"Together Again" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her sixth studio album, The Velvet Rope (1997). It was written and produced by Jackson and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with additional writing by Jackson's then-husband René Elizondo Jr. It was released as the second single from the album in December 1997 by Virgin Records. Originally written as a ballad, the track was rearranged as an uptempo dance song. Jackson was inspired to write the song by her own private discovery of losing a friend to AIDS, as well as by a piece of fan mail she received from a young boy in England who had lost his father.
"Together Again" was well received by music critics, who praised the song's structure and Jackson's vocals. The single was a commercial success, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, as well as reaching number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. The single was additionally certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Worldwide, it peaked within the top-five in many countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom, and topped the charts in the Netherlands. The single sold six million copies worldwide.
Two music videos were produced for "Together Again". The video for the original, directed by Seb Janiak, shows Jackson and her dancers performing in a futuristic African paradise where people are seen living side by side with wild animals such as elephants, giraffes, and wildcats. Another video released for the 'Deeper Remix', was directed by Elizondo Jr. and shows Jackson in an apartment. Jackson performed "Together Again" in a number of occasions to promote The Velvet Rope, including at the American Music Awards and also on all of her tours since its release. It is also included in two of her greatest hits collections, Number Ones (2009) and Icon: Number Ones (2010).
Background and release
"Together Again" was written as a tribute from Jackson to a friend who had recently died of AIDS as well as AIDS victims and their families worldwide, as stated in the liner notes of The Velvet Rope (1997). Originally written as a ballad, the track was re-arranged as a dance and house song. Jackson was reportedly inspired to write the song from her own personal experience, as well as a piece of fan-mail she received from a young boy in England who had lost his father. According to Jimmy Jam, "it had a deep meaning for her because it was about a friend she lost to AIDS, but as with all her songs, she tries to make them apply in a general sense to anybody. The idea was to make it a joyous song musically".
The arrangement of the song was constructed in 30 minutes by Jam, Lewis, and Jackson while in the recording studio. Once the melody was in place, Jackson finished writing the lyrics to the song. The song's sound was inspired by Donna Summer's song "Last Dance". Jackson told MTV News that her inspiration to write "Together Again" was "Runaway" by Nuyorican Soul, as the song reminded her of being in Studio 54 in New York when she was a child. "Runaway" gave Jackson a kind of New York feel of disco and she wanted to do something like this. "Together Again" was released in the United Kingdom on December 1, 1997, as a 7-inch vinyl single, a 12-inch vinyl single, a CD single, and a cassette single. The following day, the song was released in the United States on all four formats plus a maxi-CD. In Japan, a CD single was issued later that month, on December 22.