this is a story about ____.

This hypertext fiction is an experiment about experience of sound that uses Janet Jackson's 1993 album, janet., to explore the humanistic framework provided in Roland Barthes' 1967 essay, "Death of the Author," in which he insisted the story is written when it is read by the reader. At the end of the essay, Barthes made a charge relevant to this project: "we know that to give writing its future, it is necessary to overthrow the myth: the birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the Author." Myth in mind, janet. (2022) reorganizes the original 1993 appearances (or order) of four out of twenty eight songs, with their respective interludes, in pursuit of a composition based on the user's relationship to Jackson's text in 2022. This relationship is best understood as the constitutive experience of sound or 'listenership' akin to readership of print. Though audio is omitted in the hypertext format for the album, the processes for experiencing sound through lyrics provided by the author of the janet. text is a way to engage the myth's discussion and listenership for this experiment. Partially modeled after the contemporary approach to listenership shaped by streaming culture, this project asks users to chose their destination through lyrics like they would when streaming an album or in shuffle mode. To begin, select your interlude below:

Choice 1 : "Morning"

Choice 2 : "Be A Good Boy"

Choice 3 : "Go On Miss Janet"

Choice 4 : "Racism"

The Interludes.

The lyrics of the interludes are provided below. Select one to discover its corresponding track:

Choice 1 : (Interlude) "And to a world sick with racism / Get well soon"

Choice 2 : (TW: Explicit) (Interlude) "Be a good boy and put this on…”

Choice 3 : (Interlude) "We had the kind of night where morning comes too soon. We used the light from a flickering candle across the room. To make the kind of shadows that only one thing could make: Love"

Choice 4 : (TW: Explicit) (Interlude) "Go on girl, Miss Janet"

"Like a moth to a flame / burned by the fire / my love is blind / can't you see my desire"

Continue the track or select the lyrics of another interlude.

Choice 1 : "I'm gonna take you places / You've never been before and / You'll be so happy that you came / Ooh, I'm gonna take you there, ooh"

Choice 2 : (Interlude) "Be a good boy and put this on..."

Choice 3 : (Interlude) "And to a world sick with racism / Get well soon"

Choice 4 : (Interlude) "Go on girl, Miss Janet"

"Come with me, don't you worry / I'm gonna make you crazy / I'll give you the time of your life / I'm gonna take you places / You've never been before and / You'll be so happy that you came / Ooh, I'm gonna take you there, ooh"

Continue the track or select the lyrics of another interlude.

Choice 1 : "Don't mind if I light candles I like to watch us playin' / Baby I've got on what you like / Come closer baby closer"

Choice 2 : (Interlude) "Be a good boy and put this on..."

Choice 3 : (Interlude) "And to a world sick with racism / Get well soon"

Choice 4 : (Interlude) "Go on girl, Miss Janet"

(TW: Explicit) "Come for me / Okay, here we go!"

Continue the track or select the lyrics of another interlude.

Choice 1 : (Interlude) "Be a good boy and put this on..."

Choice 2 : (Interlude) "And to a world sick with racism / Get well soon"

Choice 3 : (Interlude) "We had the kind of night where morning comes too soon. We used the light from a flickering candle across the room. To make the kind of shadows that only one thing could make: Love"

"I can feel your body (Ooh baby) / Pressed against my body (Ooh baby)"

Continue the track or select the lyrics of another interlude.

Choice 1 : (TW: Explicit) "Wrap yourself around me (Ooh baby) Love to feel you throbbin' (Ooh baby)"

Choice 2 : (Interlude) "Be a good boy and put this on..."

Choice 3 : (Interlude) "We had the kind of night where morning comes too soon. We used the light from a flickering candle across the room. To make the kind of shadows that only one thing could make: Love"

Choice 4 : (Interlude) "And to a world sick with racism / Get well soon"

"History hidden from me / To hide my identity / So I'd never feel / I am somebody / You've gouged my eyes / I see more clearly"

Continue the track or select the lyrics of another interlude.

Choice 1 : (Interlude) "We had the kind of night where morning comes too soon. We used the light from a flickering candle across the room. To make the kind of shadows that only one thing could make: Love"

Choice 2 : (Interlude) "Be a good boy and put this on..."

Choice 3 : (Interlude) "Go on girl, Miss Janet"

"(No no) Because of my gender (No) / I've heard no too many times / Because of my race / I've heard no too many times"

Continue the track or select the lyrics of another interlude.

Choice 1 : "But with every no I grow in strength / That is why African-American woman / I stand tall with pride / You want to know what it takes / To rid yourself of me now / There's nothing you can do / Accept me for who I am now"

Choice 2 : (Interlude) "We had the kind of night where morning comes too soon. We used the light from a flickering candle across the room. To make the kind of shadows that only one thing could make: Love"

Choice 3 : (Interlude) "Be a good boy and put this on..."

Choice 4 : (Interlude) "Go on girl, Miss Janet"

(TW: Explicit) "How many nights I've laid in bed / Excited over you? / I've closed my eyes and thought of us / A hundred different ways"

Continue the track or select the lyrics of another interlude.

Choice 1 : (*TW: Explicit) "/ I've gotten there so many times / I wonder how 'bout you / Day and night, night and day / All I've got to say is"

Choice 2 : (Interlude) "Go on girl, Miss Janet"

Choice 3 : (Interlude) "We had the kind of night where morning comes too soon. We used the light from a flickering candle across the room. To make the kind of shadows that only one thing could make: Love"

Choice 4 : (Interlude) "And to a world sick with racism / Get well soon"

*TW: Explicit "Your smooth and shiny feels so good / Against my lips, sugar / I want you so bad / I can taste your love right now, baby / Day and night, night and day / All I've got to say is"

Continue the track or select the lyrics of another interlude.

Choice 1 : "If I was your girl, oh, the things I'd do to you I'd make you call out my name, I'd ask who it belongs to If I was your woman, the things I'd do to you But I'm not, so I can't, then I won't, but if I was your girl"

Choice 2 : (Interlude) "And to a world sick with racism / Get well soon"

Choice 3 : (Interlude) "Go on girl, Miss Janet"

Choice 4 : (Interlude) "We had the kind of night where morning comes too soon. We used the light from a flickering candle across the room. To make the kind of shadows that only one thing could make: Love"

"Reach out and feel my body / I'm gonna give you all my love / Ooh, sugar don't you hurry / You've got me here all night / Just close your eyes and hold on tight"

This track has ended and its name is revealed below. Select it below to return the interludes.

Choice 1 : That's The Way Love Goes

"Noon noon noon / Boom boom boom until / Noon noon noon / Boom boom boom until / Noon noon noon / Throb"

This track has ended and its name is revealed below. Select it below to return the interludes.

Choice 1 : Throb

"Our time has come to rejoice / A new agenda's due / Amen / It's time to know the truth / Our time has come to rejoice / A new agenda's due"

This track has ended and its name is revealed below. Select it below to return the interludes.

Choice 1 : New Agenda

"If I was your woman, the things I'd do to you / But I'm not"

This track has ended and its name is revealed below. Select it below to return the interludes.

Choice 1 : If