Wanna feel old? Janet Jackson’s global hit “Runaway” was released in 1995, 25 years ago. Dang. Wanna feel young? She stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday night to sing the tune with Jimmy and The Roots using classroom instruments. It’s hard not to feel the joy swell within you while Janet giggles her way through the rendition and small xylophones, hand-clappers, tambourines and recorders are wielded to such good effect all around her. It’s such a sweet performance, we guarantee you’ll get a cavity.
As Jimmy powers up the electronic beat machine, at first it sounds exactly like the huge 1980s German pop hit ‘Da Da Da’ by Trio. But then the ukulele and xylophone come in, and no, it sounds like her massive 1989 chart-topper "Escapade." Then everyone chimes in, and woah, it’s "Runaway"–t
he song about travelling the world and seeing all the beauty this awe-inspiring planet has to offer. The song where she broke the fourth wall towards the end of the recording because she “didn’t quite hit the note.” That always made us giggle.And Janet cannot contain her own giggles throughout this performance either because Jimmy is inexplicably juggling silk handkerchiefs right next to her and almost bonks her on the noggin’ a few times. It’s just the Cutest. Thing. Ever. Her voice is so pure and so sweet–she’s melodious without even trying, and that’s why she’s stuck around in this business for as long as she has, even after a few setbacks. Janet even updated the lyrics to this version of the song to reflect more contemporary sensibilities. The original lyrics to the song contain the line, “And danced the dance with Aborigines,” referencing the Indigenous peoples of Australia. Here, she very noticeably changes the lyric to “And danced the dance to Indigenous beats.” That is actually super cool and we have to give her massive props for that. We haven’t heard anyone give her grief for that lyric, so for her to take it upon herself to be better, to know better, and to do better is actually very much appreciated.[video_embed id='1898165']RELATED: All the details on Janet Jackson’s new album & tour[/video_embed]
You know what gets to us the most about this incredibly fun performance? That gosh darn perfect face. Like, does Janet Jackson age? The iconic pop queen is 53 years old and she looks identical to her "Rhythm Nation" days. She just recently announced a new album and world tour both entitled "Black Diamond," with dates already booked at arenas around North America (including both Toronto and Vancouver). Where does she summon the energy? Guess when you're a star, you're a STAR.Watch
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on CTV2.[video_embed id='1892820']BEFORE YOU GO: Will Ferrell says Julia Louis-Dreyfus is ‘10 times funnier’ than you can even imagine[/video_embed]
