Recording sessions : January-July 1998
Studios : Flyte Tyme, Edina studio
Label : Virgin Records
Release date : October 7, 1997
Original track listing
“Interlude: Twisted Elegance”
“Velvet Rope” (featuring Vanessa-Mae)
“You”
“Got ’til It’s Gone” (featuring Q-Tip and Joni Mitchell)
“I-nterlude: Speaker Phone” (featuring Lisa Marie Presley)
-My Need”
“Interlude: Fasten Your Seatbelts”
“Go Deep”
“Free Xone”
“Interlude: Memory” 0:04
“Together Again”
“Interlude: Online”
“Empty”
“Interlude: Full”
“What About”
“Every Time”
“Tonight’s the Night”
“I Get Lonely”
“Rope Burn”
“Anything”
“Interlude: Sad”
“Special”
“Can’t Be Stopped” (hidden track)
Demos/Alternate Version/Outtakes/unreleased tracks from the album’ sessions
Together Again (Deeper) : Slower version with new vocals by Janet released in 1997 as a B side of the “Together Again” and used for an alternate version of the video.
God’s Stepchild : Released in 1997 on The Velvet Rope’s Japanese Edition (bonus track)
Accept Me : Released in 1998 as a B side of “Every Time” single.
Others songs from this era
Luv Me, Luv Me : A song by Jamaican-American reggae singer Shaggy featuring Janet is released as a single from the soundtrack to the film How Stella Got Her Groove Back. The song is re-recorded in 2000 with Samantha Cole’s vocals after Janet’s label withheld the song from being included on Shaggy’s next album.
What’s It Gonna Be : Background vocals recorded in 1998 and released in 1998 on Busta Rhymes”s “E.L.E (Extinction Level Event) “album.
Girlfriend/Boyfriend : Background vocals recorded in 1998 released in 1999 on Blackstreet’s “Finally” album.
I Know The Truth : Duet with Elton John recorded in 1998 and released in 1999 on Elton John’s “AIDA” album.
Ask For More : Recorded in 1998 and released in 1999 as part of a Pepsi contest.
Ask For More (duet with Ricky Martin) : Sung in spanish for the latin market. Remains unreleased.
Singles and videos
1st single : Got ‘Til It’s Gone : released on September 22, 1997
Peak on Hot 100 Billboard :”Got ’til It’s Gone” was not released as a commercial single in the United States, making it ineligible to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 and several other charts under the chart rules that existed at that time
Music video directed by Mark Romanek
Date of shooting : August 27, 1997
Date of premiere : September 4, 1997
Official release : On DVD in 2004 (From Janet to Damita Jo) and on Janet’s You Tube official page.
2nd single : Together Again : released on December 2, 1997
Peak on Hot 100 Billboard : 1
1st music video directed by : Seb Janiak
Date of shooting : September, 1997
Date of premiere : December, 1997
Official release : On DVD in 2004 (From Janet to Damita Jo) but not on Janet’s You Tube official page.
2nd video Together Again (Deeper Remix) directed by : René Elizondo Jr
Date of shooting : September, 1997
Date of premiere : December, 1997
Official release : On DVD in 2004 (From Janet to Damita Jo) but not on Janet’s You Tube official page.
3rd single : I Get Lonely : released on February 26, 1998
Peak on Hot 100 Billboard : 3
Music video directed by : Paul Hunter
Date of shooting : February, 1998
Date of premiere : April, 1998
Official release : On DVD in 2004 (From Janet to Damita Jo) but not on Janet’s You Tube official page.
4th single : Go Deep : released on June 15, 1998
Peak on Hot 100 Billboard : not eligible
Music video directed by : Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Date of shooting : March, 1998
Date of premiere : July, 1998
Official release : On DVD in 2004 (From Janet to Damita Jo) but not on Janet’s You Tube official page.
5th single : You : released on September 3, 1998
Peak on Hot 100 Billboard : not eligible
Music video directed by : ?
Date of shooting : June 2, 1998 (the video for the song was shot at the SECC Arena in Glasgow, Scotland on June 2, 1998 in front of a select group of fans. Made to look like a live performance, it is spliced with actual concert footage of Jackson’s The Velvet Rope Tour, filmed at the same location the next day)
Date of premiere : September 1998
Official release : On DVD in 2004 (From Janet to Damita Jo) but not on Janet’s You Tube official page.
6th single : Every Time : released on November 17, 1998
Peak on Hot 100 Billboard : not eligible
Music video directed by : Matthew Rolston in association with Howard Schatz, an expert in underwater photography.
Date of shooting : July 1998
Location : the video was filmed in the then-new Therme Vals spa in Vals, Graubünden, in the Swiss Alps.
Date of premiere : October 5, 1998 on HBO, and was subsequently exhibited twice a day leading up to the broadcast of the concert special for The Velvet Rope Tour one week later.[
Official release : On DVD in 2004 (From Janet to Damita Jo) but not on Janet’s You Tube official page.
Promotion (TV performances/Award Shows/magazine covers etc.)
August 20, 1997 : Janet graces the cover of Jet magazine.
The single “Got Til It’s Gone” is released to radios.
September 3, 1997 : Janet & Rene attend a listening party of the “Velvet Rope” album in NYC with many celebrities in attendance including Naomi Campbell & Lisa Marie Presley (who makes a cameo on one of the interludes).
September 4, 1997 : The video for “Got Til It’s Gone” is premiered on MTV.
Janet & Rene attend the 4th Annual MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City where Janet presents an award to Mark Romanek.
September 5, 1997 :Janet attends the Third Annual Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica where Maya Angelou presents her with the Lena Horne Awards during the Soul Train Lady Of Soul Awards (with Katherine, Rene & Jimmy Jan in the audience) in Santa Monica.
September 9, 1997 : Janet & Rene attend a “Velvet Rope” Listening Party at Sony Pictures Studio in Culver City with Katherine & the 3T among others.
September 17, 1997 : Janet unveils her wax statue at the Rock Circus in London and later she tapes two performances of Got Til It’s Gone for Top Of The Pops (which airs on September 20).
September 19, 1997 : Janet, Rene & the Kids attend a Velvet Rope Listening Party in London.
September 22, 1997 : “Got Til It’s Gone” is released as the 1st single from ” The Velvet Rope”. The song is not released as a commercial single in the US, making it ineligible to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 and several other charts under the chart rules that existed at that time.
September 24, 1997 : In Paris Janet & the Kids perform Got Til It’s Gone at Graines de Star TV show on M6.
September 25, 1997 : Janet is a guest on french TV show Nulles Part Ailleurs on Canal + but she doesn’t perform.
October 6, 1997 : The “Velvet Rope” album is released in Europe.
Janet gives an interview to Bill Bellamy live from Times Square on MTV Live.
October 7, 1997 : The “Velvet Rope” album is released in the US.
Janet makes a CD signing session at the Virgin Megastore on Times Square in NYC.
October 17, 1997 : Janet performs Together Again on Top of The Tops in London, England.
Early November 1997 : Janet goes to Chicago with Rene & the Kids to tape an interview on the Oprah Winfrey Show. She also performs “Got Til It’s Gone” & “Together Again”. During the interview Janet reveals that she has not seen not spoken to Michael since december 1995.
November 8, 1997 : Janet performs “Got Til It’s Gone” on Hey Hey It’s Saturday TV Show in Melbourne, Australia.
November 16, 1997 : Janet performs “Got Til It’s Gone” on HEY! HEY! HEY! MUSIC CHAMP in Tokyo, Japan.
November 19, 1997 : The Oprah Winfrey Show episode with Janet airs on TV.
Late November/Early December 1997 : “Together Again” is released as the 2n single from “The Velvet Rope”. It peaks at #1 on Hot 100 Billboard. Janet, Rene & the Kids go back to Europe to promote the single :
-Paris (France) : Janet performs Got Til It’s Gone on Les Années Tubes (TF1) which airs on November 25. She also performs Got Til It’s Gone and Together Again on Hit Machine which airs on M6 on December 14 and another performance of Together Again which airs on M6 on December 31.
-Hilversum (Netherlands) : Janet performs Together Again on TROS TV Show which airs on November 27.
-Rome (Italy) : Janet performs Together Again on Fantastico 8 which airs on November 29.
-London (England) : Janet performs Together Again on Smash Hits Poll Winners Party 1997 which airs on November 30.
-Madrid (Spain) : Janet performs Together Again on Sorpresa, ¡Sorpresa! which airs on December 11. She also performs Got Til It’s Gone and Together Again on Música sí which airs on December 12 and another performance of Together Again which airs on Turrón y… cuenta nueva on December 31.
-Berlin (Germany) : Janet performs Together Again on Nur Die Liebe Zählt which airs on December 13.
-Maimarkthalle, Mannheim (Germany) : Janet performs Together Again on Wetten, dass..? which airs on December 13.
December 1997 : Janet is on the cover of Ebony magazine with new pictures and a new interview where she reveals that she recently reconnected with LaToya.
January 26, 1998 : Janet attends the American Music Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles where she performs “Together Again” in a R&B version.
February 26, 1998 : Janet tapes a piano/vocal performance of “I Get Lonely” on the Rosie O Donnell Show and Rosie presents her with the Grammy Award she won the night before.
“I Get Lonely” is released as the 3rd single from “The Velvet Rope”. It peaks at #3 on Hot 100 Billboard.
February 27, 1998 : Janet attends the Soul Train Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles where she performs “I Get Lonely”.
March 1998 : Janet gives an interview to BET from her Malibu beach home.
March 10, 1998 : In NYC, Janet gives an interview on CNN’s Larry King Lve.
At night she & Rene attend the Blockbuster Awards in L.A where Janet is presented with an award.
April 4, 1998 : Janet performs I Get Lonely at the TMF Awards in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
April 22, 1998 : Janet performs a private show at the Jerudong Park Amphitheatre in Brunei, South East Asia by request of Princess Hamidah of the Brunei royal family. An exclusive audio recording of the show is issued to attendees of Hamidah’s twenty-first birthday party.
June 15, 1998 : “Go Deep” is released as the 4th single from “The Velvet Rope”.
While in Paris, Janet gives a radio interview to NRJ (she is a bit sick after cancelling last night concert in Germany but the radio host comes to her hotel).
July 7, 1998 : Janet & Collin Powell from ‘s Promise meet youth in a school.
July 9, 1998 : Janet gives an interview to Good Morning America. At night, she kicks off the north american leg of the Velvet Rope Tour at the United States MCI Center in Washington, D.C.
September 7, 1998 : Janet is on the cover of Jet magazine.
October 1998 : Janet graces the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
October 9, 1998 : Janet makes a surprise appearance on the Rosie O Donnell Show in NYC to promote her upcoming HBO Special.
October 11, 1998 : This is Janet’s big night. She performs a second concert at the Madison Square Garden live on HBO around the world. Q-Tips does his rap on Got Til It’s Gone and backstage Janet meets Usher, Missy Elliot & Busta Rhymes among others.
October 23, 1998 : Janet performs “What About” with Tina & Shawnette at the 4th annual VH1 Fashion Awards at the Theatre in Madison Square Garden, New York.
January 1999 : “Ask for More” is released as a promotional single by Janet Jackson for Pepsi. The campaign is launched as a re-branding for Pepsi internationally. Alternate versions of the campaign also co-stars Hong Kong singer Aaron Kwok for the Asian market and aired in China, and Latino singer Ricky Martin for the Latin market and aired in Latin America. A duet version of the song performed in Spanish by Jackson and Martin was also aired in Europe as part of the commercial campaign.
January 11, 1999 : Janet accepts an American Music Awards via satellite live from Tokyo.
March 9, 1999 : “What’s it Gonna Be” is released as a single.
Janet is on the cover of Ebony magazine.
March 21, 1999 : Janet attends the 71st Annual Academy Awards – Elton John AIDS Foundation Party at Pagani’s in Los Angeles with Shawnette & Lisa Marie Presley. She also spends time with Whitney Houston.
May 5, 1999 : Janet goes to Monaco with Shawnette where she is presented with a Lifetime Achievment Award by Prince Albert at the World Music Awards.
May 17, 1999 : In LA Janet attends the ASCAP Awards where she is presented with an award and presents another to Joni Mitchell.
May 27, 1999 : Janet attends the Commitment to Life XI Gala to Benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) at Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City where she is presented with an Award for her fight against Aids.
June 16, 1999 : Janet & Swawnette attend the premiere of “The Ideal Husband” at the Paris Theatre in New York City.
June 23, 1999 : Janet & Shawnette attend a party hosted by Allure Magazine at Bottino in NYC.
August 18, 1999 : Janet attends the Source Hip-Hop Music Awards at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood Busta Rhymes and her are presented with the Award For Best Video for “What’s It Gonna Be”.
September 9, 1999 : Janet attends the 16th Annual MTV Video Music Awards at the Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center in New York City. Video Music Awards. She walks the red carper with Q-Tip and later she presents an award to Ricky Martin & Tina Landon.
Concerts
The Velvet Rope Tour (1998-1999)
Previous album : « Design Of A Decade » (1995)
Next album : « All For You” (2001)
Jackson Dynasty 