"That's the Way Love Goes" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her fifth studio album, janet. (1993). Released as the album's lead single in April 1993, the Grammy Award-winning song became Jackson's longest-running number-one single ever in the United States, staying atop the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks.
Song information
"That's the Way Love Goes", written and produced by Jackson, James Harris III, and Terry Lewis, contains a sample of James Brown's 1974 number-one R&B hit "Papa Don't Take No Mess". As the lead single from janet., the mood was a stark contrast to her previous album Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814. "If" was the original choice for the lead single by Virgin. However, Jam and Lewis argued otherwise. "Everybody was talking about", says Jam. "To me, your first single should say, 'Welcome to the album. If you like this, check out the rest.' And we really felt 'That's the Way Love Goes' was in keeping with the spirit of the rest of the album. And since it went to number one, we proved that we were right!" "If" was eventually released as the second single from the album. The demo was first presented to her before she left a multi-week Christmas vacation in 1992 and was asked to listen to and review it during her time off. Upon return in January 1993, she agreed and immediately recorded the song.
In 1994, the track earned Jackson her second Grammy Award for Best R&B Song, and was also nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Since then, the song has been covered by Norman Brown, 'N Sync, Chantay Savage, Deborah Cox, and Brownstone.
Jackson performed the song as a medley with "If" at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards; the audio recording of which appears on the limited edition double disc edition of janet. A remix of the song entitled CJ FXTC Club Mix appears on her 1995 remix album janet. Remixed.
Jackson has performed the song on all of her tours, including the janet. Tour, The Velvet Rope Tour, All for You Tour, and Rock Witchu Tour.
"That's the Way Love Goes" was ranked number 427 on Blender's The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born.[1]
Chart performance
"That's the Way Love Goes" debuted at number fourteen on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Two weeks later, a day before Jackson's twenty-seventh birthday, May 16, 1993 it became Jackson's sixth number one on the Hot 100, eleventh number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and ninth number one on the Hot Dance Club Play. The single is also Jackson's biggest hit on the Hot 100 Airplay, where it spent ten weeks at number one. This song is Jackson's most successful single in the U.S. to date. Internationally, it reached number one in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand; the top five in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland; and the top ten in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and Ireland. The song also went on to top the European Hot 100 Singles chart because of its high peaks throughout Europe.
Music video
The video was directed by Jackson's ex-husband René Elizondo, Jr. in April 1993. Set in a hotel, Jackson is depicted amongst her friends who persuade her to play her new song. Jackson performs the song, being interrupted by Tish who pauses it to tell her, "Yo, this is slamming!" Tish plays the tape and everyone in the hotel begins to dance along to it. The video also features then-unknown Jennifer Lopez as Jackson's backup dancer. "That's the Way Love Goes" was nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards in 1993: Best Female Video, Best Dance Video, and Best Choreography. The video is featured on the 1994 compilation janet., the 1996 compilation Design of a Decade, the limited bonus-DVD edition of 2001's All for You, and 2004's From janet. to Damita Jo: The Videos.
An alternate version of the video, the One Take Version, is set in the same hotel room and is a single take focusing solely on Jackson. It appears exclusively on the 1994 VHS video compilation janet.[2]
N*SYNC paid tribute to the video exclusively on MTV Icon, where they cover a shortened version of the song in a similar setting.
Track listings and formats
- UK CD single (VSCDG1460) (limited edition)[3]
- German CD maxi single (891 896 2)[4]
- Dutch CD maxi single (7243 891895 2 0)[5]
- LP Version – 4:25
- CJ R&B 7" Mix – 4:10
- CJ R&B 12" Mix – 6:16
- CJ FXTC Club Mix 12" – 6:23
- Macapella – 6:22
- CJ FXTC Instrumental – 6:14
- UK promo 7" single (VS 1460)[6]
- U.S. promo 7" single (S717332)[7]
- Japanese CD single (VJDP-10207)[8]
- LP Version – 4:25
- Instrumental – 4:25
- UK 12" single (VST 1460)[9]
- CJ R&B 12" Mix – 6:16
- LP Version – 4:25
- Macapella – 6:22
- CJ FXTC Club Mix 12" – 6:23
- CJ FXTC Dub – 6:14
- CJ FXTC Instrumental – 6:14
|
- U.S. 12" single (Y-12661)[10]
- CJ R&B 12" Mix – 6:16
- LP Version – 4:25
- CJ FXTC Club Mix 12" – 6:23
- CJ FXTC Dub – 6:14
- U.S. promo CD single (DPRO-12783)[11]
- That's the Remix (We Aimsta Win) #1 – 5:42
- That's the Remix (We Aimsta Win) #2 – 5:14
- That's the Remix (We Aimsta Win Instrumental) – 5:42
- U.S. CD maxi single (V25H-12654)[12]
- CJ R&B 7" Mix – 4:10
- CJ R&B 12" Mix – 6:16
- CJ FXTC Club Mix 12" – 6:23
- Macapella – 6:22
- CJ FXTC Instrumental – 6:14
- LP Version – 4:25
|
Official remixes
- Album Version – 4:25
- Instrumental – 4:25
- A Capella – 4:25
- CJ R&B 7" Mix – 4:10
- CJ R&B 12" Mix – 6:16
- Macapella (by CJ) – 6:22
- CJ FXTC Club Mix – 6:24
- CJ FXTC Dub – 6:14
- CJ FXTC Instrumental – 6:16
- We Aimsta Win Mix #1 – 5:42
- We Aimsta Win Mix #2 – 5:14
- We Aimsta Win Instrumental – 5:42
- "That's the Way Love Goes/If" Medley (Live) – 5:46
Charts and certifications
| Country |
Certification |
Sales/Shipments |
| United Kingdom[23] |
Silver |
200,000 |
| United States[24] |
Platinum |
1,000,000 |
References
External links
|
Janet Jackson |
|
| Studio albums |
|
|
| Compilation albums |
|
|
| Video releases |
|
|
| Tours |
|
|
| Related articles |
|
|
