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.
Thinkin
Janet Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I swear that I was straight with you
I wasn't looking for nobody new
I just needed someone to talk to (to talk to)
You said you were cool and understood
But now you caught feelings like I knew you would
And you sitting there with a broken heart
'Cause I gave you my body and not my heart
When I'm holding you late at night
I'm thinkin' 'bout my ex
When I'm kissing you and look at you
I'm thinkin' 'bout my ex
And I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you
And I know sorry doesn't mend your broken heart
Baby, I have to be
Unselfish and true to me
'Cause I'm not where I really want to be
And it's nothing with you
It's all me (all me)
I toss and turn all night when I sleep
Want and reaching for someone who use to be
Said it must be some kinda karma thing
'Cause I can't seem to let go and love again
When I lay with you, I close my eyes
I'm thinkin' 'bout my ex
When I'm touching you gently
I'm thinkin' 'bout my ex
And I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you
And I know sorry doesn't mend your broken heart
When I'm listing to music I'm thinking' 'bout my ex
In a bubble bath with the candles lit
I'm thinking 'bout my ex
And I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you
And I know sorry doesn't mend your broken heart
You're beautiful
I don't wanna take the space from someone else
So let me go
And do a little soul searchin' for myself
I'm sorry that
I pulled you in and let it get this far
You know I never meant to break your heart
At the shopping mall or the movies
I'm thinkin' 'bout my ex
At the restaurant while I'm eating
I'm thinkin' 'bout my ex
And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you
And I know sorry doesn't mend your broken heart
While you talk to me, I drift away
I'm thinkin' 'bout my ex
When you ask me what I'm thinkin'
I'm thinkin' 'bout my ex
And I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you
And I know sorry doesn't mend your broken heart
At the shopping mall or the movies
I'm thinkin' 'bout my ex
At the restaurant while I'm eating
I'm thinkin' 'bout my ex
And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you
You know, it's not who you think it is
Janet Jackson’s song “Thinkin” is about a woman who meets someone new and gets into a connection with him, only to find out that she can’t shut out thoughts about her ex-lover. The first stanza of the song reveals that the singer wasn’t planning on meeting anyone new, but she needed someone to talk to. The person she meets says they’re cool and understands her, but the singer realizes it was obvious that the new person would eventually catch feelings, and now they’re left with a broken heart because the singer gave them her body, but not her heart.
The chorus of the song continues with the singer revealing that even though she’s with someone new, she can’t stop thinking about her ex. She’s sorry for hurting her new partner’s feelings, but she knows that an apology won’t heal their broken heart. In the second stanza, the singer admits to tossing and turning at night because she’s still reaching out to her ex, even though the relationship ended. She concludes it must be karma because she can’t seem to let go or love again.
The bridge of the song, the singer expresses her admiration for her new partner and apologizes for leading them on but she feels they need to go their separate ways so she can figure out her feelings.
Overall, Janet Jackson’s “Thinkin” explores the theme of a person who struggles to move on from their past relationship, even if they’re trying to be with someone new.
Line by Line Meaning
When I first met you
I swear that I was straight with you
I wasn't looking for nobody new
I just needed someone to talk to (to talk to)
You said you were cool and understood
But now you caught feelings like I knew you would
And you sitting there with a broken heart
'Cause I gave you my body and not my heart
When we met, I was clear that I didn't want anything serious, I just wanted to talk. You said you were fine with that but ended up catching feelings anyway. I'm sorry for hurting you, but I only gave you physical intimacy, not emotional, and that's my fault.
When I'm holding you late at night
I'm thinkin' 'bout my ex
When I'm kissing you and look at you
I'm thinkin' 'bout my ex
And I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you
And I know sorry doesn't mend your broken heart
Even though I'm with you physically, my mind still wanders to my ex. I'm sorry for hurting you, but just apologizing isn't enough to make it right.
Baby, I have to be
Unselfish and true to me
'Cause I'm not where I really want to be
And it's nothing with you
It's all me (all me)
I toss and turn all night when I sleep
Want and reaching for someone who use to be
Said it must be some kinda karma thing
'Cause I can't seem to let go and love again
I need to do what's best for me, even though it means hurting you. I'm not in a good place emotionally and it's not your fault. I still can't let go of my past and move on, it's like karma is holding me back.
When I lay with you, I close my eyes
I'm thinkin' 'bout my ex
When I'm touching you gently
I'm thinkin' 'bout my ex
And I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you
And I know sorry doesn't mend your broken heart
When I'm listing to music I'm thinking' 'bout my ex
In a bubble bath with the candles lit
I'm thinking 'bout my ex
And I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you
And I know sorry doesn't mend your broken heart
Even when I'm intimate with you, my mind is still on my ex. I'm sorry for hurting you, but just apologizing doesn't fix the damage I've caused.
You're beautiful
I don't wanna take the space from someone else
So let me go
And do a little soul searchin' for myself
I'm sorry that
I pulled you in and let it get this far
You know I never meant to break your heart
You're amazing, but I'm not in the right place for a relationship. I don't want to hold you back from finding someone better for you. I'm sorry for getting you involved and leading you on, that was never my intention.
At the shopping mall or the movies
I'm thinkin' 'bout my ex
At the restaurant while I'm eating
I'm thinkin' 'bout my ex
And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you
You know, it's not who you think it is
Even when I'm out with you, my mind is still on my ex. I'm sorry for hurting you, and it's not because there's someone else in my life, it's just my inability to move on.
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andy Cramer, Kenneth Edmonds, Tanya "Freckles" White
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind