Go Deep
"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. "Go Deep" received mostly positive reviews from music critics and commercially, it fared well worldwide, reaching number two in Canada, charting within the top 20 in Iceland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and topping the US "Billboard" Hot Dance Club Play chart. A music video directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris depicts a boy 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 Velvet Rope Tour (1998), Number Ones, Up Close and Personal tour (2011), as well  as on the residency (2019). Background and composition. Before recording her sixth album, Jackson became subject to an industry bidding war between several recording companies. She ultimately renewed her contract with Virgin for $80 million—the largest recording contract in history at that time and a breakthrough she achieved for the second time in her career. This led her to record "The Velvet Rope", which chronicled her emotional breakdown, stemming from self-hatred, childhood humiliation, physical abuse, and distorted body image. Its lead single, "Got 'til It's Gone", peaked at number three on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay . The following singles "Together Again" and "I Get Lonely" were commercial successes, with the former reaching the top and the latter peaking within the top three in the United States. "Go Deep" was released on June 15, 1998, as the fourth international single from "The Velvet Rope", through Virgin Records. In the United States, the song was originally scheduled for a physical release on September 15, 1998, but was canceled, leaving "Go Deep" as a radio-only single. "Go Deep" was written and produced by Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with additional writing by René Elizondo Jr. According to  the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by EMI Music Publishing, the song is set in time signature of common time with a tempo of 100 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of G-flat major, with Jackson's vocals spanning from Gb to Gb. Musically, it is a pop song with funk elements. "Go Deep" 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". Lyrically, the song talks about Jackson's desire to cruise a club, get a man, drag him  home and do him, with her asserting, "Gotta take him home/When I get him alone/I'll make him scream and moan". Official remixes for the song were released, featuring rappers Missy Elliott and Timbaland and musician Teddy Riley. Reception. "Go Deep" received positive reviews from music critics. Larry Flick from "Billboard" called the song "infectious" and "irresistible", while praising the singer's choice for the artists featured on the remix, saying that she deserved "props for having good taste in friends", although he noted that it was "a risky move that could alienate longtime mainstream listeners". Sarah Davis  from Dotmusic website noted that "Go Deep" was a "finely-tuned piece designed for late-night dancefloor business – and classic radio. What more can I say? Brilliant!". Andrew Watson of We Plug Good Music described the song as "Moody, deep, thick and head-noddingly funky", elaborating that its "hook really furthers that sense of a nonstop party. An almost scintillating nod into another direction then brings you back gloriously to whence you came. Almost to teach you not to take the groove for granted". Daryl Easlea from the BBC found the song "sleek, slippery". According to "New York Daily News  Jim Farber, In 'Go Deep,' she's a special effect, a gimmick that clicks". Andrew Le from "Renowned for Sound" was also positive, describing it as "the album's Escapade, possibly even a prequel to Janet's 'single life' follow-up All For You". He went on the say that "it is a welcome distraction from the personal issues explored on the album and a infectiously catchy, slinky soundtrack for going out. The rhymes (e.g. 'get him all alone, make him scream and moan') couldn't be better. Pharell, THIS is how you tribute Marvin Gaye". Chuck Arnold of "Entertainment  Weekly" agreed, commenting that "bringing some levity to the heavier themes of the album, “Go Deep” is the only real party song on The Velvet Rope", and it also "captures the fun spirit of camaraderie Jackson has always shared with her dancers". J.D. Considine, writing for the same magazine, stated that "However much 'Go Deep' may read like a hymn to hedonism, what it sounds like is a song of pride in which Jackson and crew celebrate not sex but the confidence that allows them to act sexual when they feel the urge". 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 on physical formats only in international markets, it received moderate success in the US through radio airplay, 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. An accompanying music video for "Go Deep" was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris,who would later direct the film "Little Miss Sunshine" (2006). Among the cameo appearances are American actor Ty Hodges as a teen boy whose parents have left town for the weekend and future Japanese-American singer Ai as a backup dancer. 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. The video was ranked number 50 on "Complex" magazine's "The 50 Best R&B Videos of the '90s"; journalist Ernest Baker wrote that the video's plot was "still a model example of how to have a good time in the '90s". According to "Entertainment Tonight Canada", it "ranks as one of Janet's least labour-intensive videos. (Good for her! She's earned a  break.)". It also appears on the DVD edition of 2001's "All for You" as well as the 2004 video compilation "". 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. The performance of the song at the October 11, 1998 show in New York City, at the Madison Square Garden, was broadcast during a special titled "The Velvet Rope: Live in Madison Square Garden" by HBO. It was also added to the setlist at its DVD release, "The Velvet Rope Tour  – Live in Concert" in 1999. 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". Jackson included the Timbaland remix on her 2019 Las Vegas residency. Track listings. CD single  12-inch single