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The Velvet Rope
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work
After her first compilation album, in 1995, Janet Jackson renewed her contract with Virgin for eighty million dollars, at the time the biggest record contract ever. During a tour she suffered an emotional breakdown and struggled with depression for a long time. That became the starting point for The Velvet Rope, which she conceived as a concept album about self-examination. She wrote and produced it with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and with René Elizondo Jr. as co-writer. The title stands for emotional boundaries and the need to feel special.
The lyrics deal with depression, self-worth, domestic violence and sexuality, including homosexuality and BDSM. The music mixes R&B, pop, trip hop, folk, jazz, rock and techno. On Got 'Til It's Gone we hear Q-Tip and a sample of Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell. The album reached number one on the American chart and Together Again became an international number one. Jackson received a GLAAD Media Award for the album.
Listening
Track list
- 1Interlude - Twisted Elegance0:42Apple Music ↗
- 2Velvet Rope (feat. Vanessa-Mae)4:56Apple Music ↗
- 3You4:43Apple Music ↗
- 4Got 'Til It's Gone (feat. Q-Tip & Joni Mitchell)4:02Apple Music ↗
- 5Interlude - Speaker Phone0:54Apple Music ↗
- 6My Need3:44Apple Music ↗
- 7Interlude - Fasten Your Seatbelts0:19Apple Music ↗
- 8Go Deep4:42Apple Music ↗
- 9Free Xone4:57Apple Music ↗
- 10Interlude - Memory0:05Apple Music ↗
- 11Together Again5:01Apple Music ↗
- 12Interlude - Online0:19Apple Music ↗
- 13Empty4:33Apple Music ↗
- 14Interlude - Full0:13Apple Music ↗
- 15What About4:24Apple Music ↗
- 16Every Time4:17Apple Music ↗
- 17Tonight's The Night5:08Apple Music ↗
- 18I Get Lonely5:18Apple Music ↗
- 19Rope Burn4:16Apple Music ↗
- 20Anything4:55Apple Music ↗
- 21Interlude - Sad0:11Apple Music ↗
- 22Special3:22Apple Music ↗
- 23Can't Be Stopped4:14Apple Music ↗
30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗