Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCCXXIV--Janet Jackson: Again

 For whatever odd reason, the music of the Jackson family, whether solo or in their incarnation as the Jackson 5 or the Jacksons, has never caught my fancy.  They're certainly an incredibly talented bunch, but my favorites playlist includes exactly two songs by a member of the Jackson family.  Both of them are by the family's youngest, Janet, and one of the two is this week's featured tune.

Like numerous other artists featured here on Friday Night Jukebox, Janet Jackson's accomplishments are a bit long and varied for a one paragraph synopsis so I'll just hit a few highlights (truth be told, her Wikipedia entry is novelesque and I just skimmed most of it).  Ms. Jackson actually got her start in television with her guest starring on the family variety show, followed by stints on Good Times, Diff'rent Strokes, and Fame.  In 1982 she began her recording career, and while her first two albums had little success, her third drove her into the sales stratosphere.  Jackson went on to be the second best selling artist of the nineties (Mariah Carey was first), and has sold over 100 million albums in her career (ninth best selling artist of the rock and roll era).  She has won five Grammy Awards (her list of overall awards is mind boggling).  For her career, she has released eleven studio albums (with seven of them hitting #1), and a whopping 78 singles with ten of them reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100.  Jackson was elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, and has had nine world tours.

Fun Fact:  Ms. Jackson holds the record for most consecutive top ten hit singles by a female artist with 18 straight from 1989 to 1998.  Not a bad run....

"Again" was the third single from Jackson's album Janet (also known by janet.).  The song was originally the closing song of the movie Poetic Justice (though not included on the soundtrack).  Both the single and the album reached #1; additionally the song was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

For the second straight week, we have a song that's a top forty wonder, though this week's is a ballad rather than a pop ditty.  Jackson tells the story of running into a former lover and realizing she's still in love with him, but not knowing if she can take the pain if he leaves her, well...again.  The melody is syrupy sweet throughout, aided by some lightly tickled ivories and a string section that gives the song its overarching glow.  In the end, though, this is Jackson's showcase and she sings it with all heartfelt hope and painstaking fear that she can muster.  Yes, it's a bit on the sappy side, but it's another nice musical reminder that love can both make us and break us...but we keep looking for it regardless.

Lyric Sheet:  "I've come too close to happiness/To have it swept away/Don't think I can take the pain/No never fall again..."

Enjoy:

Daily Reminder:  Zero Republicans Voted for the COVID-19 Relief Package

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCIII--Sheryl Crow: Leaving Las Vegas

It's hard to believe it's been twenty-five years since the music store I worked at received a promotional copy of Sheryl Crow's debut album, and I, looking for something new, gave it a listen.  We received exactly one copy of it for sale, and the CD sat in the store for six months before anyone purchased it--at one time I considered pulling it for return but since I really liked the LP, held onto it (prescient move).  Needless to say, Crow has gone on to have quite the career.

Sheryl Crow was born in my one time home of Missouri (meh), was an all state track athlete in high school, graduated with a degree in music from the University of Missouri, and was a music teacher in my actual Missouri home (meh) of Fenton where she also sang commercial jingles before heading westward to chase her dreams.  She sang backup for Michael Jackson on his Bad tour and sang backing vocals for a number of artists before hooking up with a group of musicians who called themselves the Tuesday Night Music Club...and the rest is history.  Over the past twenty-five years Crow has released ten LPs. sold fifty million records, won nine Grammy Awards, and toured throughout the world.  She's had nine top ten albums on the Billboard 200 and three top ten singles.  Interestingly (or not), it would be a toss up as to what has more...either artists she's worked with or organizations she's donated to (the woman is a wonder--everything from cancer research to women's organizations to hunger to politics to...you get the picture).  Crow is a breast cancer survivor and has adopted two boys.

"Leaving Las Vegas" was released in 1994 from Crow's debut album Tuesday Night Music Club and was a moderate hit, reaching #60 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100.  The song was written by David Baerwald, whom regular readers (both of you) may recall from earlier FNJ featured tune "Welcome to the Boomtown", and his being one half of David + David.

Opening with emaycee fave hand claps and a rock solid bass line, "Leaving Las Vegas" explores the dark underbelly of the American Dream from the confines of our most decadent city.  Baerwald writes a nice character study of a woman looking for redemption and seeing a fresh start away from Vegas as her ticket to a happier life, and Crow delivers the goods with an impassioned performance bolstered by some fine "Whoa-oh-ohs" in the backing vocals..  While I have my doubts the protagonist makers her way out (at least for good), I like the way the song juxtaposes the gambling Vegas is known for and her gamble on leaving as a quick fix for what ails her.  And in the end, while not necessarily every aspect, a lot of life is just one big crapshoot--and "Leaving Las Vegas" is a fine vignette of one person throwing the dice.

Lyric Sheet:  "Such a muddy line between/The things you want/And the things you have to do..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee