That's the Way Love Goes (Janet Jackson song)

"That's the Way Love Goes" is a song by American singer-songwriter Janet Jackson from her fifth album, Janet. (1993). The song was released in April 1993 by Virgin Records 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 hip-hop. It received positive reviews from contemporary music critics, who praised it as "iconic", "hypnotic", and "extravaganza" for its production and vocals.

In the United States, to prevent radio leaks, Virgin Records issued a fictional release date of April 27 to pop and urban radio stations, but on April 14, two weeks before the purported release day, Virgin sent out promotional copies of the single to stations nationwide and ensured that these stations had added the song to their playlists before the day's end. Following its release, "That's the Way Love Goes" became one of the longest-reigning US hits of 1993, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks. It also spent multiple weeks at number one on several of Billboard's other component charts and is certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Internationally, it placed at number one in several countries, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

"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, directed by René Elizondo Jr., 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 Hikaru Utada. 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).