Janet Jackson's Official Top 40 most downloaded songs

Refresh yourself with Miss Jackson's stellar back catalogue of heavy hitters.
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Legend, and visionary are words synonymous with the iconic Janet Jackson, and rightfully so.

The pioneering Miss Jackson has been in the news as of late, announcing an auction of over 1,000 items from her personal collection. Pieces up for grabs in the three-day auction at Julien's in Beverly Hills from May 14 include outfits worn in her Scream, Control and Rhythm Nation music videos, plus her wedding dress from her secret marriage to dancer René Elizondo Jr in 1991.

British fans can see a selection of the items on display in the window of Hard Rock Cafe, Piccadilly Circus, London from 5pm today April 19 until April 23.

Not that we ever need an excuse to relive Janet's back catalogue, but with the auction (and a new documentary) on the horizon, we thought to celebrate Janet's impact by revealing her most downloaded tracks in the UK.

Before we unveil the full Top 40, let's take a closer look at the all-important Top 5. Get ready Jan Fam, some serious chart stats are heading your way.

5: That's The Way Love Goes

It was 1993 and Janet Jackson had just signed the most expensive record deal ever, returning in style on her new label Virgin Records. That's The Way Love Goes saw Jan take a more mature direction, which resulted in her highest-charting single in the UK. She's not reached those heights since, believe it or not.

While not a chart-topper in the UK, That's The Way... was Janet's sixth US Number 1, and won the GRAMMY for Best R&B Song in 1994. The success of the song also lead to its parent album Janet. becoming her first and only (to date) UK Number 1 album.

MORE: Janet Jackson's Official Top 10 biggest albums revealed

PEAK: 2
YEAR: 1993

ChartFact: Janet holds the record for being the solo artist with the most UK Top 10 hits yet to score a Number 1 single. Yet being the key word. We still believe!

4: The Best Things In Life Are Free

Janet's collaboration with silky-voiced smooth talker Luther Vandross was so popular, it hit the Top 10 twice!

The Best Things In Life Are Free was first released in 1992 and became Janet's first serious challenge for the top spot, held off at Number 2 by Snap's Rhythm Is A Dancer. Three years later, it was back! A remixed version taken from the film Mo' Money peaked at Number 7.

PEAK: 2
YEAR: 1992

ChartFact: The Best Things In Life Are Free actually peaked eight places higher in the UK than it did the US, where it topped out at Number 10.

MORE: Remix albums: the best, biggest and highest charting

3: All For You

The biggest song of 2001 in the United States, All For You also proved popular in the UK, hitting Number 3 on the Official Singles Chart, held off the top by the combined might of Spice Girl Emma Bunton and Shaggy.

All For You is Janet's most successful song worldwide, took home the GRAMMY for Best Dance Recording, and has been streamed 10.3 million times in the UK.

PEAK: 3
YEAR: 2001

ChartFact: All For You was Janet's fourth single to peak at Number 3.

2: Scream

You'd think with two megastars in the family, Michael and Janet would have teamed up for a guaranteed smash pretty often, but we had to wait until 1995 before the swivel-hipped duo got together for their one and only duet. The result was impressive - the music video is one of the most expensive ever made and boasts one of the pair's most memorable dance routines.

Not a UK Number 1, sadly, but another Top 3 smash for the pair. The siblings' unprecedented star power did however lead to a Number 1 in Italy, New Zealand and Spain. 48,000 of you picked up a digital copy in the download era.

PEAK: 3
YEAR: 1995

ChartFact: Scream was Janet's eighth Top 10 hit. She's racked up 17 altogether.

1: Together Again

In pole position, one of Janet's first forays into dance music saw her pay tribute to a close friend who had passed away. As usual, Janet's dance routine for Together Again was a masterclass in precision and pliability.

65,000 copies of the song have been downloaded since we started counting in 2005 – not bad to say the song came out a whole eight years earlier and sold a whopping 747,000 on physical formats. With 15.5 million streams, it's also Ms. Jackson if you're Nasty's most streamed song.

MORE: Britney Spears' Toxic was originally meant for Janet Jackson says songwriter Cathy Dennis

PEAK: 4
YEAR: 1997

ChartFact: Together Again is Janet's biggest selling single in the UK, even though it only got to Number 4. Interestingly, although Janet has scored nine Top 5 singles, Together Again is her only one to peak at Number 4.

Her most downloaded '80s song is…

When I Think Of You! Taken from Janet's breakthrough album Control, When I Think Of You reached Number 10 in 1986 and was the third of an incredible seven singles to come from that one release. It was also her first chart-topper in the US. On her UK downloads countdown, it ranks seventh.

Other notable entries

Janet's first ever UK Top 10 What Have You Done For Me Lately just makes it into her Top 10 most downloaded tracks at 9. What Have You Done For Me Lately was the 60th bestselling single of 1986 and has shifted over 252,000 copies. Her most recent Top 40 hit, Call On Me, a team-up with rapper Nelly, finishes one spot behind at 10.

Boosted by a performance on The X Factor in 2009, Make Me, a song (and underrated bop may we add) exclusive to Janet's Number One greatest hits ranks in 14th.

The lead single from Janet's latest album Unbreakable, No Sleeep has managed to crack into the Top 20 at Number 19. BURNITUP! a single from Janet's most recent album Unbreakable ranks at Number 30, while Janet's newest single Made For Now with Daddy Yankee makes the Top 40 at Number 32.

Bonus ChartFact: Janet's first ever UK chart entry was way back in 1984. The song? Why, it was a duet called Two To The Power Of Love. And her tag team partner? Well, it was Cliff Richard. No, for real. The track peaked at Number 83.

MORE: Pop's most unexpected collaborations

Janet Jackson's Official Top 40 most downloaded tracks

# Song BY PEAK YEAR
1 TOGETHER AGAIN JANET JACKSON 4 1997
2 SCREAM MICHAEL JACKSON/JANET JACKSON 3 1995
3 ALL FOR YOU JANET JACKSON 3 2001
4 THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE LUTHER VANDROSS/JANET JACKSON 2 1992
5 THAT'S THE WAY LOVE GOES JANET JACKSON 2 1993
6 FEEDBACK JANET JACKSON 114 2007
7 WHEN I THINK OF YOU JANET JACKSON 10 1986
8 GOT 'TIL IT'S GONE JANET FT Q-TOP & JONI MITCHELL 6 1997
9 WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY JANET JACKSON 6 1986
10 CALL ON ME JANET JACKSON & NELLY 18 2006
11 RHYTHM NATION JANET JACKSON 23 1989
12 LET'S WAIT A WHILE JANET JACKSON 3 1987
13 AGAIN JANET JACKSON 6 1993
14 MAKE ME JANET JACKSON 73 2009
15 SON OF A GUN (I BETCHA THINK THIS SONG) JANET JACKSON FT CARLY SIMON 13 2001
16 WHOOPS NOW/WHAT'LL I DO JANET JACKSON 9 1995
17 DOESN'T REALLY MATTER JANET JACKSON 5 2000
18 ALL NITE (DON'T STOP)/I WANT YOU JANET JACKSON 19 2004
19 NO SLEEEP JANET JACKSON N/A 2015
20 SO EXCITED JANET JACKSON N/A 2006
21 WHATS IT GONNA BE BUSTA RHYMES FT JANET 6 1999
22 IF JANET JACKSON 14 1993
23 NASTY JANET JACKSON 19 1986
24 SOMEONE TO CALL MY LOVER JANET JACKSON 11 2011
25 I GET LONELY JANET JACKSON 5 1998
26 BLACK CAT JANET JACKSON 15 1990
27 ANY TIME ANY PLACE JANET JACKSON 13 1994
28 ESCAPADE JANET JACKSON 17 1990
29 RUNAWAY JANET JACKSON 6 1995
30 BURNITUP JANET JACKSON FT MISSY ELLIOTT 6 1990
31 MISS YOU MUCH JANET JACKSON  22 1989
32 MADE FOR NOW JANET JACKSON & DADDY YANKEE N/A 2018
33 THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE JANET JACKSON 24 1987
34 GO DEEP JANET JACKSON 13 1998
35 COME BACK TO ME JANET JACKSON 20 1990
36 LOVE WILL NEVER DO (WITHOUT YOU) JANET JACKSON 34 1990
37 ROCK WITH U JANET JACKSON N/A 2008
38 JUST A LITTLE WHILE JANET JACKSON 15 2004
39 EVERY TIME JANET JACKSON 46 1998
40 CONTROL JANET JACKSON 42 1986

©2021 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

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Neil Prince

0

The ORIGINAL 1992 chart entry of The Best Things In Life Are Free was from the movie Mo Money, NOT the 1995 remix package which was off the back of her Design Of A Decade compilation.

FC

Fact Checker

3

Not a single stream or download of Together Again since this exact same list and commentary was published in May 2018. Wow.

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Glasgow1975

2

This just goes to show how much of an 'also ran' she is on the UK Top 40. Her career died in the 90s and has never really recovered outside the US.

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etin

-1

ridicilous.. all for you was very big outside us

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Glasgow1975

1

2001 then. I admit I realised that after I posted but couldn't be bothered editing it. So yes, I admit, her career lasted 2 more years.

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etin

-2

nope again. she suffered from super bowl after 2004. she made #1 albums and took ascap awards for allnite/don't stop. Yes 2000s were not shining as 90s but it cant say her career is over. By the way she still tours

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Glasgow1975

0

This is her UK Chart History. The Superbowl was irrelevant here. She's NEVER had a UK No.1 Single - Her Tours are cancelled before they get here, and her only No.1 album was janet. in 1993. Her last top 20 single was in 2006, nothing she has released since has made the Top 40, and out of her last 9 releases 7 haven't even charted at all in the Top 200, with 2 scraping in at no.114, and no.73.
O V E R

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etin

0

Not over .. if people prefered crazy frog as #1 this is not janet's fault. UK charts so stable nowayears. As billboard's last moneymakers list, she passed Taylor swift.

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Glasgow1975

1

Again - Billboard means nothing here - this is the UK Chart website - you're flogging a dead horse, rather like Janet nowadays . . . If you can't stick to the topic of her UK career there's no further point engaging with your nonsense

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etin

-1

so ? people still download her songs... no sleep @19

G

giesi

1

We will never see a family this successful again, the Royal Family of music.