Synopsis

Janet Jackson sits alone in a quiet room, writing in her diary as memories of a former lover return. The video moves between her reflective present and intimate flashbacks, where she and Gary Dourdan share moments of affection before their relationship comes to an end. Jackson's performance remains restrained and vulnerable, matching the song's sense of longing and emotional uncertainty. An alternate version incorporates scenes from the film *Poetic Justice*, connecting the personal heartbreak in the video to Jackson's first major movie role.

Factoids & Trivia

• Gary Dourdan plays Jackson's former lover in the video, several years before he became widely known for his role as Warrick Brown on *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation*.

• The song was written for the 1993 film *Poetic Justice*, in which Jackson stars as Justice. It plays over the film's closing credits, although it was not included on the movie's soundtrack album.

• Two principal versions of the video were released. One focuses entirely on Jackson's diary and memories, while the other adds clips from *Poetic Justice* shown on a television set.

• "Again" began as an experimental melody developed by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Jackson later wrote the lyrics after the filmmakers requested a ballad for *Poetic Justice*.

• The original version was included on the 1994 home-video compilation *janet.*, while the *Poetic Justice* version appeared on the 2001 DVD edition of *All for You*.

• The song became Jackson's sixth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, spending two weeks at the top in late 1993. It was also nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Original Song.