LaChapelle (born March 11, 1963) is an American photographer, music video director and film director. He is best known for his work in fashion, photography, which often references art history and sometimes conveys social messages. His pho ...

. The song has been included in two of Jackson's

greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

s, '' Design of a Decade: 1986–1996'' (1995) and '' Number Ones'' (2009). "The Pleasure Principle" received positive reviews from

music critic '' The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mu ...

s and was a modest commercial success. In the

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, it peaked at number 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming her first single to not reach the top-ten since " What Have You Done for Me Lately". However, the single peaked at number one on the

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 ...

and

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 ...

charts. "The Pleasure Principle" reached the

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

in most

markets Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market Geography *Märket, an ...

, but failed to match the international success of the previous singles from ''Control''. It peaked at number 50 in

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, number 35 in

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and number 24 in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

for "The Pleasure Principle" was directed by Dominic Sena. It depicts Jackson entering a loft wearing a T-shirt and jeans to practice her dancing. She gives a solo dance performance while singing about the pleasure principle. The video was seen by critics as iconic and received two nominations at the

1988 MTV Video Music Awards The 1988 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 7, 1988, from the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Hosted by Arsenio Hall, the show honored the best music videos released between May 2, 1987 and April 1, 1988. Australian rock band I ...

, eventually winning one. "The Pleasure Principle" has been performed on many of Jackson's

concert tours A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...

, most recently on the Janet Jackson: A Special 30th Anniversary Celebration of Rhythm Nation tour (2019). It was also performed on a few promotional appearances, including at the 2006 ''Billboard'' Music Awards. In 2008, Jackson's lingerie line was named after the song.

Background and development

After arranging a recording contract with

in 1982 for a then 16-year-old Jackson, her father Joe oversaw the entire production of her eponymous debut studio album 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). In 1985, Jackson subsequently fired her father as her manager and hired John McClain, then A&M's 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, instrumentali ...

and general manager. Commenting on the decision, Jackson 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." McClain subsequently introduced her to the songwriting and production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, former

Prince associates Prince had many musical associates (band members, collaborators, and protegees) during his career. Prince played keyboards in the studio for Stevie Nicks' song, "Stand Back "Stand Back" is a song by American singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks fr ...

and ex-members of The Time. "The Pleasure Principle" was the only song not to be written or produced by Jam and Lewis. Instead, it was penned by Monte Moir, The Time's keyboardist. At the time, he was working with his old band colleagues at Flyte Tyme recording 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 origin ...

when they were offered the project for the album with Jackson, and Moir was asked to come up with some

demos Demos may refer to: Computing * DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system * DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR * Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems * plural for Demo (computer programming) ...

. He did not have a concept or title for the song at first, which was not uncommon for the producer. According to Moir, "As verses started to take shape, I had to figure out what it was I was trying to say, I just stumbled into the title and Freudian concept (of the pleasure principle) and realized it fit." After songwriting was done, Moir recorded it "fairly quickly" as there were a lot of projects going on at one studio.

Composition

Written and produced by Moir, "The Pleasure Principle" is lyrically about the singer taking control of a personal relationship by refusing to settle for loveless

, while Jackson sings, "What I thought was happiness was only part time bliss". The song parallels a fleeting love affair with a ride in a

limousine A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment. A very long wheelbase luxury sedan (with more than four doors) driven by a pr ...

. It mentions a " Big Yellow Taxi", alluding to the 1970

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her st ...

song, which Jackson would later

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on her single " Got 'til It's Gone" from her sixth studio album ''

The Velvet Rope ''The Velvet Rope'' is the sixth studio album by American singer Janet Jackson. The album was released on October 7, 1997, through Virgin Records. Prior to its release, she renegotiated her contract with Virgin for US$80 million, the largest rec ...

'' (1997). Sal Cinquemani from ''

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'' noted that musically "synths bump like busted shock absorbers and the electric guitar screeches like rubber on pavement".

Critical reception

"The Pleasure Principle" received generally positive reviews from

s. Kareem Gantt from AXS commented that compared to "

" and " Nasty", "The Pleasure Principle" was more toned down, but "still a sonic

groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...

r". The song was nominated for Best R&B/Soul Single – Female at the

1988 Soul Train Music Awards The 1988 Soul Train Music Awards were held on March 30, 1988, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The show was broadcast live in select cities and aired later in other areas. Dionne Warwick hosted. Special Award Herit ...

Chart performance

In the United States, "The Pleasure Principle" debuted at number 78 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on the issue dated May 23, 1987. It later reached its peak position of number 14 on August 1, 1987. It became the first single released by Jackson to miss the top-ten until "

Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You) "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)" is a song by American singer-songwriter Janet Jackson with Carly Simon from Jackson's seventh studio album, '' All for You'' (2001). It was written and produced by Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Ter ...

" peaked at number 28 in 2001. "The Pleasure Principle" nevertheless became her fifth chart-topper on the

chart and her third on the

chart. It was ranked number 34 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Year-End chart of 1987. Elsewhere, "The Pleasure Principle" reached the

in most

, but failed to match the international success of the previous singles from ''Control''.

Music video

Background and synopsis

The accompanying

for "The Pleasure Principle" was directed by Dominic Sena and premiered 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 ...

on June 1, 1987. Choreography was handled by Barry Lather. In the beginning of the video, Jackson enters a loft wearing a T-shirt and jeans to practice her dancing. She gives a solo dance performance while singing about the pleasure principle. Elements of the choreography incorporate a chair and a microphone stand.

Reception

At the

, the video won 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 was nominated 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 ...

. While reviewing Jackson's video album ''Rhythm Nation Compilation'' (1989), Wendy Robinson from ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television ...

'' commented that "this is the first video in which Jackson appears alone, with a sleek new hairdo and unleashing a repertoire of exciting new moves", and Justin Joseph from Centric TV noted that the video was "probably more iconic than the song", while describing its choreography as "so dynamic".

Impact and legacy

The video has been re-enacted by singers

Mýa Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), (stylized as Mýa), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born into a musical family, she studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Initially, Mýa began her career as a VJ ...

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 ...

and Normani. In 2000,

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 producti ...

referenced "The Pleasure Principle", as well as Jackson's video for " Miss You Much", for the chair routine on her music video for " Stronger", with director Joseph Kahn saying her idea was inspired by "the iconic chair sequence" in "The Pleasure Principle". A review of the video commented "Ms. Spears gives us her best Janet Jackson impression ('Miss You Much') with a dizzying chair-dance routine."

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series '' In Living Color'', where she re ...

also cited Jackson as a major inspiration for her own dance and videos, stating that she "probably started dancing" because of Jackson's music video for "The Pleasure Principle". In 2006, Cassie was accused of copying "The Pleasure Principle"'s concept on her music video for " Me & U", described as evoking Jackson's "impromptu solo dance rehearsal" during the video's mirror scenes. Cassie stated, "I'm a diehard Janet Jackson fan. A lot of people compare my video for 'Me & U' to hers for 'Pleasure Principle'. I was just rehearsing in the studio, they filmed me and the record label thought it would be great for the video. I'd love to emulate her career. She's incredible, from her moves to her voice."

Live performances

Jackson has performed the song on most of her concert tours, excluding the Janet World Tour and 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 ...

. "The Pleasure Principle" was performed during a "frenzied" medley with "Control", "Nasty" and "

Throb ''Throb'' is an American sitcom that aired in syndication from September 6, 1986, to May 21, 1988. The series, created by Fredi Towbin, was produced by Procter & Gamble Productions in association with Taft Entertainment Television, and was dist ...

" 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 Australi ...

in 1998. The

medley Medley or Medleys may refer to: Sports *Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles * Medley relay races at track meets Music * Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together People * Medley (surname), list of people with this n ...

at the October 11, 1998 show at

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 Pennsylv ...

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was broadcast during a special titled ''The Velvet Rope: Live in Madison Square Garden'' by HBO. It was also added to the

set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...

at its DVD release, '' The Velvet Rope Tour: Live in Concert'' in 1999. On December 4, 2006, while promoting 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 ...

'', Jackson opened the 2006 ''Billboard'' Music Awards with a medley of "Control" and "The Pleasure Principle", and then-new single " So Excited", accompanied by black and red-clad dancers. For her first tour in seven years,

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 t ...

(2008), she chose to open the show with a medley of "The Pleasure Principle", "Control", and " What Have You Done for Me Lately". After an interlude, Jackson made her entrance amid fireworks and theatrical smoke to perform the medley, while donning a

Mohawk hairstyle The mohawk (also referred to as a Mohican) is a hairstyle in which, in the most common variety, both sides of the head are shaven, leaving a strip of noticeably longer hair in the center. It is today worn as an emblem of non-conformity. The ...

. It was also included as the opening song on her

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. ...

tour in 2011. Jackson included the song on the Unbreakable World Tour (2015–2016) and on the State of the World Tour (2017–2019) in a medley with "What Have You Done for Me Lately" and "Control". Jackson included the song at her

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 Veg ...

concert residency show, Janet Jackson: Metamorphosis (2019).

Track listing and formats

*US 7-inch vinyl single :A. "The Pleasure Principle" – 4:58 :B. "

Fast Girls ''Fast Girls'' is a 2012 British sports drama film directed by Regan Hall and written by Jay Basu, Noel Clarke and Roy Williams. It stars Lenora Crichlow, Lily James, Bradley James, Clarke and Rupert Graves. The film follows the story of two ...

" – 3:20 *US and European

12-inch The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

vinyl single / Australian limited-edition 12-inch vinyl single :A1. "The Pleasure Principle" (Long Vocal Mix) – 7:23 :A2. "The Pleasure Principle" (A cappella) – 4:23 :B1. "The Pleasure Principle" (12" Dub) – 6:58 :B2. "The Pleasure Principle" (7" Vocal Mix) – 4:19 *UK and European 7-inch vinyl single :A. "The Pleasure Principle" (The

Shep Pettibone Robert "Shep" Pettibone (born 10 July 1959) is an American record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. Career Shep Pettibone surfaced after his work with Arthur Baker on Afrika Bambaataa & the Jazz ...

Mix) – 4:19 :B. "The Pleasure Principle" (Dub Edit – The Shep Pettibone Mix) – 5:10 *UK 12-inch vinyl single :A1. "The Pleasure Principle" (Long Vocal Mix) – 7:28 :B1. "The Pleasure Principle" (Dub Edit) – 6:58 :B2. "The Pleasure Principle" (A cappella) – 4:19 *UK

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any s ...

and 12-inch single ("The Pleasure Principle"/" Alright" – Danny Tenaglia/

Todd Terry Todd Norton Terry (born April 18, 1967) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer in the genre of house music. Musical career Todd Terry was influential in moving House music beyond the early Chicago house sound of 1984–86. He crosse ...

Mixes) #"The Pleasure Principle" (Legendary Club Mix) – 8:16 #"The Pleasure Principle" (NuFlava Vocal Dub) – 7:21 #"The Pleasure Principle" (Banji Dub) – 7:10 #"The Pleasure Principle" (D.T.'s Twilo Dub) – 9:04 #"Alright" (Tee's Club Mix) – 6:22 #"Alright" (Tee's Beats) – 3:25

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pleasure Principle, The 1985 songs 1987 singles A&M Records singles American synth-pop songs Janet Jackson songs Music videos directed by Dominic Sena Songs written by Monte Moir