Format CD single
7"
12" Genre R&B
funk Label Virgin | Recorded March–June 1997 Length 4:42 | |
Released June 15, 1998 (1998-06-15) | ||
"Go Deep" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her sixth studio album, The Velvet Rope (1997). It was written and produced by Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with additional writing by René Elizondo, Jr. The song was released as the fourth single from the album on June 15, 1998, by Virgin Records. A song with funk elements, "Go Deep" lyrically talks about Jackson's desire to cruise a club, get a man and take him home to make the man "scream and moan". Official remixes for the song were released, featuring Missy Elliott, Teddy Riley and Timbaland.
Contents
"Go Deep" received mixed reviews by music critics, who found the song irresistible, while others called it tedious. Commercially it fared well worldwide, peaking within the top twenty in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, while being successful on the US Hot Dance Club Play, reaching number one. A music video directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris depicts Ty Hodges having a daydream with Jackson giving a party in his house after his parents had left town for the weekend. The singer performed the song on the 1998 The Velvet Rope Tour and as a dedication at the Manila stop during the Number Ones, Up Close and Personal tour in 2011.
Background and composition
During her Janet World Tour, Jackson experienced an emotional breakdown, stemming from self-hatred, childhood humiliation, physical abuse, and distorted body image. She stated, "I was very, very sad. Very down. I couldn't get up sometimes. There were times when I felt very hopeless and helpless, and I felt like walls were kind of closing in on me... like you can't escape." She questioned her career path, feeling pressured by the demands of the entertainment industry, saying, "People look at you differently, as if you're not human." Abbie Kearse of MTV responded, "You're creating a person who might not really be you, but you've created this fantasy woman, so when it's time to get back to business, it's like 'I've got to go back to that world.'" Jackson expressed concern for how she could portray an object of fantasy, feeling as if she could no longer fulfill her own desires. While talking to one of her fanclubs, Jackson stated,
"Dancing is therapy. I love writing and singing songs that make you move, lift your mood and take you out of yourself. There are times when I call up my friends and say, 'Hey, we gotta go dancing tonight.' We Go Deep is about getting ready and getting down. Tripping out on pure fun".
"Go Deep" was written and produced by Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with additional writing by René Elizondo, Jr. Lyrically, the song talks about Jackson's desire to cruise a club, get a man, drag him home and do him, with her insisting, "Gotta take him home/When I get him alone/I'll make him scream and moan". Musically, it is a pop song with funk elements. It was described by Billboard as a "danceable track with deep, syncopated beats" with a "pulsive erotic groover", with her vocals performed in a "girlish breathiness". Official remixes for the song were released, featuring Missy Elliott, Teddy Riley and Timbaland.
Reception
"Go Deep" received mixed reviews from music critics. Larry Flick from Billboard called "Go Deep" "irresistible". Sarah Davis from Dotmusic website noted that the song was a "finely-tuned piece designed for late-night dancefloor business - and classic radio. What more can I say? Brilliant!". Daryl Easlea from BBC found the song "sleek, slippery". The Daily Vault gave a negative review for the song, calling it "tedious" and further commenting that it "doesn't have that drive to make it a good club number it's supposed to be".
Although "Go Deep" was released as an international single, it received radio airplay in the US and had success as a club single, peaking at number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart in early August 1998. The single entered and peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1998 and spent five weeks on the chart. It also charted inside the top forty in most other European countries and Australia, but fared better in the US and Canada.
Music video
In the single's music video—directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris and released in July 1998, Ty Hodges makes a cameo appearance as a teen boy whose parents have left town for the weekend. The doorbell suddenly rings and it turns out to be Jackson and her dancers, who are asked to be let in. Jackson and company invite more friends over and a large house party ensues. The video ends with the young boy realizing it was all an elaborate daydream with Jackson, woken up by a pizza guy ringing the doorbell played by the then-unknown Bill Hader. The video appears on the DVD edition of 2001's All for You as well as the 2004 video compilation From Janet to Damita Jo: The Videos.
Live performances
Jackson sang the song during the encore of her The Velvet Rope Tour in 1998, with the stage decorated with chandeliers, while she wore sensible clothes. During her 2011 Number Ones, Up Close and Personal tour, Jackson dedicated the song to her fans in Manila, stating on her website "I dedicate 'Go Deep' to all my fans in Manila. It was a dream for me to start my Number Ones—Up Close and Personal tour in your magical city and country. There is a truth in the Philippines that enchants people all over the world. I can't wait to get there and be with you.".