Celebrating 33 Years of Janet Jackson's No. 1 Hit 'That's The Way Love Goes'
This weekend marks some major milestones for Janet Jackson. Tomorrow is her 60th birthday, but today is the 33rd anniversary of her biggest overall hit reaching No. 1 status.
In mid-April 1993, Virgin Records sent out early copies of Jackson's newest single, "That's The Way Love Goes," off her upcoming album Janet, due out May 18 of that year. The sultry and sensual track was an instant success, and landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time on May 15, 1993.
The song had serious staying power
After reaching No. 1, "That's The Way Love Goes" did not relinquish the top spot for eight weeks, making it one of the longest-running hits of 1993. It was one of two songs off Janet to climb to No. 1 on the Hot 100, along with Again.
In total, "That's The Way Love Goes" also became the biggest hit of Jackson's career. Not only did it reach No. 1 on the Hot 100 and U.S. R&B charts, but it also made it to No. 1 in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, Jackson's only song to have that much international chart-topping success.
"That's The Way Love Goes" has endured for decades
In addition to its commercial success, and a memorable music video featuring a young Jennifer Lopez as a backup dancer, "That's The Way Love Goes" has been covered or sampled numerous times over the last 30-plus years, including by 'N Sync and Bruno Mars.
The song showcased a different, more seductive sound than Jackson's previous work, including suggestive lyrics and what Entertainment Weekly dubbed a "slinky, body-revealing" video.
In the lead up to Jackson's 60th birthday, Billboardreleased a countdown of her 60 greatest songs. Coming in at No. 4 was "That's The Way Love Goes," with only "What Have You Done for Me Lately," "If" (another song from Janet full of *adult* themes) and "Miss You Much" ranked ahead.
"The song's laid-back energy carried it to eight weeks atop the Hot 100 – her longest-running No. 1 to date – and a best R&B song win at the 1994 Grammy Awards," Billboard said of "That's The Way Love Goes." "But most importantly, it cemented her track record as an ever-evolving pop icon who managed to stay true to herself while also exploring new sonic and lyrical territories with every new project."
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 5:58 AM.