The Pleasure Principle (song)

This article is about the Janet Jackson single; for other meanings, see pleasure principle.

"The Pleasure Principle"
Song

"The Pleasure Principle" is the sixth single from Janet Jackson's third album Control.

Song information and music video

File:Tppvid12.jpg

Janet in "The Pleasure Principle" music video.

The song was yet another "independent woman" anthem often about love gone wrong built around a dance beat.

Janet goes into a warehouse to practice her dancing. In one of her most memorable videos, Janet gives a spectacular solo dance performance, while singing about the ever popular pleasure principle. The music video's Mic stand and chair sequences have raised the bars for later music videos and would be taken as inspiration for:

• Backstreet Boys- As Long as You Love Me
• Britney Spears - Stronger
• Beyonce- Check On It
• Pussycat Dolls - Buttons
• Cassie- Me & U
• Ciara- Promise

For the music video "The Shep Pettibone Mix" was used. This song won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography in 1988 and was nominated for the Soul Train Award for Female Single of the Year.

Chart Performance

Released in 1987, "The Pleasure Principle" peaked at number fourteen in the U.S. that summer, becoming Jackson's sixth Top 20 single on the Billboard Hot 100; it also hit number one on the R&B singles chart becoming her fifth to top that chart. She was the first to do this. Since "The Pleasure Principle" peaked at number fourteen, it became the only song released from Control in the U.S. to miss the top 5 of the Hot 100. Outside the U.S. the single would be make it into the top twenty, at most markets. The single was the thrity-fourth biggest Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks single of 1987.

Charts

Chart (1987)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	14
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay	13
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	1
ARC Top 40	10
Official UK Singles Chart	24
Japan Singles Chart	9
South African Sales Chart	8
Belguim Singles Chart	15
Holland Singles Chart	15

UK Official Chart
Week	01	02	03	04	05
Position	39	24	28	35	49

U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart trajectory
Week	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Position	78	60	50	43	35	30	26	20	17	17	14	15	21	34	45	56	69	93

Official versions/remixes

1986

• Album Version (4:57)
• A capella (4:23)
• 7" Vocal (4:19)
• Long Vocal (7:23)
• Dub Edit (4:19)
• 12" Dub (6:58)
• Design of a Decade edit (4:13)

1996

• Danny Tenaglia's Twilo Dub (9:00)
• Nuflava Vocal Dub (7:04)
• Danny Tenaglia Legendary Club Mix (8:15)
• Danny Tenaglia Legendary Radio Mix (4:17)
• Banji Dub (6:53)