No Sleeep is the lead single from Janet Jackson's album "Unbreakable." The song was co-written and produced by Jackson and her long-time collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
It was made available for digital download on June 22, 2015 in addition to vinyl copies being sold on Janet's official website in conjunction with pre-sale orders for the studio album and Unbreakable World Tour concert tickets.
Song Background[]
In early June 2015, producer Jimmy Jam tweeted, "Early morning #Plush #NoSL333P #ConversationsInACafe" along with a picture of sheet music in a darkened studio. Fans quickly found out the titles “No SL333P” and “Plush” in the picture.
Later, a snippet of the song was leaked followed by a countdown on her official website which revealed the song on June 22, 2015. Janet tweeted: "I dedicate this to My Love," referring to her husband, Wissam Al Mana.
Producer Jimmy Jam later noted "No Sleeep" almost did not make it into the final tracklist for the album.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he stated that it "was basically called that because it was like five in the morning, and we had just completed a day of work and I was still awake, so I was playing around with some different stuff and came up with the skeleton of it."
Months went by before the initial track was discovered by Lewis and Janet, at which point Jam recalled: "Terry asked me for a melody, and it evolved from there. Janet loved it—just the feeling that she got when she heard it is the feeling she wanted the fans to have. Just a warm, welcoming, sensual feel. But it was almost forgotten."
Composition[]
"No Sleeep" is an R&B song which lyrically finds Janet crooning about a long-distance romance over "soulful" keyboards and programmed drums.
Opening with a sample of pouring rain and distant thunder, the first word heard is "plush", followed by Janet singing the chorus: "You missing me, I'm missing you, whenever we meet, we ain't gonna get no sleep" in her signature breathy soprano. She also promises to be "the queen of insomnia" in the song.
Zach Johnson from E! Online noted that her vocals are "especially impressive" in the bridge of the song.
According to The Guardian, "On first listen it seems to be missing any discernible hooks, but slowly the chorus starts to dig its claws in, while the sudden vocal shift from soft coo to full-bodied yearning in the middle eight is a hairs on the back of the neck moment."
Music Video[]
A music video made for the album version of the song featuring J. Cole premiered on "Today" on July 24, 2015.
Directed by Dave Meyers (who also directed videos for Janet's previous singles "All for You", "Just a Little While" and "I Want You"), it showcases Janet residing inside a mansion late at night during a rainstorm. She maneuvers from room to room throughout the dimly lit empty house before being accompanied by J. Cole.
Its minimalist aesthetic and production has been compared by Idolator's Bianca Gracie to the music video for "That's the Way Love Goes".
Eliza Berman of Time states that the video "features Jackson holed up in a cozy chalet on a rainy night. Teaming up with the uber-relevant J. Cole—a smart choice for a comeback single—Jackson conjures the laid-back, sexy vibes of early 90s singles like 'That’s the Way Love Goes'."
Berman notes that background images of Janet's childhood photos with father Joe Jackson along with certain word choices from J. Cole's verses run contrary to the song's original subject matter, but concludes that "'eccentricities aside, it’s a more than welcome return."
Chart Performance[]
"No Sleeep" sold 38,000 copies through digital download in its first week.
It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 67, marking Janet's 40th entry on the chart. The song went to number 1 on the Billboard + Twitter Trending 140 immediately following the release.
The album version of the single featuring J. Cole enabled it to re-enter the Hot 100, giving it a new peak position at number 63.
On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, it debuted at number 18, becoming Janet's 48th entry. It debuted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay at number 27, becoming her 36th hit there, and peaked at number 12.
On Billboard's Adult R&B Songs, it entered at number 15, becoming her highest entry on the chart and subsequently rose the number one position.
Spending twelve nonconsecutive weeks atop the chart, it became her most successful Adult R&B Song, surpassing "I Get Lonely" which spent five weeks at number one.
As of August 2015, the single has sold 91,000 digital copies according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Accolades[]
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pítchfork | United States | The 100 Best Tracks of 2015 | 2015 | 37 |