"State of the World" is a song recorded by American singer Janet Jackson for her fourth studio album, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). It was written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with additional writing by Jackson. While recording the album, Jackson and the producers watched television, especially news channels, and created the song inspired by that. "State of the World" focuses lyrically on homeless people. It was released as the eighth and final single from the album on February 6, 1991, by A&M Records.
The song was not released commercially in the United States, making it ineligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 or the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, but it reached number five on Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay chart. No music video was made to accompany the song.
Background and release
Following the commercial and critical success of her 1986 album, Control, Jackson was motivated to continue songwriting and took a larger role in the creative production of her new album.[1] Executives at A&M requested that she expand on the ideas presented on Control, suggesting a concept album entitled Scandal that would have been about the Jackson family. She wrote a song titled "You Need Me" which was directed at her father Joseph, but was unwilling to devote an entire album to the subject and substituted her own concept for theirs.[2] She commented that "[a] lot of people wanted me to do another album like Control and that's what I didn't want to do. I wanted to do something that I really believed in and that I really felt strong about."[3] The concept of Rhythm Nation emerged as Jackson was a TV watcher, "We would watch BET, MTV ... then switched over to CNN, and there'd always be something messed-up happening. It was never good news, always bad news", producer James "Jimmy Jam" Harris recalled. "State of the World" was one of these songs, influenced by TV and news.[4] Jam recalled that with the song, they were trying to do something like Marvin Gaye's song "What's Going On" although we never could hope to achieve that, but still wanted to make people aware of what was happening in a way they could dance to it.[5] Released on February 6, 1991, "State of the World" was the eighth and the final single of Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814. The record label reckoned that they would boost album sales with a radio-only promotion.[6]
Composition
On the album, "State of the World" is preceded by "T.V.", a 22-second interlude which features the sound of a viewer switching cable channels and hearing such phrases as "the homeless problem", "good looks", "Tiananmen Square", "tempting", "violent crimes are on the rise", and "so frustrating".[7] The track focuses lyrically on homeless people,[8] with such lines as "Drugs and crime spreadin' on the streets/ People can't find enough to eat/ Now our kids can't go out and play/ That's the state of the world today".[7] According to Jon Pareles of The New York Times, Jackson tries to stay optimistic with the world's state: "Let's weather the storm together", and compared the song musically to the music by Prince.[9] In the book Born in the U.S.A.: The Myth of America in Popular Music from Colonial Times to the Present by Timothy E. Scheurer, the author noted that she "attempts to deliver a message of hope". According to him, the song is like a "medical diagnosis in which Jackson proposes education as the key to settling problems".[10]Pace magazine described the song as an "aggressive dance assault".[11] Eric Henderson from Slant Magazine noted that the producers "loosened their rigid backbeats in acquiescence with new jack's standard three-on-one swing" as noted in the song.[12]
Critical reception
Jon Pareles of The New York Times considered that "despite its platitudinous message, [the song] has stark edges and angles".[9]Sputnikmusic's Zachary Powell commented that "'State of the World' keeps the upbeat motion that Rhythm Nation begins, but with more of a socially conscious twist. It shares with the preceding track a groovy beat and danceability, but takes it to another direction lyrically and shows the caring side of Janet Jackson".[13] Dennis Hunt of Los Angeles Times commented positively saying that the move to social commentary was a rocky decision. However, he felt that "State of the World" was not interesting enough musically to carry the messages.[14]
In the book Michael Jackson: A Life in Music, by writer Geoff Brown focusing on Jackson's brother Michael, he noted that like her brother, she can focus on problems as shown on the song, but she offers no solutions to them.[15]The New Rolling Stone Album Guide commented that "heartfelt pleas for racial unity and cloudy musings on the 'State of the World' don't obscure the pulsating beat of other songs" from the album.[16] Jonathan Van Meter from Spin was critical of the song, saying that "State of the World", "Rhythm Nation" and "The Knowledge" formed "a Spike Lee-esque trilogy made even less convincing by a tiresome house music back-beat and that unfortunate, outdated beat on every fourth count".[8]AllMusic's editor Alex Henderson called the song "disturbing".[17]
^"State of the World" (Australian CD single liner notes). Janet Jackson. A&M Records. 1991. 3906322.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"State of the World" (Australasian CD single liner notes). Janet Jackson. A&M Records. 1991. 3906317.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"State of the World" (Japanese CD Single liner notes). Janet Jackson. A&M Records. 1991. PCCY-10191.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
Brown, Geoff (2010), Michael Jackson A Life In Music: A Life in Music, Omnibus Press, ISBN978-0-85712-257-5
Scheurer, Timothy E. (2007), Born in the U.S.A.: The Myth of America in Popular Music from Colonial Times to the Present, University Press of Mississippi, ISBN978-1-934110-56-0
Strong, Martin (2004), The Great Rock Discography: Complete Discographies Listing Every Track, Canongate U.S., ISBN1-84195-615-5
