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The Velvet Rope is a Grammy-winning 1997 album released by pop star Janet Jackson. The album came after a four year gap from her previous release janet. Surrounded by controversy, it found Jackson expounding on the implied sexuality of the previous record by incorporating sexually explicit themes, photography and conversation dialogue into the record, though the album dealt mainly with depression.
Within the context of the album, Jackson lyrically flirts with sadomasochistic sex, lesbianism and bisexuality, casual sex, bondage, phone sex and other sexual themes. These acts are also depicted in booklet photos, including pictures of Jackson blindfolded or with her hands tied behind her back while lying on a bed. The album's title, then, has a triple meaning; it references the rope used to hold back fans when a celebrity is present, which to Jackson was also a metaphor for an individual's need to feel special by putting oneself in a private place. It also refers to rope used during bondage. Jackson made various media appearances where she frequently talked about her personal life and sexual exploration (and piercings), but rarely talked about the content of the album. The album did not do as well as her previous effort. The debut single "Got 'Til It's Gone" featured a sample from the Joni Mitchell song "Big Yellow Taxi", and was a radio success but was unable to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 without a commercial CD single release. The song also featured vocals by rapper Q-Tip. The second single, "Together Again," was a huge dance club and radio hit. The success of the song inspired Jackson to release a single featuring various versions of the track; unlike normal remixes, these were actual re-recordings with totally different musical styles and alternate vocals.
Other singles from the album included "Go Deep" and "Every Time". Neither were major chart successes on par with Jackson's previous hits, although "Go Deep" reached the top spot on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. Other notable tracks include "Tonight's the Night," a cover of the Rod Stewart hit which, when performed by Jackson, took on bisexual undertones; "Free Xone," a song about a homosexual man attacked by a co-passenger on an airplane; "Velvet Rope," which featured a violin solo by acclaimed classical violinist Vanessa Mae; and "You", which became controversial after it was suggested that the subject was Jackson's brother Michael. Like many of Jackson's albums, the album is filled with non-musical interludes. One interlude in particular earned a great deal of note from conservative groups. In the brief track "Speaker Phone," Jackson (presumably simulates) a phone sex chat. Towards the end of the track she moans, prompting her partner to comment "Yo' coochie's gon' swell up and fall apart!" This was picked apart by media, particularly comedienne Sandra Bernhard who quipped in her one woman show, "I thought I said some crazy shit, but Miss Jackson...you so nasty!" A coinciding tour called "The Velvet Rope Tour" covered the globe in promotion of the album. The European leg of this tour was extremely successful, playing 32 sold-out concerts.
Track listing
Samples
AwardsAmerican Music Award
Grammy Award
Billboard Music Award
Soul Train Music Award
Blockbuster Entertainment Award
GLAAD Media Award
MTV Europe Music Award
VH-1 Fashion Award
BMI Pop Awards
World Music Awards
Chart PerformanceThe Velvet Rope predictably debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 Albums, but to date remains her lowest selling album in terms of first week sales. The set shifted 202,000 copies in its opening week in America, but went on to sell 3.8 million copies[1] there and achieved a 3x Platinum certification by the RIAA.
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