...Baby One More Time | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 12, 1999 | |||
Recorded | Summer 1997 – June 1998 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 42:20 | |||
Label | Jive | |||
Producer | ||||
Britney Spears chronology | ||||
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International edition cover | ||||
Singles from ...Baby One More Time | ||||
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...Baby One More Time is the debut studio album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on January 12,1999,by Jive Records. Spears had been a child performer on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993 to 1994,and was looking to expand her career as a teen singer. After being turned away by several record companies,Spears signed with Jive for a multi-album deal in 1997. She travelled to Sweden to collaborate with producers Max Martin and Rami Yacoub,who had been writing songs with producer Denniz Pop and others,for ...Baby One More Time. Their collaboration created a pop,bubblegum pop,dance-pop,and teen pop record,with Spears later saying that she felt excited when she heard it and knew it was going to be a hit record. The album was completed in June 1998.
Upon its release,...Baby One More Time garnered mixed reviews from music critics,with many praising its commercial appeal but deeming it silly and premature. Despite its initial mixed reception,it helped Spears receive a nomination for Best New Artist at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards (2000). Retrospectively,it has been hailed for its major impact on pop culture,and has been deemed one of the most influential pop records of all time. A massive global commercial success,it made Spears the fifth artist under the age of 18 to top the US Billboard 200. It has been certified 14×platinum (diamond) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Spears's best-selling album,it has sold over 25 million copies worldwide,making it one of the best-selling albums of all time,as well as the best-selling debut album by a teenage female artist.
...Baby One More Time produced five singles. The lead single,"...Baby One More Time",brought Spears tremendous global success,reaching number one in most countries it charted in and becoming one of the best-selling physical singles of all time. In 2020,it was named the greatest debut single of all time by Rolling Stone . Subsequent singles "Sometimes" and "Born to Make You Happy" peaked within the top ten in most international countries while "(You Drive Me) Crazy" became Spears's second US Billboard Hot 100 top-ten hit. Spears heavily promoted the album through interviews and televised performances. Furthermore,she embarked on her first headlining concert tour,entitled ...Baby One More Time Tour (1999) and later continued with (You Drive Me) Crazy Tour (2000).
"I had been in the studio for about six months listening and recording material, but I hadn't really heard a hit yet. When I started working with Max Martin in Sweden, he played the demo for 'Baby One More Time' for me, and I knew from the start it one was[ sic ] of those songs you want to hear again and again. It just felt really right. I went into the studio and did my own thing with it, trying to give it a little more attitude than the demo. In 10 days, I never even saw Sweden. We were so busy."
In June 1997, Spears was in talks with then-manager Lou Pearlman to join the female pop group Innosense. Her mother, Lynne Spears, asked family friend and entertainment lawyer Larry Rudolph for his opinion and submitted a tape of Spears singing over a Whitney Houston karaoke song along with some pictures. Rudolph decided to pitch her to record labels, which required a professional demo. He sent Spears an unused song from Toni Braxton; she rehearsed for a week and recorded in a studio with an audio engineer. Spears traveled from her hometown Kentwood, Louisiana, to New York City with the demo and met executives from four labels, returning to Kentwood the same day. Three rejected her, arguing audiences wanted pop bands such as the Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls, and "there wasn't going to be another Madonna, another Debbie Gibson or another Tiffany." Two weeks later, executives from Jive Records returned calls to Rudolph. [2] Jive's senior vice president of A&R Jeff Fenster stated: "It's very rare to hear someone that age who can deliver emotional content and commercial appeal. [...] For any artist, the motivation—the 'eye of the tiger'—is extremely important. And Britney had that." [3]
Jive soon appointed Spears to work with producer Eric Foster White for a month, who reportedly shaped her voice from "lower and less poppy" delivery to "distinctively, unmistakably Britney." [4] One of the first songs Spears recorded with Foster White was "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart", which was released as the album's 4th single. Foster White also produced "Autumn Goodbye", which was the B-side to Spears' debut single "...Baby One More Time". During the same session for "Autumn Goodbye", Spears and Foster White also worked on a song called "Love Is On", which ultimately did not make the album and was later given to Sharon Cuneta. Spears recorded a lot of material with Eric Foster White, such as "Autumn Goodbye", "E-Mail My Heart", "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart", "I'm So Curious", "I Will Still Love You", "Way It Is Loving You", "I'll Be There For You", "Soda Pop", "Thinkin' About You", "Nothing Less Than Real", "Wishing on a Falling Star" and a cover of "You Got It All" by the Jets. [5] She also recorded a cover of Sonny & Cher's 1967 single "The Beat Goes On". [5] White was responsible for the vocal recording and song production, while additional production was handled by English electronic music group All Seeing I. [5] After hearing the material, Jive Records president Clive Calder ordered a full studio album. [4]
Spears flew to Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, where half of ...Baby One More Time was recorded from May 1998, [6] with producers Max Martin and Rami Yacoub, and contributions from others, including songwriting from Denniz Pop, who was too ill to attend any recording sessions. [a] [3] [7] [8] Martin showed Spears and her management a track titled "Hit Me Baby One More Time", originally written for American group TLC, who had rejected it. Spears later said that she felt excited when she heard it and knew it was going to be a hit. [9] "We at Jive said, 'This is a fuckin' smash'", revealed the label's A&R executive, Steven Lunt; [10] however, other executives were concerned that the line "Hit Me" would condone domestic violence, and later revised it to "...Baby One More Time". [9] Spears revealed that she "didn't do well at all the first day in the studio [recording the song], I was just too nervous. So I went out that night and had some fun. The next day I was completely relaxed and nailed it. You gotta be relaxed singing '... Baby One More Time'." [11] By June 1998, the album had been completed. [12]
Spears originally envisioned "Sheryl Crow music, but younger – more adult contemporary" for ...Baby One More Time, but acquiesced to the wishes of her label, since "It made more sense to go pop, because I can dance to it—it's more me." [3] The album opens with its lead single, "...Baby One More Time", a teen pop and dance-pop song beginning with a three-note motif in the bass range of the piano. Its opening was compared to many other songs, such as "We Will Rock You" (1977), "Start Me Up" (1981), "These Words" (2004) and the theme song of the film Jaws due to the fact the track "makes its presence known in exactly one second". [11] [13] [14] According to Blender , "...Baby One More Time" is composed of "wah-wah guitar lines and EKG-machine bass-slaps". [11] Claudia Mitchell and Jacqueline Reid-Walsh, authors of Girl Culture: Studying Girl Culture: A Readers' Guide (2008), observed that the lyrics of the song "gesture toward [Spears] longing for the return of an ex-boyfriend." [15] "(You Drive Me) Crazy" runs through a moderately slow dance beat, [16] and has an R&B melody mixed with edgy synthesized instrumentals. [17] "Sometimes" is a ballad, [18] which Spears begins with the lines "You tell me you're in love with me / That you can't take your pretty eyes away from me / It's not that I don't wanna stay / But every time you come too close I move away". [19] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic noted the song has "a catchy hook and endearing melody, with a reminiscent euro-dance rhythm." [20]
"Soda Pop" draws influences from bubblegum pop and ragga, [20] and features background vocals from co-writer Mikey Bassie. [5] Spears' vocals on the fifth track, "Born to Make You Happy" span more than an octave. [21] Its lyrics allude to a relationship that a woman desires to repair, not quite understanding what went wrong, as she comes to realize that "I don't know how to live without your love / I was born to make you happy". [22] "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" is a sentimental slow-tempo teen pop ballad. [23] [24] [25] "I Will Be There" is a pop rock song featuring a guitar riff similar to Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" (1997), with a "rousing chorus about standing by your man (or a best friend or a house pet)", as noted by Kyle Anderson of MTV. "E-Mail My Heart" is a sensitive piano ballad on which Spears sings: "E-mail me back / And say our love will stay alive". [22] The cover of Sonny & Cher's 1967 single "The Beat Goes On" is influenced by bossa nova and trip hop, [22] [26] and features a sound similar to spy film themes. [22] Among the bonus tracks included on select editions of the album is a cover of J'Son's 1996 song "I'll Never Stop Loving You". [27] [28]
Promotion for ...Baby One More Time began in May 1998, when Spears performed "...Baby One More Time", "Sometimes" and "You Got It All" at the Singapore Jazz Festival. [29] Subsequently, she embarked on the L'Oréal-sponsored promotional tour titled L'Oreal Hair Zone Mall Tour, visiting malls and food courts across North America from August 1998 to January 1999. [30] In December, "...Baby One More Time" first showed up on MTV's and The Box's most-requested video charts. [31] In the United States, ...Baby One More Time was originally set for an October 1998 release, but was pushed back to January 12, 1999, due to marketing issues, with its international release occurring within the following three months. [32] Spears had appeared on Ricki Lake , The Howie Mandel Show , and was a presenter at the 1999 American Music Awards prior to the release. [31] However, after hurting her knee in February, she rescheduled appearances on several shows, such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Live with Regis and Kathie Lee . [33] Additionally, she appeared on MTV Spring Break and on the hundredth episode of Nickelodeon's All That . [33] After recovering, Spears embarked on another promotional schedule, appearing at the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards on May 1, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee on May 3, MTV's FANatic on May 12, and The Rosie O'Donnell Show on May 25. [34]
Outside the US, Spears visited the German shows Wetten, dass..? and Top of the Pops on June 25. [35] She also went to the United Kingdom, making appearances on programmes such as This Morning , CD:UK and National Lottery . [35] Spears visited the music variety show Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ in Japan, and performed at the Festival Bar in Italy. [35] Spears was also featured on an episode of the ABC sitcom Sabrina, the Teenage Witch , in which she played herself. [35] According to People , Spears was returning a favor to actress Melissa Joan Hart, who played a cameo role in Spears' music video for "(You Drive Me) Crazy". [35] The episode aired on September 24. [35] The same month, Spears performed on The Rosie O'Donnell Show on September 27, and visited Carson Daly on MTV's Total Request Live the following day. [36] Spears also performed live with Joey McIntyre in the Disney Channel taped concert event titled Britney Spears & Joey McIntyre in Concert. [37] In November, Spears performed "...Baby One More Time" and "(You Drive Me) Crazy" at the 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards. Promotion for the album continued in early 2000, when Spears performed at the 2000 American Music Awards, [38] and also performed "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" in a medley with "...Baby One More Time" at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards. [38]
On March 5, 1999, it was reported that Spears was planning her first headlining tour. [39] She announced that the tour would start in July. [40] On May 12, Tommy Hilfiger was announced as the main tour sponsor, as Spears was being featured in the company's "AllStars" campaign at the time. [41] On December 17, during the premiere of the music video of "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" on Total Request Live, Spears called the show to announce the March 2000 US tour dates. The extension, entitled (You Drive Me) Crazy Tour, was considered a prelude to her future world tour, Oops!... I Did It Again Tour. [42] [43] The leg's main sponsor was Got Milk?, whose media director Peter Gardiner explained: "Britney is magic with teen-age girls, and that's an absolutely crucial target for milk". Spears shot an advertising campaign to be shown before her performances began. [44] The secondary sponsor was Polaroid, who released I-Zone as the tour's official camera. Spears used the I-Zone onstage to take pictures of the audience and further promote the product. [45] The show was divided into segments, separated by interludes, and ended with an encore. [46] The set list consisted of songs from ...Baby One More Time and several covers. [46] Some changes were made during the 2000 leg, with the covers replaced by songs from her second studio album Oops!... I Did It Again (2000). The tour received positive critical reception. [47] During the tour, Spears was accused of lip synching, although she denied those claims. [43] On April 20, the concert at Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu, Hawaii, was taped. [48] It was slightly altered from its tour incarnation and featured different costumes. On June 5, it was broadcast on Fox, [49] airing several times during the year. On November 21, Jive Records released the video album Britney Spears: Live and More! , which included the Fox special. [50] It was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping 300,000 units. [51]
On August 14, 2017, 18 years after the release of ...Baby One More Time, it was announced that 2,500 pink-and-white-swirl copies of the album would be released on vinyl exclusively through Urban Outfitters on November 3. [52] During the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Spears' debut single "...Baby One More Time", on October 19, 2018, Legacy Recordings announced the global release of the album on vinyl for November 23. [53]
The title track was released as the lead single from ...Baby One More Time and Spears' debut single on September 29, 1998. [54] It received generally favorable critical reviews, which mostly praised its composition. [3] [20] After its accompanying music video premiered in late November, the single attained worldwide success in early 1999, peaking atop the US Billboard Hot 100 and in most countries it charted in. [55] It received numerous certifications around the world, and is one of the best-selling singles of all time, selling over ten million copies. [56] The music video, directed by Nigel Dick, portrays Spears as a high school student who starts to sing and dance around the school, while watching her love interest from afar. [57] In 2010, the video was voted the third most influential video in the history of pop music on Jam!. [58]
"Sometimes" was released as the second single from ...Baby One More Time on April 6, 1999. [59] It achieved commercial success internationally, reaching number one in Belgium, the Netherlands and New Zealand. [60] In the United States, however, it missed the top 20, peaking at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. [61] The song's accompanying music video was directed by Nigel Dick. [62] During rehearsals, on February 11, 1999, Spears injured her left knee and needed surgery. [63] After recuperating in Kentwood, Louisiana, [63] the video was filmed on April 9–10 at Paradise Cove in Malibu, California. [64] It premiered on MTV's Total Request Live on May 6. [62]
In May 1999, Max Martin and Spears went to the Battery Studios in New York City to re-record the vocals of "(You Drive Me) Crazy", [65] for a reproduced version subtitled "The Stop! Remix", which was going to be included on the original motion picture soundtrack for the film Drive Me Crazy (1999). [66] The remix was subsequently released as the third single from ...Baby One More Time on August 24. [59] It features the addition of a stanza in which Spears yells "Stop!", then all sound cutting out, followed by a transition, while omitting the lines "Lovin' you mean so much more, more than anything I ever loved before". The video was directed by Nigel Dick, and featured actors Melissa Joan Hart and Adrian Grenier. [67]
"Born to Make You Happy" was released as the fourth and final European single from ...Baby One More Time on December 6, 1999, to a mixed critical reception. [22] [68] A commercial success, it peaked within the top five in 11 countries and atop the UK Singles Chart. [69] [70] Its accompanying music video was directed by Bille Woodruff, [71] and choreographed by Wade Robson. [72] Despite its success in Europe, the song was never released as a single in the US. [73] [74]
"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" was released as the fourth and final North American and Oceanian single from ...Baby One More Time on December 14, 1999. [75] The song received mixed critical reviews, which branded it a classic hit and competent single, despite considering it an unremarkable song referring only to kissing. [22] [76] It achieved moderate commercial success, peaking at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100. [77] In Oceania, it peaked at number 37 in Australia and number 23 in New Zealand. [78] It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 28, 2000. [79] The song's accompanying music video, directed by Gregory Dark, was released on December 17, 1999. [42] It elicited controversy due to the fact that Dark had previously directed pornographic films. [80] [81]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [20] |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | [82] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [83] |
NME | 1/10 [84] |
Q | [85] |
Rolling Stone | [86] |
Sonic.net | [87] |
Sputnikmusic | 2/5 [76] |
Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ ( ) [88] |
...Baby One More Time received mixed reviews from music critics upon its release. The editors of AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars. [20] Paul Verna from Billboard considered the album "a top 40-ready workout filled with hook-laden songs from the same bag as the title cut". [89] The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau highlighted the title track and "Soda Pop" while summing the album up as a "girl next door" version of Madonna. [82] Kyle Anderson of MTV said he "was surprised in more ways than one" with his first listening of ...Baby One More Time, commenting he "expected there to be a lot of filler (there sort of is), though I didn't expect it to be as odd (at least sonically) as it ended up being. There has never been any mystery to why Spears became such a superstar, but these songs probably would have been huge even if Britney wore burlap sacks in all of her videos." [22]
Barry Walters of Rolling Stone gave the album two stars out of five, [86] and compared the album's sound to early hits of Debbie Gibson, Mariah Carey and Samantha Fox. [86] Walters also said that "while several Cherion-crafted kiddie-funk jams serve up beefy hooks, shameless schlock slowies, like 'E-Mail My Heart', is pure spam." [86] An NME reviewer rated ...Baby One More Time one out of ten, saying that "we seem to have reached crisis point: pubescent pop is now so rife that 17-year-old Britney 'lizard-lounge' Spears is already halfway through her lucrative showbiz career". [84] He also found the album premature, commenting: "hopefully, if she starts to live the wretched life that we all eventually do, her voice will show the scars, she'll stop looking so fucking smug, she'll find solace in drugs and we'll be all the happier for it. Now grow up, girl. Quick!" [84] Amanda Murray of Sputnikmusic felt that "with the exception of the terrific title track, ...Baby One More Time is a collection of either competent pop songs underwhelmingly executed or underwhelmingly written pop songs competently executed." [76]
In 2024, Paste listed the album among its picks for "The 300 Greatest Albums of All Time", with critic Olivia Abercrombie praising the album's iconic status and influence in pop music. [90]
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
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1999 | Juno Award | Best Selling Album (Foreign or Domestic) | ...Baby One More Time | Nominated | [91] |
1999 | Teen Choice Award | Choice Music – Album | Won | [92] | |
1999 | YoungStar Award | Best Young Recording Artist or Musical Group | Britney Spears | Won | [93] |
1999 | Billboard Music Award | Female Albums Artist of the Year | Won | [94] | |
2000 | Guinness World Record | Best Selling Album in the US by a Female Artist | ...Baby One More Time | Won | [95] |
2000 | American Music Award | Favorite Pop/Rock Album | Nominated | [96] | |
2000 | Blockbuster Entertainment Award | Favorite CD | Nominated | [97] | |
2000 | Hungarian Music Award | Foreign Pop Album of the Year | Nominated | [98] | |
2003 | Guinness World Record | Best Selling Album by a Teenage Solo Artist | Won | [99] |
In the United States, ...Baby One More Time debuted atop the Billboard 200 with sales of 121,000 copies in its first week, beating DMX's Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood . [100] Spears broke several records by doing so. [101] The singer became the first new female artist to have a number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one album on the Billboard 200 at the same time; [101] the first new artist (male or female) to have a single go to the number one spot the same week that the album debuted at number one; [101] and the first new female artist to have the first single and first album at number one the same week. [101] Spears is also the youngest female in Billboard history to have a simultaneous single and album at number one in the same week, [101] and became the fifth artist under the age of 18 to top the Billboard 200. [102] After fluctuating within the top five, the album went back to the summit in its fourth week. [103] It sold over 500,000 copies within its first month, according to Nielsen SoundScan. [104] Its fifth week became the album's highest-selling week with 229,000 copies sold, bringing the total to 804,000 copies. ...Baby One More Time spent a total of six non-consecutive weeks at number one, [34] and sold over 1.8 million copies in the US within its first two months. [105] In its 47th week on the Billboard 200, the album held strong at number three, reaching the ten-million sales mark in the country. [106] The album was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 9, 1999, [107] making then-18-year-old Spears the youngest artist to receive that certification, breaking the record held by Alanis Morissette, who was 21 when her album Jagged Little Pill (1995) was certified diamond. [107] It became the 14th album since 1991 to sell over ten million copies in the US, [108] and Spears became the best-selling female artist of 1999. [107] ...Baby One More Time spent a total of 51 weeks within the top ten on the Billboard 200. It was the second best-selling album of 1999 in the US, only behind Millennium by the Backstreet Boys. [38] The album has spent a total of 103 weeks on the Billboard 200. [109] ...Baby One More Time landed at number three on BMG Music Club's all-time best-sellers list, selling 1.6 million units through the club. [110] As of May 2020, it has sold 10.7 million copies in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan, [111] with the BMG Music Club sales bringing its total to 12.3 million units.
...Baby One More Time debuted atop the Canadian Albums Chart, spending nine non-consecutive weeks at the summit. [112] [113] [114] On December 12, 1999, the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) certified it diamond, for sales of over one million units. [115] The album spent two weeks at number two on the European Top 100 Albums, [116] and sold over four million copies across Europe, being certified quadruple platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). [117] It peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, [118] and has been certified quadruple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). [119] It peaked at number four in France, [120] being certified double platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP). [121] In addition, it has been certified triple gold in Germany, [122] and platinum by the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (ZPAV). [123] In Australia, it debuted at number nine on the ARIA Albums Chart, reaching number two nine weeks later. [124] The album became the seventh highest-selling album of 1999 in the country, and was certified quadruple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) the following year after shipping 280,000 copies to retailers. [125] [126] The album debuted at number three in New Zealand, [127] later being certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ). [128]
Spears was at the forefront of the female teen pop explosion starting in 1999 and extending through the 2000s, leading the pack of Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, and Mandy Moore. [129] All of these performers had been developing material in 1998, but the market changed dramatically in December 1998 when Spears' debut single and video were charting highly. RCA Records signed Aguilera and rushed her debut single to capitalize on Spears' success, producing the hit single "Genie in a Bottle" in May 1999 and Aguilera's eponymous debut studio album in August. [130] Aguilera's album sold millions but not as many as ...Baby One More Time. [131] Simpson consciously modeled her persona as more mature than Spears; her single "I Wanna Love You Forever" charted in September 1999, and her album Sweet Kisses followed shortly after. [132] [133] Moore's first single, "Candy", hit the airwaves a month before Simpson's single, but it did not perform as well on the charts; Moore was often seen as less accomplished than Spears and the others, coming in fourth of the "pop princesses". [134] [135] Fueling media stories about their competition for first place, Spears and Aguilera traded barbs but also compliments through the 2000s. [136]
"With ...Baby One More Time, I didn't get to show my voice off. The songs were great, but they weren't very challenging."
The Daily Yomiuri reported that "critics have hailed her as the most gifted teenage pop idol for many years, but Spears has set her sights a little higher-she is aiming for the level of superstardom that has been achieved by Madonna and Janet Jackson." [138] Rolling Stone wrote: "Britney Spears carries on the classic archetype of the rock & roll teen queen, the dungaree doll, the angel baby who just has to make a scene." [139] Rami Yacoub who co-produced Spears's debut album with lyricist Max Martin commented: "I know from Denniz Pop and Max's previous productions, when we do songs, there's kind of a nasal thing. With N' Sync and the Backstreet Boys, we had to push for that mid-nasal voice. When Britney did that, she got this kind of raspy, sexy voice." [140] Chuck Taylor of Billboard observed, "Spears has become a consummate performer, with snappy dance moves, a clearly real-albeit young-and funkdified voice ... "(You Drive Me) Crazy", her third single ... demonstrates Spears' own development, proving that the 17-year-old is finding her own vocal personality after so many months of steadfast practice." [141] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic referred to her music as a "blend of infectious, rap-inflected dance-pop and smooth balladry." [20] Sputnikmusic writer Amanda Murray noted the album "offers a marker for Spears' progression as an artist, as a celebrity, and as a woman." [76] In 2010, the album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [142]
Spears became an international pop culture icon immediately after launching her recording career. Rolling Stone wrote: "One of the most controversial and successful female vocalists of the 21st century," she "spearheaded the rise of post-millennial teen pop ... Spears early on cultivated a mixture of innocence and experience that generated lots of cash". [143] She is listed by the Guinness World Records as having the "Best-selling album by a teenage solo artist". [99] Melissa Ruggieri of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported, "She's also marked for being the best-selling teenage artist. Before she turned 20 in 2001, Spears sold more than 25 million albums worldwide". [144] Barbara Ellen of The Observer reported: "Spears is famously one of the 'oldest' teenagers pop has ever produced, almost middle aged in terms of focus and determination. Many 19-year-olds haven't even started working by that age, whereas Britney, a former Mouseketeer, was that most unusual and volatile of American phenomena — a child with a full-time career. While other little girls were putting posters on their walls, Britney was wanting to be the poster on the wall. Whereas other children develop at their own pace, Britney was developing at a pace set by the ferociously competitive American entertainment industry". [145] ...Baby One More Time is Spears' most commercially successful album to date, with worldwide sales of 25 million copies. [146] It was ranked at number 41 on the all-time US Billboard 200 chart, [147] and at number 16 on the Billboard 200 albums by women. [148]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "...Baby One More Time" | Max Martin |
| 3:30 |
2. | "(You Drive Me) Crazy" |
| 3:17 | |
3. | "Sometimes" | Elofsson |
| 4:05 |
4. | "Soda Pop" |
| White | 3:20 |
5. | "Born to Make You Happy" | Lundin | 4:03 | |
6. | "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" | White | White | 5:11 |
7. | "I Will Be There" |
|
| 3:53 |
8. | "I Will Still Love You" (with Don Philip) | White | White | 4:02 |
9. | "Thinkin' About You" |
| White | 3:35 |
10. | "E-Mail My Heart" | White | White | 3:41 |
11. | "The Beat Goes On" |
|
| 3:43 |
Total length: | 42:20 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
9. | "Deep in My Heart" |
|
| 3:36 |
10. | "Thinkin' About You" |
| White | 3:35 |
11. | "E-Mail My Heart" | White | White | 3:41 |
12. | "The Beat Goes On" |
|
| 3:43 |
Total length: | 45:54 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "I'll Never Stop Loving You" |
|
| 3:43 |
14. | "...Baby One More Time" (Davidson Ospina Radio Mix) | Martin |
| 3:26 |
Total length: | 53:23 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "I'll Never Stop Loving You" |
|
| 3:43 |
14. | "Autumn Goodbye" | White | White | 3:42 |
15. | "...Baby One More Time" (Davidson Ospina Radio Mix) | Martin |
| 3:26 |
16. | "...Baby One More Time" (Boy Wunder Radio Mix) | Martin |
| 3:27 |
Total length: | 60:20 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "(You Drive Me) Crazy" (The Stop! Remix) |
|
| 3:16 |
2. | "(You Drive Me) Crazy" (Spacedust Club Mix) |
|
| 7:20 |
3. | "Sometimes" (Soul Solution – Mid Tempo Mix) | Elofsson |
| 3:29 |
4. | "...Baby One More Time" (Davidson Ospina Club Mix) | Martin |
| 5:40 |
5. | "I'll Never Stop Loving You" |
|
| 3:41 |
6. | "I'm So Curious" |
| White | 3:35 |
Total length: | 27:01 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Born to Make You Happy" (Radio Edit) |
| Lundin | 3:35 |
2. | "Born to Make You Happy" (Bonus Remix) |
| Lundin | 3:40 |
3. | "(You Drive Me) Crazy" (Jazzy Jim's Hip-Hop Mix) |
| 3:40 | |
4. | "...Baby One More Time" (Answering Machine Message) | 0:21 | ||
Total length: | 11:27 |
Notes
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of ...Baby One More Time, except where noted. [5]
Weekly charts
| Monthly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
All-time charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Argentina (CAPIF) [220] | 4× Platinum | 240,000^ |
Australia (ARIA) [125] | 4× Platinum | 280,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [221] | Platinum | 50,000* |
Belgium (BEA) [222] | 3× Platinum | 150,000* |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [223] | Gold | 250,000 [224] |
Canada (Music Canada) [115] | Diamond | 1,000,000^ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [225] | 3× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [226] | Gold | 37,865 [226] |
France (SNEP) [121] | 2× Platinum | 600,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [122] | 3× Gold | 750,000^ |
Iceland | — | 5,000 [227] |
Italy | — | 200,000 [228] |
Japan (RIAJ) [229] | Platinum | 205,780 [201] |
Mexico (AMPROFON) [230] | 2× Platinum+Gold | 500,000 [231] |
Netherlands (NVPI) [232] | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [128] | 3× Platinum | 45,000^ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [233] | Platinum | 50,000* |
Philippines (PARI) [234] | 4× Platinum | 200,000 [235] |
Poland (ZPAV) [236] | Platinum | 100,000* |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [237] | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
Sweden (GLF) [238] | Platinum | 80,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [239] | 2× Platinum | 100,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [119] | 4× Platinum | 1,210,000 [240] |
United States (RIAA) [241] | 14× Platinum | 14,000,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Asia | — | 1,680,000 [242] |
Europe (IFPI) [117] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000* |
Worldwide | — | 25,000,000 [146] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Edition | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | January 12, 1999 | Standard | Jive | [243] | |
Japan | February 24, 1999 | CD | Deluxe | Avex Trax | [244] |
Germany | March 8, 1999 | Standard | BMG | [245] | |
United Kingdom |
| Jive | [246] [247] | ||
Argentina | March 17, 1999 | CD | EMI | [248] | |
France | April 9, 1999 | Jive | [249] | ||
Australia | November 23, 1999 | Deluxe | BMG | [157] | |
Poland | May 8, 2003 | Digital download | |||
Germany | June 30, 2003 | CD | |||
France | October 14, 2003 | Jive | |||
United States | December 25, 2007 | Digital download | [253] | ||
November 3, 2017 | Vinyl (Urban Outfitters exclusive) | Standard | Legacy | [52] | |
Various | November 23, 2018 |
| [53] | ||
Australia | March 31, 2023 | Opaque pink vinyl | Sony | [254] | |
Germany | [255] | ||||
Mexico | [256] | ||||
Poland | [257] | ||||
United Kingdom | [258] | ||||
United States | Black vinyl | Legacy | [259] |
Britney Jean Spears is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Spears has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. She has earned numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award, 15 Guinness World Records, six MTV Video Music Awards, seven Billboard Music Awards, the inaugural Radio Disney Icon Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her heavily choreographed music videos earned her the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.
Britney is the third studio album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on October 31, 2001, by Jive Records. Looking to transition from the teen pop styles of her first two studio albums ...Baby One More Time (1999) and Oops!... I Did It Again (2000), Spears began to embrace a significantly more mature sound with Britney. The record incorporates genres of pop and R&B with influences of EDM and occasionally dips into disco, hip hop, rock, and electronica. Its lyrical themes address the subjects such as coming of age, adulthood, control, and sexuality. Contributions to its production came from a variety of collaborators, including Max Martin and Rami Yacoub. Spears herself assumed a more prominent role in the album's development, co-writing six of its tracks.
"...Baby One More Time" is the debut single by American singer Britney Spears from her debut studio album of the same name (1999). It was written by Max Martin and produced by Martin and Rami Yacoub. Released on September 29, 1998, by Jive Records, the song became a worldwide success, topping the charts in over 20 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, where it earned quintuple and triple-platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), respectively, and was the latter's best-selling single of 1999. A teen pop and dance-pop about longing for the return of an ex-boyfriend, "...Baby One More Time" is one of the best-selling singles of all time, with over 10 million copies sold.
"Sometimes" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time (1999). Written by Jörgen Elofsson and produced by Elofsson, Per Magnusson and David Kreuger, the song was released as Spears' second single on April 6, 1999, by Jive Records. "Sometimes" is a bubblegum pop ballad that alludes to a relationship where a shy girl is reserved on expressing feelings to her lover. The song received generally favorable reviews from contemporary critics.
"(You Drive Me) Crazy" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time (1999). Written and produced by Max Martin, Per Magnusson and David Kreuger with additional writing by Jörgen Elofsson and remix by Martin and Rami Yacoub, it was released as the album's third single on August 24, 1999, by Jive Records. It was featured on the soundtrack of the 1999 teen romantic comedy film Drive Me Crazy. The song garnered positive reviews from music critics, some of whom praised its simple formula and noted similarities to Spears's debut single, "...Baby One More Time".
"Born to Make You Happy" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time (1999). It was released on December 6, 1999, by Jive Records, as the fourth single from the album in Europe. Spears—whose vision for her sound differed stylistically from that of her producer's—was unhappy with the sexual overtones of the song, and the song underwent at least one re-write before its release. The singer first recorded the vocals for the track in May 1998, which were later re-recorded in September 1999 for the 'Bonus Remix' of the song. The teen pop song alludes to a relationship that a woman desires to correct, not quite understanding what went wrong, as she comes to realize that she was "born to make [her lover] happy".
"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time (1999). It was released on December 14, 1999, by Jive Records as the fifth and final single from the album. After Spears recorded an unused song from Toni Braxton and sent it through Larry Rudolph to several labels, executives from Jive Records commented that it was very rare to hear someone so young who could deliver emotional content and commercial appeal, appointing the singer to work with producer Eric Foster White. The teen pop ballad was written and produced by White, and features Spears singing about the loss of a first love and how breaking up can be hard.
"Oops!... I Did It Again" is a pop song recorded by American singer Britney Spears from her second studio album of the same name. It was released on April 11, 2000, by Jive Records as the lead single from the album, and her sixth single overall. It was written and produced by Max Martin and Rami Yacoub. The lyrics refer to a woman who views love as a game, and she decides to use that to her advantage by playing with the emotions of a boy who likes her. Its bridge features spoken dialogue which references the hit 1997 film Titanic.
"Lucky" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her second studio album, Oops!... I Did It Again (2000). It was released on July 25, 2000, by Jive Records as the second single from the album. After meeting with producers Max Martin and Rami Yacoub in Sweden, the singer recorded numerous songs for the album, including "Lucky". The song's narrative follows the story of the eponymous famous actress, who, despite seemingly having it all – fame, wealth, beauty – is truly lonely and unhappy on the inside. It received critical acclaim, with critics praising its melody and rhythm, and Spears' vocals.
"Stronger" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her second studio album, Oops!... I Did It Again (2000). It was released on October 31, 2000, by Jive Records as the third single from the album. After meeting with producers Max Martin and Rami in Sweden, Spears recorded several songs for the album, including "Stronger". The dance-pop, synth-pop and teen pop song features self-empowerment lyrics about a girl who is tired of her cheating boyfriend and decides to move on without him. It received acclaim from music critics, who described the song as being both musically and lyrically innovative, with some deeming it the best track on Oops!... I Did It Again.
"Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her second studio album, Oops!... I Did It Again (2000). It was released on March 12, 2001, by Jive Records as the fourth and final single from the album. After meeting with producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange in Switzerland, Spears recorded several songs for the album, including "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know", which she considered one of her favorites on the album. Additional lyrics were written by guitar player Keith Scott and country pop singer Shania Twain. The pop ballad speaks of a woman wanting to hear her boyfriend say that he loves her, and is sonically similar to David Bowie and Iggy Pop's song "China Girl" (1983).
American singer Britney Spears has released nine studio albums, eight compilation albums, nine box sets, three extended plays (EPs), 50 singles, 11 promotional singles, two charity singles, and has made three guest appearances. In 1997, Spears signed a recording contract with American record label Jive Records in order to launch her career.
Time Out with Britney Spears is the first video album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on November 23, 1999, by Jive Records.
Blackout is the fifth studio album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on October 25, 2007, by Jive Records. Its production and release occurred as Spears' personal struggles were highly publicized and overshadowed her professional projects. She executive-produced the album, working with producers Danja, Bloodshy & Avant, Sean Garrett, and the Neptunes, among others; it is the only album on which Spears is credited as the executive producer. The final result was primarily a dance-pop and electropop record with Euro disco and dubstep influences, with lyrical themes revolving around love, fame, media scrutiny, sex, and clubbing.
"You Got It All" is a song recorded by American band the Jets. It was released in 1986 as the fourth single from their debut studio album The Jets (1985). It was written by Rupert Holmes, most famous for the 1979 hit "Escape ", and produced by Don Powell and David Rivkin. Holmes wrote it for his 10-year-old daughter Wendy but she never got to hear it become a hit, as prior to its release she died suddenly of an undiagnosed brain tumour. The song features the second youngest member of the group, then-13-year-old Elizabeth Wolfgramm, on lead vocals.
"Womanizer" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus (2008). It was released on September 26, 2008, by Jive Records as the lead single of the album. Produced and written by the Outsyders, the song was re-recorded after a snippet was leaked onto the internet. "Womanizer" is an up-tempo electropop and dance-pop song. Described by Spears as a girl anthem, the song's lyrics recall a womanizing man, while the protagonist of the song makes clear she knows who he really is.
Oops!... I Did It Again is the second studio album by American singer Britney Spears released on May 3, 2000, by Jive Records. Following the enormous commercial success of her debut studio album ...Baby One More Time (1999) and the completion of its accompanying concert tour of the same title, Spears began recording material for her second studio album in September 1999. Pressured to duplicate the success of ...Baby One More Time, she collaborated with a wide range of producers, including Max Martin, Rami Yacoub, Per Magnusson, David Kreuger, Kristian Lundin, Jake Schulze, Darkchild, and Robert John "Mutt" Lange for Oops!... I Did It Again. The final result was a pop, dance-pop and teen pop record exceedingly in the vein of ...Baby One More Time, but incorporating funk and R&B. The production, sonic quality, and Spears's vocal performance received critical acclaim upon the album's release.
The Singles Collection is the second greatest hits album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on November 10, 2009, through Jive Records to commemorate her ten-year anniversary since entering the music industry. The compilation was released in many different formats, including a one-disc edition, a CD+DVD edition and a box set, which contained twenty-nine singles, each packaged in its own slip case with original cover art. The CD+DVD edition, as well as the box set, contains a DVD with Spears's music videos.
"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is a rock song written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker and first recorded by the Arrows, a British rock band, in 1975. A 1981 cover version by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, released as the first single from her album of the same name, became Jett's highest-charting hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the No. 3 song for 1982. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, representing two million units shipped to stores. Jett's version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016.
6 milioni di dischi venduti solo negli Usa e 200 mila copie in Italia