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.
Where Are You Now
Janet Jackson Lyrics
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I regret the day you went away
I was too young to understand, my love
But now I realize my mistakes
Where, where are you now?
Now that I'm ready to
Ready to love you the way you loved me then
Do you still think of me
Or does your heart belong to someone else's?
Love, oh, my love
I wonder sometimes, were you just a dream?
I sit in the dark wondering if our paths
Will ever cross again, oh Lord, I need to know
I sit and wonder
Where, where are you now?
Now that I'm ready to
Ready to love you the way you loved me then
Where are you now?
Do you still think of me
Or does your heart belong to someone else's?
If I close my eyes and make a wish
When they open, will you be right here with me?
Where are you now?
Now that I'm ready to
Ready to love you the way you loved me then
Could it be that two people
Were meant to be, yeah, yeah
In my dreams, that's what I feel
Could it be that I'll never see you again?
My love that was so true
Still, I sit here waiting all alone
By the phone for you
Now I understand you when (now I understand)
When you said I love you
I sit and wonder
Where, where are you now?
Now that I'm ready to
Ready to love you the way you loved me then
Where are you now?
Do you still think of me
Or does your heart belong to someone else's?
(If I close my eyes)
If I close my eyes (if I make a wish)
And make a wish (tell me baby, tell me, baby)
When they open, will you be right here with me?
(Where are you now?)
Where are you now? (Where are you now?)
Now that I'm ready to (ready to)
Ready to love you the way you loved me then (ready to, ready to)
(I keep looking for you) where are you now?
(Looking, searching for you) do you still think of me
(I keep looking for you)
Or does your heart belong to someone else's? (Oh, my, baby)
(You know what you do to me)
Where are you now?
In the song "Where Are You Now" by Janet Jackson, the lyrics express Janet's regret over losing her lover and not understanding love when she was younger. She realizes her mistakes and is now ready to love her ex-partner the way they loved her before. She wants to know if her former lover still thinks of her or if they have moved on to someone else. The lyrics express the longing and the pain of losing someone important and the hope of seeing them again.
Janet Jackson's powerful vocals add to the emotions conveyed in the song. The use of the chorus in the song emphasizes the question of where her former lover is now. The verses talk about her feelings of regret and loneliness. The bridge expresses her hope that they will be together again and her willingness to wait.
Overall, the lyrics of "Where Are You Now" express the universal theme of lost love and the pain of separation. It also conveys the hope and longing for a forgiveness and a second chance.
Line by Line Meaning
Love, my love
Addressing the past lover
I regret the day you went away
Feeling remorse for not understanding the love earlier and hurting the lover
I was too young to understand my love
Lamenting the lack of maturity and wisdom to appreciate the love of the past lover
But now I realize my mistakes
Acknowledging and owning up to previous shortcomings that led to the separation
Where, where are you now
Questioning the whereabouts of the past lover
Now that I'm ready to
Implying the readiness to love again
Ready to love you the way you loved me then
Expressing the desire to reciprocate the love that was given in the past
Do you still think of me
Wondering if the past lover still remembers and thinks of the singer
Or does your heart belong to someone else's
Speculating if the past lover has moved on and found love somewhere else
Love, oh my love
Repeating the address to the past lover to emphasize the emotional attachment
Wonder sometimes were you just a dream
Asking if the love shared was just a figment of the singer's imagination
I sit in the dark
Painting a picture of the singer being lost and alone
Wondering if our paths will ever cross again
Contemplating if fate will bring the past lover back into the singer's life
Oh lord I need to know
Expressing the urgency and importance of finding out the whereabouts of the past lover
If I close my eyes
Preparing to make a wish and letting imagination take over
And make a wish
Hoping for a reunion with the past lover
When they open will you be right here with me
Visualizing a happy future where the past lover is by the singer's side
Should it be that two people were meant to be
Considering the possibility of destiny and soulmates
In my dreams that's what I feel
Expressing the romantic idealism of the singer
Or could it be that I'll never see you again
Acknowledging the harsh reality that the past lover may never return
My love that was so true
Stating the depth and sincerity of the singer's love for the past lover
Still I'll sit here waiting all alone by the phone for you
Ending the song with a poignant image of the singer still hoping and waiting for the past lover's return
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, JANET JACKSON DBA BLACK ICE, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: James Samuel III Harris, Janet Damita Jo Jackson, Terry Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind