They said it couldn't last, so we had to prove them wrong... by making an episode of Strong Songs all about Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis.
It's time to go back to the late 80s, when New Jack Swing was all the rage and a budding superstar named Janet sat down with a pair of Minneapolis producers named Jimmy and Terry to produce some of the most groundbreaking pop music of the decade. This episode takes a look at "Love Will Never Do (Without You)," one of the most complex of their collaborations, and a tune with as many stylistic left-turns as it has orchestra hits.
Written by: James Harris III and Terry Lewis
Produced by: Janet Jackson, Jam & Lewis
Album: Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, 1989
Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify
FEATURED/DISCUSSED:
- “Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 intro from the 1980s, via YouTube
- “Kiss” by Prince from Parade, 1986
- “Walking on Broken Glass” by Annie Lennox from Diva, 1992
- “Like a Prayer” by Madonna from Like a Prayer, 1989
- “Control,” “Nasty,” and “When I Think of You” by Janet Jackson/Jam & Lewis from Control, 1986
- "Rhythm Nation" and "Miss You Much" from Rhythm Nation 1814, 1989
- Emu SP-1200 Beatmaking demonstration by Chief Rugged on YouTube
- Discussion of New Jack Swing, which you can learn more about here
- “Poison” by Bel Biv DeVoe from Poison, 1990
- “Alice, I Want You Just For Me” by Full Force, produced by Teddy Riley on Full Force, 1985
- Estelle Caswell’s Vox Earworm video about the Orchestra Hit
- “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac from Rumors, 1977
OUTRO SOLOIST: Dan Nervo
This episode's outro soloist is the fantastic Dan Nervo. Dan plays guitar in the San Francisco Bay Area in bands like Neon Velvet, and also teaches private guitar lessons. Hit him up if you want to get good at guitar: https://www.facebook.com/DanNervoGuitarLessons/
STRONG MERCH
Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com
JOIN THE STRONG SONGS DISCORD
The Strong Songs Discord server is now open to everyone! Come join the conversation and get (or give) some music recs: https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm
KEEP IT SOCIAL
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And find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton
NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST
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STRONG PLAYLISTS
Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.
SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!
Thank you so much to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters - you are all the best. For more on how to support the creation of this show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs
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