Top 10 songs by Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson's music and dance videos have always been compared to her siblings Michael and the Jackson 5, and some would say she was cashing in on the family name. It's a valid argument, but ultimately unfair, because she brought music to the world which is her own. While some of her dance moves were influenced by her brother, it's also worth mentioning that Michael was influenced by Janet.

Her first two studio albums from 1982 and 1984 failed to make an impact. She achieved mainstream succes with Control (1986), and this would mark the first of a string of chart-topping albums including Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989), janet. (1993), and The Velvet Rope (1997). I consider those four albums between 1986-1997 her peak. My favorite is the 1989 album.

She still put out good songs in the 2000s, but to me the albums weren't as strong. The scandalous 2004 Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction" was blown out of proportion and really had nothing to do with her music. Unfortunately it may have had a negative impact on her career. Below is my top 10:


1.) That's The Way Love Goes (from 1993's janet.)

2.) Come Back To Me (from 1989's Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814)

3.) Black Cat (from 1989's Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814)

4.) Control (from 1986's Control)

5.) Got 'til It's Gone ft Q-Tip & Joni Mitchell (from 1997's The Velvet Rope)

6.) Together Again (from 1997's The Velvet Rope)

7.) Love Will Never Do (from 1989's Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814)

8.) All For You (from 2001's All For You)

9.) Everytime (from 1997's The Velvet Rope)

10.) Again (from 1993's janet.)


Just missed:

Nasty (from 1986's Control)

This Time (from 1993's janet.)

Escapade (from 1989's Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814)

Runaway (from 1995's Design of a Decade: 1986–1996)

What Have You Done For Me Lately (from 1986's Control)

Rhythm Nation (from 1989's Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814)

Anytime, Anyplace (from 1993's janet.)

Scream (from 1995's HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I)

Doesn't Really Matter (from 2001's All For You)

Go Deep (from 1997's The Velvet Rope)

Someone To Call My Lover (from 2001's All For You)

Miss You Much (from 1989's Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814)

If (from 1993's janet.)

All Nite (from 2004's Damita Jo)

Young Love (from 1982's Janet Jackson)





Agree or disagree? Which are your favorite Janet Jackson songs or albums? As always, comments are welcome.

Viewing recap April

Cabaret (1972)
Won 8 Oscars. Good performances by all involved. The musical numbers have impressive editing but the songs were surprisingly unmemorable. The only one I remember is the title track "life is a cabaret" sung by Liza Minnelli. It was the love story that interested me more than the music. I'm curious how this measures up against Bob Fosse's other musical All That Jazz (1979), which I'll be seeing soon.
Rating 8/10

High Hopes (1988)
Directed by Mike Leigh. Mixing both depressing relationships and laughs, the themes are a bit heavy handed with the class depictions. A bit dated and not among my favorite Leigh films. Good performances, but a bit of a downer with the relentless bleak score. Shirley and Cyril are easy to like, while the rest of the characters tend to be caricatures. Not an essential watch. Mike Leigh would only get better from here.
In the director’s own words, High Hopes is about the difficulty of being a socialist during the 80s Thatcher years. In one of the film's central scenes, Cyril has an argument with a young idealist about how the revolution will happen. The conversation goes round in circles as the various means of action are discussed, until the only options are talking in meetings without changing anything, or sitting on one's backside. There is discussion as to whether inaction or inertia is a legitimate form of protest.
Rating 6/10

Ditte Menneskebarn (1946)
I don't know if the film is available with English subtitles. Considered among the best Danish films of the pre 1950s. The best performance by a child actor I've seen in a while, it's easy to root for the main character Ditte.
A realistic depiction of life in Denmark during the 1800s, people living at the bottom of society. The story centers on a family and a child born out of wedlock.
Ditte Menneskebarn (1917–21) is a novel by Martin Andersen Nexø. He also penned Pelle the Conqueror (1906-10), which won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1987.
Rating 8/10

Love is All You Need (2012)
Light-hearted romantic comedy by director Susanne Bier. Pierce Brosnan does his best with a cast consisting of mainly Danish actors. It’s watchable and charming, and quite different to Bier's other work.
Rating 7/10

Pump up the Volume (1990)
Empowering anti-establishment teen movie starring a young Christian Slater. About seizing the day and being part of a something. Thematically similar to other rebellion movies such as Over the Edge (1979) and Dead Poets Society (1989)
I was a bit underwhelmed by the soundtrack, but it's definitely a very good high school movie.
Raring 8/10

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Despite an excellent cast, a very dull and unmemorable espionage film. I hardly cared who was the mole in the organization. Probably the 70s TV-mini-series and book are superior.
Rating 5/10

Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Entertaining screwball comedy starring Cary Grant and Kathrine Hepburn. Funnier than I expected, especially the jail scenes.
I do agree with SJHoneywell at 1001plus that Hepburn's character is self-centered and difficult to warm to, but I'm willing to forgive that aspect because I enjoyed the comedic elements.
Rating 8/10

La Grande Illusion (1937) 
French drama directed by Jean Renoir. POW drama set during WW1. About the value of freedom. Sometimes it takes the horrors of war to show us the things we have in common. The last act was my favorite part, and sporadic memorable quotes throughout.
I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece as some have, but it did set the template for a number of prison movies that would follow.
According to film critic David Thomson: "The point of the story is that a bond exists between the aristocratic Boeldieu and von Rauffenstein that is more significant that the ties among Frenchmen. The rules of social class crossed and in many ways superseded national boundaries.
Favorite quote: ”For me it's simple. A golf course is for golf. A tennis court is for tennis. A prison camp is for escaping.”
Rating 7/10

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015) (documentary)
I caught this on TV since it was on anyway. A documentary that is extremely anti-Scientology. It's informative if you want to know more about the secrets of the religion. However the filmmakers are biased in their dislike of the church, so it's a bit one-sided.
Airing on HBO on March 29, 2015, it was a major ratings success and by mid-April 2015 had attracted 5.5 million viewers, making it the second most-watched HBO documentary in the past decade.
Apparently the Scientology church complained the doc was a smear campaign, full of lies.
Rating 8/10

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015) (documentary)
About the life of Nirvana's lead singer. The documentary is a portal into his mind, the filmmakers had access to his diaries and notes. The film is authorized by his family, who also appear in interviews. A troubled childhood and teenage life, Kurt was rejected by his family, who couldn’t deal with his manic behavior.
I didn’t know he had stomach pains from singing, and that he started taking drugs to relieve that discomfort. It’s unclear whether this was still a factor at the time of his suicide.
To me, Kurt seemed like he was confused. A sensitive soul who hated bad reviews, but can’t really deal with all the success. Despite his good looks, fame and family of his own, he writes "kill yourself" in his diary over and over. He says in an interview he’s happy and his new baby is important to him, yet he still goes ahead with suicide attempts.
Not an easy watch. It’s painful to watch at times. He led a sad life and even during his success was unhappy. While the doc does work on an emotional level to some extent, the editing of the diary entries is simply too fast and confusing. The filmmakers wanting to include so much detail at such a frenetic pace, that it unfortunately becomes sensory overload. A book of his drawings and writing would have appealed to me more, looking at it at my own pace.
Rating 7/10

Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007) (documentary)
Covers his rise to fame and dark period after The Clash fell apart. Not much time is spent on the albums, though you do get under the skin of what drove him.
Rating 7/10

Eddie Murphy: Delirious (1983) (TV-special)
I wish I liked it more. Considered among the best stand-up comedy shows of the 80s. I found Eddie Murphy’s performance vulgar, both the contents and the foul language. His jokes barely raised a smile with me. The only time I laughed was the mention of the nameless dog and the shit turned into furniture, but it soon turned to a frown when the joke became about animal cruelty.
I don’t mind the guy, I enjoyed Beverly Hills Cop (1984) and Coming To America (1988), but I guess his stand-up style just isn’t for me.
Murphy is clearly aware his show is inappropriate and offensive, he admits at the end it’s dirty. The homosexual remarks are still controversial to this day.
The imitations of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and the Good the Bad and the Ugly whistle are spot on, while some of the other references such as Ralph Kramden and Jimmy Walker felt dated.
Rating 6/10

Agree or disagree? Seen anything great during April? As always, comments are welcome

2015 Blind Spot Series: This is Spinal Tap (1984)

A high energy ”rockumentary”. Hailed as "one of England's loudest bands”, legendary British rock band, Spinal Tap, is followed by a documentary film-maker during their attempt at an American comeback tour.
If you didn’t know this is a fictional mockumentary you could be fooled into thinking it was an actual band. The band members behave in a natural way and the dialogue and songs are so realistic, that it’s authentic, but with enough comedy that the spoof works. While I didn’t love the music or think it was as funny as the poster indicates, I did enjoy the ”fake” interviews and backstage antics. Some people took this seriously when it first came out. You could accept Spinal Tap as a documentary about a real, deluded band that just isn’t that good at songwriting.

There are a huge number of quotable moments such as ”goes up to eleven”, ”miniature bread”, “Oh we’ve got a bigger dressing room than the puppets?!” “I’m sure I’d feel much worse if I weren’t under such heavy sedation” , and "It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None ... more black."

A groundbreaking film which is worth seeing, but maybe some of the satire about the music industry would only be funny to those familiar with music from the era. But you don’t have to be into rock music to find it entertaining and amusing, as it’s clear that some things never change such as groupies, band arguments, being spoilt, and the desire to be remain popular.
The band members are basically comedians and actors, Christopher Guest would go on to pen the comedy Best in Show (2000). Michael McKean has acted in many films besides Spinal Tap. The third prominent member of the band, Harry Shearer, is probably most famous for his voice-acting on The Simpsons.

So meticulously crafted that there is a legitimate Spinal Tap album and fake band discography. The soundtrack works because it mimics what it poked fun at. My favorite tracks are probably "Rock and Roll Creation" and "Stonehenge", which mock the music and image of mystical, allegedly demonic bands like Black Sabbath. "Big Bottom" and "Sex Farm" are two more highlights that needle the rampant misogyny, sexism, and machismo in the heavy metal subculture.


Rating 8/10

Thanks for reading! Have you seen This is Spinal Tap (1984)? Agree or disagree? As always, comments are welcome

Top 10 songs by The Clash

Tough to make a top 10, The Clash have so many songs of merit. London Calling (1979) is a classic album and deserves high praise, which is more accessible and memorable than the raw punk anger that characterized the band's 1977 and 1978 studio albums.
I personally prefer the genre experimentation on Combat Rock (1982) and Sandinista! (1980), both of which I consider great albums.
The Clash's 6th and final album Cut The Crap (1985) was a step backwards, suffering quality-wise due to infighting, but they had a great run.


1.) The Magnificent Seven (from 1980's Sandinista!)

2.) Straight to Hell (from 1982's Combat Rock)

3.) Rock the Casbah (from 1982's Combat Rock)

4.) London Calling  (from 1979's London Calling)

5.)  Should I Stay or Should I Go (from 1982's Combat Rock)

6.) Train in Vain (from 1979's London Calling)

7.) Police on my Back (Equals cover) (from 1980's Sandinista!)

8.) The Call Up (from 1980's Sandinista!)

9.) Police & Thieves (Junior Murvin cover) (from 1977's The Clash)

10.) (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais (from 1979's The Clash US ver.)










Just missed:
White Riot (from 1977's The Clash)
I'm So Bored with the USA (from 1977's The Clash)
English Civil War (from 1978's Give 'Em Enough Rope)
Safe European Home (from 1978's Give 'Em Enough Rope)
Spanish Bombs (from 1979's London Calling)
Lost in the Supermarket (from 1979's London Calling)
Guns Of Brixton (from 1979's London Calling)
Clampdown (from 1979's London Calling)
Rudie Can't Fail (from 1979's London Calling)
The Card Cheat (from 1979's London Calling)
Death Or Glory (from 1979's London Calling)
I Fought The Law (from 1979's The Cost of Living)
Clash City Rockers (from 1979's The Clash US ver.)
The Street Parade (from 1980's Sandinista!)
Up in Heaven (Not Only Here) (from 1980's Sandinista!)
One more Time (from 1980's Sandinista!)
Junco Partner (from 1980's Sandinista!)
Living in Fame (from 1980's Sandinista!)
The Sound Of The Sinners (from 1980's Sandinista!)
Somebody Got Murdered (from 1980's Sandinista!)
Charlie Don't Surf (from 1980's Sandinista!)
Kingston Advice (from 1980's Sandinista!)
Bankrobber (1980 single)
This is Radio Clash (1981 single)
Overpowerered by Funk (from 1982's Combat Rock)
Ghetto Defendant (from 1982's Combat Rock)
This is England (from 1985's Cut the Crap)
Love Kills by Joe Strummer (from 1986's Sid and Nancy soundtrack)


YouTube playlist of the above I created HERE




Have you listened to The Clash? Which do you think is their best album? Agree or disagree with my top 10? Did I miss anything by The Clash you love?

Discovering new music by watching trailers

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (cover) by Brent Smith (2014) (Birdman trailer)

(The music fits surprisingly well with the story and makes you want to find out why he is misunderstood)

I'd Love To Change The World by Jetta (2014) (Nightcrawler trailer)

(An epic song title which goes hand in hand with Louis Bloom's ambition)

You There by Aquilo (2014) (Camp X-Ray trailer)

(Aquilo's track really draws me in on an emotional level. I've noticed the makers of trailers often use the best section of a song, this is a good example of that, )

Crazy in Love (2014 remix) by Beyoncé  (Fifty Shades of Grey trailer)

(The seductive music fits with the erotic mood, not to mention Beyoncé is very popular among the audience who will see the film)




A great way of discovering new music! Made any trailer music discoveries of your own? Thoughts on my choices? As always, comments are welcome