Janet Jackson’s album “Rhythm Nation 1814” was released in 1989. A&M Records issued her fourth studio album on September 19, 1989.
Jackson created the album with producers and writers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, recording primarily at Flyte Tyme Studios in Minneapolis. Rather than simply repeat the formula of her commercially successful 1986 album “Control,” she pursued a socially conscious concept addressing racism, poverty, substance abuse, and unity.
The record combined pop, R&B, funk, new jack swing, dance, and industrial influences. Its singles included “Miss You Much,” “Rhythm Nation,” “Escapade,” “Black Cat,” and “Love Will Never Do (Without You).”
The year can be confused with 1990 because the album’s singles continued charting then, and the album became the best-selling release in the United States in 1990. Its release date, however, was in 1989.