| "Just a Little While" | ||||
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| Single by Janet Jackson | ||||
| from the album Damita Jo | ||||
| Released | February 2, 2004 | |||
| Studio | DARP (Atlanta, Georgia) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:13 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Dallas Austin | |||
| Janet Jackson singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Just a Little While" on YouTube | ||||
"Just a Little While" is a song by American singer-songwriter Janet Jackson, from her eighth studio album, Damita Jo (2004). Written by Jackson and Dallas Austin and produced by the latter, the track is a reflection of Jackson's new-found happiness during the album's recording. It was released to radio stations as the lead single from Damita Jo in the United States on February 2, 2004, by Virgin Records, following a leak ahead of its scheduled release which caused Jackson's record company to rush with a music video and promotion. "Just a Little While" is a pop rock, dance, and new wave song which lyrically showcases Jackson's "signature fashion" of writing sexual lyrics which are "innocent on the surface", expressing the singer's desire to have sexual intercourse with a lover.
"Just a Little While" received mixed reviews from music critics; some of them were enthusiastic towards the track and compared its composition to works by Prince. However, others thought it was not good enough and questioned its position as the album's closing song. In the United States, the song's commercial performance was affected by Jackson's Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy; despite being the most added and played song on radio following its release, Jackson's works were blacklisted on many radio formats and music channels, ultimately peaking at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100. Internationally, it was more successful, reaching the top 10 in Canada and Spain and the top 20 in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Due to the song's leak, its music video was rush-filmed, being directed by Dave Meyers, and was released exclusively in international territories, not being serviced to music channels in the United States. It portrays Jackson filming a DVD for her boyfriend in a futuristic apartment setting, displaying the singer in multiple outfits. The singer embarked on a promotional tour to promote "Just a Little While" and Damita Jo, performing the song on several television shows including Top of the Pops, Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, and Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ. A performance of the track, filmed during Jackson's promotional tour in Europe, was later included on the From Janet to Damita Jo: The Videos compilation in place of the original music video.