Panther Purr

Of all the Jacksons, I prefer Michael and Janet. I tend to go for Michael's harder side, as in "Beat It" (with Eddie Van Halen's smokin' guitar solo) and "Dirty Diana." But Janet, for all her r&b and dance roots, had flashes of a rockergrrl persona. Never was this more in evidence than "Black Cat."

This was a supposedly "live" performance from the 1990 Video Music Awards (although I have grave doubts, especially since her vocal performance is exactly the same as on the record). Oh well. That was sort of the Milli Vanilli lipsync era anyway. Even if it is lipsynced, it's still a kickass song, and interestingly, it's one she wrote herself.

Don't understand why you insist
On ways of living such a dangerous life
Time after time, you stay away
And I just know that you're telling me lies

Black cat, nine lives, short days, long nights
Living on the edge, not afraid to die
Heartbeat, real strong but not for long
Better watch your step or you're gonna die

Yeah, it's not overly deep or profound, but matched with that awesome guitar riff, it made your ears bleed.