“Doesn’t Really Matter” by Janet Jackson
“Doesn’t Really Matter” is based on the “unconditional love” that the vocalist has for the addressee. Or as she more poetically puts it, anything, whether external or internal, which argues that they shouldn’t be together “doesn’t matter” to her. And what this means more practically for instance is that she’s ignoring all naysayers.
Also, the vocalist desires to cast aside any insecurities the vocalist may have in terms of their relationship. And Janet also seems to acknowledge that romantic “pain” is inevitable somewhere down the line. But that possibility too “doesn’t matter”. What does matter to her though is the love shared between the two main parties involved. So it is apparently that which she wants the addressee to also focus on.
Facts about “Doesn’t Really Matter”
In May 2000, this song was released as a single from the soundtrack album to the 2000 Eddy Murphy film “Nutty Professor II: The Klumps“. It was later released as part of Janet’s seventh album, “All For You”.
Janet Jackson wrote this song with two other writers, including Terry Lewis. The other is Jimmy Jam.
This was a #1 US Billboard Hot 100 single. It also reached number 5 in the United Kingdom. Other countries where it achieved chart success include:
- Canada (#2)
- Denmark (#9)
- Italy (#10)
- Spain (#9)
“Doesn’t Really Matter” received a Gold certification in the US after selling over half a million copies in this country alone.
Famous Covers and Usage
Hitomi Shimatani, a Japanese singer, covered “Doesn’t Really Matter” but changed the title to “Papillon” for her debut album in 2001. Before Hitomi could release her version of this hit, there were many negotiations between both Jackson’s and Shimatani’s labels. Jackson felt the image of her song was different from what Shimatani portrayed in hers. After a month, Jackson allowed Shimatani to release the song, which was arranged with Asian influences.
Néstor Torres, a Puerto Rican flautist, released a jazz rendition of the song in his 2001’s album, “This Side of Paradise”.
This song was used extensively in the American comedy movie “Nutty Professor II: The Klumps”. The movie stars the like of Eddie Murphy, Janet Jackson, Larry Miller and Wanda Sykes. It is the sequel to “The Nutty Professor”, released in 1996.
The “All for You” Album
“All for You” is an album by American singer, Janet Jackson. It was released on April 24 of 2001. The album shares the same name with its lead single, “All for You”. The song is considered as one of Janet’s most successful singles.
Janet, Rockwilder and the duo, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have been credited with the album’s production.
Universal Music Group’s Virgin Records was responsible for the release of the album. Its release marked album number 7 of the singer’s music career.
It sold over 600,000 copies within its first week of release. By the end of its first month of being available to the public it had sold a little over 1.2 million copies.
Janet’s “All for You” had its fair share of controversies. It got banned in some countries. Authorities cited explicit lyrical content for some songs on the album and the lack of “Parental Advisory” warning on the album. Janet however, declined suggestions to remove those songs from the album. Some retail stores had to fix their own “Parental Advisory” warning on the albums.
“All for You” debuted at No.1 in Canada. It topped the charts in the US and UK and peaked at the following positions in these countries:
- Australia – 3
- Belgium – 3
- France – 2
- Germany – 2
- Hungry – 7
- Japan – 4
- Spain – 9
- Sweden – 4
“All for You” received a lot of awards and accolades, including winning an award for “Best Dance Recording” at the 2002 annual Grammy Awards. It also won a nomination for “Best Pop Vocal Album” and got the singer another nomination for “Best Female Pop Vocal Performance” at the same event.
