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.
That
Janet Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Burned by the fire
My love is blind
Can't you see my desire
Like a moth to a flame
Burned by the fire
My love is blind
Can't you see my desire
Like a moth to a flame
Burned by the fire
That's the way love goes
My love is blind
Can't you see my desire
Come with me don't you worry
I'm gonna make you crazy
I'll give you the time of your life
I'm gonna take you places you've never been before
and you'll be so happy that you came
Oh I'm gonna take you there
That's the way love goes
That's the way love goes
That's the way love goes
That's the way love goes
Don't mind if I light candles
I like to watch us play and baby I've got on what you like
Come closer baby closer reach out and feel my body
I'm gonna give you all my love
Oh sugar don't you hurry you've got me here all night
just close your eyes and hold on tight
Oh baby don't stop don't stop go deeper baby deeper
you feel so good I'm gonna cry
Oh I'm gonna take you there
That's the way love goes
That's the way love goes
That's the way love goes
That's the way love goes
Don't mind if I light candles
I like to watch us play and baby I've got on what you like
Come closer baby closer reach out and feel my body
I'm gonna give you all my love
Oh sugar don't you hurry you've got me here all night
just close your eyes and hold on tight
Oh baby don't stop don't stop go deeper baby deeper
Janet Jackson's "That's the way love goes" intricately weaves a theme of desire and love, comparing one's infatuation with another to a moth being burned by the flame. The lyrics are a poetic expression of the singer's intense need for affection and the lengths she would go to get them. The fire symbolizes the passion and drive for love that often blinds people, making them overlook the signs that the relationship they're in is harmful. The moth solely focuses on the promising light of a flame and ignores the consequences of immersing itself. Similarly, the singer's love is as overwhelming as the flame that guides the moth, and despite the blindness, she wishes for her lover to see her love.
The chorus serves as the song's anchor, reinforcing the analogy between love and fire, and also emphasizing that her blind desire is "the way love goes." The bridge then transitions to an invitation of sorts, with the singer promising to make her lover "crazy" and take them to new heights that they have never experienced before. Overall, the song is an exploration of the pitfalls of love and the intensity of human desires, ultimately wrapping everything in a captivating and sensuous melody.
Line by Line Meaning
Like a moth to a flame
I'm irresistibly drawn to you
Burned by the fire
But our love is dangerous and destructive
My love is blind
And I can't see the pitfalls we face
Can't you see my desire
I want you so badly it hurts
That's the way love goes
Love can be wild and unpredictable
Come with me don't you worry
But I want to take you on this ride
I'm gonna make you crazy
I'm going to push your boundaries
I'll give you the time of your life
And show you things you've never seen
I'm gonna take you places you've never been before
I want to explore new things with you
and you'll be so happy that you came
And I hope it leaves you feeling fulfilled
Oh I'm gonna take you there
I want to take you on this journey
Don't mind if I light candles
I want to set the mood
I like to watch us play and baby I've got on what you like
And I want to make sure we both enjoy ourselves
Come closer baby closer reach out and feel my body
I want you to be close to me and touch me
I'm gonna give you all my love
I want to share myself with you
Oh sugar don't you hurry you've got me here all night
We have all the time we need to explore
just close your eyes and hold on tight
Just enjoy the ride with me
Oh baby don't stop don't stop go deeper baby deeper
And keep going deeper with me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., JANET JACKSON DBA BLACK ICE, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Charles Bobbit, Fred Wesley, James Brown, James Harris III, Janet Jackson, John Starks, Terry Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@crystalharris-thomas1939
Still listening in 2024❤❤❤.
@HessSabine-qu2zx
Me too 2024❤️🧡🏵️🦋*
@anthonyharris5135
Right? ✊🏽
@clairecox7366
🤍✨
@michaelndhlovu9240
🤝 me too
@BeverlyCarroll-be5jg
😂@@HessSabine-qu2zx
@nycole8192
STILL here in 2024! Still a Banger 💯❤🎶
Who else is still bumpin' Ms. Jackson If You're Nasty?!?! 🙋🏽♀️😉🥰
@ReRiderChi
nobody's making this in 2024
@momipatzyramos4161
When I see Jennifer Lopez & Janet Jackson in one music video... Queens 😊❤
@drfabsoonjd
I think I see Vivica Fox too