Go Deep

In 1997, Jackson released her sixth studio album The Velvet Rope; it 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 the Hot R&B Airplay chart. The following singles "Together Again" and "I Get Lonely" also were commercial successes – both peaking within the top three on the US Billboard Hot 100. "Go Deep" was then promoted as the fourth international single from The Velvet Rope; Virgin Records sent the single to rhythmic contemporary and urban radios in the United States on June 9, 1998, and to contemporary hit radio on June 30. 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 moderately slow tempo of 100 beats per minute, in the key of G-flat major, with Jackson's vocals spanning from Gb3 to Gb5. A pop song, overlaid by Jackson's vocals which were described by The New York Times as "girlish breathiness". Rolling Stone called the track a "pulsing erotic groover". Crowd voices and body percussion evoke a party atmosphere. Rick de Yampert of The Tennessean observed traces of New jill swing in its composition, while Austin American-Statesmans Michael Corcoran opined that the track was influenced by Madonna's work. Jeff Hall of Courier-Post observed the "lean funk backing with an ultra smooth vocal arrangement" on "Go Deep". Lyrically, the song talks about Jackson having a night out with her friends, with the singer asserting on the chorus: "We go deep and we don't get no sleep / Cause we be up all night until the early light". During the song, Jackson expresses her wish to meet a man in a club and have sex with him; Jonathan Bernstein of The New York Observer wrote that the lyrics showed "her desire to cruise a club, snag a stud, drag him home and do him". ==Critical reception==

(pictured) was identified by Renowned for Sound as an inspiration for the song. Daryl Easlea from the BBC Music found the song "sleek, slippery", while Patrick Higgs of Evansville Courier and Press thought it was "particularly appealing". For Mark Guarino of The Daily Herald, "Go Deep" has a "party girl vibe about club hopping which is purely joyful". Similarly, Steve Jones, writing for USA Today, considered it a "hedonistic romp over banging dance grooves". According to Richard Torres from Newsday, "Go Deep" was one of the "sheer sample-happy delights" on The Velvet Rope. Curtis Ross of The Tampa Tribune considered the song a "dance floor sure-shot" with its "rubbery bass line". According to New York Daily News Jim Farber, Jackson's voice was "a special effect, a gimmick that clicks". Andrew Le from Renowned for Sound described the song 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". Its party vibe and lyrical rhyming was seen as a tribute to 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, "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". Brian McCollum from The Bellingham Herald considered "Go Deep" a "jeep thumper with a tough, taut chorus". Offering a more negative review, Tallahassee Democrats Chuck Beard thought that the first eight seconds of the song sound promising, until the "obnoxious chorus kicks in". Carl Wolf of The Star Press criticized the song's lyrics, writing, "This isn't the sexual liberation of a woman or a man, but the enslavement of our relationships to shallow pleasures and temporary situations." ==Commercial performance==

In the United States, "Go Deep" was not released as a physical single, thus not charting on the Billboard Hot 100 due to chart rules at the time. However, the song peaked at number 28 on the Radio Songs chart, and reached the summit of the Hot Dance Club Play chart. In April 2021, it was revealed by the Official Charts Company that the single was Jackson's 34th most downloaded track in the region. Across Europe, the song attained moderate success; it reached number 15 in Belgium, as well as the Top 40 in France, the Netherlands and Scotland. Its commercial performance in the European countries helped it attain a peak of number 28 on the European Hot 100 Singles chart, on the issue dated July 4, 1998. In Australia, "Go Deep" debuted at number 43 on August 16, 1998. The next weeks it peaked at number 39, and was present for a total of eight weeks on the chart. In New Zealand, it was more successful, by debuting at number 19 and peaking at number 13 for two consecutive weeks. ==Music video==

The accompanying music video for "Go Deep" was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Many of the shots use a Snorricam camera extended out from Hodges' body and aimed back at him. Two years earlier, Dayton and Faris had employed some Snorricam shots in their video for "1979" by the Smashing Pumpkins. Dozier wrote that Jackson, Dayton, and Faris likely chose the Snorricam and similar close-up point-of-view shots as a "creative aesthetic to bring her [Jackson's] body closer to her fans", and one of the "key examples of her creating possibilities for fan interconnectivity and intimacy." Patrick Demarco of Philadelphia ranked it as the singer's ninth best, and said it "didn't have the huge budget of her previous work, but indeed much more effective because of it", and observed it was "one of her most underrated videos, but iconic for quite a few fabulous reasons." For The Boombox Jacinta Howard, the clip was Jackson's 19th "most iconic" music video. She stated, "It's a fun, party video that matches the song's breezy, dance vibe". It was ranked number 50 on Complex "The 50 Best R&B Videos of the '90s" list; Ernest Baker wrote that the plot was "still a model example of how to have a good time in the '90s". The music video for "Go Deep" 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. The blouse Jackson wears in the video was auctioned for US$3,840 in May 2021. ==Live performances==

Jackson sang the song during the encore of her 1998–99 The Velvet Rope Tour, on a stage decorated with chandeliers. Natasha Kassulke from Wisconsin State Journal complimented the performance, saying it "came off as an electric dance groove echoing some trip hop talents". 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, and it was included on the concert's VHS home video release, The Velvet Rope Tour: Live in Concert (1999). Jackson performed the Timbaland remix version on her 2019 Janet Jackson: Metamorphosis Las Vegas residency and was also added to her 2024-2025 Las Vegas residency titled Janet Jackson: Las Vegas. ==Track listings==

UK CD single • "Go Deep" (Jam & Lewis radio edit) – 3:30 • "Go Deep" (Jam & Lewis extended mix) – 5:32 US 12-inch promo single • "Go Deep" (Timbaland/Missy remix) – 5:33 • "Go Deep" (Missy edit) – 4:03 • "Go Deep" (Teddy Riley Nation remix) – 5:43 • "Go Deep" (T.R. Funk mix) – 5:39 Canadian, European, Japanese and UK CD single • "Go Deep" (album version) – 4:42 • "Go Deep" (T.R. Funk mix) – 5:40 • "Go Deep" (Roni Size remix) – 7:25 • "Go Deep" (Masters at Work alternative mix) – 8:32 • "Go Deep" (Masters at Work downtempo mix) – 5:20 UK 12-inch single • "Go Deep" (Masters at Work Thunder mix) – 9:05 • "Go Deep" (Jam & Lewis extended album mix) – 5:32 • "Go Deep" (Timbaland/Missy remix) – 5:33 ==Credits and personnel==

Credits adapted from The Velvet Rope liner notes. • Janet Jackson – lead and backing vocals, songwriter, producer, rhythm and vocal arrangement • James Harris III – songwriter, producer, all instruments, rhythm and vocal arrangement • Terry Lewis – songwriter, producer, all instruments, rhythm and vocal arrangement • René Elizondo Jr. – songwriter • Kelly Konno – crowd vocals • Shawnette Heard – crowd vocals • Tina Landon – crowd vocals • Alex Richbourg – drum programming • Mike Scott – guitar • Steve Hodge – vocal recording, engineering, mixing • Michael McCoy – assistant recording • Tim Lauber – assistant engineer • Xavier Smith – assistant engineer ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Release history==