Today marks the 32nd anniversary of Janet Jackson’s ‘Love Will Never Do (Without You)’, released as the seventh single from the iconic ‘Rhythm Nation 1814’ album.
The song was allegedly written with the idea that it could potentially be a duet with Prince or another male vocalist, which is why the first verse is sung in a lower octave and then Janet sings higher in the second verse.
The music video was directed by Herb Ritts, with Antonio Sabàto, Jr. as Janet’s love interest and it also featured shots of Djimon Hounsou. It earned Janet an MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video in 1991.
It became Janet’s fifth #1 hit in the US, and topping the charts in 1991, it made ‘Rhythm Nation 1814’ the only album in history to produce #1 hits across three different calendar years. In addition to this, the song’s success also made Janet the only artist in history to have seven Top 5 hits from a single album, which is a record that still stands.
In 2019, a 14-track remix EP was released across digital music services globally, featuring alternate versions of the song as well as the B-side ‘You Need Me’.
In February this year, the music video was added to Janet Jackson’s YouTube channel for the first time ever.
Watch the music video: