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.

Trust a Try
Janet Jackson Lyrics

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Trust
Not an easy thing, you say
Never thought the game of love
This way you'd play
By the things you do
Never thought these things
I would go through with you
Pain, trickery, and deceit

All the wrongs that you put me through
If you don't wanna say
Still love you anyway
Never do believe my words
When I tried telling you my story
Have no reason, still don't trust me
No, I'm not a cheat or liar

She brought love, she brought joy
She brought what she brought
You thought you'd never see again
She cheats and lied, she made you cry, said goodbye
Body's numb, think you're never gonna feel again
Then what you do know? You take it slow
Here comes Jo, things go smooth
But drama just around the bend
Don't blame me for jealousies or insecurities
Please see, 'cause I wouldn't do that to you

Don't smother me with your pain
And misery, baby, please quit
(This place is just killing met)
Accusing me of all this
Polygamy, oh, don't you see (I feel I'm suffocating)
If not the trust, baby, then
We have what? Oh, nothin' (it's too dark in here for me)
Gotta be strong for me, please
You keep holdin' on to memories (I wanna know if we can trust)

Wanna second chance with this love, this romance
Wanna make it last, forget the past, she hurt you bad
Let's start anew, yes, that means me and you
Gonna make it through, but you must give trust a try
Gotta be strong with this love, hold on
Gotta trust in me and we will see true victory
We'll love with ease, baby, please trust in me
It'll be heavenly but you must give us trust a try

You got burned, you got bruised, you got
So you got a kick outta that unhealthy shit
You said to she you'd please her needs whatever it'd be
Still, she'd cheat on her back again for the money
Now learn from it, you grow from it, get over it
I won't take the blame so don't 'cause I ain't having it
'Stead of givin' me the third degree, that's so mean
Don't push me out the door, I wouldn't do that to you

Don't smother me with your pain
And misery, baby, please quit (yeah, yeah)
(It's so damn draining, be here for me)
Accusing me of all this (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Polygamy, oh, don't you see
If not the trust, baby, then
We have what? Oh, nothin'
Gotta be strong for me, please
You keep holdin' on to memories (I wanna know if we can trust)

Wanna second chance with this love, this romance (yeah, yeah)
Wanna make it last, forget the past, she hurt you bad (let's start anew)
Let's start anew, yes, that means me and you
Gonna make it through, but you must give trust a try
Gotta be strong with this love, hold on (strong)
Gotta trust in me and we will see true victory
We'll love with ease, baby, please trust in me
It'll be heavenly but you must give us trust a try

Trust
Not an easy thing, you say
Never thought the game of love
This way you'd play
By the things you do
Never thought these things
I would go through with you
Pain, trickery, and deceit
All the wrongs that you put me through
If you don't wanna say
Still love you anyway
Never do believe my words
When I tried telling you my story
Have no reason, still don't trust me
No, I'm not a cheat or liar

Smother me
With misery
Accusing me
Of polygamy
If not the trust
Then we have what?
Gotta be strong
Oh, keep holding on

Wanna second chance with this love, this romance
Wanna make it last, forget the past, she hurt you bad
Let's start anew, yes, that means me and you
Gonna make it through, but you must give trust a try
Gotta be strong with this love, hold on
Gotta trust in me and we will see true victory
We'll love with ease, baby, please trust in me
It'll be heavenly but you must give us trust a try

Wanna second chance with this love, this romance (don't smother me with your pain)
Wanna make it last, forget the past, she hurt you bad (and misery, baby, please quit)
Let's start anew, yes, that means me and you (accusing me of all this)
Gonna make it through, but you must give trust a try (polygamy, oh, don't you see)
Gotta be strong with this love, hold on (if not the trust, baby, then)
Gotta trust in me and we will see true victory (we have what? Oh, nothin')
We'll love with ease, baby, please trust in me (gotta be strong for me, please)
It'll be heavenly but you must give us trust a try (you keep holdin' on to memories)

But you must give trust a try

Overall Meaning

In "Trust a Try" by Janet Jackson, the singer reflects on the challenges and difficulties of trust in a romantic relationship. The song is directed towards her partner, who has been unfaithful and dishonest in the past. Jackson describes the pain and deceit she has experienced due to her partner's actions, yet she still loves them and wants to make the relationship work. However, she feels that for the relationship to prosper, trust must be established and maintained.

Throughout the song, Jackson pleads with her partner to give her a chance to prove herself trustworthy. She reveals her insecurities about not being believed or trusted and asserts that she is not a liar or cheat. Jackson acknowledges that it would be easy for her partner to blame her for their jealousy or insecurity but urges them to understand that she wouldn't do that to them.

In conclusion, the message of "Trust a Try" is that trust is an essential component of any healthy relationship. It takes work, commitment, and forgiveness to establish trust, especially after it has been broken. The song encourages listeners to give trust a chance, even when it's challenging, as it can lead to true victory and a heavenly love.

Line by Line Meaning

Trust not an east thing you say
It's hard for me to believe what you say and trust you.

Never thought the game of love This way you’d play
I never expected love to be filled with so much pain and betrayal from you.

By the things you do Never thought these things I would go through with you Pain trickery and deceit All the wrongs that you put me through
I never thought I would have to suffer from the painful, deceitful things you have done to me.

If you don’t wanna say Still love you anyway Never do believe my words When I try telling you my story Have no reason, still don’t trust me No, I’m not a cheat or a liar
Even if you don't want to admit your wrongdoing, I still love you. But when I try to explain my own side of the story, you never believe me. I have no reason to lie, I am not a cheater or a liar.

Think you’re never gonna feel again Then what do you know You take it slow Here comes Things go smooth But dreams just around bend
You thought you would never recover from the pain, but despite taking it slow, here comes new happiness waiting around the corner.

Don’t blame me for jealousies Or insecurities Please see Cause I wouldn’t do that to you
Don't try to blame me for your own jealousies and insecurities. I would never do that to you.

Wanna second chance with this love This romance Wanna make it last Forget your past She hurt you bad Let’s start anew Yes that means me and you Gonna make it through But you must give trust a try
I want to try again with our love and make it last this time. We can forget our past mistakes. She may have hurt you badly in the past, but if we start anew, we can make it through. But you must give trust a try.

You got burned You got bruised You got So you got a kick outta that Unhealthy shit You said to she You’d please her needs Whatever it’d be Still she’d cheat On her back again for the money
You got hurt in the past, and that affected you deeply. But you must also take responsibility for engaging in unhealthy behavior like pleasing her needs regardless of the cost. She would still cheat on you even if you did everything for her.

Now leave from it You grow from it Get over it I won’t take the blame So don’t Cause I ain’t having it Steady given me The third degree That’s so mean Don’t push me out the door I wouldn’t do that to you
You need to move on from the past and grow from it instead of blaming me. I won't tolerate being questioned and blamed anymore. Don't push me away, because I wouldn't do that to you.

Gotta be strong (oh keep holding on_
You have to stay strong and keep holding on to our love.

Gotta trust in me And we will see true victory We’ll love with ease Baby please trust in me It’ll be heavenly But you must give trust a try
If you trust in me, we can overcome anything and achieve true victory. Our love will be easy and heavenly, but you must be willing to give trust a try.

Don’t smother me (with misery) Accusing me (of polygamy) If not the trust (then we have what) Gotta be strong (oh keep holding on_
Don't overwhelm me with your misery and accusations of polygamy. If we don't have trust, what do we have? We have to be strong and keep holding on.

Lyrics © JANET JACKSON DBA BLACK ICE, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Terry Lewis, James Harris Iii, Janet Jackson, Dana Stinson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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