State of the World: The Remixes

“State of the World” is a song recorded by American singer Janet Jackson for her fourth studio album, Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). It was written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with additional writing by Jackson. While recording the album, Jackson and the producers watched television, especially news channels, and created the song inspired by that. “State of the World” focuses lyrically on homeless people. It was released as the eighth and final single from the album on February 6, 1991, by A&M Records.

The song was not released commercially in the United States, making it ineligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 or the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, but it reached number five on Billboard’s Hot 100 Airplay chart. No music video was made to accompany the song.