Readers of That Grape Juice know what avid music lovers we are – especially of hits past.
So, as our retrospective features ‘From the Vault’ and ‘TGJ Replay’ allow us the chance to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday of one artist, our newest feature Chart Rewind – a variation of our current Retro Rewind assay – accedes salutes to an entire era of music history.
This week we think it’s time to honor ‘When I Think Of You’ – Janet Jackson‘s first #1 single. Hop in:
Jackson became the first female artist to have a Hot 100 #1 single in three different decades after her ‘Nutty Professor’ soundtrack hit, ‘Doesn’t Really Matter,’ moved to the top spot in summer 2000. A feat that only reiterated her position as one of the leading acts over the chart’s history, it’s a journey to record books that began Fall 1986 when the hit song, ‘When I Think Of You,’ was crowned the inaugural chart-topper of her career.
The third single from her critically and commercially acclaimed tertiary release, ‘Control’ (click here to read our ode to this epic album), ‘When’ came as quite the milestone for the diva who – thanks to the content aboard the first two LPs of her career – had been widely ignored on the Hot 100 up to that year. A tide that turned by the time ‘Control’s first two singles, ‘What Have You Done For Me Lately’ and ‘Nasty,’ both peaked within the Hot 100’s top 5, ‘When’ was given wings courtesy of a colorful, dance heavy music video choreographed by Paula Abdul. Rising to #1 this week 33 years ago, the ascension not only helped capture her third consecutive Gold single but also penned her in history books as she and brother, King of Pop Michael, became the first and only siblings to respectively top the tally. As of time reported, this record still stands.
The first of many steps she’d take to get out of his shadow, ‘When’ – alongside its sister content on ‘Control’ – ignited the very vehicle she needed to help drive her name into public consciousness as a standalone Pop force, regardless of her last name. As we salute ‘When I Think of You,’ look below to see who joined her in the top 25 this week in 1986:
Hot 100 This Week in 1986
Hot 100 This Week
Note: Did you know ‘Control’ was the first album by any artist to net five Hot 100 top 5 singles? Click here to read more on this groundbreaking project.