October 28, 1989 –
Janet Jackson started a four week run at No.1 on the US album chart with Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 on this date.
As was the case with many of her hits of this era, Janet Jackson wrote Rhythm Nation with the songwriting and production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The trio got the idea for the song after seeing news stories about the Stockton playground murders, when Patrick Purdy shot up a school playground in California and killed five children before turning the gun on himself. They wanted to write a positive song focusing on the “Nation” of people they came across in New York dance clubs. These people came to the clubs from many different backgrounds and were united in their love for the music.
