Thursday, March 2, 2023

Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation (1989)








After two lackluster albums, Janet Jackson finally broke out with Control.  With five singles reaching the top five, plus another top twenty hit, following that up seemed like a chore.  But she was more than up for it as her Rhythm Nation 1814 album surpassed its predecessor in sales and charting singles.  All seven reached the top five, with four of them going to number one.  Rhythm Nation remains the only album to have seven top five hits on the Billboard Hot 100.  Still with me?  While the bulk of the album tackled social issues, many of the singles dealt with the usual topic of love.  But Rhythm Nation was not one of them.  Calling for racial harmony, the song was an anthem at the dawn of a new decade.

The video for Rhythm Nation is one of Janet's all-time best, most notably the choreography.  Janet and her nation members perform elaborate dance moves in a post apocalyptic warehouse.  Rhythm Nation was filmed in black & white, driving home the call for racial unity.  It came as no surprise when it won Best Choreography at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards.  Part of the video was filmed in The Bradbury Building, the oldest commercial building in Downtown Los Angeles, and most notably used in 1982's Blade Runner.




Location: The Elevator
Address: 304 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA













Location Visited: February 2023


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