All for You (Janet Jackson album)
All for You is the seventh studio album by American singer Janet Jackson. It was first released on April 16, 2001, by Virgin Records. The album's development and theme were rooted in Jackson's separation from husband René Elizondo Jr. as she attempted to move on. Contrary to The Velvet Rope, which saw Jackson tackling darker themes such as domestic violence and depression, All for You showcased a mix of upbeat dance-pop and slow R&B sounds, incorporating rock, disco, and funk, as well as soft rock and East Asian music. Its lyrics focus on passion, romance, and intercourse, while also discussing themes of betrayal and deceit. The explicit language and sexual content of several songs sparked controversy, causing the album to be banned in several countries.
All for You
April 16, 2001
2000–2001
- Flyte Tyme (Edina, Minnesota)
- Record One (Los Angeles)
- Record Plant (Los Angeles)
- Westlake (Los Angeles)
- Mirror Image (New York City)
73:01
- Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
- Janet Jackson
- Rockwilder
All for You received generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended its upbeat nature and the sonic innovation of several songs. It was also considered one of her sexiest albums and among the best of her career. The album received three Grammy Award nominations, including Best Pop Vocal Album, winning Best Dance Recording for its title track. It became Jackson's fifth consecutive album to top the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States. All for You logged the biggest opening week sales of her career, as well as the second highest first-week sales for a female artist in Nielsen Soundscan history. It reached the top five of most countries internationally and was the biggest selling international pop album of the year in Japan. Certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), it has sold over three million copies in the US according to Nielsen and an estimated five million copies internationally. All for You was the twelfth best-selling album of the year worldwide, and was one of the best-selling albums of the decade in the United States.
Its lead single "All for You" was one of Jackson's most successful singles and broke multiple airplay records. In the US, it was the biggest hit of the year, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and became a top ten hit on the majority of singles charts worldwide. "Someone to Call My Lover" reached number three on the Hot 100 and within the top twenty internationally while "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)" peaked within the top forty in most territories. "Come On Get Up" was also released as a promotional single in Japan.
In promotion for the album, Jackson was declared MTV's inaugural Icon, receiving a televised tribute titled MTV Icon: Janet Jackson. The special honored Jackson's contribution within music and popular culture, in recognition of "one of the most influential and beloved tastemakers in contemporary pop." During that period, Jackson was presented numerous career accolades, including the American Music Award's Award of Merit, TMF Award's Lifetime Achievement Award, and Recording Academy's Governor's Award.
Release and promotion[edit]
Live appearances[edit]
A month prior to the album's release, MTV aired an inaugural special entitled MTV Icon: Janet Jackson, declaring Jackson the network's first musical icon while celebrating her career and influence in pop culture.[42] Jackson was honored "in recognition of her place as one of the most influential and beloved tastemakers in contemporary pop... The show will eloquently demonstrate the impact that Janet has had, not only on her worldwide audience, but also on a generation of performers who will pay tribute by covering her songs."[43] Jackson stated, "When I heard that MTV wanted to honor me with the show "Icon," I was speechless. I really was. It is an awesome thing—I feel young. There's still so much more that I want to do, need to do, for myself in this business. And I was just so surprised. But a wonderful surprise."[44] Numerous artists paid tribute to Jackson and commemorated her success, including Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Aaliyah, Tommy Lee, Michael Jackson, and producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It featured performances by 'N Sync, Pink, Buckcherry, Usher, Outkast, Mýa, and Destiny's Child. Jackson performed "All for You" and "You Ain't Right" at the finale.[45] The event was the highest rated television show of the night, ahead of all broadcast and cable programs among the youth demographic.[46] Promotional ads for the special depicted Jackson's music, videos, and sexuality shocking conservative audiences and families, using the tagline "The world wasn't always ready for Janet. We are."[47][48][49]
All for You was released on April 24, 2001. Its artwork features Jackson lying in a suggestive pose, the central portion of her anatomy is covered only by a white sheet.[33] For promotion, Jackson performed on various entertainment shows, including Top of the Pops, CD:UK, Wetten Dass, Hit Machine, ECHO Awards, and the TMF Awards. She appeared on Larry King Live and the Late Show with David Letterman, attending The Rosie O'Donnell Show the following day. She also gave interviews to BBC Radio 1 and NRJ Radio while in Europe. In April, she appeared on MTV's TRL and MuchMusic before presenting on VH1 Divas. Jackson later presented at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, also paying tribute to late singer Aaliyah. Jackson was awarded numerous career accolades throughout the campaign, including the Billboard Music Award's "Artistic Achievement Award", American Music Award's "Award of Merit", and Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award's "Wannabe Award". Jackson was selected to appear on the cover of the premiere issue of Blender, launched as an alternative to Rolling Stone.[50] A limited-edition reissue of the album was announced on October 21, 2001, via Billboard, and released on November 20, 2001, including a bonus DVD, titled Janet: The Virgin Years, featuring Jackson's complete videography (excluding releases via other labels and collaborations), interviews and behind the scenes footage, spanning from the promotion of janet. (1993) to the making of All for You.[51][52] The reissue features an alternate cover artwork and contains the clean edition of the album without "Would You Mind" in addition to the Flyte Tyme single edit and P. Diddy remix of the album's third single "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)";[53] it was also intended to include a twenty-four page photo booklet of Jackson's All for You Tour, but it was omitted for unknown reasons.[53] Furthermore, Microsoft Network launched an ISP service titled "Janet on MSN", with Jackson also given her own online radio station.[54]
The following year, Jackson was selected to perform at the Super Bowl XXXVI halftime show, though allowed U2 to perform in order to tribute the events of September 11 and due to traveling concerns following the tragedy.[55][56]
Commercial performance[edit]
All for You debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 605,128 copies in its first week.[91] At the time of its release, it had the second highest opening sales from a female artist in SoundScan history, only behind Britney Spears's Oops!...I Did It Again, and tenth highest overall.[92][93] As of 2014, the album has the fifteenth highest first week sales by a female solo artist. It placed at number two in its second week, with 310,000 copies sold. In its third week, it sold 215,000 copies, placing at number three.[94] It sold 149,000 copies the following week, achieving an estimated total of 1,279,128 copies sold within its first month of release.[95] It also opened at number one in Canada, with first week sales of 37,200 and in South Africa with 44,722 copies sold in its first week.[96][97]
All for You was a commercial success internationally, debuting within the top three of Australia,[98] Belgium,[99][100] France,[101] Germany,[102] Greece,[103] South Korea,[104] Switzerland,[105] and the United Kingdom.[106] It also opened within the top five of Denmark,[107] the Netherlands,[108] Japan,[109] Norway,[110] and Sweden.[111] It debuted within the top ten of Austria,[112] Italy,[113] New Zealand,[114] and Spain,[115] and the top twenty of Ireland and Poland.[116][117] It peaked at number two on European Top 100 Albums.[118] In February 2014, it debuted at number thirty-nine on South Korea's Gaon Chart.[119]
The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on May 18, 2001, denoting two million units shipped.[120] It was certified gold in Australia, Belgium, Denmark,[121] France,[122] Germany, New Zealand,[123] Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.[124] It was certified triple platinum in Canada and Japan, where it became the biggest selling international pop album of the year, and quadruple platinum in South Africa.[125][126] As of September 2009, All for You has sold 3,107,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[127] It also sold an additional 100,000 copies through BMG Music Club.[128] All for You was the 12th best-selling album of 2001, selling 5 million copies worldwide in that year according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).[129]
Sample credits
Notes