Discipline is the tenth studio album by American singer Janet Jackson. It was released on February 22, 2008, by Island Records. It is her only album released with the record label after her five-album deal with Virgin Records was fulfilled with the release of 20 Y.O. (2006). Jackson worked with producers such as Darkchild, Ne-Yo, Shea Taylor, Stargate, Johntá Austin, Jermaine Dupri, Tricky Stewart, and The-Dream on the album. Jackson's long-time producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis did not contribute to the project. The album was executive produced by Island Urban president Dupri and Jackson. The album experimented with the electropop, house, and dance-pop genres and also contained R&B and hip-hop-oriented tracks.
The album received mixed reviews, with critics admitting that it was an improvement on Jackson's two previous albums. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, becoming her sixth album to top the chart, and her first number-one since All for You (2001). However, sales of the album quickly fell, and by June 2008, the album's promotion had officially ended. Jackson started her Rock Witchu Tour—with the support of Live Nation—in early September to positive reviews, but by the end of that month, Jackson parted with her record label per her request due to the lack of promotion. Four singles were released from the album: the lead single "Feedback" reached number nineteen on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Jackson's best charting single since 2001's "Someone to Call My Lover", while the following singles–"Rock with U", "Luv" and "Can't B Good"–did not match the success of "Feedback".
Recording and production
In July 2007, after her five-album deal with Virgin Records was fulfilled with the release of her album 20 Y.O., Jackson signed a recording contract with Island Records, who asked her to immediately record a new album, which would become Discipline. Jackson was in "full-blown tour rehearsals" for touring the 20 Y.O. album at that point, "learning numbers, getting everything together, set designs", etc, and had no songs ready for a new album, so Jackson has no song-writing credits on the album for the first time since Dream Street (1984).
The album was recorded during a six-month period at locations in Burbank, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Edina, Detroit, New York City, East Orange, Atlantic City, Atlanta and Miami. Jackson worked with producers such as Rodney Jerkins (who produced the lead single "Feedback" alongside D'Mile), Jermaine Dupri, Ne-Yo, Shea Taylor, Stargate, Johntá Austin, Tricky Stewart, and The-Dream. Jackson's long-time producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, did not contribute to the project. The album was executive produced by Island Urban president Jermaine Dupri and Jackson. She did not write or co-write any songs on the album, a departure from her usual practice of co-writing and producing all of the songs on her albums.Tom Young. BBC. (March 10, 2008). Pop/Chart Review - Janet Jackson, Discipline . Retrieved March 28, 2008. The song "So Much Betta" contains sampled portions of the track "Daftendirekt" by the French house music duo Daft Punk.Janet Jackson Unveils Latest Innovation... mymag.com. Retrieved on February 21, 2008.
The deluxe edition of Discipline included a DVD entitled The Making of Discipline, split into five chapters which document the production of the album, its promotion, and the "Feedback" music video. The first chapter, entitled "Photo Shoots", shows Jackson creating a new image for the album and adopting different looks for different markets. She spent two days working on photos for the cover and credit booklet, revealing that she still feels uncomfortable in front of the camera despite two decades in the music industry. In the second chapter, "The Studio", Jackson expressed her opinion on recording work, stating that although she usually enjoyed the experience, it was, at times, tedious. She discusses further how her songs are built up in layers and parts, from melodies and background vocals or sounds. The third chapter, "Rehearsals", shows the rehearsals of the dance routine for the "Feedback" music video. The DVD reveals that the eight dancers had been practicing for over a week before they started working with Jackson. The dancers then had three days to rehearse with Jackson and a further two days to complete the video. Jackson described the video as a metaphor for sexual tension. The fourth chapter, "Behind the Video", shows the making of the video itself. Jackson told the director that she wanted a futuristic, moody concept, and he came up with the idea of jumping between planets. The final chapter is the lead music video in its entirety.Jackson, Janet. "The Making of Discipline" DVD – Discipline (Deluxe Edition).
Music and lyrics Discipline is a pop, electronic and R&B album with some house and hip-hop-oriented songs. Lyrically, it explores erotic themes such as sexual fetishism and sadomasochism, along with other themes such as love and relationships. Throughout the album, Jackson interacts with a fictional DJ-robot Kyoko.
The album opens with a 48-second spoken-word intro "I.D.", which is followed by the lead single "Feedback". "Feedback" is an electropop and dance-pop song which incorporates elements of Eurodance and hip-hop. Its lyrical composition is based on Jackson's sexual bravado, questioning the listener while responding with a chant of "sexy, sexy". The song's chorus compares her body to instruments such as a guitar and amplifier, using metaphors to demonstrate sexual climax. It's followed by "Luv", an electro-R&B song described as a "feel-good" clap-and-bounce track, in which Jackson relates a car crash to falling in love. "Rollercoaster", an electro-funk song, sees Jackson comparing feelings caused by her love interest to a rollercoaster. "Rock with U" is a pop, Euro disco, and house song recorded with the gay community in mind, as Jackson felt the necessity to do something for her gay fans, as well as the wider community members. Jackson said: "It's still classic me but with a different twist to it – a modern twist". Jim Farber from New York Daily News noted the song's riffs, which he considered greater when they first appeared in Madonna's song "Into the Groove" (1985). The song was compared to Jackson's brother Michael Jackson's "Rock with You" (1979), due to its disco themes. "Rock with U" also contains vocodered whispers and murmured vocals. On "2nite", Jackson is asking her partner to sexually please her.
"Can't B Good" is a soulful, "jazzy" R&B song about Jackson's relationship with Jermaine Dupri. "Never Letchu Go" was described by Andy Kellman from AllMusic as "a sweet, glistening ballad". Its lyrics see Jackson not wanting to end her relationship because she feels like her partner is "the one". "Greatest X" is an R&B ballad which, as its title suggests, is an open letter to Jackson's "greatest ex ever". "So Much Betta" samples "Daftendirekt" (1997) by Daft Punk and sees Jackson "tired of being number two" and trying to prove a man she's better for him than her rival. The song also contains vocodered vocals. Like "So Much Betta", "The 1" sees Jackson trying to convince her love interest she's "the one" for him. It features rapper Missy Elliott. "What's Ur Name" is an up-tempo electro-R&B song on which Jackson sings about meeting a man for the first time. After discussing the meaning of the term "discipline" in the interlude "The Meaning", Jackson begs her partner to "punish" her in "Discipline"; its lyrical themes include masturbation and sadomasochism. The album closes with "Curtains", an R&B song which sees Jackson putting on a show for her lover in the form of foreplay and filming it.
Title and artwork The album was titled Discipline as an acknowledgment of Jackson's commitment, focus, and dedication to her career. Jackson stated: "I wanted to name the album Discipline because it has a lot of different meanings for me, but the most important would be work — to have done this for as long as I have ... And to have had the success that I've had — not excluding God by any means — but it takes a great deal of focus." However, in the album's title track, the title has a different meaning, as its lyrics see the protagonist asking her partner to discipline her for "being bad".
The cover artwork for Discipline was shot by Singaporean fashion photography duo Chuando + Frey and features Jackson as a dominatrix, wearing long black latex gloves with "Discipline" and "Janet" ("Janet Jackson" on some editions) written on them.
Release and promotion
Discipline was released on February 26, 2008 by Island Records; its deluxe edition, which included a bonus DVD, was released simultaneously. Jackson promoted the album through televised performances on Good Morning America, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and MTV's Total Request Live. Her performance on Total Request Live was her first MTV appearance in six years, following her being blacklisted by the network due to the Super Bowl halftime show incident in 2004. She was also scheduled to perform on Saturday Night Live but cancelled it due to illness. Performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live and at the London nightclub G-A-Y were also initially planned. The album was also promoted during an appearance on Larry King Live. On March 31, 2008, an edition of Discipline in environmentally-friendly packaging was released exclusively in Walmart as a part of a "green" promotion. Island Records officially ended the promotion of the album by June 2008. Later, Jackson performed "Luv" in a medley with "Rhythm Nation" on the ABC special America United: In Support of Our Troops on September 7.
Although the album promotion stopped in June, Jackson's fifth concert tour—the North American Rock Witchu Tour, with the support of Live Nation—began on September 10, 2008. Amy O'Brian of The Vancouver Sun described Jackson's stage show at the GM Place as a "high-voltage performance". According to O'Brian, "[w]ith an ear-piercing blast of pyrotechnics, a fog of thick cloud and dancers that popped up out of the stage and runway, Jackson proved within the first minutes that she didn't choose the low-budget route for her Rock Witchu Tour." Similarly, Jim Harrington of The Oakland Tribune offered a positive review, stating: "Like Jackson's previous tours, 'Rock Witchu' was a flashy, high-budget extravaganza built on well-choreographed dance routines and plenty of theatrics." The initial response to the tour was positive, with sold-out shows in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Supporting acts for the show included LL Cool J and Donnie Klang. Jackson had to reschedule nine dates on the first leg of the tour due to vestibular migraines. However, on November 4, 2008, Jackson canceled seven of the nine shows which had been rescheduled, citing scheduling conflicts. On November 19, it was announced that Jackson would bring the tour to Japan for a series of five shows in Saitama, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka in February 2009, but all five dates were canceled. Due to the cancellations, the tour's final date was on November 1, 2008, in New York City.
Singles The album's lead single "Feedback", was released for digital download in December 2007. In the United States, the song reached number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100, number thirty-nine on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and number twenty-three on the Pop 100, becoming Jackson's best charting single since "Someone to Call My Lover" (2001).Blender (June 2004), page 128 The song was also successful in Canada and South Africa where it peaked at numbers three and eight, respectively. Due to a rushed release and no international promotion, the song failed to chart highly in European countries, peaking at number thirty-six in France and thirty-two in Ireland, but reaching the top five in Greece.