“ No Sleeep” was supposed to represent a return to form for Janet Jackson, who hasn’t had a top ten hit single since 2001’s “Someone To Call My Lover.” However, after just one day, Janet Jackson’s new single, the most hyped-up one of the year, is falling asleep on iTunes . After peaking at No. 14 on Tuesday evening, the song has dropped to No. 19 in a matter of hours. One can say it’s not a big concern, but the fact that the popularity bar of “No Sleeep” is shaded in dark pink means the song is losing sales at a very large rate.
It’s important to note that “No Sleeep” has received good reviews from media outlets. Robbie Daw from Idolator describes what many critics feel about the song.
” ‘No Sleeep’ is a sultry slow burner that builds with each progressive verse and chorus and drifts across your ears like a pleasantly naughty dream. Plus, thanks to the saucy lyrics, we now we have a new title for Ms. Jackson: The Queen Of Insomnia!”
Rolling Stone describes Janet Jackson’s new song as “ alluring .”
“The R&B icon isn’t rushing the unhurried vibe with her new single, ‘No Sleeep.’ The laid-back track, produced by longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, finds Jackson crooning about a long-distance romance over soulful keyboards and programmed drums.”
However, many people in the general public haven’t been fond of the song. There were music listeners under an article about Janet’s “No Sleeep” at Entertainment Weekly who weren’t very impressed .
“Would have expected a summer blow out banger for Janet to return but we get her umpteenth slow rnb [sic] jam that ironically makes me sleepy. I wish she would get out and away from Jimmy Jim and Terry Lewis productions since they all sound too similar. I miss the All For You Janet,” wrote commenter KTM444.
Some of the Twitter reactions are, perhaps, not what Janet Jackson was hoping for.
Enjoyed @jowhiley ‘s careful description of Janet Jackson’s new single as “a grower”- BBC DJ-speak for “f***ing awful from start to finish”.
— Simon Miller (@simonfgmiller) June 24, 2015
So, is Janet Jackson’s comeback over before it has even started? Of course it isn’t! One has to put the performance of “No Sleeep” in perspective. Older artists just don’t score hits like they used to. Madonna’s “ Living for Love ” was No. 1 on iTunes, but fell down after a couple of days. To make things worse, Billboard didn’t count sales for “Living for Love” for their chart, since it was released as part of an album package rather than a standalone single. Then there is Mariah Carey, whose “Infinity” charted in the Top 20 at iTunes the first day, but sharply dropped afterwards.
There are many who would say Janet Jackson has nothing to prove. After all, it is touring that will make her money, and her current Unbreakable World Tour appears to be selling well, although many of the dates are in very small theaters rather than arenas. Janet Jackson’s comeback is all about re-establishing her brand and, despite the poor reception of her new single, it appears to be working.
[Photo Credit: Twitter ]
