Songfacts®:

• "The Pleasure Principle" is the only song on Janet Jackson's Control album that was not co-written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It was written by Monte Moir, who played with Jam and Lewis in the band The Time. Moir came up with the music first, then wrote the verses, which gave him an idea of what the song was about and what he should use for a title. He says the song is about "getting out of a situation that you don't want to be in."
• Moir also produced this track. It was recorded at the Flyte Tyme studios in Minneapolis where Jam and Lewis produced the rest of the album. Jam and Lewis thought it was crucial to have Jackson record at the studio to help her embrace her independence away from her legendary family, who resided in California.
• This was the sixth single released from the Control album. It was issued about a year and a half after the album, but still got plenty of airplay, as Janet Jackson was still hot.
• When this hit #1 on the R&B charts, it made Jackson the first artist in history to score five #1 R&B hits from the same album.
• Renowned fashion photographer David LaChapelle, dubbed the "Fellini of Photography," shot the cover photo for this single.