Retro Video of the Week: "Miss You Much" by Janet Jackson

Continuing the COVID-19-related Retro Videos of the Week, this week's selection is from Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon, Michael, and Randy's younger sister, Janet.  

To say that Janet Jackson's fourth studio album, 1989's Rhythm Nation 1814, was a huge hit would be an understatement.  In addition to going 6x platinum in the U.S. and selling over 12 million copies worldwide, Rhythm Nation 1814 spent four weeks at #1 on the Billboard album charts and was the best-selling album of 1990 in the U.S.  It is the only album ever to have seven Top 5 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 -- "Miss You Much," "Escapade," "Black Cat," and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" were #1, "Rhythm Nation" and "Come Back to Me" were #2, and "Alright" was #4 -- and it's the only album to have #1 songs in three separate calendar years (1989, 1990, and 1991).

"Miss You Much" was the lead single from the album.  It was the second of her eventual ten #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, spending four weeks at #1 -- following another "miss" song, Milli Vanilli's "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You."  It also went to #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, in addition to reaching #2 in Canada and New Zealand and the Top 20 on the charts in five other countries.  "Miss You Much" ended up being the #5 song on the 1989 Billboard year-end chart.

In today's environment, we can easily replace "you" with "human contact," "going to the grocery store without wearing a mask," or "drinking beer somewhere other than in my bedroom."  Stay safe, folks.