What Have You Done for Me Lately

After concluding a contract with A&M Records in 1982, the 16-year-old Janet, under the guidance of her father, Joseph, recorded two unsuccessful albums, Janet Jackson and Dream Street ^[1] . The performer constantly clashed with the producers and tried to break out of the custody of her father. At first, Janet did not want to comment on the beginning of her musical career, but later she explained her position: “I performed in a television show, which I absolutely hated - Fame . I didn’t want to record [the first album, Janet Jackson ]. I wanted to go to college. But I did it for the sake of my father ... ” ^[2] . In addition to professional turmoil, she also opposed the will of her family when she married James DeBarge in 1984. Jackson was opposed to this relationship, noting DeBarge's immaturity and his addiction to drugs. Janet soon left him and their marriage was annulled at the end of 1985 ^[3] .

As a result, Jackson fired his father from the post of manager and hired John McClain, at that time the chief president of the department of artists and repertoire and general manager of A&M Records ^[4] . Commenting on her decision, she said that “she just wanted to leave home, under the influence of her father, and this was one of the most difficult tasks that I had to complete: to tell him that I no longer want to work with him” ^[2] . Joseph Jackson believed that McClain intentionally set Janet against him ^[5] . McClain commented as follows: “I do not plan to rent Janet Jackson and steal her from my father” ^[5] . Soon he introduced Janet to the production duo of James “Jimmy Jam” Harris and Terry Lewis , who had previously worked with Prince and were members of The Time ^[6]

Before joining the Janet team, Jem and Lewis planned to make an album of those tracks that they recorded for Sharon Brint , but she considered their lyrics and music too “violent” ^[7] . Jackson approved the submission and the trio began finalizing the songs and recordings ^[7] . Joseph Jackson demanded that the album be recorded in Los Angeles so that he could look after his daughter, but Jem and Lewis refused ^[8] . They insisted that the recording take place in their own studio in Minneapolis, “away from the splendor and vices of Hollywood and the intervention of fathers managers” ^[8] . Control was recorded at Flyte Tyme Studios, Jem and Lewis Studios in Minneapolis for their own Flyte Tyme Records label. Jackson recorded the whole album, but the head of A&M Records and her manager insisted on recording another dance song. Then Janet returned to Minneapolis and recorded “What Have You Done for Me Lately” ^[9] . Jem recalled: “She sat in the room and said, 'Boy, this is a cool track. Who is he for? And we said, 'This is for you,' and she answered, 'Oh, cool.' I think she was very happy when she heard the song ” ^[10] . This was the last song recorded for the album. Jackson also recalled how, during the recording of the album, she was once frightened by men who lounged around her hotel ^[11] . She said: “I was returning home when two guys began to chase me on the street ... Instead of running for help to Jimmy or Terry, I took a fighting stance. And they retreated. So the songs “Nasty” and “What Have You Done for Me Lately” were born - from a sense of self-defense ” ^[12] .

"What Have You Done for Me Lately" was originally intended for Jem and Lewis' own album. Janet rewrote the text to show the feelings she felt in connection with the breakup with James DeBarge and other changes in her life ^[11] . James and Lewis chose the song as the first single from the album, because, in their opinion, it most accurately reflected Jackson's views on life, its past and present ^[11] . The single was released in January 1986 in the United States, and in March of the same year in the UK ^[11] .

Musically, “What Have You Done for Me Lately” is a dance song ^[13] . She begins with a conversation with one of her friends, who asks Jackson the question in the title of the song. The singer asks why her lover is no longer as attentive to her as before. He is not interested and neglects her, and she calls him a “loser” in response. “I never ask for more than I deserve, you know it's true. You seem to think that you are God on this earth. I say no, ”Jackson sings ^{[14] [15]} . Veda A. McCoy in the book Lifepower: Six Winning Strategies to a Life of Purpose, Passion & Power notes that the song recalled that “life is more than what you say. Life is also what you do. ” ^[16] Vibe Magazine believes that with “What Have You Done for Me Lately,” Jackson supports men. ^[17] Chris Smith of New York Magazine called the chorus of the song “truly warlike.” ^[18]

Rolling Stone 's Rob Horburg felt that “What Have You Done for Me Lately”, like “Nasty,” dispelled the “pop-engineering image” of Jackson’s previous two albums ^[19] . Connie Johnson, a Los Angeles Times critic , praised the song, describing it as brave and exciting. ^[20] Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine described her as a “female anthem of gender equality” and noted that she had anticipated TLC 's “ No Scrubs ” for more than a decade ^[21] . The song had a positive assessment of similarity with other recordings defending the recognition of women's rights released by African-American singers at the time. The track was compared to New Attitude by Patty LaBelle , Better Be Good to Me by Tina Turner, and Aretha Franklin 's Sisters Are Doin 'It for Themselves . Oprah Winfrey said: “All you can see in the field of art and entertainment is that black women internalize the idea of ​​black power and pride ... Black women began to listen to their inner signals, and not to the opinion of society or even to the ideas of the black community what they should be ” ^[22] .

At the 29th Grammy Award , the composition received a nomination in the category “Best Song in Rhythm and Blues”, but lost to Anita Baker's song “Sweet Love” ^[23] . According to the results of the year, the song was placed by the English magazine Face in the rating “Singles of the Year” at the 31st position, and in the similar list of the New Musical Express magazine it took the 38th line ^{[24] [25]} . “What Have You Done for Me Lately” was included by Blender in the rating of “500 Greatest Songs Since Your Birth”, where it ranked 341st ^[26] . The editors of the online edition of Slant Magazine rated the song “Best Singles of the 1980s”, placing it on the 80th line and writing that “What Have You Done for Me Lately” was among the most striking examples of Jackson’s self-expression ^{[27 ]} . In the magazine " Poster " "What Have You Done for Me Lately" was noted as one of the main moments in the history of modern rhythm and blues . Aleksey Aleev wrote about its meaning: ““ What Have You Done for Me Lately ”... ... not just a big R'n'B hit with all the characteristic signs, but also a loud statement addressed to men on behalf of all women, a real feminist manifesto ... ... Destiny's Child actually started with this song ” ^[28] .

"What Have You Done for Me Lately" became a breakthrough single for Jackson, debuting on the US charts on February 22, 1986 with the 95th line ^[11] . The song became the first top 10 single for the singer in America, reaching 4th position on the Billboard Hot 100 and spending 21 weeks in it ^[29] . On March 22, the single topped the Hot R & B / Hip-Hop Songs for two weeks. ^[11] “What Have You Done for Me Lately” also reached 3rd place on the Hot 100 Singles Sales singles chart , 2nd on the Hot Dance Club Songs dance chart, and 8th place on the Hot 100 Airplay radio rotation chart ^[30] . The single became Jackson's first certified record in the USA, receiving a gold certificate from the RIAA for 1 million copies shipped to stores ^[31] .

In Canada, the single debuted on March 29, 1986 with 92 seats. ^[32] On June 14, the song settled in 6th place, becoming Janet's first top 10 hit in the country, spending a total of 24 weeks on the chart ^{[33] [34]} . The song became the 53rd on the chart following the results of 1986 in Canada ^[35] .

In the UK, the song debuted at the UK Singles Chart from 67th position and ended up in 3rd place on May 3, 1986 ^[36] . The single spent 14 weeks on the chart and received a silver certificate for sales of over 200,000 copies ^{[36] [37]} . In New Zealand, the single debuted and placed at 27th place, remaining on the chart for 9 weeks ^[38] . In Australia, the song debuted from 38th position and reached 6th place, having spent 12 weeks on the chart ^[39] . In the Netherlands, the song became Janet's first # 1 single, lingering at number 1 for 3 weeks. ^[40] The song also reached the top 10 in Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland ^{[41] [42] [38] [43]} .

According to the results of 1986, “What Have You Done for Me Lately” took 43rd place in the Hot 100 annual American chart, 13th place in Hot R & B / Hip-Hop Songs, 20th in the dance singles and albums sales chart and 28 on the dance track play chart ^[44] . Jackson was recognized by Billboard Magazine as “The Black Artist of the Year,” “The Single Pop Artist of the Year,” “The Single Pop Artist of the Year” and “The Single Black Artist of the Year” ^[44] .

The video for “What Have You Done for Me Lately” was shot by Brian Jones and Pierce Ashworth in December 1985. The choreographer of the video was Paula Abdul , who also appears in the video among Jackson's friends. According to a 1990 Jet magazine article, in a video, Abdul “combined sexual energy with cool, charming movements. This combination helped Janet get the status of a sexual superstar. Anyone who saw the video noted the fact that Janet was indeed an adult woman ” ^[45] . The video also starred Tina Landon , who would later become Jackson's choreographer. ^[46] In her autobiography, True You , Janet says that her label considered it important that she appear thinner in the video:

“I have heard this all my life, but with such stress, at the take-off of my career, I did not have the strength to argue. [...] We [me and Paula Abdul] settled down at home and spent weeks training. [...] I was as motivated as ever to succeed. [...] I felt good when we finished. I liked getting compliments about my “new” figure. I shot a video and at the same time actually changed my image ” ^[47] .

Saw was first shown on the BET channel on February 17, 1986 ^[48] . In the video, Jackson goes to a small restaurant with his friends to talk about his relationship problems. Her boyfriend (played by Rudi Houston) shows up there with his friends, and Jackson decides to talk with him about his feelings. In the video, Jackson's world is a dark world in gray tones. In her thoughts, the world is more vibrant and two-dimensional.

The video won the Best Music R&B / Soul or Rap Video Award at the 1987 Soul Train Music Awards ^[49] .

Jackson performed "What Have You Done for Me Lately" on the Soul Train on March 29, 1986 ^[50] . She also sang the song live at the 1987 Grammy Awards, wearing a black costume, along with Jem and Lewis and the dancers. ^[51] She also performed a song during all her tours. On the 1990 Rhythm Nation 1814 World Tour , the song was third on the set list. She performed with fellow dancers Tina Landon and Karen Owens, after which Janet sang “ Let's Wait Awhile ” ^[52] . In the Janet World Tour , which began in 1993 and continued for two years, the song was the second and was performed with “ Nasty ” ^[53] . John Parales of The New York Times noted that Jackson has become better as a vocalist compared to the last round. In “What Have You Done for Me Lately”, she had new vocal parts that were different from the original version of the song ^[13] .

The song was performed as part of a potpourri along with “ Control ”, “ The Pleasure Principle ”, “Nasty” and “ Throb ” during the 1998 The Velvet Rope Tour ^[54] . A potpourri at the show on October 11, 1998 in New York , at Madison Square Garden , was shown during a special broadcast on HBO 's The Velvet Rope: Live in Madison Square Garden . The issue is also featured on the 1999 Velvet Rope Tour - Live in Concert DVD release ^[55] . During the All for You Tour in 2001 and 2002, “What Have You Done for Me Lately” was performed in a revised version, as part of a potpourri with “Control” and “Nasty”. Rolling Stone Denise Sheppard said this number was “another favorite of the crowd; perhaps it’s best to call it the “bitter” part of the night, ”adding that“ this singer, who has been performing on stage for 28 years, knows what the audience wants and gives him that ” ^[56] . The last concert of the tour took place on February 16, 2002 at the Aloha Stadium in Hawaii and was shown at the HBO. This record was later released on Janet DVD : Live in Hawaii ^[57] .

Janet decided to open her first tour in seven years, the Rock Witchu Tour , with a medley of songs from “The Pleasure Principle”, “Control” and “What Have You Done for Me Lately”. After the interlude, Jackson with a mohawk -style hairstyle enters the stage, accompanied by fireworks and smoke, and performs a potpourri ^{[58] [59]} . As part of a promotional campaign for her second compilation, Number Ones, the singer performed an eight-minute number of six hits at the 2009 American Music Awards . The number consisted of “Control,” “ Miss You Much ,” “What Have You Done for Me Lately,” “ If ,” “ Make Me, ” and ended with “ Together Again .” The performance was greeted with applause and applause from the audience ^{[60] [61]} . At the 2010 music festival, Essence Music Festival , in New Orleans, Louisiana, Jackson also included “What Have You Done for Me Lately” on the set list ^[62] . On the 2011 tour, Number Ones, Up Close and Personal was the third song on the set list. During the performance, she wore a metal katsuit ^[63] . On August 30, the song was dedicated to Portland - this is part of the concert, during which Janet dedicated a song to the city where the show was held ^[64] .

“What Have You Done for Me Lately,” in particular the title, is referenced by the 1987 film Eddie Murphy, “As Is” . “What Have You Done for Me Lately” is a common question that women ask their partners before breaking up ^[65] . The song is featured in a 1989 Disney movie Parent Trap 3 , when Jesse (Monica Creel) performs a parody dance called “The Jackson 3”, a parody of The Jackson 5 , singing a song ^[66] . The American musician Prince used elements of the song during the performance of his song “ Partyman ” during his 1990 Nude Tour ^[67] . He sang “What Have You Done for Me Lately” again at the end of 2013 during a concert in Ankasville, Connecticut ^[68] . Sister Janet La Toya Jackson used the sample song on the track “Wild Side” from her 1991 album No Relations ^[69] . The song was performed by the heroes of the 1993 comedy Act Sister 2 and was re-recorded by the American soul band Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings in 2002 for their debut album, Dap Dippin 'with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings ^{[70] [71]} .

“What Have You Done for Me Lately” is regarded as one of the singer’s key singles, which helped her become famous ^[72] . The song became 341st on Blender ’s list of “500 Greatest Songs Since You Was Born” ^[73] . In 2012, Mike Staver wrote in Leadership Isn't For Cowards: How to Drive Performance by Challenging People that “'What Have You Done for Me Lately' is not just some old Janet Jackson song, it's an eternal melody that leaders sing every day ” ^[74] .