Black Cat (song)

This article is about the Janet Jackson song. For other songs with the same title, see Black cat (disambiguation).

"Black Cat"
Single by Janet Jackson
from the album Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814
B-side"The 1814 Megamix"
ReleasedAugust 28, 1990 (1990-08-28)[1]
StudioFlyte Tyme (Minneapolis, Minnesota)[2][3][4]
Genre
Length4:50
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Janet Jackson
Producer(s)
Janet Jackson singles chronology
"Come Back to Me"
(1990) 		"Black Cat"
(1990) 		"Love Will Never Do (Without You)"
(1990)
Music video
"Black Cat" on YouTube

"Black Cat" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson, released as the sixth single from her fourth studio album, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). The song was written by Jackson, who produced it with Jellybean Johnson. In a departure from her standard of industrial-based dance-pop, "Black Cat" is a hard rock, pop rock, dance-rock, heavy metal and glam metal song with arena rock influences. Its lyrics speak of substance abuse and gang violence. It was the final song recorded for the album, after Jackson, along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, composed its main riff when desiring a rock song to complete the record.

"Black Cat" was well received among critics, who praised Jackson's "maximum advantage" vocals and her seamless foray into the hard rock genre. It was a commercial success, reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 as well as the top 10 on the charts in South Africa, Canada, Norway, and Australia, among other countries, while peaking at number 15 in the United Kingdom. It was certified gold in the United States and Australia.

Its music video, directed by Wayne Isham, was filmed during Jackson's Rhythm Nation World Tour 1990. It used an "in-concert" theme, splicing Jackson with images of a black panther. Jackson performed "Black Cat" at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, in a "fiery rendition" of the song in which she conveyed "feline" choreography, and also on the Rhythm Nation World Tour 1990, which drew media attention for its usage of illusionary magic, concluding with Jackson forced into a cage before transformed into a live panther.

"Black Cat" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. It also earned Jackson a BMI Pop Award for Most Played Song. "Black Cat" has been cited as an influence by numerous artists and it has been covered by such artists as Warmen, Britney Spears, and Nanne Grönvall.

  1. ^ "New Singles". Music Week. August 25, 1990. p. 23.
  2. ^ "Perfect Sound Forever: Janet Jackson". Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  3. ^ "Key Tracks: Jimmy Jam on Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814". daily.redbullmusicacademy.com.
  4. ^ "The Hour - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  5. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (September 19, 2019). "'Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814' Turns 30: All the Songs Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2024.