Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966 in Gary, IN) is an American sing… Read Full Bio ↴Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966 in Gary, IN) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreography became a catalyst in the growth of MTV, enabling her to rise to prominence while breaking gender and racial barriers in the process. Lyrical content which focused on social issues set her reputation as a role model for youth.

The tenth and youngest child of the Jackson family, she began her career with the variety television series The Jacksons in 1976 and went on to appear in other television shows throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, including Good Times, Diff'rent Strokes, and Fame. After signing a recording contract with A&M Records in 1982, she became a pop icon following the release of her third and fourth studio albums Control (1986) and Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). Her collaborations with record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis incorporated elements of rhythm and blues, funk, disco, rap, and industrial beats, which led to crossover success in popular music.

In 1991, Jackson signed the first of two record-breaking multimillion-dollar contracts with Virgin Records, establishing her as one of the highest-paid artists in the industry. Prior to her first studio project with Virgin, she appeared in her first of several lead film roles in Poetic Justice (1993). Her two studio albums which followed, Janet (1993) and The Velvet Rope (1997), saw her develop a public image as a sex symbol. These records, along with their promotional music videos and live performances in concert tours, branded Jackson as one of the world's most erotic performers, garnering both criticism and praise. By the end of the 1990s, she was named by Billboard magazine as the second most successful recording artist of the decade after Mariah Carey. The release of her seventh studio album All for You in 2001 coincided with a celebration of her impact on the recording industry as the subject of the inaugural MTV Icon special.

The backlash from the 2004 Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy resulted in an industry blacklisting under the direction of Les Moonves, then-CEO of CBS Corporation. Jackson subsequently experienced reduced radio airplay, televised promotion and sales figures from that point forward. After parting ways with Virgin Records, she released her tenth studio album Discipline (2008), her first and only album with Island Records. In 2015, she partnered with BMG Rights Management to launch her own record label, Rhythm Nation and released her eleventh studio album Unbreakable the same year. Since then she has continued to release music as an independent artist.

Having sold over 100 million records, Jackson is one of the world's best-selling music artists. She has amassed an extensive catalog, with singles such as "Nasty", "Rhythm Nation", "That's the Way Love Goes", "Together Again", and "All for You"; she holds the record for the most consecutive top-ten entries on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with 18. She is also the only artist in the history of the chart to have seven commercial singles from one album (Rhythm Nation 1814) peak within the top five positions. In 2008, Billboard placed her number seven on its list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, and in 2010 ranked her fifth among the "Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years". In December 2016, the magazine named her the second most successful dance club artist after Madonna. One of the world's most awarded artists, her accolades include five Grammy Awards, eleven Billboard Music Awards, eleven American Music Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and eight Guinness World Records entries. In 2019, she was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Jackson has been cited as an inspiration among numerous performers and credited with elevating a standard of sound, showmanship and sex appeal expected of pop stars.

15. What about
Janet Jackson Lyrics

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We walked along the beach
What a moonlit night
He held my hand in his
He kissed me
He said "I wanna spend my life with you... I want you for my wife"
Just then I thought

What about the times you lied to me

What about the times you said no one would want me
What about all the shit you've done to me
What about that, what about that
What about the times you yelled at me
What about the times I cried, you wouldn't even hold me
What about those things
What about that, what about that

I took a pause, then a deep sigh
He looked right into my eyes as he said
"I know I didn't say somethin wrong"
I didn't have the courage to say
But then I thought

What about the times you lied to me
What about the times you said no one would want me
What about all the shit you've done to me
What about that, what about that
What about the times you yelled at me
What about the times I cried, you wouldn't even hold me
What about those things
What about that, what about that

What about the times you hit my face
What about the times you kept on when I said "no more please"
What about those things
What about that, what about that
What about the times you shamed me
What about the times you said you didn't fuck her
She only gave you head
What about that, what about that

Don't wanna live my life
In misery
Don't tell me you did it cuz you love me
I don't believe

I'm sick and tired
Your deceptive games
Wonder where you have been
I can't live life wonderin

My heart was poundin
But the time had come
To stop lettin my whisperin heart control me
And tellin my screamin mind what to do
I looked him straight in the eyes and then I said

What about the times you lied to me
What about the times you said no one would want me
What about all the shit you've done to me
What about that, what about that
What about the times you yelled at me
What about the times I cried, you wouldn't even hold me
What about those things
What about that, what about that

What about the times you hit my face
What about the times you kept on when I said "no more please"
What about those things
What about that, what about that
What about the times you shamed me
What about the times you said you didn't fuck her

She only gave you head
What about that, what about that

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Janet Jackson's song 15 reveal a conversation between two people walking on the beach one moonlit night. The man tells the woman that he wants to spend his life with her and have her as his wife. However, as she contemplates the proposal, she thinks about all the times he lied to her, said hurtful things, and mistreated her. She questions him about these things, including times he hit her face and times he shamed her. She expresses her frustration with his deceptive games and says she cannot live her life in misery. She finally confronts him about all these issues, refusing to let her whispering heart control her and telling her screaming mind what to do.

The lyricist paints an authentic picture of a woman struggling with the idea of moving forward with a man despite the pain and harm he has caused her in the past. The woman in the song takes the time to work through the issues and become clear on what she is willing to accept in a relationship, and what she is not willing to tolerate.

Line by Line Meaning

We walked along the beach
I was with him by the ocean

What a moonlit night
The night was bright and beautiful

He held my hand in his
He took my hand and held it tight

He kissed me
He leaned in and we shared a kiss

He said 'I wanna spend my life with you... I want you for my wife'
He expressed his desire to marry and spend his life with me

Just then I thought
At that moment, I had a thought

What about the times you lied to me
I recalled the times he had lied to me

What about the times you said no one would want me
I remembered the times he had said hurtful things to me

What about all the shit you've done to me
I thought of all the terrible things he had done to me

What about that, what about that
These are important things to consider

What about the times you yelled at me
I thought of the times he had raised his voice at me

What about the times I cried, you wouldn't even hold me
I thought of the times he had neglected to comfort me when I was upset

What about those things
These things are important to address

I took a pause, then a deep sigh
I stopped talking and took a deep breath

He looked right into my eyes as he said
He made eye contact with me

"I know I didn't say somethin wrong"
He tried to reassure me that he had done nothing wrong

I didn't have the courage to say
I was too afraid to speak up

But then I thought
I had another thought

What about the times you hit my face
I remembered the times he had physically hurt me

What about the times you kept on when I said "no more please"
I thought of the times he had ignored my pleas to stop

What about those things
These things are unacceptable

What about the times you shamed me
I thought of the times he had humiliated me

What about the times you said you didn't fuck her
I recalled the times he had lied about being with another woman

She only gave you head
He had admitted to receiving oral sex from another woman

Don't wanna live my life
I don't want to live this way anymore

In misery
I don't want to be unhappy

Don't tell me you did it cuz you love me
His love is not a justification for his actions

I don't believe
I don't trust him anymore

I'm sick and tired
I'm worn out and fed up

Your deceptive games
I'm tired of his lies and manipulations

Wonder where you have been
I'm suspicious of his whereabouts

I can't live life wonderin
I can't continue to live in uncertainty

My heart was poundin
My heart was racing

But the time had come
It was time to take action

To stop lettin my whisperin heart control me
I needed to stop being guided solely by my emotions

And tellin my screamin mind what to do
I needed to start making rational decisions

I looked him straight in the eyes and then I said
I made eye contact with him and spoke directly

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., JANET JACKSON DBA BLACK ICE
Written by: JAMES SAMUEL III HARRIS, JANET DAMITA JO JACKSON, TERRY LEWIS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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