History Music / TheVelvetRope

[[caption-width-right:300:''We have a special need wo feel that we belong''\\

* SpecialGuest: [[Music/TheBuggles Trevor Horn]] got writing credits on the TitleTrack, and Music/JamesBrown got writing credits for "Free Xone". A total of five tracks (not including the cover) had additional writers besides Janet, Elizondo, and Flyte Tyme.[[note]]This also does not include the later Des'ree credit.[[/note]]

The album only released five singles, and only two charted on the Billboard Hot 100: "Together Again" (#1) and "I Get Lonely" (#3). Both also were Top 10 in the UK (#4 and #5, respectively), while "Go Deep" was also a hit there (#13). With the lesser number of hits, it only went triple-Platinum in the United States, despite debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It only hit #27 on the Year-End Chart for 1998. But it was critically-acclaimed to the highest order. It was listed #256 on ''Magazine/RollingStone'''s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2003, #259 [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime on the 2012 list]], and #318 [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime2020 on the 2020 list]].

Production on the album initially began after the end of the ''janet.'' World Tour in 1995, dealing in then-husband René Elizondo Jr. as a co-producer along with herself and [[Music/PrincesAssociates Flyte Tyme]] (Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis). However, the growing pressures of the music industry, and increasing self-hate--which quickly led to her suffering from bulimia, anorexia, self-harm, and body dysmorphia; much of which also stemmed from childhood trauma after years of her repressing it--caused Janet to have a [[CreatorBreakdown severe emotional breakdown]], and production on the album stalled. Janet also began questioning her own sexual orientation during this low period.

Production on the album initially began after the end of the ''janet.'' World Tour in 1995, dealing in then-husband René Elizondo Jr. as a co-producer along with herself and [[Music/PrincesAssociates Flyte Tyme]] (Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis). However, the growing pressures of the music industry, and increasing self-hate, which quickly led to her suffering from bulimia, anorexia, self-harm, and body dysmorphia; much of which also stemmed from childhood trauma after years of her repressing it, caused Janet to have a [[CreatorBreakdown severe emotional breakdown]], and production on the album stalled. Janet also began questioning her own sexual orientation during this low period.

!!"Come with me inside, inside my velvet trope"

[[caption-width-right:300:''There are times when I look above and beyond''\\
''There are times when I feel your love around me baby'']]


->''We go deep''\\
''And we don't get no sleep''\\
'''cause we be up all night''\\
''Until the early light''\\
''We go deep''\\
''And we don't get no sleep''\\
'''cause we be up all night''\\
''Until the early light''
-->--'''"Go Deep"'''

The album only released five singles, and only two charted on the Billboard Hot 100: "Together Again" (#1) and "I Get Lonely" (#3). Both also were Top 10 in the UK (#4 and #5, respectively), while "Go Deep" was also a hit there (#13). With the lesser number of hits, it only went triple-Platinum in the United States, despite debuting at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. It only hit #27 on the Year-End Chart for 1998. But it was critically-acclaimed to the highest order. It was listed #256 on ''Magazine/RollingStone'''s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2003, #259 [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime on the 2012 list]], and #318 [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime2020 on the 2020 list]].

* DomesticAbuse: "What About" has Janet recalling a past romantic partner (most likely ex-husband James Music/{{Debarge}}), and all of the horrible things he constantly did to her; including, but not limited to: [[YourCheatingHeart sleeping around]], hitting her, shunning her, and belittling her.

In-between her recovery and resuming recording sessions for the album, Janet's deal with Virgin expired, and she briefly re-signed with Creator/AAndMRecords in 1995 to release the compilation ''Design of a Decade: 1986-1996'', which also served as a MilestoneCelebration for ''Music/{{Control}}''. After the album ran its course, she was once again a free agent, and a second bidding war ensued for her services, with Creator/WarnerBrosRecords, Creator/DreamWorksRecords, her [[Music/MichaelJackson brother]]'s record label Creator/SonyMusic, and even ''Creator/{{Disney}}'', all throwing their hats in the ring. Ultimately, she re-signed with Virgin for an unprecedented $80 million, one-upping the record-breaking contracts her brother and Music/{{Madonna}} had signed a few years prior.

Production on the album initially began after the end of the ''janet.'' World Tour in 1995, dealing in then-husband René Elizondo Jr. as a co-producer along with herself and [[Music/PrincesAssociates Flyte Tyme]] (Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis). However, the growing pressures of the music industry, and increasing self-hate, which quickly led to her suffering from bulimia, anorexia, self-harm, and body dysmorphia; much of which also stemmed from childhood trauma after years of her repressing it, caused Janet to have a severe emotional breakdown, and production on the album stalled. Janet also began questioning her own sexual orientation during this low period.

* NoEnding: "Special", the last listed track on The Velvet Rope, ends abruptly after its second verse, with the music cutting out to Janet saying "work in progress", followed by several seconds of silence until the hidden track "Can't Be Stopped".

In-between her recovery and resuming recording sessions for the album, Janet's deal with Virgin expired, and she briefly re-signed with Creator/AAndMRecords in 1995 to release the compilation ''Design of a Decade: 1986-1996'', which also served as a MilestoneCelebration for ''Music/{{Control}}''. After the album ran its course, she was once again a free agent, and a second bidding war ensued for her services, with Creator/WarnerBrosRecords, Creator/DreamWorksRecords, her [[Music/MichaelJackson brother]]'s record label, Creator/SonyMusic, and even ''Creator/{{Disney}}'', all throwing their hats in the ring. Ultimately, she re-signed with Virgin for an unprecedented $80 million, one-upping the record-breaking contracts her brother and Music/{{Madonna}} had signed a few years prior.

* HiddenTrack: "Can't Be Stopped" begins roughly half-way through the final listed track, "Special". Being unlisted, it counts as TheStinger even moreso than "Whoops Now" did for ''Music/JanetPeriod''

By late 1996, Janet had recovered from her breakdown, and spent the first six-and-a-half months of 1997 working on the album almost nonstop. She finally stepped away from the NewJackSwing sound, and focused on HipHopSoul, and ContemporaryRAndB. she also began to flirt with TripHop, and added in elements of {{Jazz}}, G-Funk, and even folk music. Because the album was heavily influenced by her breakdown, the themes were DarkerAndEdgier, exploring depression, sadomasochism, online relationships, domestic violence, and homosexuality. Doing so got the album banned in UsefulNotes/{{Singapore}}. It also solidified her status as a sex symbol, and earned her the praise of the LGBTQ+ community.

By late 1996, Janet had recovered from her breakdown, and spent the first six-and-a-half months of 1997 working on the album almost nonstop. She finally stepped away from theNewJackSwing sound, and focused on HipHopSoul, and ContemporaryRAndB. she also began to flirt with TripHop, and added in elements of {{Jazz}}, G-Funk, and even folk music. Because the album was heavily influenced by her breakdown, the themes were DarkerAndEdgier, exploring depression, sadomasochism, online relationships, domestic violence, and homosexuality. Doing so got the album banned in UsefulNotes/{{Singapore}}. It also solidified her status as a sex symbol, and earned her the praise of the LGBTQ+ community.

* GriefSong: "Together Again" was written in-part to grieve a friend of Janet's who had passed away from AIDS during the recording of the album, and for a young fan who lost his father. Janet Invoked this again in a different context years later on her 2011 "Number Ones: Up Close and Personal" tour, where she sang the song as a tribute to [[Music/MichaelJackson Michael]], who died two years prior.

By late 1996, Janet had recovered from her breakdown, and spent the first six-and-a-half months of 1997 working on the album almost nonstop. She finally stepped away from theNewJackSwing sound, and focused on HipHopSoul, and ContemporaryRAndB. she also began to flirt with TripHop, and added in elements of {{Jazz}}, G-Funk, and even folk music. Because the album was heavily influenced by her breakdown, the themes were DarkerAndEdgier, exploring depression, sadomasochism, and homosexuality. Doing so got the album banned in UsefulNotes/{{Singapore}}. It also solidified her status as a sex symbol, and earned her the praise of the LGBTQ+ community.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_velvet_rope.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''There are times when I look above and beyond''\\
''There are times when I feel your love around me baby'']]

'''''The Velvet Rope''''' is the sixth studio album by American singer Music/JanetJackson. It was released through Creator/VirginRecords on October 7, 1997.

Although not a ConceptAlbum itself, her previous blockbuster album, ''Music/JanetPeriod'', had a lot of compositional similarity to ''Music/RhythmNation1814'' with the interludes between songs. She decided to give the concept album another try with her sophomore effort at Virgin.

Janet spent the first seven months of 1997 working on the album, dealing in then-husband René Elizondo Jr. as a co-producer along with herself and [[Music/PrincesAssociates Flyte Tyme]] (Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis). She finally stepped away from NewJackSwing; in addition to ContemporaryRAndB, she shifted the Hip-Hop side to TripHop. The themes were DarkerAndEdgier, exploring depression, sadomasochism, and homosexuality.

Doing so got the album banned in UsefulNotes/{{Singapore}}. It also solidified her status as a sex symbol, and earned her the praise of the LGBTQ+ community.

The album only released five singles, and only two charted on the Billboard Hot 100: "Together Again" (#1) and "I Get Lonely" (#3). Both also were Top 10 in the UK (#4 and #5, respectively), while "Go Deep" was also a hit there (#13). With the lesser number of hits, it only went triple-Platinum in the United States, despite debuting at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. It only hit #27 on the Year-End Chart for 1998.

But it was critically-acclaimed to the highest order. It was listed #256 on ''Magazine/RollingStone'''s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2003, #259 [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime on the 2012 list]], and #318 [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime2020 on the 2020 list]].

* {{Sampling}}: "Got It 'til It's Gone" was a infamous example that caused a legal snafu for all involved. British sing Des'ree claimed the song was too similar to her 1992 hit "Feel So High", and won twenty-five percent of the song's publishing royalties, and a co-writing credit in an out of court settlement.
* SpecialGuest: [[Music/TheBuggles Trevor Horn]] got writing credits on the TitleTrack, and Music/JamesBrown got writing credits for "Free Xone". A total of five tracks (not including the cover) had additional writers besides Janet, Elizondo, and Flyte Tyme.

* TitleTrack: "The Velvet Rope"

Janet spent the first seven months of 1997 working on the album, dealing in then-husband René Elizondo Jr. as a co-producer along with herself and [[Music/PrincesAssociates Flyte Tyme]] (Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis). She finally stepped away from NewJackSwing. In addition to ContemporaryRAndB, she shifted the Hip-Hop side to TripHop. The themes were DarkerAndEdgier, exploring depression, sadomasochism, and homosexuality.

Although not a ConceptAlbum itself, her previous blockbuster album, ''Music/JanetPeriod'', had a lot of compositional similarity to ''Music/RhythmNation1814''. She decided to give the concept album another try with her sophomore effort at Virgin.

Dealing in then-husband René Elizondo Jr. as a co-producer along with herself and [[Music/PrincesAssociates Flyte Tyme]] (Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis), she finally stepped away from NewJackSwing. In addition to ContemporaryRAndB, she shifted the Hip-Hop side to TripHop. The themes were DarkerAndEdgier, exploring depression, sadomasochism, and homosexuality.

* BannedInChina: On release, the album was banned in Singapore for its themes about homosexuality. The ban was upheld in 2001.

* DarkerAndEdgier: What ''Music/RhythmNation1814'' was to ''Music/{{Control}}'', this was to ''Music/JanetPeriod''

* DarkerAndEdgier: What ''Music/RhythmNation1814'' was to Music/{{Control}}'', this was to ''Music/JanetPeriod''

!!"Come with me inside, inside my velvet trope"