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The Best of... Britney Spears

The Top Ten Tracks of Britney Spears' Career

By Leaf VoxPublished 6 years ago 7 min read
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Britney Spears is undeniably one of the biggest pop musicians to have ever existed. Through millions of albums and countless hits, Britney has shaped the face of pop music time and time again, from changing the focus and direction of teen pop to popularizing the dance music of the 2010s. Without her influence, pop music would be drastically different today. In celebration of Britney’s 20 years in the music industry, let’s go through what I believe are her best songs she’s done over the course of her career.

During 2006 and 2007, Britney Spears went through very well-known publicized struggles, public breakdowns, and rehabilitation which became tabloid catnip for the press. At this point, she was increasingly more known for her scandals rather than the music itself. Britney’s 5th studio album, Blackout, was released late 2007, and notably lacked any commentary on the last few years of her life, or anything personal for that matter, except the song "Piece of Me."

"Piece of Me" is an electro-pop song with a down-tempo dance beat featuring synthesized vocals by Britney. The song comments on Britney’s relationship to the paparazzi and the tabloid press. What makes it such a masterpiece is how modern the song was for its time (the song doesn’t sound out of place in today’s radio) and how it can sound confrontational, coy, sexy, and inviting all at the same.

The only song to feature Madonna, and at the time, was the only song where Madonna wasn’t the only artist—it seems like at the time, everyone wanted a piece of Britney (see what I did there?). The song is the lead single off Britney’s album, In The Zone, and features a dance/hip-hop beat with the addition of funk guitars. It follows the highly publicized kiss between Britney and Madonna at the 2003 MTV Awards.

While not the best song lyrically, especially for pop music, what sells the song is the harmonization of the two together, the fast-paced rapping, the taunting from Madonna, and the fusion between dance music and hip-hop.

"Perfect Lover" is a dance-pop track that is produced by one of the masterminds behind Blackout, Danja. This is the only non-single song to be featured on the list, but it has its reasons. The song is single-worthy, and again, doesn’t sound out of place on the radio today. With breathy vocals, sexual lyrics such as "Tic Tock Tic Tock come and get me while I'm hot," and an irresistible dance beat, there’s no doubt as to why this song is on the list. It’s a pop masterpiece that screams classic Britney Spears.

Britney Spears reinvented herself after her second studio album, moving from the typical bubblegum pop of her last two sets. Britney moved towards a more dance-pop sound with subtle hip-hop grooves. This song was part of the transformation, particularly the Darkchild Remix, which had Rodney Jerkins produce a harder, edgier sound, making it the song itself, and Britney, ready for club domination.

Lyrically the song features a reoccurring theme in Britney’s music of independence and media scrutiny, with lines such as “You're gonna have to see through my perspective, I need to make mistakes just to learn who I am, And I don't want to be so damn protected.” The teen-angst lyrics and the club-ready beat is what makes this song so irresistible, and makes us channel the aggressive Britney in our hearts.

If you know something about pop culture, you know Justin Timberlake's’ song "Cry Me A River," the song that solidified and reignited his budding solo pop career. If you know a little more, you would know that the song is about an affair Britney had while she was in a relationship with Justin Timberlake. "Everytime" is the response Britney wrote, with lyrics wanting forgiveness for hurting the one she loved. With a piano accompanied by Britney’s breathy vocals and a music box melody, the song has become Britney’s best ballad to date and is the song that proved she was something more than just a manufactured pop princess. What makes the song stand out is the breathy vocals amongst the piano, which creates a haunting soundscape.

The song that changed pop history. It helped launch Britney into international stardom, helped shaped the teen-pop sound over the next few years, and helped bring Max Martin, pop’s biggest producer, into the limelight (he’s had 21 billboard number ones after "...Baby One More Time"). The song, with the video, helped Britney hit Number One across the globe, helped sell millions of copies of her album, and has become her signature song. It has been declared one of the best pop songs of all time, from numerous sources, and to this day, still clocks in countless downloads and streams. So why is it only number 5 on the list?

Apart from the fact that it is a pop masterpiece and its hooks and chorus are undeniable, it falls flatter in comparison to her other songs. What makes this song feel so big and amazing, is the legacy surrounding the song. The song almost feels too manufactured, and perfected too much (while not necessarily a bad thing), and makes the song repetitive quick, as there is nothing slightly experimental that grabs your attention as you’re listening to the song again and again.

Everyone was expecting Britney to release another pop song as the lead single for her third album, yet Britney realized that A, everyone was expecting that move, and B, it wouldn’t be as interesting as doing something different and unique to what she has done before. She reinvented herself with the song, "I’m A Slave 4 U," with breathy vocals, moaning, and disc scratching—which is what makes the song amazing. The song was her most urban, featuring a dance-pop beat laced with R&B. The song has since become iconic, along with her MTV performance of the song.

Why is this song above "...Baby One More Time"? While both songs are very similar to each other, both being relatively the same place, focusing on the topic of love, "Oops!... I Did It Again" does it better, with an edgier, harder beat, giving the song more replay value. Here we see Britney playing with boys hearts instead of having her heart played with, proclaiming her lack of innocence (A line that is sung so innocently, yet backed up with controversy concerning her more provocative evolution at the time). Britney’s confidence shines through on this track, not only lyrically, but vocally. Stronger vocals are present with a higher range. The spoken word piece referencing Titanic is the icing on the cake.

The only song that garnered Britney a Grammy award. The song that became her first top ten hit in 4 years. The song that is considered Britney’s signature song. This song was career changing for Britney Spears. It revitalized her career and helped her gain credibility amongst the music community. It became a template for the dance-pop sound for the rest of the decade through its futuristic sound, the sexual lyrics (about being addicted to a lover), breathy vocals, and a hard-hitting dance beat. Britney did dance-pop before it was popular in 2006. It’s undeniably catchy and brings in the sexy dancer in us.

"Gimme More" changed the shape of pop music. Masterly produced by Danja, the song popularized the dark-clubby electro-pop sound that pop stars such as Lady Gaga and Kesha. The song’s genius was overshadowed by the pop star's rollercoaster private life and the rocky VMA performance. The lyrics itself are ingenious, from the “It’s Britney *****” that shows she still has the fire (self-declaring that, it is, in fact, the princess of pop Britney) to the pitch-shifting "Gimme More" which could be in itself, a double entendre standing for the obviously sexual implication, and telling the press and the world that she will welcome everything they have to throw at her.

The moaning and breathy vocals are classic Britney but are less innocent on this track. She doesn’t try and play down the sexuality of the song, she embraces it, showing the world the first taste of a true adult Britney. Everything about the song is done perfectly, the production is unique, futuristic, and has so many elements that each listens sounds different. The lyrics are simple yet meaningful to her situation at the time. The intro and outro solidify her status as a Pop Icon. There is no better song to showcase who Britney Spears is, and what she is capable of.

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About the Creator

Leaf Vox

Music is my life.

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