Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)

"Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)"
Single by Janet Jackson
from the album Control
B-side"When I Think of You"
ReleasedNovember 2, 1987 (1987-11-02)[1]
Recorded1985
StudioFlyte Tyme, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Genre
Length4:29
LabelA&M
Songwriters
ProducersJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Janet Jackson singles chronology
"Making Love in the Rain"
(1987) 		"Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)"
(1987) 		"Miss You Much"
(1989)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Number OneStarStarStarStar[2]

"Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson, released on November 2, 1987 by A&M Records as the seventh and final single from her third studio album Control (1986). Written by Jackson and collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and produced by the latter duo, the song has musical similarities to her brother Michael's song "The Lady In My Life" from his 1982 album Thriller. While the single was officially released in the United Kingdom and Australia, reaching number 59 on the UK Singles Chart and number 24 on the Irish Singles Chart, it was released solely for airplay in the United States and was thus ineligible to chart in that country. No music video was filmed for the single.

Jazz musician Stanley Clarke covered the song for his 1988 album If This Bass Could Only Talk.[3] The song was also sampled on The Lost Boyz's "Renee" and on Camp Lo's "Coolie High", both from 1996. In 2014, it was sampled on Tinashe's "How Many Times" featuring Future from her debut album Aquarius. Two years later, it was sampled on SWV's "MCE (Man Crush Everyday)". JPEGMafia sampled the song on his 2024 track "I Recovered From This" off his album I Lay Down My Life for You. The following year, Cardi B sampled and interpolated the song's introduction for her track "On My Back" featuring Lourdiz from her sophomore album Am I the Drama?.[4][5]

Live performances

Jackson included the song as an instrumental interlude on her Rhythm Nation World Tour 1990. She performed the full song on her 2008 Rock Witchu Tour. Jackson also included the song in her performances at the 2010, 2018, & 2022 Essence Music Festival, held in New Orleans, Louisiana. The song was used as an interlude for the video introduction on the Unbreakable World Tour (2015–2016), and was later included on the second leg of the 2018 State of the World Tour. Jackson included the song at her 2019 Las Vegas residency Janet Jackson: Metamorphosis.

Track listings

  • UK and Australian 7-inch single
A. "Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)" – 4:29
B. "When I Think of You" – 3:57
  • UK 12-inch single
A1. "Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)" – 4:29
A2. "Nasty" (Cool Summer Mix – Part One) – 7:57
B1. "When I Think of You" (Dance Remix) – 6:25

Charts

Chart (1987) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[6] 24
UK Singles (OCC)[7] 59

References

  1. ^ "New Singles: Week of November 2" (PDF). Music Week. October 31, 1987. p. 35. Retrieved June 28, 2025 – via worldradiohistory.com.
  2. ^ Panos, Andrew (14 November 1987). "Single of the Week: Janet Jackson — "Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)" (A & M)". Number One. No. 230. London: IPC Magazines Ltd. p. 50. ISSN 0266-5328. Retrieved 28 May 2023 – via Flickr.
  3. ^ "Never Can Say Goodbye:Tribute to Michael Jackson overview". AllMusic.
  4. ^ "Cardi B feat. Lourdiz's 'On My Back' sample of Janet Jackson's 'Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)'". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2026-04-03.
  5. ^ "Cardi B's 'Am I The Drama?': Every Song Sampled on Her New Album". InMusic. 2025-09-20. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
  6. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Funny How Time Flies". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  7. ^ "Janet Jackson Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
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