Song · Janet Jackson
“Control” by Janet Jackson
From the album Control (1986)
“Control” by Janet Jackson appears on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 2021 and 2024. It was first released in 1986 on the album Control. Its best result is #186 on the 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s.
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The title track of Janet Jackson's third album, "Control" went out on A&M as the record's fourth single in October 1986, and it states her case plainly: a song about finally taking charge of her own life. Jackson wrote it with James Harris III and Terry Lewis, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis produced it, stacking up intricate rhythm tracks into a showcase for state-of-the-art production.
It won the Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video in 1988, beating her brother Michael, Whitney Houston and Jody Watley, and Pitchfork ranked the song 126th on its list of the 200 best songs of the '80s. She has leaned on it on stage ever since, leaving it off only one tour, the Janet World Tour, and it appears on both Design of a Decade: 1986–1996 and Number Ones.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 186 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2024 | 683 | KEXP | The Best Opening Tracks of All Time | 738 |
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