Whoops Now / What'll I Do


"Whoops Now" and "What'll I Do" are two songs by American singer-songwriter Janet Jackson from her fifth studio album,[Janet World Tour|] Janet. They were released as a double A-side single on March 6, 1995, by Virgin Records as the album's final single; in Australia, "What'll I Do" by itself was released earlier, on January 30. The songs reached number one in New Zealand and peaked within the top 20 in several countries. In Japan, only "What'll I Do" was released, while in Australia, both the double- and single A-side versions were issued.

Background

"Whoops Now" and "What'll I Do" were released as a double A-side in Europe, Japan, and Oceania, whereas the latter was released on its own in Oceania as well as certain European markets. Both releases included janet.'s "The Body That Loves You" as a B-side. "Whoops Now" was added as a hidden track on the regular edition of janet. after the interlude "Sweet Dreams", while the UK and Japanese pressings of the album list the tracks separately. An edited version of the song also appears on the international version of Jackson's first greatest hits package, Design of a Decade: 1986–1996. The shorter version omits the risqué coda about activities in Anguilla. A remix of "What'll I Do" by Dave Navarro appears on Jackson's second remix album janet. Remixed.
"What'll I Do" is a cover of a Johnny Daye song called "What'll I Do for Satisfaction", which was released in 1967 and written by Joe Shamwell and Steve Cropper.
Jackson performed both songs on the janet. Tour, while she only performed "Whoops Now" on The Velvet Rope Tour. In 2024, over 25 years since it was last performed, "Whoops Now" was added to the encore of the Janet Jackson: Together Again tour for its final European leg.

Critical reception

British magazine Music Week gave "Whoops Now" three out of five, adding that "this single has an uncharacteristic Motown feel to it and could zoom up the charts, helped by a cute accompanying video."

Chart performance

The overall chart performances for the single was successful, charting inside the top ten in Austria, France, and the United Kingdom, and inside the top twenty in Australia, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. "Whoops Now/What'll I Do" managed to peak at number one in New Zealand for one week.

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Whoops Now" was directed by Yuri Elizondo, the younger brother of Jackson's ex-husband, René Elizondo Jr., and depicts Jackson and her friends having fun in Jackson's favorite vacation spot, Anguilla. It appears on the video compilation Design of a Decade 1986/1996. The video for "What'll I Do" is a concert performance taken from the
janet. Tour, and has never been released commercially.

Track listings

UK CD single UK 12-inch single Dutch CD single Australian CD single
  1. "Whoops Now" – 3:42
  2. "What'll I Do" – 4:05
  3. "What'll I Do" – 4:20
  4. "The Body That Loves You" – 5:33UK 7-inch single
  5. "Whoops Now" – 3:42
  6. "What'll I Do" – 4:05Australian CD single
  7. "What'll I Do" – 4:05
  8. "That's the Way Love Goes" – 5:42Japanese 3-inch CD single
  9. "What'll I Do" – 4:20
  10. "The Body That Loves You" – 5:33