A 1960s Stax single, a ballad sung by her brother Randy and a freestyle anthem built for Friday night might sound like three different playlists. They’re all part of Janet Jackson’s surprisingly varied history with cover songs. At least six studio covers are documented, and some of the most interesting ones were tucked onto a B-side, offered as a download or left in the vault.
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“What’ll I Do” (1993) — Johnny Daye. Daye recorded “What’ll I Do for Satisfaction” for Stax in 1967. Janet shortened the title and turned up the guitars for janet. Her version has a loose, gritty energy that suits the song’s old-school soul shout. It also made its way into her live show on the janet. tour.
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“One More Chance” (1993) — The Jacksons. Randy Jackson sang lead on the original, which appeared on the Jacksons’ 1984 album Victory. Janet’s recording came out on the B-side of “If” in the U.S. That pairing makes for a wonderful double take. Flip over one of her fiercest dance singles and there’s a tender ballad from the family catalog.
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“Tonight’s the Night” (1997) — Rod Stewart. Janet slowed the temperature to a simmer on The Velvet Rope. Keeping the lyric’s address to a woman gave Stewart’s 1976 hit a new intimacy in her voice. That shift fits an album that made room for queer desire and challenged assumptions about who gets to sing a love song to whom.
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“Weekend” (2006) — Debbie Deb. Janet took on Debbie Deb’s 1984 freestyle favorite “Lookout Weekend,” keeping the bounce that made the original a dance-floor staple. She offered her version as a limited download on her official website in the lead-up to 20 Y.O. It never appeared on the album, which helps explain how a song this catchy could slip past even longtime fans.
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“The Beat of Black Wings” (unreleased) — Joni Mitchell. Janet recorded her version for a Mitchell tribute project and spoke about the song in Billboard in 1997. The recording later circulated online. Mitchell’s original, from 1988’s Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm, tells the story of a haunted Vietnam veteran. It’s a different glimpse of Janet’s admiration for Mitchell than the one most listeners know from “Got ’til It’s Gone,” which samples “Big Yellow Taxi.”
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“Pillow Talk” (unreleased) — Sylvia Robinson. Janet also recorded Robinson’s 1973 hit, a slow burn that sounds right at home alongside her quieter material. In a 2018 Billboard interview, the interviewer played the unreleased recording back to Janet, giving fans a rare glimpse of a cover that stayed in the vault.
Herb Alpert’s “Diamonds” deserves a spot on a Janet playlist, too. She shared lead vocals with Lisa Keith on Alpert’s 1987 recording, then carried the song into her own live shows. Hearing it in a Janet set makes perfect sense. Her voice was part of what made the record sparkle in the first place.
