Songfacts®:

• Control was a breakout album for Janet Jackson, featuring very assertive songs like "What Have You Done For Me Lately" and "Nasty." Her record company even turned down "How Will I Know," which went to Whitney Houston, because it didn't fit the tone of the album. "When I Think of You" was one of the lightest songs, but it was her biggest hit from the album and the first of her 10 US chart-toppers. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Bertrand - Paris, France
• Jackson was just 20 years old when this was released, but she had already put out two albums, including her self-titled debut in 1982. Growing up in a showbiz family, she was encouraged to perform at a young age and had matured a great deal by the time this song came out.
• Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis wrote this song with Jackson and also produced the track. The duo helped out on many of Jackson's hits, fusing R&B and pop into a distinctive, but radio-friendly sound.
• When this song hit #1, Michael and Janet Jackson became the first and only siblings to each have #1 solo hits in the United States. In the UK, where Janet never hit the top spot, that distinction goes to Daniel and Natasha Bedingfield.
• This was the first Hot 100 #1 produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who reached the top spot on that tally a remarkable 16 times. Their second #1 is one you probably wouldn't expect: "Human" by the British synth-pop group The Human League. That song went to #1 on November 22, 1986, just five weeks after "When I Think Of You" hit the top.
• The video for this song was choreographed by Paula Abdul and directed by Julien Temple, who also directed the video for Jackson's "Alright." A few years later, Abdul broke through as a singer.
• Before Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis teamed up with Jackson, they wrote most of the songs for the Control album for another singer: Sharon Bryant. The former Atlantic Starr vocalist wasn't interested in the tracks, so they were tucked away until the right person came along.
• During the recording of this album, Terry Lewis became more than a producer and songwriter for Jackson - he became her personal chef. Jam remembered: "Terry cooked her some home-cooked meals because she was sick of eating hotel food." This was actually part of a tactic to help Jackson get comfortable with the team. "We spent a week getting her to open up to us," Jam recalled. "With artists you sometimes have to be a psychologist, a counselor, a masseuse - anything."