State of the World (song)

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
"State of the World"
File:State of the World (song).jpg
Australian commercial CD/vinyl single
Single by Janet Jackson
from the album Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814
Released February 6, 1991 (1991-02-06)
Format
Recorded April 1989 – December 1990;
Flyte Tyme Studios
(Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Length 4:47
Label A&M
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Janet Jackson singles chronology
"Love Will Never Do (Without You)"
(1990)		 "State of the World"
(1991)		 "The Best Things in Life Are Free"
(1992)

"State of the World" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson, recorded for her fourth studio album, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). It was written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with additional writing by Jackson. The song is musically complemented with sirens, heavy synthesizers and a groove, while it focuses lyrically on homelessness. While recording the album, Jackson and the producers watched television, specially news channels. The song was conceived after that. "State of the World" was released as the eighth and final single from the album on February 6, 1991, by A&M Records.

"State of the World" received mixed reviews from contemporary critics, with some complimenting its sound, while others found it not convincing. The song was not released commercially in the United States, being was ineligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 or the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, but reached number five on Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay chart. No music video was made to accompany the song. Jackson has only included "State of the World" on her Rhythm Nation World Tour in 1990.

Background and release

Following the commercial and critical success of her 1986 album, Control, Jackson was motivated to continue songwriting and took a larger role in the creative production of her new album.[1] Executives at A&M requested that she expand on the ideas presented on Control, suggesting a concept album entitled Scandal that would have been about the Jackson family. She wrote a song titled "You Need Me" which was directed at her father Joseph, but was unwilling to devote an entire album to the subject and substituted her own concept for theirs.[2] She commented that "[a] lot of people wanted me to do another album like Control and that's what I didn't want to do. I wanted to do something that I really believed in and that I really felt strong about."[3] The concept of Rhythm Nation emerged as Jackson was a TV watcher, "We would watch BET, MTV ... then switched over to CNN, and there'd always be something messed-up happening. It was never good news, always bad news", producer James "Jimmy Jam" Harris recalled. "State of the World" was one of these songs, influenced by TV and news.[4] Released on February 6, 1991, "State of the World" was the eighth and the final single of Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814. The record label reckoned that they would boost album sales with a radio-only promotion.[5]

Composition

On Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, the song is preceded with an interlude titled "T.V.", which included "little snippets of discouraging news headlines and static as someone switches the channels". This leads into "State of the World", which is sonically decorated with sirens, heavy synthesizers and a groove.[6] The song focuses lyrically on homelessness.[7] According to Jon Pareles of The New York Times, Jackson tries to stay optimistic with the world's state: "Let's weather the storm together", and compared the song musically to the music by Prince.[8] In the book Born in the U.S.A.: The Myth of America in Popular Music from Colonial Times to the Present by Timothy E. Scheurer, the author noted that she attempts to deliver a message of hope. According to him, the song is like a medical diagnosis in which Jackson proposes education as the key to settling problems.[9] Pace magazine described the song as an "aggressive dance assault".[10]

Critical reception

"State of the World" received mixed reviews from music critics. Jon Pareles of The New York Times considered that "despite its platitudinous message, [the song] has stark edges and angles".[8] Sputnikmusic's Zachary Powell commented that "'State of the World' keeps the upbeat motion that Rhythm Nation begins, but with more of a socially conscious twist. It shares with the preceding track a groovy beat and danceability, but takes it to another direction lyrically and shows the caring side of Janet Jackson".[11] Dennis Hunt of Los Angeles Times commented positively saying that the move to social commentary was a rocky decision. However, he felt that "State of the World" was not interesting enough musically to carry the messages.[12] According to Entertainment Scene 360° in a retrospective review, the song had "not aged".[6]

On the book Michael Jackson A Life In Music: A Life in Music, by writer Geoff Brown focusing on Jackson's brother Michael, he noted that like her brother, she can focus on problems, as shown on the song, but offers no solutions.[13] The New Rolling Stone Album Guide commented that "heartfelt pleas for racial unity and cloudy musings on the 'State of the World' don't obscure the pulsating beat of other songs" from the album.[14] Jonathan Van Meter from Spin was critical of the song, saying that "State of the World", "Rhythm Nation" and "The Knowledge" formed "a Spike Lee-esque trilogy made even less convincing by a tiresome house music back-beat and that infortunate, outdated beat on every fourth count".[7] AllMusic's editor Alex Henderson called the song "disturbing".[15]

Chart performance

In the US, the song was released as a radio-only single, being ineligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 or the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[16] However, it peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart.[17] Author Fred Bronson noted it likely would have been the album's eighth top ten hit if a commercial product had been distributed.[5]

In Australia, the song received a commercial release, and peaked at number 94 on the ARIA Singles Chart in July 1991.[18]

Live performance

Jackson has only performed the song on her Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour.[19]

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Locations
Personnel
  • Janet Jackson - lead vocals, background vocals, songwriter, co-producer, keyboards, rhythm and vocal arranger
  • Jimmy Jam - producer, songwriter, keyboards and drum programming, percussion, rhythm and vocal arranger
  • Terry Lewis - producer, songwriter, percussion, background vocals, rhythm and vocal arranger
  • René Elizondo, Jr. - background vocals
  • Steve Hodge - background vocals, recording and mixing engineer
  • Brian Gardner - mastering

Credits adapted from Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 album booklet.[25]

Charts

Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA Singles Chart)[18] 94
US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay[26] 5
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[17] 9

Notes

  1. ↑ Martin Strong 2004, p. 749
  2. ↑ Fred Bronson 2002, p. 362
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Fred Bronson 2003, p. 744
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Fred Bronson 2003, p. 776
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Timothy E. Scheurer 2007, p. 244
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Geoff Brown 2010, p. 236
  14. ↑ Nathan Bracket 2004, p. 411
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

References

  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=State_of_the_World_(song)&oldid=1649314"