Janet Jackson is the debut studio album by American recording artist Janet Jackson, released on September 21, 1982 by A&M Records. Janet Jackson is described as a dance and contemporary R&B record. Songwriters Angela Winbush and René Moore contributed to much of the album's lyrics. Moore and Winbush share production credits with Foster Sylvers, Jerry Weaver, and Bobby Watson. On release Janet Jackson charted on the Billboard 200 and in New Zealand. Three singles from the album had little impact on Billboard Hot 100 charts, among them "Young Love", "Come Give Your Love to Me" and "Say You Do", though these singles achieved success on the R&B charts. Jackson performed "Young Love" and "Say You Do" on American TV shows American Bandstand and Soul Train in 1982. The cover artwork of Jackson's body submerged in water was based on a Harry Langdon photo of Elizabeth Taylor. Worldwide, the album has sold 400,000 copies.
Production
Jackson was sixteen when she began recording the album. She was assisted by her father, working with a number of songwriters and producers. Songwriters Angela Winbush and René Moore contributed to much of the album's lyrics. Moore and Winbush share production credits with Foster Sylvers, Jerry Weaver, and Bobby Watson. The cover photo was shot by Harry Langdon in the swimming pool of the Jackson family's home. Jackson took the idea from a Helmut Newton photograph of actress Elizabeth Taylor submerged in a swimming pool, which she found "dramatic".
Release
The album was released on September 21, 1982, by A&M Records. The Baltimore Afro-American noted that the album had been released, commenting that Jackson does not have any members of the Jackson family helping out, that she is relying "solely on her own talent", and that she has "the poised voice of a dynamic individual." On the US Billboard 200, Janet Jackson had its peak at number 63. In New Zealand, the album peaked at number 44 on the New Zealand Albums Chart, during its only-week chart on April 17, 1983. As of 2003, Janet Jackson sold 82,000 copies through BMG Music Club in the United States. And sold additional 62,000 copies according to Soundscan since 1991. But the majority of the sales occurred before Soundscan began tracking sales in the US in 1991. Worldwide, the album has sold 400,000 copies, considered a failure at the time.
Singles
Five singles were released from the album. "Young Love" was the first. It reached number 64 on the principal American singles chart, the Billboard Hot 100, and number six on the American Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In New Zealand, "Young Love" reached number 16. The second single from Janet Jackson was "Come Give Your Love to Me" and peaked at number 58 on the Hot 100. The follow-up single, "Say You Do", only appeared on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and the Hot Dance Club Songs charts, peaking at numbers 15 and 11, respectively. The last singles from the album, "Love and My Best Friend" and "Don't Mess Up A Good Thing" did not appear on any chart worldwide. In order to further promote Janet Jackson, she performed "Young Love" and "Say You Do" on American TV shows American Bandstand and Soul Train in 1982.
Legacy
In a retrospective summary for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine felt the album had "no distinctive musical personality", feeling that the choice of songs was poor, with "Young Love" as the only song which "stands out among the undistinguished, sub-disco thumpers and drippy ballads". Bil Carpenter from the same website called Janet Jackson a "debut album of youth-oriented pop". The Rolling Stone Album Guide book stated that the album and its follow-up Dream Street sound like bland dance-music ready-mades.
