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On Janet Jackson

 "Together Again" is a gay anthem for a few reasons: (1) it has a disco beat, (2) it's a letter to a friend who died from AIDS, in an era when pop stars didn't really "go there," and (3) it uses the words "loud and proud," which seem to evoke pride, gay pride.


There are times when I look above and beyond--
There are times when I feel your love around me, baby.
I'll never forget my baby.
When I feel that I don't belong--
Draw my strength from the words--
When you said, Hey, it's about you, baby.
Look deeper inside you, baby.

Janet's friend is dead, but the two are still talking; specifically, the friend's ghost helps Janet through moments of self-loathing. "You'll never share real love until you love yourself."

Always been a true angel to me, now above.
I can't wait for you to wrap your wings around me, baby. 
Wrap them around me, baby.
Sometimes hear you whispering, No more pain.
No worries will you ever see, now, baby. 
I'm so happy for my baby.

In the second verse, Janet plays with the idea of an "angel." This friend was cherubic in life; why not make the idea literal, in death? A postmortem hug will involve "wings": "Wrap them around me, baby."

This is an unusual platonic romance--flirting with a "taboo" topic--and pitting love against death. People play it at home to remind themselves of their dead spouses. Repetition helps to underline Janet's emotion: "What I want: us together again. Dream about us together again. I know we'll be together again, baby...."

This was a triumph not just for Janet the performer, but also for Janet the songwriter. (I hadn't known, until just a few weeks ago, that Janet has sometimes picked up a pen.)
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