Throwback Thursday: Janet Jackson – “Together Again”

Throwback Thursday: Janet Jackson – “Together Again”

In December of 1997, Janet Jackson released “Together Again” as the second single from her fifth studio album, Velvet Rope. Written by Miss Jackson and frequent collaborators Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (along with her then-husband, René Elizondo Jr.), the song is a tribute to loved ones lost. Jackson was inspired to write the song when she learned that a friend had lost a battle with AIDS, and also by a letter from a fan who had lost his father.

Jackson is known for pop-infused R&B, but on “Together Again,” she gives us house-infused pop. The song was originally written as a ballad and the arrangement took 30 minutes to construct. Jackson drew inspo from Donna Summer’s “Last Dance” and Nuyorican Soul’s “Runaway” while writing the song. Two remixes were made for the song — one contemporary R&B remix and one neo soul ballad remix. The latter actually has a whole video for it.

It is common for people to dismiss Janet Jackson as a subpar vocalist, and whenever they pull that stunt, “Together Again” is one of the songs I cite as evidence of her chops — that and “Love Will Never Do (Without You).” There are plenty of examples of her doing her thing, but I find these two songs to be the most undeniable demonstrations of Janet Jackson the vocalist.

“Together Again” became Janet Jackson’s eighth No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over six million copies worldwide.

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