The song first took shape in London when Janet was just 17. During a writing session on a grey, rainy day in a flat on Portobello Road with acclaimed singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti, the young artist - new to co-writing and understandably nervous, especially as a fan of Savoretti’s work - began piecing together what would become a lasting staple of her live shows. Across two days, the pair wrote two songs: “Delicate,” which appeared on her debut album, and “Working For The Man." Though the latter never made it on to her debut record, it quickly became both a personal favorite and a staple for audiences. For more than thirteen years, it has remained part of her setlist, with fans repeatedly calling for its official release.
Savoretti expressed his continued admiration for Janet, saying, “I have always loved Janet's voice and admired her approach to music. She has always done things her own way.”
Janet reminisced on the emotions that led to writing the song: "Honestly, I think that’s why I fought so hard and chose the path that I did - of being an independent artist. Even though many years on, it’s still tough, and I’m by no means rich, I’m living and dying by my own sword. I by no means am trying to say that working a nine-to-five is a bad thing. It’s not. I think I was just influenced by my parents’ experiences, too. They both had full-time jobs while juggling four kids under five years old. I saw how hard they worked for what we had in life and just how exhausted they were from it. In a lot of ways, I felt angry with them... Angry at the system we’re living in, that they could work tirelessly to put money in the pockets of someone else. Obviously, that system hasn’t changed since I wrote it. It still angers me. That’s why the song still feels so true and relevant to me, all these years on."
Expanding on how it has evolved, and what it was like revisiting it in Nashville, she notes: “On my last trip to Nashville, I recorded 22 songs in three days, and this song HAD to be one of them. Having been out a few times now to record, I knew that the musicians would absolutely smash it… and that they did. It was so magical to hear the song I’ve loved for so long finally come to fruition. To go from a little garage band demo on my laptop with Jack, to a full live band in none other than Blackbird Studios. It really felt like a beautiful, full-circle moment. If only 17-year-old me had a crystal ball, she could’ve seen where the song would end up. Not only that, but to have an absolute hero of mine, Vance Powell, mix it out in Nashville too.” |
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