"Alright" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

from her fourth studio album, '' Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814'' (1989). Written by Jackson and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, the song was released on March 4, 1990, by

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

as the fourth single from ''Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814''. In the United Kingdom, it was issued as the album's fifth single in June 1990. While it was to become the only single of the seven released off the ''Rhythm Nation 1814'' album to not hit the top-two on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, reaching number four, it became the fourth consecutive single from the album to reach number one on the

Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

, helping Jackson break a record set by

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

. "Alright" earned Jackson two 1991 Grammy Award nominations for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song.

Composition

"Alright" samples

Lyn Collins Gloria Lavern Collins (June 12, 1948 – March 13, 2005), better known as Lyn Collins, was an American soul singer best known for working with James Brown in the 1970s and for the influential 1972 funk single, "Think (About It)". A favorite ...

' 1972 song "

Think (About It) "Think (About It)" is a funk song recorded by Lyn Collins and released as a single on James Brown's People Records in 1972. The recording was produced by Brown (who also wrote the song) and features instrumental backing from his band The J.B.' ...

" and the song's final hook samples B.T. Express' 1974 song "Do You Like It". The song was recorded again in January 1990 with

Heavy D Dwight Arrington MyersCuda, Heidi Sigmund Keeping it reel. '' Vibe'' ("born Dwight Arrington Myers")Samuels, Anita M. (January 12' 1996)Heavy D, the C.E.O. ''New York Times'' (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), known professionally as Hea ...

for the music video.

Chart performance

"Alright" peaked at number four on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number two on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and number one on the

. It is the only single from the album that did not reach the top two on Billboard Hot 100.

Music video

The music video to the song was filmed on the New York Street backlot of

Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood is a film studio and Amusement park, theme park located in Universal City, California, near Hollywood, Los Angeles. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood film studios still in use. Its official marketin ...

in February 1990. It was styled to resemble a 1930s and 1950s musical, and featured Cyd Charisse,

the Nicholas Brothers The Nicholas Brothers were an entertainment act composed of brothers, Fayard Nicholas, Fayard (1914–2006) and Harold Nicholas, Harold (1921–2000), who excelled in a variety of dance techniques, primarily between the 1930s and 1950s. Best kn ...

, and

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

in one of his last on-screen appearances. Anthony Thomas choreographed the video, with some scenes staged by veteran Hollywood choreographer Michael Kidd. The video begins with Jackson and two male dancers, including Richard Gaines, all wearing flashy zoot suits sitting on a bench. A paperboy throws newspapers on them. They wake up and read the front page, from which they learn Calloway is in town for the premiere of his ''Alright'' film. Jackson and her dancers take a crosstown journey to the premiere. Along the way, Jackson meets Cyd Charisse coming out of a store. They share a few steps, and the scene moves on. There, Jackson, her dancers and Calloway fans wait for Calloway to make his grand entrance. Jackson seemingly envisions herself as Calloway's glamorized female guest, getting pushed to the red carpet. Calloway takes her hand and helps her up. Jackson and her dancers get in Calloway's limo. They arrive at large dance out in the middle of a street. Jackson and her dancers climb on the back of a car and Jackson notices her watch is missing. They get off the car and are sprayed by a street cleaning truck. They sit on the bench. Later that night, Jackson and her dancers are homeless people asleep on the bench—revealing the video to have been a dream. Cab Calloway, in the meantime, walks to the bench and places Jackson's watch in her hand. He sneaks away saying, "Alright". There is also an extended version that features rapper

. Jackson won Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video at the 1991 Soul Train Music Awards. During

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

's first-ever '' MTV Icon'' in 2001, American singer Usher paid tribute to Jackson by re-enacting the sidewalk bench routine with the two male dancers from the "Alright" music video. His " U Don't Have to Call" video also uses roller shoes as a gimmick. In 2011,

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

's video " Yeah 3x" was compared to the video. In 2024, singer-songwriter Victoria Monét released a video for her song, also titled "Alright", featuring choreography and a black and white pinstripe outfit and hat, which pays homage to Jackson's "Alright" video.

Live performances

Jackson has performed the song on all of her tours. In the Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour, janet. Tour, The Velvet Rope Tour and All for You Tour, Jackson performs the song wearing a Zoot suit. On the Rock Witchu Tour, she wears a sailor suit. On the Number Ones: Up Close and Personal tour, she wears a black catsuit. Jackson also included the song on her 2015–2016 Unbreakable World Tour and the 2017–2019 State of the World Tour in a medley with " Miss You Much" and " You Want This". She also included the song on her 2019 Las Vegas residency Janet Jackson: Metamorphosis. It was also included on her special concert series Janet Jackson: A Special 30th Anniversary Celebration of Rhythm Nation in 2019. Jackson performed the song in 2023 on her Janet Jackson: Together Again tour.

Track listings and formats

* US 12-inch single # "Alright" (12-inch R&B mix)§ – 7:17 # "Alright" (7-inch R&B mix) – 4:34 # "Alright" (a cappella) – 3:26 # "Alright" (12-inch house mix)§ – 8:30 # "Alright" (hip house dub)§ – 6:40 # "Alright" (house dub) – 5:58 * UK 12-inch single # "Alright" ( CJ Mackintosh hip hop mix)§ – 7:24 # "Alright" (CJ Mackintosh house mix) – 9:10 Other notable mixes * "Alright" (CD album version) – 6:28 * "Alright" (vinyl album version) – 5:27 * "Alright" (7-inch remix) – 4:11 * "Alright" (7-inch remix with rap)§ – 4:34 * "Alright" (7-inch R&B mix with rap)§ – 4:51 * "Alright" (7-inch house mix with rap)§ – 4:56 Mixes with symbol (§) include rap by

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1989 songs 1990 singles A&M Records singles Janet Jackson songs Music videos directed by Julien Temple New jack swing songs Song recordings produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Songs written by James Brown Songs written by Janet Jackson Songs written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis