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So Excited (Janet Jackson song)

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"So Excited"
Single by Janet Jackson featuring Khia
from the album 20 Y.O.
B-side"Call on Me"
ReleasedAugust 28, 2006 (2006-08-28)
Recorded2006
StudioFlyte Tyme (Santa Monica)
Genre
Length3:16
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jermaine Dupri
  • LRoc
  • Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
  • Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson singles chronology
"Call on Me"
(2006) 		"So Excited"
(2006) 		"With U"
(2006)
Khia singles chronology
"Snatch the Cat Back"
(2006) 		"So Excited"
(2006) 		"What They Do"
(2008)
Music video
"So Excited" on YouTube

"So Excited" is a song recorded by American singer Janet Jackson, featuring guest vocals from rapper Khia, for Jackson's ninth studio album 20 Y.O. (2006). The song was written by Jackson, Jermaine Dupri, James Phillips, Johntá Austin, James Harris III, Terry Lewis and Khia Chambers, with Herbie Hancock, Michael Beinhorn and Bill Laswell also receiving songwriting credits for sampling Hancock's 1983 song "Rockit". Production for "So Excited" was handled by Dupri, LRoc, Jam, Lewis and Jackson. "So Excited" is musically a hip hop and dance song which lyrically expresses submission from a woman to her lover. It was released on August 28, 2006, by Virgin Records as the second single from 20 Y.O.

It received mixed reviews from music critics, with some considering the song the highlight from 20 Y.O. while others found it disappointing. "So Excited" performed poorly on the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 90, but managed to become Jackson's 17th number-one dance hit in the country. It was a moderate success in Europe, reaching the top ten in Finland and top 40 in selected regions. The music video for the song, directed by Joseph Kahn, depicts Jackson's clothes disappearing through a complex dance routine. After Khia was given a minor role in the music video, she criticized Jackson online. Jackson performed the song on Today, the 2006 Billboard Music Awards, and the 2008 Rock Witchu Tour.

Background and composition

[edit]
"So Excited"
3mins 12 seconds song's chorus.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

In 2005, Jackson started working on her ninth studio album, 20 Y.O., with her then partner, record producer Jermaine Dupri, who was commissioned as the executive producer. The discussion between the producers turned to how Jackson was feeling at the time her third studio album Control (1986) was recorded. "I started asking questions like, 'What was the feeling of life when you were 20?' I was so intrigued with what was going on in her life then that I just thought her album should be called that", Dupri commented.[1] Jackson wanted to maintain a R&B sound from her most recent albums, but with an emphasis on dance music.[2] In June 2006, rapper Khia was confirmed on a song titled "So Excited". However producer Dupri said she would be not rapping on the track,

"Khia's on the record because I'm a producer and I heard a sound that I wanted. She don't actually rap on the record, I'm giving you the exclusive. It’s something that I did with her voice. I mean, a lot or people who hear it, they might not even realize that it's her. I use textures when I do records and I just wanted her voice texture on this record, and she really made this song. Now she's been complaining saying she's been taken off the record, I don't know where that came from. She's really foolish to be out here talking [like this]. I'm still gonna keep her on the song because she ain't know what she was doing".[3]

"So Excited" was written by Jackson, Jermaine Dupri, James Phillips, Johntá Austin, James Harris III, Terry Lewis and Khia Chambers; and was produced by Dupri, LRoc, Jam, Lewis and Jackson.[4] The song is a hip hop and dance track which samples the drum break and turntable scratches from Herbie Hancock's 1983 song "Rockit", with Hancock, Michael Beinhorn and Bill Laswell also receiving writing credits.[4][5] In "So Excited", Jackson promises submission for her lover, singing, "I'll open my spot for you / Anytime you want me to".[6]

Critical reception

[edit]

"So Excited" received mixed reviews from music critics. Thomas Inskeep from Stylus Magazine criticized 20 Y.O., but enjoyed the track, calling it a "sticky ear-candy" song. He further commented that the "sexed-up" number carries a "throwaway contribution from Khia to, if not ultimate satisfaction, [gives the listener] at least a half-decent orgasm".[7] Miles Marshall Lewis from The Village Voice was also positive, saying that Dupri "girds 'So Excited' with 'Rockit' scratches, coaching guest-rapper Khia to sound like Da Brat on the naughty hook. Serviceable enough, it's surprisingly the highlight" of the album.[8] Spence D. from IGN felt that "So Excited" was like a "glorious slice of radio ready '80s churban soul" wrapped up and delivered for a current audience.[9]

Glenn Gamboa, writer for Newsday, commented that "So Excited" was a "good indicator of what to expect from the current incarnation of Jackson. It's streetwise, lighthearted and easily digestible".[10] Sasha Frere-Jones, writer from The New Yorker was enthusiastic with the song, calling it a "loud dance tune that is reminiscent of the songs on Control", although she criticized some lyrics.[11] For Don Baiocchi from Blogcritics, the song was not "the flawless dance floor anthem" her fans were hoping for.[12] Chuck Taylor from Billboard called it disappointing, and felt it was bland and lacked innovation.[13] Similarly, Evan Serpick, writing for Rolling Stone, stated, "Almost all of the tunes here (particularly 'So Excited') try to replicate Jackson's early work, with diminishing returns".[14]

Commercial performance

[edit]

"So Excited" debuted at its peak of number 90 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated October 5, 2006.[15] It debuted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number 75, eventually peaking at number 34, becoming her 39th top-40 single on the chart.[16][17] On the Dance Club Songs chart, "So Excited" became Jackson's 22nd consecutive top-ten single and her 17th number-one hit on the chart.[18]

In Belgium, "So Excited" debuted at its peak of number 14 on the Ultratip chart in Flanders, while peaking at number five on Ultratip in Wallonia.[19] In Finland, "So Excited" debuted at its peak of number nine, after which it fell to number 14 and then left the chart in its third week. In Spain, it peaked at number 13.[20]

Music video

[edit]
As Jackson dances, her clothes quickly disappear during the video for "So Excited".

The accompanying music video for "So Excited" was directed by Joseph Kahn,[21] with choreography done by Gil Duldulao;[22] it premiered on September 13, 2006, on BET's Access Granted.[23] A group called X1FX handled VFX visual effects for the video.[21] In the video, Jackson's clothes disappear through a complex dance routine with her female dancers. Also, occasional skeleton people appear in an X-ray effect, and on the 2 minute mark, Jackson is seen inside a yellow sports car eating a strawberry.[24] The video received positive reviews from critics, who considered it a departure from the video for her previous single, but some scenes were criticized.[24] They were also surprised with Jackson naked in the video, after her Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy in 2004.[21]

After Khia was given a diminished role in the music video, she went to her MySpace account to say she was not pleased with her scenes being displayed in a TV during the music video, and criticized Jackson.[25] Despite that, Khia said years later that the situation was calmed down, and wrote a song with Jackson in mind. However, she did not regret the feedback she gave the singer, stating, "I don't say anything that I don't mean. I meant every word that I said. People mix the truth with hate, but no I didn't appreciate her putting me on the television. A lot of people blew that out of proportion like, 'Oh my god, Khia's hating on Janet,' but she called me and we were okay. It's just me voicing the situation to my fans".[25]

Live performances

[edit]

On September 9, 2006, Jackson went to France to perform "So Excited" at NRJ's Back to School concert, along with past single "Nasty" (1986).[26] While on The Oprah Winfrey Show, she was interviewed and performed both tracks again, with this being the first time a performance of "So Excited" was broadcast on television. The show aired on September 25.[27] On December 4, 2006, Jackson opened the 2006 Billboard Music Awards with a medley of past song "The Pleasure Principle" and "So Excited", with "Control" serving as an introduction to the number. She was accompanied by white, black and red-clad dancers.[28][29] The song was included on the setlist for the Rock Witchu Tour in 2008. She was dressed in a gold and black glam hip hop-inspired track suit, and one gold glove.[30][31] It was used as an interlude on the Unbreakable World Tour in 2015–2016. "So Excited" was also used as a part of the DJ Intermission for Jackson's State of the World Tour in 2017 and was performed live on the final date of the first leg of the tour.[32] Jackson also included the song on her 2019 Las Vegas Residency Janet Jackson: Metamorphosis.

Track listings

[edit]

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from 20 Y.O. album liner notes.[4]

Charts

[edit]
Weekly chart performance for "So Excited"
Chart (2006) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[39] 5
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[40] 14
CIS (TopHit)[41] 58
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[20] 9
Global Dance Tracks (Billboard)[42] 25
Italy (FIMI)[43] 37
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[44] 13
US Billboard Hot 100[45] 90
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[46] 1
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[47] 34
US Pop 100 (Billboard)[16] 93
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[48] 38

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for "So Excited"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States October 10, 2006 Rhythmic contemporary radio Virgin
[49]
October 31, 2006 12-inch vinyl
[50]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Janet's Juggernaut". Billboard. September 6, 2006. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  2. ^ "Janet Jackson Ready To Dance On New Album". Billboard. September 1, 2006. Retrieved September 6, 2006.
  3. ^ Bailey, Lee (June 29, 2006). "DUPRI EXPLAINS THE KHIA/JANET JACKSON MIXUP: Producer Says Rapper Is Still On The Project, But Doesn't Actually Spit Rhymes". Eurweb. Archived from the original on July 2, 2006. Retrieved September 12, 2006.
  4. ^ a b c 20 Y.O. (CD liner notes). Janet Jackson. Virgin Records. 0946 3 30416 2 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ Freedom du Lac, J. (September 27, 2006). "Janet Jackson, Back in Fine Form". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  6. ^ Batey, Angus (September 25, 2006). "Janet Jackson – 20 YO – Yahoo! Music Album Review". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
  7. ^ Inskeep, Thomas (October 6, 2006). "Janet Jackson – 20 Y.O." Stylus Magazine. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
  8. ^ Lewis, Miles Marshall (October 10, 2006). "Lose Control – Ms. Jackson works hard but still can't sound truly effortless". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on May 26, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
  9. ^ D, Spence (September 26, 2006). "Janet Jackson – 20 Y.O." IGN. j2 Global. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  10. ^ Gamboa, Glenn. "How Janet got her groove back". Newsday. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  11. ^ Frere-Jones, Sasha (October 30, 2006). "Body Language". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  12. ^ Baiocchi, Don (October 4, 2006). "Music Review: Janet Jackson – 20 Y.O." Blogcritics. Critical Lens Media, Ltd. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  13. ^ Taylor, Chuck (September 30, 2006). "Reviews – Singles". Billboard. Vol. 118, no. 39. New York. p. 48. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  14. ^ Serpick, Evan (October 3, 2006). "Janet Jackson: 20 Y.O." Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  15. ^ "Timberlake Still Tops, Akon Sets Hot 100 Record". Billboard. October 5, 2006. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  16. ^ a b "Janet Jackson > Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  17. ^ Caulfield, Keith (October 23, 2006). "Ask Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  18. ^ "Billboard Charts Archive". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  19. ^ "Janet Jackson feat. Khia – So Excited". Ultratop 50. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  20. ^ a b "Janet Jackson: So Excited" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  21. ^ a b c Gottlieb, Steven (October 13, 2006). "New release: Janet Jackson "So Excited"". Video Static. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  22. ^ "Workshops with friends of Janet Jackson". Dance Australia. Yaffa Publishing Group. October 25, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  23. ^ DJ Z (September 13, 2006). "Janet Jackson New Video, "So Excited", premieres on BET: Access Granted!!". DJ Booth. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  24. ^ a b Slezak, Michael (September 18, 2006). "Snap judgment: Janet's "So Excited" video". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  25. ^ a b Hope, Clover (February 25, 2010). "Khia Squashed Janet Beef After MJ Died". Vibe. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  26. ^ "Janet performing at the NRJ Back to School concert in France". Brown Sista. September 10, 2006. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  27. ^ "In Control". Oprah.com. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  28. ^ Bobbin, Jay (December 2, 2006). "Janet Jackson to perform at Billboard Music Awards". Jamaica Gleaner. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  29. ^ Mitchell, Gail (December 16, 2006). "Music's big night in Vegas". Billboard. Vol. 118, no. 50. New York. p. 34. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  30. ^ Lederman, Marsha (September 11, 2008). "Janet Jackson 'has still got it'". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  31. ^ Sheppard, Denise (September 11, 2008). "Janet Jackson Opens Rock Witchu Tour With Three Decades of Hits". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  32. ^ Stafford, Leon (December 18, 2017). "Concert review: Janet Jackson "Controls" Atlanta at Philips Arena". myAJC. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  33. ^ So Excited (UK CD 1 liner notes). Janet Jackson. Virgin Records. 2006. B000K4X37S.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  34. ^ So Excited (UK CD 2 liner notes). Janet Jackson. Virgin Records. 2006. B000JU7K7W.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  35. ^ So Excited (US / European promo CD single liner notes). Janet Jackson. Virgin Records. 2006. 094637482421.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  36. ^ So Excited (US 12-inch single liner notes). Janet Jackson. Virgin Records. 2006. 0946 3 74824 1 4 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  37. ^ So Excited (US promo single liner notes). Janet Jackson. Virgin Records. 2006.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  38. ^ So Excited (US 12-inch single liner notes). Janet Jackson. Virgin Records. 2006. 0946 3 81149 1 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  39. ^ "Janet Jackson feat. Khia – So Excited" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  40. ^ "Janet Jackson feat. Khia – So Excited" (in French). Ultratip.
  41. ^ Janet Jackson feat. Khia — So Excited. TopHit. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  42. ^ "Janet Jackson – Global Dance Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  43. ^ "Janet Jackson feat. Khia – So Excited". Top Digital Download.
  44. ^ "Janet Jackson feat. Khia – So Excited" Canciones Top 50.
  45. ^ "Janet Jackson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  46. ^ "Janet Jackson Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  47. ^ "Janet Jackson Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  48. ^ "Janet Jackson Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  49. ^ "FMQB". Archived from the original on November 1, 2009. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  50. ^ "Janet Jackson & Khia / So Excited". United States: Amazon Music. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
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