"Twenty Foreplay" is a song by American singer-songwriter Janet Jackson from her first greatest hits album, Design of a Decade: 1986–1996 (1995). It was released as the album's second and final single on January 8, 1996. Song information The song starts off as a soulful ballad before changing to a mid-tempo R&B groove. The title is a play on the word "foreplay" and "24 hours a day". The U.S. version of "Twenty Foreplay" is lengthier than the international version which was edited in order to fit two more songs on the international release of Design of a Decade: 1986–1996. The Slow Jam Fantasy Mix was produced by Jorge Corante and is the complete version of the song which contains an extra second verse. Critical reception British magazine Music Week rated the song three out of five, adding, "A pleasant, slinky ballad which is already receiving plenty of support from TV and radio, but it doesn't have even the hint of a hook." Chart performance "Twenty Foreplay" saw moderate success in Europe, peaking at number twenty-two in the United Kingdom, but fared better on the UK R&B Chart, peaking at number 5. It peaked at number forty-one in the Netherlands (on the physical sales-based Single Top 100 chart), and number seventy-four in Germany. It fared better in Australia, where it reached the top thirty. It charted inside the top thirty-five in Scotland and the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, but was unable to enter the Billboard Hot 100 or the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs as the song was not given a commercial release in the United States. Music video The 1950s look of the video was inspired by Dorothy Dandridge, whom Jackson considers to be America's first African American sex symbol. The video was shot in black-and-white and features Jackson as a film actress living the glamorous Hollywood life such as attending a movie premiere and a press conference, intercut with footage of her singing on the backlot of a movie set. The video was released commercially on the two-CD + DVD compilation Japanese Singles Collection: Greatest Hits (2022). Live performances Jackson sang "Twenty Foreplay" live for the first time on her 2017 State of the World Tour. Accompanied by two back-up singers, the singer performed the song while sitting on a stool dressed in a loose denim jacket, sweatpants and a flannel shirt tied around her waist. Andrew Barker from Variety