Written and produced by Monte Moir, with co-production by Jackson and Steve Wiese, the song is an "independent woman" anthem about taking control of a personal relationship by refusing to settle for loveless materialism.

"The Pleasure Principle" reached the top 40 in most markets, but failed to match the international success of the previous singles from Control.

[2] "I usually attempt to swipe as broad of a brushstroke as possible in regard to telling a story and expressing as much emotion around it as I can, which can be tricky when you only have a set number of lines to do it.

"[6] McClain subsequently introduced her to the songwriting and production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, former Prince associates and ex-members of The Time.

At the time, he was working with his old band colleagues at Flyte Tyme recording studios in Minneapolis when they were offered the project for the album with Jackson, and Moir was asked to come up with some demos.

According to Moir, "As verses started to take shape, I had to figure out what it was I was trying to say, I just stumbled into the title and Freudian concept (of the pleasure principle) and realized it fit."

[3] Written and produced by Moir, "The Pleasure Principle" is lyrically about the singer taking control of a personal relationship by refusing to settle for loveless materialism, while Jackson sings, "What I thought was happiness was only part time bliss".

It mentions a "Big Yellow Taxi", alluding to the 1970 Joni Mitchell song, which Jackson would later sample on her single "Got 'til It's Gone" from her sixth studio album The Velvet Rope (1997).

[8] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine noted that musically "synths bump like busted shock absorbers and the electric guitar screeches like rubber on pavement".

Kareem Gantt from AXS commented that compared to "Control" and "Nasty", "The Pleasure Principle" was more toned down, but "still a sonic groover".

Elsewhere, "The Pleasure Principle" reached the top 40 in most markets, but failed to match the international success of the previous singles from Control.

The accompanying music video for "The Pleasure Principle" was directed by Dominic Sena and premiered on MTV on June 1, 1987.

[26] On December 4, 2006, while promoting her ninth studio album 20 Y.O., Jackson opened the 2006 Billboard Music Awards with a medley of "Control" and "The Pleasure Principle", and then-new single "So Excited", accompanied by black and red-clad dancers.

After an interlude, Jackson made her entrance amid fireworks and theatrical smoke to perform the medley, while donning a Mohawk hairstyle.