What Have You Done for Me Lately
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| "What Have You Done for Me Lately" | ||
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| Single by Janet Jackson | ||
| from the album Control | ||
| Released | January, 1986 (U.S.) March 10, 1986 (UK) |
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| Format | 7" single, 12" single | |
| Recorded | 1985 | |
| Genre | Pop/R&B | |
| Length | 4:59 | |
| Label | A&M | |
| Writer(s) | Janet Jackson, James Harris, Terry Lewis | |
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Janet Jackson singles chronology | ||
| "Start Anew" (1985) |
"'What Have You Done for Me Lately" (1986) |
"Nasty" (1986) |
"What Have You Done for Me Lately" is the first single from Janet Jackson's third album Control. The song was written by Jackson and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and produced by Jam & Lewis. Jackson helped with the lyrics of the song and was credited as a "co-producer" on the song (but she is not given official credit as a producer). The song talks of a relationship gone bad because the man isn't doing enough to please Janet, prompting her to ask the title question. It earned a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song in 1987. The song, in particular its title, is referenced in Eddie Murphy Raw (1987), as a common question that women ask their partners prior to breaking up.
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[edit] Music Video
Janet goes to a funky diner with her friends to talk about her relationship problems. Her boyfriend shows up with his friends. Janet decides to give him a piece of her mind. In the video, Janet's reality is a dark world with faded colors. In a more dreamscape world, the colors are vibrant and everything is 2-D. "What Have You Done for Me Lately" won a Soul Train Award for Best Music Video. The video's choreographer was Paula Abdul, who appears in the video as Jackson's friend.
[edit] Chart Performance
Released in February 1986, "What Have You Done for Me Lately" is notable as the breakthrough single for Jackson; it was her first big hit after several years of releasing duds, and helped her to establish an artistic identity separate from that of her brother, Michael Jackson.
The single debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at #95 the week of February 22, 1986, and checked into the Top 40 of the chart a month later, advancing from #48 to #39. Eight weeks later, the week of May 17, 1986, "What Have You Done For Me Lately" reached it's peak of #4. On the Billboard year end charts, "What Have You Done for Me Lately" was ranked #43 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles of 1986, #13 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs singles of 1986, and #28 on the Hot Dance Club Play singles of 1986.
The single reached #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart; it also reached #3 in the UK. The song was certified gold in the USA and platinum in the UK and also topped the charts in Holland. It was an international hit and one of Jackson's biggest hits outside of the U.S. The song made the top ten in almost all the countries it charted in.
[edit] Charts
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Comtemporary | 38 |
| U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 | 4 |
| ARIA Top 50 | 4 |
| Bavaria Singles Chart | 4 |
| Belgium Singles Chart | 7 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 2 |
| German Singles Chart | 8 |
| Holland Singles Chart | 1 |
| Official UK Singles Chart | 3 |
| South African Sales Chart | 3 |
| Switzerland Singles Chart | 9 |
[edit] Official versions/remixes
- Album version (4.59)
- A cappella (2.19)
- Design of a Decade international edit (3.32)
- Design of a Decade US edit (4.44)
- Dub version (6.35)
- Edited version (3.28)
- Extended mix (7.00)
[edit] Trivia
Janet performed the song live in 1987 at the Grammy ceremony, in front of her peers. She received a standing ovation and solidified her reputation as a formidable live act in the process.
It should also be noted that the famous "Lately Bass" preset on the Yamaha TX81Z (used extensively on house and techno songs of the late 80's and 90's) was based off the bass tone of this song, and subsiquently named after it as well.
Music video actor/dancer Rudy Huston played Janet's boyfriend in the video and was also in numerous other videos of the era including Pebbles' top ten hit "Mercedes Boy". Janet met Huston on the set of the television series "Fame" starring Debbie Allen, in which Jackson had a co-starring role and Huston was a featured dance student along with Jasmine Guy, before her "A Different World" fame.
| Preceded by "Your Smile" by René & Angela |
Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks number-one single March 22, 1986 |
Succeeded by "Kiss" by Prince & the Revolution |
| Janet Jackson |
|---|
| Studio albums: Janet Jackson • Dream Street • Control • Rhythm Nation 1814 janet. • The Velvet Rope • All for You • Damita Jo • 20 Y.O. Other albums: Control: The Remixes • Janet. Remixed • Design of a Decade 1986/1996 |
| Discography • Singles • Videography • Filmography • Tours • Awards and accolades |
