1 singles, tens of millions of records sold, and two iconic hats.
Stories Behind the Songsis a recurring column where iconic musicians share behind-the-scenes details of their hit singles.
Microwave popcorn is great until youve had real popcorn.
Credit: Marselle Washington/Marco Imager
We feel music is the same way, Jam says.
Adds Lewis, You dont miss what youve never had.
1 songs for game-changing musicians includingGeorge Michael,Mariah Carey, andUsher.
René Elizondo
Can you do that?
And she said, I dont know.'
Nasty went on to hit No.
3 on theBillboardHot 100.
1 hit about a man asking his partner to forgive him for being unfaithful.
Jam calls it the most killer line of all the Jam and Lewis records.
That was my go-to… …Ad-lib, says Lewis, finishing Jams thought.
It would feel like, Oh, I might sing the sh out of this.'
Youre not going to really do any singing.
Gill replied, Thats cool with me.
Jam and Lewis also saw the single as a perfect segue into a new era followingRhythm Nation 1814.
The song would become the longest-running Jackson family single ever at No.
1, with an eight-week stay at the top of the Hot 100.
Theres other people likeDiana Rossthat you sing along with, Jam says.
Thats the voice that we always felt Janet had.
The singer achieved sing-along status once again with the No.
1 single Together Again, an upbeat track about a fallen friend.
Eventually we would actually get a verse, Jam jokes.
Jam adds, They were on top of the world…just fearless.
I love that we got a chance to work with them before Left Eye died in 2002.
When we created the concept for this song, I remember we let her hear it.
Her rebuttal to it was Did you guys follow me around before you created this?
Jam, touched, recalls Blige saying, Im not changing a word of this song.
This is it, this is me.
I absolutely love this song, but not for this album that Im doing right now.
I want this to be the title track to my next album.
