The Velvet Rope

The Velvet Rope
Studio album by Janet Jackson
Publication (s)	October 7, 1997
Label (s)	Virgin Records
Format (s)	CD, LP
Genre (s)	R&B , soul , hip-hop
Title (number)	22nd
running time	70:57
production	Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis , Janet Jackson
chronology janet. (1993) The Velvet Rope All for You (2001)
Single releases September 22, 1997 Got 'til It's Gone 2nd December 1997 Together again May 8, 1998 I get lonely June 15, 1998 Go deep September 3, 1998 You November 16, 1998 Every time

The Velvet Rope is the sixth studio album by American singer Janet Jackson and was released on October 7, 1997 via Virgin Records .

In the run-up to this, a contract renewal between Jackson and Virgin made a budget of $ 32 million to $ 80 million Janet the highest-paid female artist of the 1990s .

Concept / backgrounds

On The Velvet Rope , Jackson's first album in four years in 1997, the textual draft of “ janet. “Deepened again. Complexes of themes from songs about sexual self-determination, masturbation and promiscuity that were already adopted on the predecessor are further developed here. Jackson is now also singing about unpopular things such as same-sex love and sex practices from the BDSM scene. Also, AIDS , racism and homophobia is being examined by her, which let it be known in many places, The Velvet Rope is a melting pot of substantive orientations of his predecessors. The sociopolitical aspects from Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 , the musical coherence from Control and the lewd coquetry of janet. would unite on The Velvet Rope . In fact, Jackson herself sees the album as her most personal work, as it treats her self-doubt and her psychological ailments in addition to the familiar route of sexual innuendo and provocative poses. (Jackson suffered from mental health problems and clinical depression after a two year concert tour , which severely affected the work on the album.) The idea behind The Velvet Rope would be an unrestricted view of the thoughts and feelings of the person Janet Jackson. Caused a sensation u. a. the coded allusions to the ending relationship with her then husband René Elizondo (on "What About").

The Velvet Rope was created in collaboration with Jackson's mentors and long-time partners Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis . In addition to elements from house and dance floor , hip-hop and soul are the outstanding influences of the album. The productions mostly contain dark, subtle, downbeat- like compositions from orchestrated, sampled or programmed music. In addition to set pieces by War , Lyn Collins , Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye , a sample of the song Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell was used. The participating musicians include a. Joni Mitchell, Q-Tip and Vanessa-Mae .

Meaning of the album title

The album title The Velvet Rope (literal translation of the velvet rope ) is a term from the English colloquial language and is used as a designation for members of a certain (mostly elite) social group or for visitors to exclusive events (e.g. at a press conference or film premiere via velvet rope treatment ) . This is a metaphorical reference to velvet cord barriers, which are often used at such events to separate the audience from the VIPs (for example in VIP areas or on the so-called " red carpet "). Sometimes the expression "a velvet rope" is also used as a synonym for an "invisible" barrier, which in Jackson's case means the public exposition of her soul.

Track list

Chart positions Explanation of the data

Albums

The Velvet Rope   DE 5 10/20/1997 (37 weeks)   AT 9 10/19/1997 (22 weeks)   CH 5 10/19/1997 (33 weeks)

Singles

Got 'til It's Gone   DE 17th 10/06/1997 (11 weeks)   AT 21st 10/19/1997 (9 weeks)   CH 11 10/12/1997 (17 weeks) Together again   DE 2 12/15/1997 (24 weeks)   AT 6th 01/11/1998 (14 weeks)   CH 2 01/11/1998 (22 weeks) I get lonely   DE 75 04/06/1998 (9 weeks)   CH 41 04/19/1998 (7 weeks) Go deep   DE 72 07/06/1998 (9 weeks) Every time   DE 67 07/12/1998 (11 weeks)

1. Interlude: Twisted Elegance
2. Velvet Rope (Featuring Vanessa-Mae)
3. You
4. Got 'Til It's Gone (Featuring Q-Tip and Joni Mitchell)
5. Interlude: Speaker Phone
6. My need
7. Interlude: Fasten Your Seatbelts
8. Go deep
9. Free Xone
10. Interlude: memory
11. Together again
12. Interlude: Online
13. Empty
14. Interlude: Full
15. What About
16. Every time
17. Tonight's the night
18. I get lonely
19. Rope burn
20. Anything
21. Interlude: Sad
22. Special / Can't Be Stopped [Hiddentrack]

Singles

1. Got 'Til It's Gone (feat.Q-Tip and Joni Mitchell) ( published December 22, 1997)
2. Together Again (December 1, 1997)
3. I Get Lonely (May 5, 1998)
4. Go Deep (June 20, 1998)
5. Every Time (November 17, 1998)

reception

Charts

The Velvet Rope was able to stay in the German charts for a total of 37 weeks and includes Together Again Jackson's highest-placed (2nd place) release in Germany's single charts.

Reviews

The album was summarized by critics as being outstanding. Jackson, at that time at the zenith of her work, stepped out of the shadow of her famous family and is now presenting her masterpiece. To janet. many had criticized the obvious freedom of movement, which was now interpreted as a subtextual expression of emancipation . Many critics described the album as Jackson's pedant to Madonna's Erotica , which at the time also had a radically permissive approach to sexuality in its concept. At the same time, reference was made to Jackson's unabashed handling of his own emotionality and fragility, which ultimately does not summarize the album as a sex-oriented mega-seller, but rather as a spiritual synthesis of her previous work and life. Despite comparatively modest singing qualities, Janet had proven that she was now more of a serious artist. Only the many skits proportional to the actual running time would make the interesting moments of the album seem inconspicuous.

Awards

Janet Jackson received several awards for "The Velvet Rope". Amongst other things :

• The award for Best Female Artist at the MTV Europe Music Awards 1997
• The award for Best Music Video (for Got til it's gone ) at the 1998 Grammy Awards
• The R&B Female Artist award at the 1998 American Music Awards

Awards for music sales

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
Australia (ARIA)	2 × platinum	140,000
Belgium (BEA)	gold	25,000
Denmark (IFPI)	gold	25,000
Germany (BVMI)	gold	250,000
Europe (IFPI)	platinum	(1,000,000)
France (SNEP)	platinum	300,000
Japan (RIAJ)	platinum	200,000
Canada (MC)	3 × platinum	300,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)	platinum	15,000
Netherlands (NVPI)	platinum	100,000
Norway (IFPI)	platinum	40,000
Sweden (IFPI)	gold	40,000
Switzerland (IFPI)	platinum	50,000
Spain (Promusicae)	platinum	100,000
United States (RIAA)	3 × platinum	3,000,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	platinum	300,000
All in all	4 × gold 17 × platinum	4,860,000

Main article: Janet Jackson / Music Sales Awards

Trivia

• On the edition for Japan there is the additional song God's Stepchild .
• On the B-side of Together Again is a remix by hip-hop producer DJ Premier
• During the The Velvet Rope World Tour , u. a. Usher and * NSYNC as opening act for Jackson
• The Rolling Stone Magazine lists The Velvet Rope in its list 500 Greatest Albums at No. 256th

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The Velvet Rope - Janet Jackson . Allmusic.com. October 7, 1997. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
2. ↑ Fraser McAlpine: Janet Jackson . Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
3. ^ ^{A b} By Gary Graff: Janet Jackson Up Against the Ropes . Rollingstone.com. July 30, 1998. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
4. ↑ Janet Jackson: Biography . Answers.com. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
5. ↑ Victor Haseman: Record Review . Sfweekly.com. October 22, 1997. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
6. ↑ velvet rope | English-German dictionary . Dict CC. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
7. ^ The velvet rope . Urban Dictionary. Archived from the original on April 18, 2015. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 27, 2011. 
8. ↑ ^{a b} Sources Chart placements: Archived copy ( memento of the original from November 25, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on January 26, 2011) 
9. ↑ musicline.de / PhonoNet GmbH: Jackson, Janet - discography . musicline.de. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
10. ↑ musicline.de / PhonoNet GmbH: Jackson, Janet: The Velvet Rope (Longplay) . musicline.de. Archived from the original on June 17, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 27, 2011. 
11. ↑ Janet Jackson: The Velvet Rope . Slant Magazine. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
12. ↑ Reviewed by JD Considine: The Velvet Rope . Ew.com. October 10, 1997. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
13. ↑ LA Times record review . Articles.latimes.com. October 5, 1997. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
14. ↑ NY Times record review . Nytimes.com. October 7, 1997. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
15. ↑ Stephen Thomas: The Velvet Rope - Janet Jackson . AllMusic. October 7, 1997. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
16. ↑ :: MTV | Janet Jackson | music . Mtv.de. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
17. ↑ 40th Annual Grammy Awards - 1998 . Rock On The Net. February 25, 1998. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
18. ↑ 26th American Music Awards (presented in 1999) . Rock On The Net. January 11, 1999. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
19. ↑ Stephen Thomas: The Velvet Rope [Japan Bonus Track] - Janet Jackson . AllMusic. October 7, 1997. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
20. ↑ Usher Tickets, Cheap Usher Tickets . Ticketluck.com. Retrieved January 27, 2011.