"That's the Way Love Goes" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her fifth album, Janet (1993). The song was released on April 20, 1993, as the lead single from the Janet album. Written and produced by Jackson and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the song's themes of romantic lust saw Jackson transitioning to sensual territory, considered a shocking contrast to her previous releases among critics and the public. The song's slow tempo fused R&B, pop, funk and soul music with flourishes of downtempo and hip hop music. It received positive reviews from contemporary music critics, who praised it as "iconic", "hypnotic", and "extravaganza" for its production and vocals.
"That’s the Way Love Goes" is one of Jackson's biggest hits in the United States. It was one of the longest-reigning hits of 1993, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks, To date, it is the longest running number-one single of any member of the Jackson family on the Hot 100. It also topped the Hot 100 Airplay for ten weeks, as well as spending multiple weeks at number one on several of Billboard's other component charts. The song became the first and only single in history to debut at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Internationally, it placed at number one in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hungary, South Africa, Japan and Europe's Hot 100 chart. It is the seventeenth biggest hit of the 1990s and the biggest selling single by a female artist in South Africa. It has sold over three million copies worldwide.
"That's the Way Love Goes" received the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in addition to Billboard Awards, BMI Pop Award for Most Played Song, and American Music Awards. Its accompanying music video received several nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards, including Best Female Video, and also influenced several videos, including releases from Ciara and Prince.
"That's the Way Love Goes" has been recorded by artists such as Bruno Mars and NSYNC, cited as an influence by Britney Spears and Nelly Furtado, and inspired or been sampled in songs by Alicia Keys, Destiny's Child and Utada Hikaru. It is considered to be one of Jackson's signature songs and is included in each of her greatest hits collections: Design of a Decade: 1986–1996 (1995), Number Ones (2009) and Icon: Number Ones (2010).
