Shiny & New Turns 2: #11 "Miss You Much" - Janet Jackson

"Shot like an arrow going through my heart / That's the pain I feel / I feel whenever we're apart"

My romance with Janet Jackson has not been as long as I would have hoped. After downloading the seminal "Rhythm Nation" a few years ago on recommendation from a friend, she remained unlistened to for a while until on whim I decided to download the album on which it appeared and the preceding Control. I soon found myself filled with frustration that I hadn't taken the plunge sooner. In the UK, Janet seems to be constantly, very unfairly, shoved in the shadow of her impossible to ignore brother, yet she really does have a wealth of material to her name which undeniably marks her as one of the most talented individuals of the eighties and nineties.

I have several Janet favourites, many of them coming from the very first two albums I downloaded. However for some reason "Miss You Much" stands as the best example of why Janet - Ms. Jackson if yo nasty - has produced some of the most melodic, danceable pop music in recent years. After the throbbing drum machine paves the way for the mesmerising synth which follows, the frustration-filled lyrics take over the spotlight and the voicing of her resentment at how much she longs for her lover is more than audible. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Janet's almost career-long production partners, used industrial, harsh sounds in the background of this otherwise synth-heavy track and not once are you fooled into believing this is a simple love song.