Janet Jackson's long lost "Pillow Talk" finally exits the vault

Share this article

    (December 9, 2022) She is a musical icon, who was thrust into the limelight as a child and delivered on every single expectation and more over three plus decades as a star. Of course we're talking about the great Janet Jackson, who has been part of our musical lives seemingly forever.

    Miss Janet has had countless hits, but for all those smashes she recorded over the years, there is a treasure trove of songs that didn't originally make the cut and have been sitting in a vault. A couple of years ago, Questlove played clips of a long lost Janet cover of the classic Sylvia #1 smash, "Pillow Talk," recorded during the Damita Jo sessions. The internet lit up when he played it, but the song never really saw the light of day, until now.

    (December 9, 2022) She is a musical icon, who was thrust into the limelight as a child and delivered on every single expectation and more over three plus decades as a star. Of course we're talking about the great Janet Jackson, who has been part of our musical lives seemingly forever.

    Miss Janet has had countless hits, but for all those smashes she recorded over the years, there is a treasure trove of songs that didn't originally make the cut and have been sitting in a vault. A couple of years ago, Questlove played clips of a long lost Janet cover of the classic Sylvia #1 smash, "Pillow Talk," recorded during the Damita Jo sessions. The internet lit up when he played it, but the song never really saw the light of day, until now.

    "Pillow Talk" is apparently being released as a single, and we have our first chance to hear this circa 2003 recording - and to quote a host from that time period, it makes us go "hmmm." The cut has a decidedly unfinished demo feel. The arrangement is sparse underneath Janet's effective, breathy vocals, and elements appear to be looped and strung together to get to a full song length. Interestingly, in the cut the singer never quite gets to the iconic "Ooh, you can't find love on a one way street" refrain.

    It's always fantastic to hear anything new or old from Janet Jackson, but for us this pieced together "Pillow Talk" feels more like an interesting curiosity than a hit single. Check it out and let us know what you think.