Janet Jackson - Miss You Much

What this video is

Released in August 1989 as the lead single from Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, 'Miss You Much' arrived at a pivotal moment in pop music, bridging the mainstream accessibility of Control (1986) with a more socially charged, visually unified artistic statement. The video served as the opening chapter of a 30-minute MTV film — an unprecedented format for the time — that introduced audiences to the Rhythm Nation…

Why it matters

A landmark of New Jack Swing visual culture, 'Miss You Much' established the choreography-forward, monochromatic music video as a prestige format in late-1980s R&B and pop. Its iconic chair-dance routine directly influenced subsequent generations of performers and choreographers, and its long-form…

The director

Dominic Sena (born April 26, 1949, Niles, Ohio) began his career as a cameraman in the early 1980s and co-founded Propaganda Films in 1986. He directed over 100 music videos, earning the Eastman Kodak Certificate of Visual Excellence, and later transitioned…