| "Again" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Standard cover art(US CD single pictured) | ||||
| Single byJanet Jackson | ||||
| from the albumJanet | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | October 12, 1993 (1993-10-12) | |||
| Recorded | 1992 | |||
| Studio | Flyte Tyme (Edina,Minnesota) | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:47 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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| Janet Jackson singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Again" onYouTube | ||||
"Again" is a song by American singer and songwriterJanet Jackson from her fifthalbum,Janet (1993). The song was also included as the closing song to the 1993 filmPoetic Justice. Written and produced by Jackson andJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, theballad was released as the album's thirdsingle on October 12, 1993, byVirgin Records, and talks about the reconnection with an old lover. Originally an experimental sound Jam and Lewis was considering for the album, they did not give the song serious contemplation until the film producers fromPoetic Justice requested a ballad for thesoundtrack.
Critics were divided on their opinions of "Again". Some praised it as a highlight from theJanet album and a classic, while other critics responded negatively to its sentimental lyrical content. However, "Again" became a commercial success, topping the USBillboard Hot 100 for two weeks in late 1993 as well as theCash Box Top 100, while also reaching the top 10 in Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
"Again" receivedGolden Globe andAcademy Award nominations for Best Original Song.[1][2] Jackson's then-husbandRené Elizondo Jr. directed a music video for the song, which was released in two versions: one with and one without scenes fromPoetic Justice. The song was covered byHow to Dress Well for his second album,Total Loss and sampled byIyaz on his 2010 single, "Solo".
In 1992, Janet Jackson filmed her first film,Poetic Justice, prior to recording a new album. InPoetic Justice, Justice (Jackson) uses her poetry to deal with her grief after her boyfriend is killed in a shooting incident at a drive-in.[3] After shooting the film, Jackson started recording a new album, declaring that the film inspired her to take new direction in her music, "Rhythm Nation was a heavy record, andPoetic Justice was a heavy movie. I wanted to do something lighter but also daring ... When I wrote the album, I was still in a poetic frame of mind, inspired by Maya's beautiful language."[4]
"Again" was originally an experimental sound the production duoJimmy Jam & Terry Lewis was considering for the album. While Jackson found its melody compelling, the trio did not give the song serious contemplation until the film producers fromPoetic Justice requested a ballad for the film's soundtrack. Jackson subsequently wrote the lyrics for "Again" and shaped them around Jam's melody.[5] The song was eventually included as the closing song to the film, but was not included on its soundtrack album. It was later released asjanet.'s third single on October 12, 1993, with thejazz-funk track "Funky Big Band" from the album appearing on the single as aB-side, as well as aFrench version of the song, which also appeared on the limited edition of thejanet. album. For this version, Janet Jackson is helped byAndré Manoukian.[6]
"Again" was written and produced byJanet Jackson,Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. It is set incommon time with a key ofC major. Jackson's vocal cords ranges between the tonal nodes of low-tone G3 to high-tone D5. The song is in a moderate tempo of 64beats per minute with thechord progression being set like C–G–Am–F–C–Dm7/G in the first verse and C–E–Am7–D9 in thechorus.[7] "Again" is a "lightweight" "Pop crossover"piano ballad,[8][9] based on a lost love. The song's story is about running into an old friend, only to discover that the feelings for that person are as strong as ever. "Kinda late in the game and my heart is in your hands. Don't you stand there and then tell me you love me and leave me again," she sings.[10]
"Again" dividedmusic critics. Despite calling it a "throwaway", Alex Henderson ofAllMusic named the song a highlight from the album.[11]Larry Flick fromBillboard magazine called it "a delicateballad". He added, "Her evocative voice is swathed in grand piano lines and quasi-orchestral strings that will thrill ardent fans attop 40 radio. Melancholy lyrics are icing on a sweet musical cake that millions will want to taste."[12] In a "classic track-by-track review", anotherBillboard editor, Andrew Hampp, remarked, "By the time Jackson pleas at the song's close, seemingly choking back tears, "Cause I've fallen in love with you again," it's hard not to get misty even after countless listens."[13]Essence ranked "Again" as the number-four Greatest Break-up song of all-time.[14] John Martinucci from theGavin Report described it as "a tender love song that definitely tugs on the heart strings."[15] In his weekly UK chart commentary,James Masterton viewed it as "a slushy ballad".[16] Alan Jones fromMusic Week gave it a score of four out of five and named it Single of the Week, stating that "this fragile and fragrant ballad draws a sophisticated vocal performance from Jackson. With full orchestral accompaniment, it is sweet but not saccharine, and is likely to grow into a huge hit."[17] Sal Cinquemani ofSlant Magazine called it "the most treacly, saccharine ballad Janet has ever recorded, complete with the kind of teary breakdown one might expect from her brother."[18]
"Again" was a success on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart, debuting in October 1993.[19] The song topped the Billboard charts for two weeks in December 1993, being certified platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America. The song spent 15 weeks in the top 10, making it Jackson's longest running top-10 single.[19] The song was also a number-one hit on theCash Box Top 100 and a success on otherBillboard component charts, including theTop 40 Mainstream (peaking at number two),[20] theRhythmic Top 40 (number three),[21]Adult Contemporary (number four),[22] andHot R&B Singles & Tracks (number seven).[23] In Canada, the song was also a success, reaching number two.[24] In the United Kingdom, "Again" was a success, peaking at number six, becoming her sixth top-10 single.[25]
Elsewhere, the song peaked inside the top 20. In Australia, "Again" debuted at number 26, before peaking at number 19, four weeks later.[26] In New Zealand, the song was even better, peaking at number 13,[27] while in Sweden, the song was even higher, with a peak of number five after 11 weeks on the chart, becoming her highest charting-single there.[28]
The accompanying music video for "Again" was directed by Jackson's then-husbandRené Elizondo Jr. in 1993. It features actorGary Dourdan as Jackson's lost love, with Jackson writing in her diary as she reminisces about her love through flashbacks. The alternative version of the video contains scenes fromPoetic Justice playing on a television. The original video appears on the 1994 compilationjanet. and the 2004 DVDFrom Janet to Damita Jo: The Videos, while thePoetic Justice version is included on the 2001 DVD edition ofAll for You. "Again" was later made available byVEVO onYouTube in 2010, and had generated almost seven million views as of early 2024 on the platform.[29]
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Since its release, Jackson has performed the song on all of her tours, including thejanet. Tour,The Velvet Rope Tour,All for You Tour,Rock Witchu Tour, and theNumber Ones, Up Close and Personal tour, where it was dedicated to Phoenix, Arizona and Oslo, Norway. She also performed it on the season 9 finale ofAmerican Idol. Jackson included the song on her 2015-2016Unbreakable World Tour. "Again" was used as a video interlude on herState of the World Tour in 2017. Jackson included the song on her 2023Together Again Tour.[19]
"Again" was covered byHow to Dress Well and appeared as a bonus track on his 2012 albumTotal Loss, which was also inspired by Janet's "The Velvet Rope".[30] According to the singer Tom Krell, "What you're getting is not a report of a feeling, but a sonic presentation of the feeling," he said about the cover.[13] The song was sampled byIyaz on his 2010 single "Solo". According to Leah Greenblatt ofEntertainment Weekly, "it riffs 'Again', without directly sampling either the main hook or re-upping the lyrics directly. The song just lifts a substantial chunk of Janet's lilting melody."[31] The melody was also used inStanley Clarke's song "Lucky Again" on his 1995 albumAt the Movies.
| Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Original Song | Nominated | [32] |
| ASCAP Awards | R&B Music | Won | [33] |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Original Song | Nominated | [34] |
| Kids' Choice Award | Favorite Song | Nominated | [35] |
|
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Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
Decade-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[79] | Platinum | 1,000,000[78] |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | October 12, 1993 |
| Virgin | [citation needed] |
| United Kingdom | November 8, 1993 |
| [80] | |
| Australia | November 15, 1993 |
| [81] | |
| December 6, 1993 | CD2 | [82] | ||
| Japan | December 1, 1993 | Mini-CD | [83] |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)janet jackson again.
