Funny How Times Flies….

“Il me plait d’etre là avec tu je ne sais pas ou… ou le temps s’est enfui. Oh je t’aime mon chéri.”
So begins Janet Jackson’s “Funny How Time Flies…(When You’re Having Fun)”. This translates as “I like to be with you. I don’t know where… where the time has flown. Oh, I love you baby.”
The song is one of Janet’s best songs of the 1980’s but was never a hit single commercially.
It was the 7th single from her multi million selling third album “Control” and was only released in the UK. It only charted at number 59.
It was never released in the US where “The Pleasure Principle” would be her 6th and final single which by the time of it’s release in the mid 1980’s had made her into a Pop Icon of her own right. The video for “The Pleasure Principle” was the beginning of a tougher, leaner Janet. “Funny How Time Flies…(When You’re Having Fun)” continued the theme of making her lover wait, a theme that was far more sweet and bubblegum in “Let’s Wait Awhile” the most well known ballad from the album.
“Funny How Time Flies…(When You’re Having Fun)” was, I feel, the beginning of the determined path that Janet has been travelling over the past 21 years as her image and music became more sexual and direct while maintaining it’s dance pop foundation.
Her 1989 album “Rhythm Nation 1814” was the most perfect follow up to “Control”. In a way similar to her brother’s Michael’s “Thriller” after the pop brilliance of “Off The Wall”. “The Pleasure Principle” is the song on “Control” most similar to the dance songs on “Rhythm Nation 1814” while “Funny How Time Flies….(When You’re Having Fun)” was the gorgeous predecessor to songs like “Come Back To Me” and “Lonely” from the same album.
There was never a video made for “Funny How Time Flies…(When You’re Having Fun)” so the clip below is audio only.
This post originally appeared on my other blog All The Way To New York.