Critical reception
"Just a Little While" radio promo cover
"Just a Little While" received favorable reviews from critics, who praised the song for being a contrast from Jackson's general style of dance pop and hybrid of pop and R&B, delving further into the pop rock genre. Heavy emphasis was placed on the song's experimentation with rock and alternative styles, with People Magazine calling it a "Princely pop-rocker," The Toronto Sun labeling it "rocked-up," The Hot Press calling it "rock-orientated," and IGN considering it fused with "alternapop."[15][16][17][18] Prior to Jackson's airplay blacklist. the song notably received numerous reviews which considered it to likely be another massive hit for Jackson.
Billboard praised the "festive, guitar-based" song, saying "Janet Jackson knows how to make a great single," calling it "another immediate radio hit." The song was described as "a mid-tempo number marked by a prominent electric guitar melody," comparing the song to Dirty Mind-era Prince for its "new wave synths." The song's composition was commended for maintaining Jackson's "signature fashion" of crafting lyrics that were "innocent on the surface yet naughty upon closer inspection," ultimately concluding its "swirling musicality" would potentially "garner it multiformat success," assuring "there isn't any reason why "Just a Little While" won't be a smash."[19] Neil Strauss of Rolling Stone considered it "push-button rock & roll", while The Record Music Magazine exclaimed "The [album's] first single - "Just a Little While" - is in the top ten the world over and it’s already got the fans excited with its sexy video."[20][21]
Rich Juzwiak of The Village Voice considered it "her virgin/*****-iest moment yet" in addition to being Jackson's "most self-sufficient" single, saying "Forget about ripping off clothes—Janet Jackson just wants a zipless ****." Analyzing the song's lyrics, Juzwiak wrote "like a moth to a flame is Janet's hand to her strawberry (her words!). She's so eager to please that even if the quickie she solicits in the chorus doesn't go down, she'll "touch it on [her] favorite fruit" anyway." The song's subject matter was compared to the lyrical theme of "All for You," adding Jackson "has been lounging in bed since 2001's All for You; the only difference now is that she's smacking bubblegum at the same time," adding "Pepsi-commercial bubbliness tempers the hyper-sexed ambrosia, with robotic guitars and synths wanting to sound 20 years younger and paying cockeyed homage." Jackson's vocal delivery was interpreted as "either too squeaky or clean to venture into Prince's dank basement, and her most purple moment turns out to be the ascending, pre-chorus "Ooh, hoo-hoo, hooo!" "The difference between this public display of sex and, ahem, the last one, is that she's so worked up, she can't premeditate what hangs out, whether it's a broken note or a banana. Atta girl Janet, jack the pain away."<[22]
Elsewhere, the song was called Jackson's "best single in five years," considering it "the real news" with potential to erase "the absurd histrionics about Ms Jackson's mammary lapse", referring to the Super Bowl performance controversy. "This skipping, giddy, gorgeous little minx of a song is buoyed by a smart guitar riff and a candyfloss melody, which makes the most of Jackson's thin, breathy vocals," exclaiming the song's best feature is "there is absolutely nothing cool about it", also considering the "fun, loose production" a contrast from Jackson's former albums. The review declared the song to be "a treat" with keyboards that "wink back at her 1990 masterpiece, "Love Will Never Do", concluding "What are you waiting for? Get out, buy it and dance around your bedroom to it."[23] Music Stack declared the song "funky dance pop with a sexy, classic Prince-like vibe," commending its "stripped-down guitar sound" and "Jackson's breathy vocal delivery," which effectively "gives an idea of what the steamy songstress has planned."[24]
"Janet Jackson knows how to make a great single. Her latest, "Just a Little While," is another immediate radio hit. [...] there isn't any reason why "Just a Little While" won't be a smash. The song is supported by guitars, [...] new wave synths and the kind of swirling musicality that could garner it multiformat success."
— Billboard [19]
"Already a sizeable download hit, it is likely to hang around the charts and our heads for a while."
— The Scotsman [7]
"Her single A Little While, a brilliant, skeletal take on mid-1980s drivetime rock, was released the day after Super Bowl and swiftly became the most-played track on US radio; Damita Jo, meanwhile, is predicted to outsell its double-platinum predecessor, 2001's All For You."
— The Guardian [1]
"Jackson truly scores when she combines the distinctly carnal with more innocent pop notions, as she does with verve on the irresistible dance-rock of "Just a Little While."
— HMV Japan [15]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it "a good dance tune" and MTV considered it "flirty," while BBC UK exclaimed "Just A Little While" echoes the quintessential Janet of "Whoops Now,"[25][26][27] The Scotsman exclaimed it "trumped" other songs on Damita Jo, calling it "a pop single that buries its dirty intentions under a catchy melody. Already a sizeable download hit, it is likely to hang around the charts and our heads for a while".[7] The Hot Press wrote "Nipplegate notwithstanding (or more likely because of it) Jackson is very much in control and back in the picture these days, adding "the rock-oriented first single from this, her seventh album, hit the number one spot within days of its release."[28] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian considered the Super Bowl incident to be "an unqualified success" for Jackson, qualifying the song as "a brilliant, skeletal take on mid-1980s drivetime rock", also noting it "was released the day after Superbowl and swiftly became the most-played track on US radio." Petridis also commented on industry predictions for Jackson's Damita Jo album prior to the incident, saying "Damita Jo, meanwhile, is predicted to outsell its double-platinum predecessor, 2001's All for You."[1]
IGN considered the song "a most bizarre flip" in comparison to the dance pop and mid-tempo-driven style of Damita Jo, praising Jackson for "unleashing an upbeat, rock infused number" and attempting to experiment with the "Alternapop" genre. The review also commended the "raking guitar chords that propel the song along."[18] Tom Moon of The Philadelphia Inquirer also praised the song, describing it as a "Princelike rocker", raving "the music has that primal quality that gets people moving before they can even process the message."[29] Richard Cromelin of The LA Times qualified "Just a Little While" as "brisk and infectious," while Jam! Canoe regarded it as "a slice of crunchy guitar rock," with its hit potential heightened by Jackson's "blush-inducing lyrics." [30][31] Bob Smithouser of Plugged In Online deciphered the song's lyrics to "invoke masturbation," commenting its "bouncy rhythms, playful vocals and slick production values will draw countless teens into her tacky web of nymphomania."[32]
Talk Talk UK called the song a "breezy pop masterpiece" which has "the retro feel of Outkast's 'Hey Ya' mixed with classic Janet brilliance."[33] The New York Times qualified it as "a playful new-wave song."[34] Entertainment Weekly exclaimed "The skittish, pared-down guitar opening is fresh and surprising, and the vibe is sexier than her Matrix Super Bowl Revolutions outfit", also calling it "lighter-than-air", though adding it seemed to be missing the "lockstep tension" of her prior works with co-producers Jam & Lewis.[35]
The song's appearance as the last track at the album garnered a considerable amount of attention. Lisa Verrico of The Times questioned the "odd" placement of the "uptempo pop song" at the album's finale, considering the possibility that "Jackson’s nipple caused such a fuss, it was thought too risqué to release a sex song," ultimately deciding this decision "missed the point."[36] In a similar anecdote, The Ottawa Sun wrote "the album's most interesting, and energetic moment, is saved for the final track, Just a Little While, where there's some actual electric guitar near the front of the mix", while musicOMH called it an "unusual" way to end the album and "out of place" with previous tracks, though clarifying it to be a good closing to the album.[37] Adverse reception was given by Slant Magazine, which called the song "a rare misfire" for the "usually reliable" Jackson and co-producer Dallas Austin, Music-News called it "teeny-pop trash" and "non-descript," while Idolator compared the song to Pink, adding "“Black Cat” shows she can rock, but this shows that she can’t rock sweetly."[38][39] Michael Paoletta of Billboard gave the song a favorable review, saying it "sounded like nothing else" on the album and should be "used as a starting point" for Jackson's next release, though considered following single "I Want You" to have a better chance for success on several airplay formats.[40][41]
Additional reviews continued to commend the single. The Courant said the track "features a discernible melody, a catchy vocal hook, a prominent, up-tempo guitar riff that helps the tune stand out from the dross", also praising it for showing a "flash of the ingenuity that makes her such an interesting artist."[42]
It must've been the same person who wrote all the Damita Jo-related articles
