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.
Interlude: Speaker Phone
Janet Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
{Dial tone, dialing, ringing}
Hello?
Hi, it's me.
Yeah, I do.
What you doin with your hands that you can't pick up the phone.
Don't you worry about it I'm taking care of my business. What you doing?
Hold on. Let me just, okay, here we go, I'm back.
I'm going out tonight maybe. Wait hold on...{moans}
Your coochie gon swell up and fall apart.
The lyrics in Janet Jackson's Interlude: Speaker Phone paint the picture of a conversation between two individuals, one of whom is calling the other on speaker phone. The song begins with the faint sound of another Jackson track, "I Get Lonely," playing in the background. The dial tone, dialing, and ringing sounds intensify the feeling of anticipation for the awaited phone call. Finally, the call is answered, and the two exchange greetings. The conversation quickly turns flirtatious and sexually charged, with the speaker asking the person on the other end what they're doing with their hands. The person on the other end of the line seems preoccupied with "taking care of business," leading the speaker to tease them, but the conversation is interrupted by a moment of pleasure.
At its core, Interlude: Speaker Phone is a song about intimacy and flirtation. It's a reminder that sometimes the most exciting moments between two people can happen over the phone, especially when one is feeling a bit daring. The use of the "I Get Lonely" intro, as well as the sound of dialing and ringing, gives the song a natural, authentic feel, as if the listener is eavesdropping on someone's private conversation.
Overall, Interlude: Speaker Phone is an irresistibly sexy and playful song that fully captures the excitement and anticipation of a flirtatious late-night phone call.
Line by Line Meaning
I Get Lonely playing in the background}
Janet Jackson's song 'I Get Lonely' is playing in the background as the phone call begins.
{Dial tone, dialing, ringing}
The sound of the phone dialing and ringing is heard as the call is being made.
Hello?
The person on the other end answers the call with a simple 'hello.'
Hi, it's me.
The person making the call identifies themselves to the other person as 'me.'
You got me on that damn speaker phone.
The person on the other end complains that the caller is using a speaker phone.
Yeah, I do.
The caller acknowledges that they are indeed using a speaker phone.
What you doin with your hands that you can't pick up the phone.
The person on the other end questions why the caller cannot pick up the phone and instead must use a speaker phone.
Don't you worry about it I'm taking care of my business. What you doing?
The caller brushes off the question and changes the subject by asking what the other person is doing.
Hold on. Let me just, okay, here we go, I'm back.
The person on the other end is briefly put on hold, but the caller quickly returns to the conversation.
I'm going out tonight maybe. Wait hold on...{moans}
The person on the other end mentions they might be going out tonight, but then interrupts themselves with a moan.
Your coochie gon swell up and fall apart.
The caller makes a crude and derogatory comment about the other person's genitalia, suggesting that it will not be able to handle sexual activity.
Contributed by Evan V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.