Number Ones Countdown: When I Think of You (1986)

Writers: James Harris III, Terry Lewis, Janet Jackson
Producers: Jimmy jam, Terry Lewis

The Billboard Hot 100: #1 (2 weeks) (Gold) (debuted 8/9/86, peaked 10/11/86 - 19 weeks on chart)
Hot 100 Airplay: #1 (2 weeks)
Hot Dance Music/Club Play: #1 (3 weeks) (debuted 8/23/86 - 11 weeks on chart)

After the smash success of "Nasty," Janet was on a roll. She was the pop artist to lookout for in 1986 and kept things rolling with the euphoric dance number "When I Think of You." Released in July of 1986, the single was Janet's "summer song." It was a light, wistful diddy with a carefree quality -- in stark contrast to the heavy, industrialized funk jams which kicked off her LP. And, carved yet another first for the Jackson, her first Number 1 pop hit. The song's impressions on the charts were immediate -- hitting the pole position on Billboard's Airplay, Dance Music/Club Play, ARC Top 40 and Hot 100 charts for two consecutive weeks in the fall of that year.

Janet Jackson - When I Think of You (David Morales Jazzy Mix)



"When I Think Of You" was a milestone for Janet Jackson. The single made Janet the youngest artist since Stevie Wonder to top the Billboard pop charts. She was only 19. In addition, made Janet and her older brother Michael, the only siblings in history to have solo Number 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.

Great article from Billboard Magazine (Click to enlarge)



The single's memorable short film evolves from Janet's personal life. "During Control," she says, "I began to assess the place and purpose of videos. I began to see that, like songs, videos should reflect my deepest feelings and truest moods. When it came to the storylines, the costumes, the choreography and especially the choice of directors, I decided to exert my influence. By then, Rene Elizondo had become my best friend. We went to see Julien Temple's Absolute Beginners and were knocked out by the opening sequence. It was so seamless, I asked him to direct 'When I Think of You.' I loved Julien's smooth sense of cinematography."

The video itself ran like a seamless Broadway music number, from dancing policemen to comedically hot tempered neighbors, the short film was a vibrant and polychromatic display of blissful abandon. Those without a sharp enough eye wouldn't be able to pick up the fact that the video was shot in multiple takes, though it appears as if it were achieved in one. A series of cleverly assembled takes were segmented through such simple things as camera pan-aways into dark walls and flashing light bulbs.

Plus, the video began a string of highly conceptualized, Broadway-inspired short films that would later become staples of Janet's career -- "Rhythm Nation," "Alright," "If" and "All For You."