It’s my belief
That we all have the need to feel special
And it’s this need
That can bring out the best in us
Yet the worst in us
This need created
The velvet rope
Greatest hits albums often give artists the chance to pause for a minute, reflect and take chances on their following records. Janet Jackson did exactly this in 1997 with The Velvet Rope, the first album that came out after 1995’s Design of a decade 1986/1996. Over the course of the first 10 years of her career, Jackon’s sound has evolved and matured. With The Velvet Rope, she takes it one step further. The music and the themes are more grown-up, she opens-up about her struggles with depression, body disphormia, loss and questions about sexuality. The album has gathered very positive reviews and remain one of the highlights of her career. The artwork embraces this change of direction and is possibily the most iconic of her career and certainly a highlight from the 1990s.
The album’s artwork – photographed by Ellen von Unwerth – is a close-up of Jackson lowering her head amid a red backdrop. Jackson looks down and her face is covered by her hair. There’s a sense of intimacy and introspection. Jackson said of the picture:
That was more of a personal album. She [Ellen von Unwerth] was shooting as I was talking. The shot we used on the cover shows me just looking down, and that’s what the album was about, looking inward. (American Photo, Sept-Oct 2004)
Jackson sets the tone on the front cover: The Velvet Rope is a serious album.
On the picture, the main colour is red: Jackson’s hennaed red hair, the crimson backdrop. It is obviously a direct visualisation of the title of the album The Velvet Rope. Jackson explained that the title refered to that velvet rope we all have inside of us to protect ourselves from the inside. But on this album, she’s decided to let her guards down and invite us inside:
We’ve all driven by premieres or nightclubs, and seen the rope separating those who can enter and those who can’t. Well, there’s also a velvet rope we have inside us, keeping others from knowing our feelings. In The Velvet Rope, I’m trying to expose and explore those feelings.
The album artwork gives a sense of intimacy, warmth and softness. Janet Jackson invites us into her world. And sometimes, her world is not all vanilla. Listening to the album or opening the booklet, there are moments of doubts, of anger and BDSM. I really like this contrast between the album artwork and what you find inside the booklet.
The Velvet Rope is a fantastic album that is a highlight of Ms Jackson’s career. Many artists have since then praised it and said how much it inspired them to make music. This article published in The Guardian in 2017 gives a good idea of how influential The Red Velvet was and still is today, with newcomers like MNEK praising the emotional qualities of the album. I cannot talk about legacy without mentioning the Where Have You Been video by Rihanna which is such a vibrant homage to Jackson’s Together Again video:
Listen to the one and only The Velvet Rope on Spotify:
Pop Artwork 101 