According to one of our preferred musique sources:
“Janet Jackson performs at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Dec. 18, 1993.
As Janet Jackson celebrates her birthday on Wednesday (May 16) and prepares to receive the Billboard Music Awards Icon Award this Sunday, during the annual BBMAs broadcast on NBC, Billboard reflects on the chart-centered accomplishments that have helped to cement her legendary legacy.
Jackson, the youngest child of Joseph and Katherine Jackson, started her recorded musical journey with her 1982 self-titled album. Though the set and 1984’s Dream Street had middling reception, she found her footing with her smash 1986 breakthrough LP, Control. From then, the pop and R&B superstar has powered to the top of the charts and into record books with an arsenal of smash hits, innovative and influential music videos and striking live performances.
Ahead of Jackson’s coronation as the 2018 Icon Award winner, check out five of the diva’s top Billboard chart honors.
Seven Top Five Hits From One Album: Jackson’s fourth album, 1989’s Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814, launched an unprecedented seven singles to the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989-91. Four of those titles — “Miss You Much,” “Escapade,” “Black Cat” and “Love Will Never Do (Without You)” — hit No. 1, while the title track and “Come Back to Me” reached the runner-up rank. “Alright,” meanwhile, parked at No. 4.
3×5: Nation isn’t Jackson’s only album with a slew of hit singles. In fact, she’s the only artist to boast three albums that each contain at least five top 10 Hot 100 hits. The tally began with Control, which spun off five top 10 hits: “What Have You Done For Me Lately” (No. 4), “Nasty” (No. 3), “When I Think of You” (No. 1, two weeks), the title track (No. 5) and “Let’s Wait Awhile” (No. 6).
The aforementioned Nation housed seven top 10 Hot 100 smashes, and 1993’s janet. maintained the hit parade. “That’s the Way Love Goes” became her longest-running Hot 100 No. 1, with eight weeks in the top slot in 1993, while the set’s “If” (No. 4), “Again” (a two-week No. 1), “Because of Love” (No. 10), “Any Time, Any Place”/”And On and On” (No. 2) and “You Want This”/”70’s Love Groove” (No. 8) all booked time in the chart’s upper tier.
First Woman to Debut in Top 10: Jackson became the first woman to debut a song directly in the Hot 100’s top 10 when her duet with brother Michael, “Scream,” started at No. 5 on June 17, 1995. The Jackson siblings became the second and third acts, after The Beatles, to enter the chart in the top tier.
Nearly three months later, on Sept. 16, 1995, Jackson became the first woman to post two top 10 debuts, as “Runaway” began at No. 6.
18 Top 10s in a Row: Of Jackson’s career records, perhaps this will be the toughest for any artist to outdo. Between “Miss You Much” in 1989 and 1998’s “I Get Lonely,” Jackson logged 18 consecutive top 10 hits, passing Madonna’s previous streak of 17 without missing the region. After nearly a decade of consistency, Jackson’s record run ended via a featured role on Shaggy’s No. 76 hit “Luv Me, Luv Me.”
Here’s a full rundown of Jackson’s dominant stretch on the Hot 100:
Song, Artist (in addition to Jackson), Peak Position, Peak Date
“Miss You Much,” No. 1 (four weeks), Oct. 7, 1989
“Rhythm Nation,” No. 2, Jan. 6, 1990
“Escapade,” No. 1 (three weeks), March 3, 1990
“Alright,” No. 4, June 2, 1990
“Come Back to Me,” No. 2, Aug. 18, 1990
“Black Cat,” No. 1 (one week), Oct. 27, 1990
“Love Will Never Do (Without You),” No. 1 (one week), Jan. 19, 1991
“The Best Things in Life Are Free,” Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson with BBD and Ralph Tresvant, No. 10, Jun. 13, 1992
“That’s the Way Love Goes,” No. 1 (eight weeks), May 15, 1993
“If,” No. 4, Sept. 11, 1993
“Again,” No. 1 (two weeks), Dec. 11, 1993
“Because of Love,” No. 10, March 19, 1994
“Any Time, Any Place”/”And On And On,” No. 2, June 25, 1994
“You Want This”/” 70’s Love Groove,” No. 8, Dec. 24, 1994
“Scream / Childhood,” Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson, No. 5, June 17, 1995
“Runaway,” No. 3, Oct. 21, 1995
“Together Again,” No. 1 (two weeks), Jan. 31, 1998
“I Get Lonely,” Janet featuring BLACKstreet No. 3, May 23, 1998
No. 1 Albums in the Last Four Decades: In 2015, Jackson topped the Billboard 200 with Unbreakable. The debut gave her a No. 1 in each of the last four decades, a mark matched only by Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen and U2.
In addition to Unbreakable, Jackson earned two No. 1s each in the 1980s (Control, Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814), 1990s (janet., The Velvet Rope) and 2000s (All for You, Discipline).” – Billboard.com
