The Entire Baby One More Time Era All In One Place

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Everything you ever wanted to know about ...Baby One More Time in one post. This will include heaps of facts and interesting stories about the era, interviews, videos, performances and all the WIKI information in one post.

 

 

 

So when you are feeling nostalgic or want to reminisce - this would be your go to Of course - so much happened in this era - so if you see things we have not added - please feel free to post them - so that everyone can see... 

 

If you guys like the idea we can carry on with the rest of the eras and then we can go to from there... just thought it would be nice to have a history of the iconic eras all in one place..  

 

Please note: Some of this info is directly from the Wiki website - so there may be grammatical errors and some repeat information segments. 

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…BABY ONE MORE TIME ERA:

 

Singles and Music Videos:

 

Single: …Baby One More Time

Album: …Baby One More Time

Estimated worldwide single sales: 11,050,000

Video link:

http://youtu.be/C-u5WLJ9Yk4

 

Video comparisons:

http://youtu.be/i5TBA4xJZcg

 

Video Icon: Britney Basketball

Single Cover:

 

The need to know interesting facts:

 

This was Britney's first hit, and it propelled her to stardom. The slick sound earned plenty of radio play, but it was the image of the schoolgirl Spears, who was just 16 when the song was released on October 23, 1998, that made her a sensation. MTV played the video, but it was the internet that gave her the most traction, as teenage girls and guys of all ages logged into their AOL accounts and typed some variation of "Britney Spears" into Alta Vista to see more of the starlet. Over the next 15 years, Spears led the world in celebrity news, with one incident after another documented by eager paparazzi. But it all started with this: a very slick Pop song about a girl who wants another chance with the guy she broke up with.

 

Max Martin wrote this song and produced it. Martin is a Swedish citizen with a knack for catchy pop songs. He created hits for The Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC in addition to Spears.

 

The video was shot at Venice High School in Los Angeles, which was the setting for Rydell High in the movie Grease.

 

…Baby One More Time was first offered to the group TLC, who turned it down. It was later accepted by Britney. TLC's "T-Boz" Watkins explained to MTV News that the trio passed on the song as they didn't feel it represented the band appropriately. "I was like, I like the song but do I think it's a hit? Do I think it's TLC? I'm not saying 'hit me baby.'"

 

"No disrespect to Britney," she added. "It's good for her. But was I going to say 'hit me baby one more time'? Hell no!" In the UK, this was the biggest-selling single of 1999.

 

Supposedly if you play the song backwards, specifically in the part where Spears says "With you I lose my mind, give me a sign" it translates as "Sleep with me I'm not too young."

 

When it came time to make a promo clip for . . . Baby One More Time, Spears had to show that her Southern conviviality had its limits. Jive had hired on video director Joseph Khan, whose concept reached the storyboard stage before Spears spoke up. "They had this really bizarre video idea, this animated Power Ranger-y thing," she explains. "I said, `This is not right. If you want me to reach four-year-olds, then OK, but if you want me to reach my age group. . .' So I had this idea where we're in school and bored out of our minds, and we have Catholic uniforms on. And I said, `Why don't we have knee-highs and tie the shirts up to give it a little attitude?' -- so it wouldn't be boring and cheesy." The seventeen-year-old won the day, and the rest is chart history." 

 

"Britney had learned early in life through role models like Madonna that image was as important as the music for mainstream success, though even Madonna's first video appearance wasn't as controversial as Britney's. JIVE had selected 'Baby One More Time' as the lead single, proposing an animated video with Britney as a Space Rangers-type heroine. Britney was horrified: "I was freaking out. They were, like, really set on it. They were gonna do it. I was like, 'Y'all, Please. I do not want to be some Power Ranger and have my watch come out and kill somebody.' So I told them my idea." (Excerpt from the unofficial biography "Britney")

 

"Her intuition perhaps saved her from stumbling on the music video of “Baby One More Time” that would be the make-or-break test for her. When she saw the document describing the creative treatment planned for the video, which had her fighting with an animated monster, she simply said, “My audience won’t go for this.” According to manager Larry Rudolph, she mapped out what her audience would respond to right off the top of her head: Britney tapping a pencil, waiting for the school bell to ring, and bam, the dancing begins. Lots of good looking kids. Very simple. No gimmicks. Spears and Rudolph called Jive President Barry Weiss and changed what was to be a video of her battling with an animated monster (at a cost of $800,000) into the idea she spun in less than five minutes (with a price tag of $250,000)."

 

When asked by Out Magazine what the worst advice is that she ever received from a record executive, Britney replied: "Someone once told me that the '... Baby One More Time' video should be me as a superhero fighting a giant robot monster."

 

"And even on the set, as wardrobe production people tried to dress her for her video, she changed the wardrobe based on her own instincts – sparking the belly button fad that continues to rage."

 

"The reaction to "the schoolgirl-on-heat persona", as one writer described it, especially in the ...Baby One More Time video, which featured the 17-year-old Britney dressed in a schoolgirl outfit with her shirt tied up revealingly, was explosive. Britney's management was accused of exploiting her underage sexuality. "It wasn’t us force-feeding this teenage girl sexual ideas," Lunt insists. "It was the other way round! We were trying to stop it. It was Britney who wanted to wear the sexy schoolgirl uniform. She was the one who tied up the shirt to show the belly."

 

In a 2009 interview with MTV News, the director of the video, Nigel Dick, gave full credit to Spears for coming up with her schoolgirl look. "My idea originally was just jeans and T-shirts, and we were at the wardrobe fitting and Britney holds up the jeans and T-shirts and says, 'Wouldn't I wear a schoolgirl outfit?' " he said. "Every piece of wardrobe in the video came from Kmart, and I was told at the time not one piece of clothing in the video cost more than $17. On that level, it's real. That probably, in retrospect, is a part of its charm."

 

The love interest in the BOMT video is Britney’s cousin Chad.

 

..Baby One more time is the only song to be performed in every tour.

 

..Baby One More time is the disc with the most alternative versions, both the flower and the background can be found in many different colours.

 

The teacher in the music video is played by fan favourite assistant Felicia.

 

…Baby One More Time was also offered to Backstreet Boys and 5ive but they both rejected the track.

 

…Baby One More Time is listed as one of the best-selling singles of all time.

 

The single was the last song to be played on the TV show Top Of The Pops.

 

Many magazines have listed …Baby One More Time as the greatest pop songs in History.

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Information overload – the Wiki facts:

 

"...Baby One More Time" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears for her debut studio album, of the same name(1999). It was written and produced by Max Martin, with additional production from Rami. "...Baby One More Time" was released on September 30, 1998, by Jive Records. After recording and sending a demo tape with an unused song from Toni Braxton, Spears signed a multi-album deal with Jive. "...Baby One More Time" is a teen pop and dance-pop song that refers to a girl who regrets breaking up with her boyfriend. The song received generally favourable reviews from critics, who praised its composition.

"...Baby One More Time" attained global success, reaching number one in every country it charted. It also received numerous certifications around the world, and is one of the best-selling singles of all time, with over 10 million copies sold. An accompanying music video, directed by Nigel Dick, portrays Spears as a student from a Catholic high school, who starts to daydream that she is singing and dancing around the school, while watching her love interest from afar. The music video was later referenced in the music video of "If U Seek Amy" (2008), where Spears's fictional daughter is dressed with a similar schoolgirl outfit while wearing pink ribbons in her hair. In 2010, the music video for "...Baby One More Time" was voted the third most influential video in the history of pop music, in a poll held by Jam!. In 2011, "...Baby One More Time" was voted the best music video of the 90's. It has been featured on all of her greatest hits and other compilation albums.

Spears has performed "...Baby One More Time" in a number of live appearances and in all of her concert tours. It was the encore of the ...Baby One More Time Tour (1999) and Dream Within a Dream Tour (2001); Spears also performed remixed versions of the song during the Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour (2000), The Onyx Hotel Tour (2004), The M+M's Tour (2007), The Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009), the Femme Fatale Tour (2011), and Britney: Piece of Me (2013). "...Baby One More Time" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and has been included in lists by Blender, Rolling Stone and VH1. It has been noted for redefining the sound of late 1990s music. Spears has named "...Baby One More Time" as one of her favourite songs from her career. It was also the final song to be played on the BBC's music programme Top of the Pops in the 1990s.

BACKGROUND:

 

In June 1997, Spears was in talks with manager Lou Pearlman to join the female pop group Innosense. Lynne Spears asked family friends 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 he wanted to pitch her to record labels as a solo act, therefore she needed a professional demo. He sent Spears an unused song from Toni Braxton, she rehearsed for a week and recorded her vocals in a studio with a sound engineer. Spears travelled to New York with the demo and met with executives from four labels, returning to Kentwood the same day. Three of the labels 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. Senior vice president of A&R Jeff Fenster stated about Spears's audition that "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." They appointed her 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." After hearing the recorded material, President Clive Calder ordered a full album. Spears had originally envisioned "Sheryl Crow music, but younger more adult contemporary" but felt all right with her label's appointment of producers, since "It made more sense to go pop, because I can dance to it—it's more me." She flew to Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, where half of the album was recorded from March to April 1998, with producers Max Martin, Denniz Pop and Rami Yacoub, among others.

Martin showed Spears and her management a track titled "Hit Me Baby One More Time", which was originally written for American group Backstreet Boys and R&B group TLC; however, when the song was submitted to them, they rejected it. Spears later claimed that she felt excited when she heard it and knew it was going to be a hit record. "We at Jive said, 'This is a ... smash'," revealed the label's A&R executive at the time Steven Lunt; however, other executives were concerned that the line "Hit Me" would condone domestic violence, later being revised to "...Baby One More Time". Spears recorded her vocals for the song in March 1998 at Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. The singer 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’." The track was produced by Denniz Pop, Martin and Rami, and was also mixed by Martin at Cheiron Studios. Thomas Lindberg played the guitar, while Johan Carlberg played the bass guitar. Background vocals were provided by Spears, Martin and Nana Hedin. Spears also recorded a track called "Autumn Goodbye", written and produced by Eric Foster White, that was released as a b-side to "...Baby One More Time". The track was recorded in 1997 at 4MW East Studios in New Jersey. "...Baby One More Time" was released as Spears's debut single on September 30, 1998 by Jive Records, when she was only 16 years old. The singer has named "...Baby One More Time" as one of her favourite songs from her entire career, naming "Toxic" and "He About to Lose Me" as the other two.

 

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COMPOSITION:

"...Baby One More Time" is a teen pop and dance-pop song that lasts for three minutes and 30 seconds. The song is composed in the key of C minor and is set in the time signature of 4/4 common time with a moderate tempo of 93 beats per minute. Spears's vocal range spans over two octaves from Eâ™­₃ to the high-tone of G₅. The song begins with a swung three-note motif in the bass range of the piano, opening that has been compared to many other songs, such as "We Will Rock You" (1977), "Start Me Up" (1981) and the theme song of the film Jaws due to the fact the track "makes its presence known in exactly one second". According to magazine Blender, "...Baby One More Time" is composed by "wah-wah guitar lines andEKG-machine bass-slaps".

Claudia Mitchell and Jacqueline Reid-Walsh, authors of Girl Culture: Studying girl culture : a readers' guide (2008), noted the lyrics of the song "gesture toward [spears] longing for the return of an ex-boyfriend." Spears said "...Baby One More Time" is a song "every girl can relate to. She regrets it. She wants him back." The lyrics, however, caused controversy in the United States, because the line "Hit me baby one more time" supposedly has sadomasochistic connotations. As a response, the singer said the line "doesn't mean physically hit me. [...] It means just give me a sign, basically. I think it's kind of funny that people would actually think that's what it meant." Contemporary author Ben Shapiro deemed the song's lyrics as suggestive, mostly "Oh baby, baby / The reason I breathe is you / Boy, you got me blinded / Oh pretty baby / There's nothing that I wouldn't do" and "When I'm not with you I lose my mind / Give me a sign / Hit me baby one more time".

CRITICAL RECEPTION:

"...Baby One More Time" received generally favourable reviews from contemporary critics, who mostly praised its composition. Marc Oxoby, author of The 1990s (2003), noted the song "was derided as vapid by some critics, yet tapped into the same kind of audience to whom the Spice Girls music appealed, young teens and pre-teens." Amanda Murray of Sputnikmusic commented, "["...Baby One More Time" is] well-composed, tightly arranged, and even with Spears's vocal limitations it goes straight for the proverbial pop jugular." She also said that the song was a highlight in the pop music genre and added, "There is little doubt that '...Baby One More Time' will be long remembered as one of the cornerstones of pop music in general, and it is a strong front-runner as the prototype for the late 90s pop resurgence." Bill Lamb of About.com considered "...Baby One More Time" as Spears's best song, saying, "the song is full of hooks and a big mainstream pop sound. The accompanying schoolgirl video caused a sensation, and, when the single hit No. 1, Britney was assured of stardom." In a list compiled by Sara Anderson of AOL Radio, "...Baby One More Time" was ranked sixth in a list of Spears's best songs. She noted the singer "somehow made the school girl outfit and pink pom-pom hair-ties trendy again, worn by every tween in the succeeding years."

Beth Johnson of Entertainment Weekly called "...Baby One More Time" a "candy-pop-with-a-funky-edge smash", while Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said the song was "ingenious", Brian Raftery of Blender called it "a perfectly fine, slickly conceived pop tune. [..] At the time, teen-pop was still a boys’ club, but while the guys were crooning about crushes, Spears was already planning the sleep-over party". Rolling Stone called it "some of the best radio pop of the past decade-plus". A review of NME considered "...Baby One More Time" "incredible", commenting that "it's a symphony of teenage lust as fully realised as anything Brian Wilson ever wrote – a truly grand pop song that overwhelms any lingering undercurrent of Lolita paedo-creepiness through the sheer fanatical earnestness of its delivery." "...Baby One More Time" won a Teen Choice Award for Single of the Year and an MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song.

 

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CHART PERFORMANCE:

The song was officially sent to the American radio stations in October 23, 1998. On November 21, 1998, "...Baby One More Time" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the chart two and a half months later for two consecutive weeks, replacing R&B-singerBrandy's "Have You Ever?". Simultaneously, it climbed to number-one on the Canadian Singles Chart. The song reached the top spot of the Hot 100 Singles Sales and stayed there for four consecutive weeks. This eventually propelled the single to a platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America. Though not as strong as its sales tallies, "...Baby One More Time" also experienced considerable airplay, becoming her first top ten hit on the Hot 100 Airplay, peaking at number eight. The single also became an all-around hit on Top 40 radio, going top ten on both the Top 40 Tracks and Rhythmic Top 40, and to number one for five weeks on the Mainstream Top 40. It spent 32 weeks on the Hot 100 and ended up at number five on Billboard magazine's year-end chart. As of June 2012, "...Baby One More Time" has sold 1,412,000 physical singles, with 511,000 paid digital downloads in the United States. It is Spears's best-selling physical single in the country.  "...Baby One More Time" debuted at number 20 on the Australian Singles Chart,  a month later reached number one and stayed there for nine consecutive weeks. The song eventually became the second highest-selling single of the year, only behind Lou Bega's "Mambo#5", and was certified three-times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for selling over 210,000 copies. In New Zealand, the single spent four non-consecutive weeks at the top of the charts and after shipping over 15,000 units to retailers the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand certified it platinum.

The track reached the top spot in every European country in which it charted. "...Baby One More Time" spent two consecutive weeks at number-one on the French Singles Chart and was certified platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique after selling over 500,000 units in the country. Additionally, the song topped the German Singles Chart for six consecutive weeks and sold over 750,000 copies, resulting in a three-times gold certification by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry In the United Kingdom, according Jive Records, the single "…Baby One More Time" has sold more than 250,000 copies in a mere three days. Spears broke a first-week sales record for a female act at the time when "...Baby One More Time" sold a total of 460,000 copies in the United Kingdom. The single went on to sell over 1.5 million units,  making it the highest-selling single of the year and the 29th best-selling of all-time in Britain. Eventually, the British Phonographic Industry certified it two-times platinum on March 26, 1999. Additionally, "...Baby One More Time" is the third best-selling single by a female artist in the country, just behind Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and Cher's "Believe". "...Baby One More Time" is one of the best-selling singles of all time, with over 10 million copies sold worldwide. 

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MUSIC VIDEO:

Background

The music video was filmed on August 6, 7 and 8, 1998, in Los Angeles and was directed by Nigel Dick. After being chosen, Dick received criticism from his colleagues about wanting to work with Spears. He responded saying, "It's a great song. I don't know anything about Britney. I never watched The Mickey Mouse Club. She seems like a great kid and she's very enthusiastic, but I just love the song. It's just a great song". The video's original setup was in high contrast to what eventually became the final product. The plan was to have the video in a cartoon-like environment, in a likely attempt to attract the audience of younger children. Spears was unhappy with this, and argued that she wanted her video to reflect the lives of her fans and wanted to set the video in a school. Spears pitched this idea to Dick, and further explained she wanted the video to have dance scenes. The original setting was scrapped and replaced with Spears's concept.  Dick’s original idea for the wardrobe was jeans and a T-shirt, but during the wardrobe fitting Spears decided to change it for a schoolgirl outfit. Dick said that "Every piece of wardrobe in the video came from Kmart, and I was told at the time not one piece of clothing in the video cost more than $17. On that level, it's real. That probably, in retrospect, is a part of its charm." The knotted shirt design was Spears's idea, she recollects saying, "The outfits looked kind of dorky, so I was like, 'Let's tie up our shirts and be cute'". About the experience of shooting her first music video, Spears said, "It was a wonderful experience. All these people there, working for you. I had my own trailer. It was an amazing experience". The music video was shot at Venice High School, the same school used to film the movie Grease. The video premiered on MTV and other music video stations in November 1998.

Synopsis

The video begins with Spears appearing bored in class at a Catholic high school. Her assistant Felicia Culotta played the role of Spears's teacher.  When the bell rings, Spears runs out into the hall and begins a choreographed dance in the corridor. After this, Spears is outside, now adorned in a pink athletic outfit, and seen in a car. Along with a couple of other students, she performs a number of gymnastic moves before heading back inside. She is then sitting on the bleachers in the gymnasium watching a basketball game, and she dances in the gymnasium. Her love interest is revealed sitting close to her, played by her real-life cousin Chad.  After this short segment, Spears begins her final dance routine and the video ends shortly afterwards, and the bell rings and Spears leaves the gymnasium, revealing that the whole thing had actually just been Spears's daydream.

Reception

The schoolgirl outfit is considered to be one of Spears's iconic looks and is on display at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas,Nevada.  The ensemble caused controversy among parents associations for showing the midriff of a sixteen-year-old.  Spears faced the criticism saying, "Me showing my belly? I'm from the South; you're stupid if you don't wear a sports bra [when you] go to dance class, you're going to be sweating your butt off."  In 1999, "...Baby One More Time" earned Spears her first three MTV Video Music Award nominations, in the categories of Best Pop Video,  Best Choreography, and Best Female Video. In a list compiled by VH1 in 2001, it was listed at number ninety in the best videos of all time. The video was the first of fourteen of her videos to retire on MTV's television series TRL. On its final episode, a three-hour special aired on November 16, 2008, "…Baby One More Time" was number one in their final countdown as the most iconic music videos of all time and was the last video to be played on the show. Wesley Yang in his essay “Inside the Box” in n+1, compared the music video to Britny Fox's "Girlschool" because it featured "a classroom full of Catholic schoolgirls gyrating to the beat in defiance of a stern teacher. [..] But that was a sexist video by a horrible hair metal band that exploited women. Britney Spears was something else—an inflection point in the culture". The music video is also referenced in the music video of Spears's 2000 single, Stronger where she quotes, "My loneliness ain't killing me no more" - a reference to ...Baby One More Time where she quotes, "My loneliness is killing me." The music video is also referenced in 2009 single, "If U Seek Amy". After she comes out of the house dressed as a housewife, her daughter is dressed with a similar schoolgirl outfit while wearing pink ribbons in her hair. The video was ranked at number four on a list of the ten most controversial music videos in pop by AOL on September 29, 2011. In April 2014, the music video for "...Baby One More Time" reached over 100 million views on VEVO becoming Spears' 5th music video to do so and making it the first 90's video by a female singer to receive a certification.

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LIVE PERFORMANCES:

Spears performed "...Baby One More Time" on several occasions. It was performed at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, at the 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards, along with "(You Drive Me) Crazy", and at the 1999 Billboard Music Awards, at The David Letterman Show in 1999, at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1999, at the 30° edition of the Festivalbar in 1999, at the German edition of Top Of The Pops, at the Christmas special of Top Of The Pops in U.K. in December 25, 1999 along with Born to Make You Happy and at the television program Good Morning America in January 7, 2000 along with From the Bottom of My Broken Heart. Spears performed the song in a medley with "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" at the 42nd Grammy Awards. Spears was wearing a turtleneck and a full tulle skirt at the beginning of the performance, while dancers surrounded her with enormous hand fans. After singing a shortened version of the song, she then took a few moments to shuffle into a form-fitting red rhinestone outfit (with side cut outs) and emerged onto a stage to perform "...Baby One More Time." Spears was also criticized of lip-synching the song during her performance. Later, in 2003, Spears performed the song in a remixed form at Britney Spears: In the Zone, a concert special that aired in ABC on November 17, 2003."...Baby One More Time" was also performed at the 2003 NFL Kickoff Live on September 4, 2003 at the National Mall, in a medley with "I'm a Slave 4 U" (2001), which included pyrotechnics. She sported shoulder-length blond hair and was dressed in black football pants, a black-and-white referee halter top and boots from Reebok. Her outfit was later auctioned off to benefit the Britney Spears Foundation.

"...Baby One More Time" has been performed in seven of Spears's concert tours since its release. On ...Baby One More Time Tour, the encore consisted of a performance of the song, in which Spears wore a black bra under pink halter, a pink sequined plaid mini-skirt, and black thigh-high stockings. On 2000's Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour, "...Baby One More Time" was performed after a dance interlude in which the dancers showed their individual moves while their names appeared on the screens. Spears took the stage in a conservative schoolgirl outfit to perform the song. She ripped it off halfway through the song to reveal a cheerleader ensemble. The song was also the encore of 2001's Dream Within a Dream Tour. It began with a giant projection of a hologram of Spears onto a water screen. The projection gradually shrunk until Spears rose from the stage while wearing a plastic cowboy hat, blue hip-huggers, and a matching bra top. She began performing "...Baby One More Time" in a ballad version until reaching the end of the runway. Pyrotechnics surrounded the stage while the song changed to a more up-tempo version with elements of techno.

On The Onyx Hotel Tour, after performing "Showdown", a video interlude followed featuring Spears and her friends outside a club. While she was leaving, she noticed a woman dressed in 1930s fashion. She followed her and the woman asked Spears to enter the "Mystic Lounge". Spears reappeared wearing a corset to perform "…Baby One More Time" along with "Oops!...I Did It Again" and "(You Drive Me) Crazy". All of the three were reworked for the show with elements of jazz and blues. "...Baby One More Time" was also performed on the promotional tour made on some House of Blues locations, called The M+M's Tour. The show started with Spears singing a short version of the song dressed in a white go-go boots, a white miniskirt and a sparkling pink bikini top. On The Circus Starring Britney Spears, the song made into the Electro Circ act. It was the final song of the act, performed after "Toxic". The performance consisted on Spears and her dancers performing a remix of the song. On 2011'sFemme Fatale Tour, "...Baby One More Time" was performed in a medley with the remix of Rihanna's "S&M" (2010). On Spears' current residency show Britney: Piece of Mein Las Vegas, the song was included on its set list.

COVER VERSIONS AND SAMPLES:

"…Baby One More Time" has been covered on numerous occasions. One of the earliest live covers of the song was by the Scottish band Travis, recorded during one of their concerts at "The Bay Tavern" in Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire, England.  The song was later included in the release of their 1999 single, "Turn". Lead singer Francis Healey said, "We did it for a laugh the first time. [..] And as we played it, the irony slipped from my smile. It’s a very well-crafted song. It [has] that magic thing."  The Guardian said this cover showed a new and more "dark" side of the band, commenting "slowed down to a mournful crawl, it was amazing how ominous the couplet "This loneliness is killing me / Hit me, baby, one more time" sounded".PopWreckoning.com called it "perhaps the most well done cover of Britney’s catalyst to eternal fame". Spears heard their version while shopping in a mall and said, "It was so weird. I liked it though, I thought it was cool. It was a very different vibe from what I did". On July 2005, The Dresden Dolls performed a cover during their summer concerts while opening for Panic! at the Disco. On July 18, 2006, frontman Brendon Urie joined the band to perform the song in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. PopWreckoning.com said the cover was "a strange twist to this pop ditty. It’s obviously darker and actually tortured as opposed to Britney’s school girl despair". On November 29, 2008, the same day Spears performed "Womanizer" on The X Factor, contestants JLS performed a cover of the song that was deemed "lame" by judge Simon Cowell.

On July 13, 2009, Tori Amos covered the song live during her Sinful Attraction Tour at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California. On October 15, 2009, Kris Allen covered the song for the first time at a concert in Seton High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. His rendition received positive reviews. An excerpt was used in 20th Century Fox's CGI-animated comedy film Robots, but was not included on the soundtrack album. Swedish humourist heavy metal band Black Ingvars covered the song for their 2000 album Kids Superhits. The same year, British death metal cover band Ten Masked Men included a rendition of the song on their Return of the Ten Masked Men album. A cover by Ahmet and Dweezil Zappa was featured in the soundtrack of the 2000 film Ready to Rumble. In 2003, the song was covered by American pop punk band Bowling for Soup for the soundtrack of the remake film Freaky Friday and commented that their version was "really, really, dark and really rock, [..] not the kind of 'pop'-py stuff that we usually do." In 2005, power pop band Fountains of Wayne covered the song for their compilation album Out-of-State Plates. Robert Christgau of The Village Voice highlighted their rendition saying the song is "as redolent and fetching as any of [Fountains of Wayne]'s peaks". Japanese pop singer Shiori Takei covered the song of her 2005 album The Note of My Nineteen Years.

In 2006, a lounge music style cover of the song by Trombo Combo was included on their covers album Trombo Combo: Swedish Sound Deluxe. A hi-NRG-eurodance cover by Jayne Montgomery was released through Almighty Records.  In the 2009 compilation Punk Goes Pop 2, a cover of the song by metal core band August Burns Red was included along with a cover of ”Toxic” by A Static Lullaby. Music duo Doll Factory included a cover of the song as a bonus track on later printings of their album Weightless. Singer-songwriter Christopher Dallman released an EP titled Sad Britney that includes a cover of the song along with covers of "Toxic", "Gimme More" and "Radar". The song has also been covered by Brainshake, Intwine, Kevorkian, P.T. Grimm and the Dead Puppies, Jenny Owen Youngs, Neil Sahgal and Annie Bethancourt, among others.  In the 2010 Glee episode "Britney/Brittany", the character of Rachel Berry, played by Lea Michele, covered the song using similar outfits to the ones of the music video. Spears also made a cameo, taking the teacher's role, previously played by Cullota. Darren Criss also of Glee performed a mash-up of "...Baby One More Time" with "Für Elise" on Sing Out, Raise Hope for The Trevor Project and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation in December 2011. In 2012, British singer Ed Sheeran did an acoustic version of the song NOW 100.5 FM.  A year later he covered it on The Elvis Duran Z100 Morning Show and added a rap verse. 

[Term of Endearment]

LEGACY:

"…Baby One More Time" was listed at number twenty five in the greatest pop songs since 1963, in a list compiled by Rolling Stone and MTV in 2000. Blender listed it at number two in The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born. The song was also listed as the 2nd best song of 1990's by VH1 and in a listing compiled in 2003, ranked at number one in 100 Best Songs of the Past 25 Years. Bill Lamb of About.com ranked "...Baby One More Time" at number one on a compiled list with the Top 40 Pop Songs Of All Time. The music video was voted the third most influential promo in the history of pop music on a poll held by Jam!. "…Baby One More Time" is also one of the best-selling singles of all time, with over 9 million copies sold, and also earned Spears's first nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. In April 2005, the British TV network ITV aired a short series called Hit Me, Baby, One More Time hosted by Vernon Kay. The show pitted one-hit wonders who generally had their moments of fame in the 1980s against each other to play their own hits and a currently popular cover song. The favourites were chosen by audience voting. The American version of the show also aired on NBC later in the year, and it was also hosted by Kay. In the 2012 poll created by The Official Chart Company and ITV to discover The Nation's Favourite Number 1 Single of all-time, "…Baby One More Time" was listed as the seventh favourite song by the United Kingdom.

Spears became an international pop culture icon immediately after launching her recording career. Rolling Stone magazine 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 broke the bank". Barbara Ellen of The Observer has 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 â€” a child with a full-time career. While other little girls were putting posters on their walls, Britney wanted 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".

Scott Plagenhoef of Pitchfork noted "songs like Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Dr. Dre's "Nothing But a G Thang", and Britney Spears's "...Baby One More Time" altered the landscape of pop culture so quickly in large part because they were delivered to all corners of the U.S. simultaneously by MTV. [...] MTV's ability to place a song and musician into the pop music conversation was unparalleled at the time, and by the end of the decade that meant absurd levels of both financial and creative commitment to music videos." PopMatters writer Evan Sawdey commented that Spears's concept for the music video of the song was the one responsible for her immediate success, saying that, as a result, the singer "scored a massive No. 1 single, inadvertently started the late '90s teen pop boom, and created a public persona for herself that was simultaneously kid-friendly and pure male fantasy. Her videos got played on both MTV and the Disney Channel at the same time, showing just how well Spears (and her armies of PR handlers) managed to walk that fine line between family-friendly pop idol and unabashed sex object."

[Term of Endearment]

Single: Sometimes

Album: …Baby One More Time

Estimated worldwide single sales: 4,000,000

Video link:

http://youtu.be/t0bPrt69rag

 

Video comparisons:

http://youtu.be/t6HcVxPk8yk

 

Video Icon: The Britney Dog

Single Cover:

 

 

The need to know interesting facts:

 

There was major controversy over the writer of the song ‘Sometimes’. Steve Wallace claimed he wrote the song in 1990 but did not copyright the song until 2003. Wallace claimed that Britney emailed to confirm this – however the email was proven fake and Spears won the case. Spears copyrighted the lyrics in 1999.

 

There is a scene by the car where one of the extras can be seen scratching her crotch.

https://31.media.tumblr.com/c389b3b7b82904bec23cb087182d4d7b/tumblr_mzq1zc3lUP1qmn7e8o1_500.jpg

 

Blink182 video for ‘All The Small Things’ featured scenes from the sometimes video as a parody.

 

Part of the video was shot outside Britney’s beach house.

 

If you look closely – you can see that they blacked out the BMW sign in the music video.

 

In the scene where the dancers make a heart (http://emptyv.multimedia.cx/images/britneyspears-sometimes-2.jpg ) You can see the camera shadow.

 

Paul Walker was originally cast as the love interest in the video – but this was later changed to Chad Cole.

 

Rolling stones claimed that this video was used to purify the image of Britney after the …Baby One More Time video.

 

The original video concept had Britney on the beach looking out at kids playing and had flashbacks of her past boyfriend – but this was later changed to be Britney looking at the boy and the dog on the beach as the love interest and Britney being the girl next door.

 

During rehearsals for the Sometimes video in February 1999 – Britney injured her knee and was forced to go through physical Therapy. The video was pushed back to April. The video was released May 6^th on TRL.

 

Nigel Dick – the same director as …Baby One More Time directed sometimes.

 

 

Information overload – the Wiki facts:

"Sometimes" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears for her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time (1999). Written by Spears and Jörgen Elofsson and produced by Per Magnusson and David Kreuger, the song was released as Spears' second single on April 14, 1999 by Jive Records. "Sometimes" is a teen pop song that draws influences from bubblegum pop, and alludes to a relationship where a shy girl is reserved on expressing feelings to her lover. The song received generally mixed reviews from contemporary critics, who noted it as a further hit from ...Baby One More Time and a competent single, despite considering it an entirely unremarkable song, and an annoying representation of Spears' innocent years.

"Sometimes" attained worldwide success, peaking inside the top ten in eleven countries. In the United States, the song peaked at number twenty one. The song reached number one in Belgium (Flanders), Netherlands and New Zealand, while reaching number two in Australia. In the United Kingdom, the song reached number three, and is also Spears' third best-selling single in the country. An accompanying music video, directed by Nigel Dick, was shot at the Paradise Cove in Malibu, California. It portrays Spears watching her love interest from afar. Spears has performed "Sometimes" in four of her concert tours, including at the ...Baby One More Time Tour (1999), the Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour (2000–01), and the Dream Within a Dream Tour (2001–02).

 

Background:

Before recording her debut album, Spears had originally envisioned it in style of "Sheryl Crow music, but younger [and] more adult contemporary". However, the singer agreed with her label's appointment of producers, who had the objective to reach a teen public at the time. She flew to Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, where half of the album was recorded from March to April 1998, with producers Max Martin, Denniz Pop and Rami Yacoub, among others. "Sometimes" was written by Jörgen Elofsson, and produced by Per Magnusson and David Kreuger. Spears recorded the vocals for the song in March 1998, at Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. It was also mixed at Cheiron Studios by Martin. Esbjörn Öhrwall played the acoustic guitar, while bass guitar was done by Thomas Lindberg. Keyboards and programming was done by Kreuger, and additional keyboards by Magnusson. Background vocals were provided by Anders von Hoffsten. Spears also co-wrote and recorded a track called "I'm So Curious", produced by Eric Foster White, that was released as a b-side to "Sometimes". The track was recorded in 1997 at 4MW East Studios in New Jersey. "Sometimes" was released as the second single from ...Baby One More Time on April 30, 1999.

Songwriting controversy

The song created controversy over the writing credits. Steve Wallace, an Indiana songwriter, claimed he wrote "Sometimes" in 1990, but didn't copyright it until 2003, four years after Spears registered the song's copyright. Wallace claimed Spears confessed he wrote the song, by showing to the court a possible e-mail from the singer, which said, "I now know for a fact that you wrote ['Sometimes']. But there's nothing I can do about it. That's all I can say about it."  The e-mail was considered fake and the lawsuit was dismissed on October 31, 2005, when Judge John D. Tinder claimed the singer didn't steal the song.

Composition:

"Sometimes" is a romantic teen pop song that draws influences from bubblegum pop, with a length of four minutes and four seconds. The song is composed in the key of Bâ™­ major and is set in time signature of common time with a moderately slow tempo of 96 beats per minute. After the bridge, it transposes to B major. Spears' vocal range spans almost two octaves from the low note F₃ to the high note E₅. The song has a sequence of Cm₁₁–F₇sus–B♭–Bâ™­(9)/D–F/A–F as its chord progression. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic noted "Sometimes" has "a catchy hook and endearing melody, with a reminiscent euro-dance rhythm."

Lyrically, the song is a "heartbroken ballad", where Spears declares on the introduction, "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". According to musicologist Melanie Lowe, "Spears shows a different side of her personality [with 'Sometimes'] than she does in her other songs."  Both of them also commented the song "lacks rhythmic drive and the backing track is fuller, with smoother and rounder synthesized instruments", while describing Spears' vocals as more natural when compared to "...Baby One More Time" and "(You Drive Me) Crazy".

 

Reception:

 

"Sometimes" received mixed reviews from music critics. A reviewer from CD Universe commented that the song "warns a potential love of [spears] need for time and patience, rolling along nicely with a slow groove and a big beat." Amanda Murray of Sputnikmusic considered "Sometimes" a competent single, but claimed the song as unremarkable.  Kyle Anderson of MTV said that the song "introduces the first sorta-ballad to [...Baby One More Time]," and considered it "reasonable enough, though through three songs Spears' lyric approach appears to be entirely about guys. Like, she never stops thinking about them."  Caryn Ganz of Rolling Stone called "Sometimes" a "further hit" from ...Baby One More Time, along with "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" and "(You Drive Me) Crazy". Spence D. of IGN considered "Sometimes" a "[Max] Martin's glossy grown-up pop" song,  while Annabel Leathes of BBC Online said the song "represent the innocent years when Britney annoyed and titillated in equal measure." During the 2000 BMI Pop Awards, "Sometimes" was honoured with the award of Most Performed BMI Song.

Chart performance

"Sometimes" achieved commercial success worldwide. The song reached number one in Belgium (Flanders), Netherlands and New Zealand, and was certified Gold in the latter by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), for selling more than 7,500 physical units of the single.  It also peaked at number two in Australia, where it was later certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), after shipping over 70,000 units, and number four in Finland and Sweden, while reaching the top ten on other five music charts. "Sometimes" was also successful in the United Kingdom. It entered and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart on June 26, 1999. According to The Official Charts Company, "Sometimes" is Spears' third best-selling single in the United Kingdom, with sales over 440,000 physical units. In the United States, the song peaked at number 21 on Billboard Hot 100 on the week of July 24, 1999, while reaching number 11 on the Adult Contemporary and number 29 on the Adult Pop Songs charts. It also managed to peak at number six on Pop Songs. "Sometimes" was also certified Silver by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique(SNEP), for sales over 125,000 units of the single in France, where it peaked at number 13.

Music Video:

Spears started rehearsing for the music video for "Sometimes" in February 1999.  However, during the rehearsals, the singer injured her knee and was forced to start sessions of physical therapy. A month later, Spears released in a statement: "I want to thank my wonderful fans and all of the people who have offered their love and support during this time," while revealing she wouldn't be able to shoot the music video until April 1999. The music video was later directed by Nigel Dick, who also directed her previous video for Spears' 1998 debut single "...Baby One More Time". It was shot at the Paradise Cove in Malibu, California. The music video was released on May 6, 1999 on Total Request Live.

According to MTV, the initial concept for the music video was to portray Spears on the porch of a beachfront home watching a group of kids having fun, prompting flashbacks about her former boyfriend. The video begins with Spears going to the telescope, and Spears is looking through a telescope, The concept was later changed a man and a dog walk on the beach, portraying the singer as the girl next door, watching her love interest, played by model Chad Cole, from afar. The beach location was kept, and the music video intercuts with scenes of Spears' dancing on the Paradise Cove pier with her dancers dressed all in beach-friendly white attire, then Spears sits near a car. A writer of Rolling Stone noted the video is best known for "purifying the sexy persona Spears introduced in the '... Baby One More Time' video", while describing it as "a virginal Britney in a long, flowing white dress (and other demure outfits) gazes at a clean-cut boy on the beach, then she walks on the balcony with a pink ball, then does some chaste choreography that features her dancers forming a heart while she sings that she only wants to "hold you tight, treat you right." Spears is sitting on a picnic blanket wishing she was there with him. She leaves alone." On February 20, 2012, behind the scenes footage of the music video leaked online.

Live Performances and Covers:

 

Spears performed "Sometimes" in four concert tours, with the first time being on the ...Baby One More Time Tour (1999), where she performed a cover of "Open Arms" by Journey before following into the performance of the song. The song was also performed in a medley with (You Drive Me) Crazy at the Teen Choice Awards in 1999, at the Summer Music Mania in 1999, at the UK version of Top Of The Pops in 1999 and at the U.S. Open Arthur Ashe Kid's Day in 1999 along with ...Baby One More Time, (You Drive Me) Crazy and I Will Be There. It was performed again on 2000s Crazy 2k Tour before the show's encore, and, in the same year, on the Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour(2000–01), wearing an outfit similar to the one she wore in the music video of the song during the performance. "Sometimes" was performed for the last time on Dream Within a Dream Tour. Right after the performance of "Overprotected" (2001), a giant musical box was raised on the stage, and Spears emerged from the middle as a ballerina to perform the song in a medley with "Lucky" (2000) and "Born to Make You Happy" (1999). The song was briefly sung at The Onyx Hotel Tour. "Sometimes" was covered by hard-core punk band Reach to the Sky for the compilation album Punk Goes Pop (2002). Jamaican singer Sanchez also covered the song in a reggae form for his album Simply Being Me (2000).

[Term of Endearment]

Single: (You Drive Me) Crazy

Album: …Baby One More Time

Estimated worldwide single sales: 7,000,000

Video link:

http://youtu.be/Q4VK9_CfOLQ

 

Video comparisons:

http://youtu.be/sk4x8qpsERk

 

Video Icon: Britney Gum

Single Cover:

 

 

The need to know interesting facts:

 

Like Britney's â€¦Baby One More Time, this song was written and produced by Max Martin. Spears told MTV News in 1998 that she thought it was an extension of her debut hit. She said: "It's an up-tempo (song). Kinda like '... Baby One More Time,' same feel a little. A bit of rock in it."

 

Britney played a waitress in the song's music video. She told MTV News: "Actually, the concept of the video is all my idea" The young singer added that she thought "it would be cool to be in a club, and we're dorky waitresses, and we break out and start dancing."

 

The video stayed in Top 10 of TRL USA for 65 days

 

In 2000 was nominated in VMA’s for Best Dance Video

 

The choice to release (You Drive Me) Crazy as single was improvised - Email My Heart was chose as a USA single only - The song wouldn’t have been a single, but with the release of “Drive Me Crazy” the movie, with Melissa Joan Hart and Adrian Grenier (both in the official video for the song) it was requested for the movies promotion, so Jive remixed the song to rend it more commercial and it came out as (You Drive Me) Crazy [The Stop Remix]

 

Adrian Grenier did not want to be in the music video – however he was convinced by Melissa Joan Hart and Nigel Dick:

The song featured on the soundtrack of the romantic comedy film, Drive Me Crazy. Melissa Joan Hart and Adrian Grenier reprised their roles from the movie in the video. Nigel Dick, who directed the promo told MTV News that it was a struggle to convince Grenier to make an appearance in it. "The big issue is that Adrian Grenier did not want to be in the video," he said. "So, I was given instructions to ring him up and make sure he appeared in the video. I said, 'You know what, Adrian, I just think it would be great for your career, and Britney's a great girl and she's fun to work with.' Eventually he came around."

 

In the video Britney’s dancers hold up outfits, which Britney asked if it could be incorporated in the video.

 

During Britney’s appearance in Sabrina the teenage witch – it was discussed that Melissa Joan Hart appears in her video.

 

Wade Robson appears in the video – he is the guy in the white workman suit.

 

Did you know the Japanese version of the single came with a booklet?

 

Information overload – the Wiki facts:

 

"(You Drive Me) Crazy" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears for 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 Kirk Herbstreit and remix by Martin and Rami Yacoub, it was released as the album's third single on August 23, 1999 by Jive Records. It was remixed for the soundtrack of Drive Me Crazy. "(You Drive Me) Crazy" is a teen pop song that draws influences from R&B and rock. The song garnered positive reviews from music critics, some of whom praised its simple formula and noted similarities to Spears' debut single, "...Baby One More Time".

 

"(You Drive Me) Crazy" was a commercial success, and peaked inside the top ten on the singles charts of seventeen countries. In the United Kingdom, it became Spears' third consecutive single to peak inside the top five, while it reached number 10 in the United States' Hot 100, and peaked at number one in Belgium (Wallonia). An accompanying music video, directed by Nigel Dick, portrayed Spears as a waitress in a dance club, and performed a highly choreographed dance routine with the other waitresses. The video premiered on MTV's Making the Video special, and featured cameo appearances of actors Melissa Joan Hart and Adrien Grenier. As part of promotion for the song, Spears performed the song at the 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards and 1999 Billboard Music Awards. It has also been included on five of her concert tours.

 

Background:

 

Before recording her debut album, Spears had originally envisioned it in style of "Sheryl Crow music, but younger [and] more adult contemporary". However, the singer agreed with her label's appointment of producers, who had the objective to target a teenage audience at the time. She flew to Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, where half of the album was recorded from March to April 1998, with producers Max Martin, Denniz Pop and Rami Yacoub, among others. "(You Drive Me) Crazy" was written by Jörgen Elofsson, while song production and additional song writing was done by Martin, Per Magnusson and David Kreuger. Spears recorded the vocals for the song in March 1998, at Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. It was also mixed at Cheiron Studios by Martin. Esbjörn Öhrwall and Johan Carlberg played the guitar, while bass guitar was done by Thomas Lindberg. Keyboards and programming was done by Kreuger, and additional keyboards by Magnusson. Background vocals were provided by Jeanette Söderholm, Martin, Yacoub and THE FANCHOIR, formed by Chatrin Nyström, Jeanette Stenhammar, Johanna Stenhammar, Charlotte Björkman and Therese Ancker. In May 1999, Martin and Spears went to the Battery Studios in New York City, New York to re-record the vocals of the track, due to the fact that a remixed version called "The Stop! Remix" was going to be included on the original motion picture soundtrack of the film Drive Me Crazy (1999). "(You Drive Me) Crazy" was released as a remix package as the third single from ...Baby One More Time on August 23, 1999.

 

Composition:

 

"(You Drive Me) Crazy" is a teen pop song that draws influences from R&B and rock. The song's composition follows a simple formula and infuses edgy synthesized instruments, including a recurring cowbell, and having a roughly similar sound to Spears' debut single "...Baby One More Time" (1999). According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, "(You Drive Me) Crazy" is composed in the key of C minor and runs through a moderately slow dance beat infused metronome of 92 beats per minute. Spears' vocals were deemed as heavily processed when compared to the ones of her previous single, "Sometimes". Her vocal range spans over an octave, from the low-key of G3 to the high-note of Dâ™­5.  The song's primary chord progression is Cm–Aâ™­-G (vi-IV-III), with a few deviations.

 

Critical Reception:

 

The song garnered positive reviews from music critics. Kyle Anderson for MTV considered "(You Drive Me) Crazy" as "a similar-sounding anthem [to '...Baby One More Time'] with some streamlined rock guitar taking center stage (there's even a solo). It's catchy enough." Spence D. of IGN considered "(You Drive Me) Crazy" a "[Max] Martin's glossy grown-up pop" song, while Caryn Ganz of Rolling Stone called "(You Drive Me) Crazy" a "further hit" from ...Baby One More Time, along with "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" and "Sometimes". Music critic Walt Mueller wrote "When Spears starts to sing on this one, she sounds a lot like Janet Jackson." Christy Lemire of the Associated Press noted that the song and "Stronger" are "so lamely feel-good" tracks that they "could have been the theme song to a 'Karate Kid' sequel."  Evan Sawdey of PopMatterscalled it a "lightly dorky" song,  and Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic deemed it as a "fluffy dance-pop at its best."  In a list compiled by Sara Anderson of AOL Radio, "(You Drive Me) Crazy" was ranked ninth in a list of Spears' best songs. During the 2001 BMI Pop Awards, "(You Drive Me) Crazy" was honoured with the award of Most Performed BMI Song.

 

Chart Performance:

 

"(You Drive Me) Crazy" was a commercial success. The song peaked at number two on the European Hot 100 Singles, being held off the top spot by R. Kelly's "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time". In the United Kingdom, it was Spears' third consecutive single to reach a top five position. The track debuted and peaked at number five on the chart issue dated October 2, 1999, and stayed on the chart for a total of eleven weeks. It was eventually certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), for shipments over 200,000 units. According to The Official Charts Company, "(You Drive Me) Crazy" is Spears' seventh best-selling single in the United Kingdom, with sales over 275,000 physical units. The song peaked at number two in France and number four in Germany, being certified Gold in both countries for shipping over 250,000 units. It also peaked at number one in Belgium (Wallonia), finishing the year of 1999 as the 17th best-selling single. "(You Drive Me) Crazy" was also able to peak inside the top five in Belgium (Flanders), Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland, while reaching top ten positions in Denmark and Italy.  Later in 2012, the song managed to peak at number 65 in Czech Republic due to high airplay.

 

In the United States, "(You Drive Me) Crazy" peaked at number ten on Billboard Hot 100 on the chart issue dated November 13, 1999, and became Spears' second single to peak inside the top ten in the country. On the same week, it peaked at number four on the Pop Songs component chart. On the chart compiled by RPM magazine, the song peaked at number three in Canada. However, on the Canadian Hot 100 compiled by Nielsen Soundscan, it peaked at number 13. The latter revealed that "(You Drive Me) Crazy" was the 44th best-selling single of 1999 in the country. The track peaked at number five in New Zealand, but failed to reach the top ten in Australia, where it peaked at number 12 on the chart issue dated November 12, 1999. However, the single was later certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), and was one of the best-selling singles of 2000 in the country.  "(You Drive Me) Crazy" performed poorly in Japan, where it peaked at number 80, and stayed on the chart for two weeks only. Despite the low sales, it is Spears' 12th best-selling CD release in the country.

 

Music Video:

 

The song's accompanying music video was directed by Nigel Dick. Spears conceptualized the video's treatment, and explained during an interview with MTV in 1999 that "it would be cool to be in a club, and we're dorky waitresses, and we break out and start dancing." At the time, Spears expected that the video would take her "to the next level". To promote the film Drive Me Crazy, actors Adrian Grenier and Melissa Joan Hart were invited to make cameo appearances in the video, since the song had been included on the film's soundtrack, however, Grenier did not want to participate. Dick commented on the issue, saying, "I was given instructions to ring him up and make sure he appeared in the video. I said, 'You know what, Adrian, I just think it would be great for your career, and Britney's a great girl and she's fun to work with.' Eventually he came around." Dick also revealed that he was impressed by the singer's work ethic, adding that she "came to the set completely rehearsed." The music video premiered on MTV's Making the Video special that aired on July 18, 1999.

 

The video opens with Spears as a waitress of a dance club. She then goes with other waitresses to their dressing room, where they finish their make-up and change costumes. Spears, now wearing a green sparkly outfit, goes through the corridor to the dance floor with her friends, and starts to perform a high profile choreography, including a chair dance sequence referencing Janet Jackson's "Miss You Much" video, which Spears also referenced in live performances of the song on the "Crazy 2K Tour". Scenes of Spears singing in front of a shining orange sign with the word "CRAZY" are also seen throughout the video. On August 24, 1999, the music video debuted at number four on Total Request Live. It is the longest running by a female artist on TRL, staying on the top ten for seventy-three days. The video was nominated on the category of Best Dance Video on the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards; it lost, however, to Jennifer Lopez's "Waiting for Tonight" (1999). An alternate footage of the video can be found on the DVD of Spears first compilation album Greatest Hits: My Prerogative (2004). Jennifer Vineyard of MTV commented, "The alternate audio gives the feel of Spears singing the song as a round, where the beat is in sync but one layer of her vocals is just slightly ahead of the other."

 

Live Performance and Covers:

 

As part of promotion for "(You Drive Me) Crazy '​s’’ release as a single, Spears performed it at the 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards and at the 1999 Billboard Music Awards. It was also performed on five concert tours, the first being the ...Baby One More Time Tour (1999). The show began with a dance introduction by Spears' dancers among smoke effects. She appeared shortly after at the top of the staircase wearing a hot pink vinyl tube top and white vinyl pants with pink knee patches. During the 2000 leg of the tour, entitled Crazy 2k Tour, Spears changed the opening sequence of the show; the show started with a skit in which the dancers came out of lockers and stayed in the stage until a bell rang. They all sat until a female teacher voice started calling their names. After the teacher called Spears, she emerged at the top of the staircase in a cloud of smoke, wearing a top and white stretch pants, to perform a short dance mix of "...Baby One More Time". She then entered one of the lockers and appeared in another one on the opposite side of the stage to perform "(You Drive Me) Crazy", which included a chair dance sequence referencing Janet Jackson's "Miss You Much" music video that ended with Spears saying "Is that the end?", quoting Jackson's phrase from the video. The song was once again performed in a dance-oriented form on the Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour (2000), while in 2001's Dream Within a Dream Tour, the performance featured Spears being captured by her dancers. "(You Drive Me) Crazy" was also performed on The Onyx Hotel Tour (2004). For the tour, the song was remixed with elements of Latin percussion. "Crazy" would not be performed by Spears for another nine years until it was included on the set list of her Las Vegas residency show Britney: Piece of Me.

 

In 2003, American musician Richard Cheese covered "(You Drive Me) Crazy" and included it on his album Tuxicity. American pop band Selena Gomez & the Scene performed homage to Spears during their 2011 We Own the Night Tour. They performed "(You Drive Me) Crazy" along with a medley of hits that included "...Baby One More Time", "Oops!... I Did It Again", "I'm a Slave 4 U", "Toxic" and "Hold It Against Me", mixed similar to the Chris Cox Megamix included in Greatest Hits: My Prerogative. In the 2012 Glee episode "Britney 2.0", the characters of Marley Rose and Jake Puckerman performed a medley of the track with Aerosmith's "Crazy" (1993). 

[Term of Endearment]

Single: Born To Make You Happy

Album: …Baby One More Time

Estimated worldwide single sales: 3,700,000

Video link:

http://youtu.be/Yy5cKX4jBkQ

 

Video comparisons: not available

Video Icon: Britney Pillow

Single Cover:

 

 

The need to know interesting facts:

 

The original concept was to portray Spears in a dream, lamenting over her ex-lover, by whom she was secretly pregnant with their child, but Jive immediately withdrew the idea once it was leaked to the public and received negative reception. The opening scene of the music video – Britney appears to be pregnant – so the original idea may have been scrapped last minute.

 

Britney fell during the pillows fight on the bed, luckily she wasn’t hurt.

 

Christopher Snyder – who plays the model in this video and FTBOMBH – went on to become a musician of his own in a band called Krimzezen.

 

The original version of Born to make you happy apparently had more raunchy lyrics.

 

The remix of the song included in the single was the original version of the song

 

In the beginning of the video – the song does not sync with the visual.

 

BTMYH was a European only release.

 

Information overload – the Wiki facts:

 

"Born to Make You Happy" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears for 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. Before recording the song, Spears had to ask the writers of the song, Andreas Carlsson and Kristian Lundin, to re-write it, since it felt too sexual of a song. The singer first recorded her vocals in March 1998, and re-recorded them later on the same year. The dance-pop and 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".

 

"Born to Make You Happy" received mixed reviews from critics, who praised it for being an early classic and a proficient single, despite considering the song as entirely unremarkable like other ballads on the album. The song was commercially successful worldwide, peaking at number one in Ireland, and reaching top five positions in Belgium, Europe, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. In the United Kingdom, it also peaked at number one, and is Spears' sixth best-selling single in the country. An accompanying music video was directed by Billie Woodruff, and portrays Spears dreaming that she is with her lover, while she sings and dances during the majority of the video. Spears performed "Born to Make You Happy" on four concert tours.

 

Background:

 

Before recording her debut album, Spears had originally envisioned it in style of "Sheryl Crow music, but younger [and] more adult contemporary". However, the singer agreed with her label's appointment of producers, who had the objective to reach a teen public at the time. She flew to Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, where half of the album was recorded from March to April 1998, with producers Max Martin, Denniz Pop and Rami Yacoub, among others. "Born to Make You Happy" was written and produced byKristian Lundin, and co-written by Andreas Carlsson, and was the first work by the duo. Spears originally recorded the vocals for the song in March 1998, at Battery Studios inNew York City, New York. They were later re-recorded in April 1998 at Cheiron Studios, and used on the album version, while the original vocals were used on the "Bonus Remix" of the song. It was also mixed at Cheiron Studios by Max Martin. Esbjörn Öhrwall played the guitar, while keyboards and programming was done by Lundin. Background vocalswere provided by Carlsson and Nana Hedin. "Born to Make You Happy" was released as the fourth single from ...Baby One More Time on December 6, 1999.

 

Composition:

 

"Born to Make You Happy" is a teen pop and dance-pop song that lasts for four minutes and three seconds. The song is composed in the key of B minor and is set in time signature of common time, with a moderately slow tempo of 88 beats per minute. Spears vocal range spans over an octave, from F♯₃ to B₄. The song's lyrics are about a relationship that a woman desires to correct, 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". The song has a basic sequence of Bm–G–D–A as its chord progression.

 

David Gauntlett, author of Media, gender, and identity: an introduction (2002), noted that, despite wanting her lover next to her in the song, Spears' "fans see her as assertive, strong and confident, and an example that young women can make it on their own". The singer revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone, the writers had to re-write the original lyrics of the song. "I asked them to change the words to 'Born to Make You Happy.' It was a sexual song," she revealed. "I said, 'This may be a little old for me.' Because of the image thing, I don't want to go over the top. If I come out being Miss Prima Donna, that wouldn't be smart. I want to have a place to grow".

 

Critical Reception:

 

"Born to Make You Happy" received mixed reviews from music critics. Kyle Anderson of MTV considered the song's chorus more than "a little bit off-putting," saying the first lines of it "could be a sentiment that a lovelorn 16-year-old can understand, but it also sounds like Spears is in training to be a geisha." Craig MacInnis of Hamilton Spectator said "["Born to Make You Happy"] verge on the sort of boy-worshipping dreck that even Tiffany would have sniffed at."  Mike Ross of Edmond Sun said, as Spears emotes in the song, "the message behind the music is worse than mere sweet nothings. [...] So much for Girl Power…." Amanda Murray of Sputnikmusic considered "Born to Make You Happy" a "proficient but entirely forgettable song," while Andy Petch-Jex of music OMH considered the song an "early classic."

 

Commercial Performance:

 

On January 29, 2000, "Born to Make You Happy" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart. The song shipped over 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom, earning a silver certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). "Born to Make You Happy" has sold over 325,000 copies in the United Kingdom, according to The Official Charts Company. It is her sixth best-selling single in the country. In Ireland, the song also entered the Irish Singles Chart at number one on January 20, 2000, while peaking at number two on the European chart. In Sweden, "Born to Make You Happy" debuted at number four on December 23, 1999, peaking at number two in the following week. The song has shipped over 30,000 copies in the country, earning a platinum certification by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). In Germany, the song earned a gold certification by The Federal Association of Music Industry (BMVI), after peaking at number three on the charts. In France, "Born to Make You Happy" reached number nine, and was certified Silver by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP).

 

Music Video:

 

Jive Records commissioned a music video for the song to be directed by Billie Woodruff. It was produced under Geneva Films, while the choreography was created by Wade Robson. The narrative of the video shows Spears dreaming as she sleeps in her room. As the dream begins, Spears is shown in a blue and silver futuristic room with several different levels, where she sings and walks around, and puts her feet on the wall while wearing a shiny silver outfit. MTV news reporter Ellen Thompson considered it the sexiest moment of the music video. As the video continues, Spears is seen on top of the apartment building she lives in, performing a dance segment in a red top and black skirt with a few backup dancers. The following scenes shows the singer wearing white clothes and singing in the room in which she is sleeping, while her love interest comes into her room to see her. Together, they start a pillow fight that shortly ends after Spears is shown again in her room still sleeping, however, now with a smile upon her face. A longer dance segment intercalates with all the scenes during the whole video.

 

Live Performances:

 

"Born to Make You Happy" has been performed by Spears on four tours. On her first tour, ...Baby One More Time Tour, she sang the song seated on a staircase, while on her second tour, Crazy 2k Tour, the performance of the song included a full dance segment. On 2000's Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour, Spears performed "Born to Make You Happy" wearing pyjamas and slippers, with a dance segment near the end. "Born to Make You Happy" was performed for the last time on Dream Within a Dream Tour, where Spears emerged from the middle of a giant musical box on the stage as a ballerina, to perform the song in a medley with "Lucky" and "Sometimes", right after the performance of "Overprotected". Spears also performed "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" and "Born to Make You Happy" on Disney Channel in Concert in 1999. The performances were recorded and included on Spears' first home video release, Time Out with Britney Spears. She also performed the song on the Spanish TV programme Música sí in 1999. The same year the song was performed at the UK Christmas special of Top of the Pops aired December 25, 1999 along with ...Baby One More Time, at the National Lottery in UK, on the British TV program Blue Peter and on the British TV program Pepsi Chart.

[Term of Endearment]

Single: From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart

Album: …Baby One More Time

Estimated worldwide single sales: 2,000,000

Video link: 

http://youtu.be/fHPnGqXXUmI

 

Video comparisons: Not available

Video Icon: Britney Sunflower

Single Cover:

 

 

The need to know interesting facts:

 

Gregory Dark was hired for the video as Jive wanted to get rid of Spears’ Baby One More Time persona and wanted to give her a more serious image. They wanted a deep story line without the dancing.

 

The video shows Britney leaving her old flame behind and moving on.

 

Britney got stung by a Bee during the filming of this video.

 

The idea of calling Britney’s second studio album Sunflower was inspired from this shoot – however they eventually scrapped this idea.

 

In the photo used for the single cover, Britney is behind a transparent glass door, Britney’s fingertips are pressed on the glass, a lot of people thought it was a mosquito net.

 

FTBOMBH was a US only release.

 

FTBOMBH is Britney's second highest selling single 

 

Information overload – the Wiki facts:

 

"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears for her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time (1999). It was released on December 15, 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 can 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.

 

"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, who noted the song as a classic hit and competent single, despite considering it as unremarkable like other ballads on the album and calling it "another rejection ballad that refers to kissing but nothing else". "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" achieved moderate success, peaking at number 37 in Australia, and 23 in New Zealand. Through imports, the song managed to peak at number 174 in the United Kingdom. In the United States, "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" reached number 14 on Billboard Hot 100, and 17 on Pop Songs, being later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 28, 2000, for shipping 1,000,000 physical units of the single. It was the 8th best-selling single of the 2000s in the country.

An accompanying music video, directed by Gregory Dark, was released on December 17, 1999. It portrayed Spears packing her belongings as she readies herself to move away from home, and feeling upset because she knows that she is going to miss her first love. The video was the subject of controversy, the press panned the singer for hiring an adult filmmaker to direct her video. A Spears representative commented that they were only aware that Dark just did music videos. The singer performed "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" in a few live appearances, including the year 2000 Grammy Awards, in a medley with "...Baby One More Time", and in three of her concert tours. A remix was made by Hex Hector to promote the song, but it's incomplete.

 

Background:

 

In June 1997, Spears was in talks with manager Lou Pearlman to join female pop group Innosense. Lynne 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 he wanted to pitch her to record labels; therefore she needed a professional demo. He sent Spears an unused song from Toni Braxton; she rehearsed for a week and recorded her vocals in a studio with a sound engineer. Spears travelled to New York with the demo and met with executives from four labels, returning to Kentwood the same day. Three of the labels 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. Senior vice president of A&R Jeff Fenster stated about Spears's audition that "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." They appointed her 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." After hearing the recorded material, President Clive Calder ordered a full album. "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" was written by Eric Foster White, for Spears' debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time (1999). Spears recorded the vocals for the song in 1997 at 4MW East Studios in New Jersey and at Battery Studios in New York City, New York. Dan Petty played the guitar, while the bass guitar was done by Andy Hess. The song was later mixed by White and Chris Trevett, while background vocals were provided by Spears, Angie Simmons, Don Philip and Andrew Fromm. It was released on December 15, 1999 as the final single from ...Baby One More Time.

 

Composition:

 

"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" was produced by Eric Foster White. Described by Spears as a "soulful" ballad, it draws influence from teen pop and lasts for five minutes and ten seconds. Chuck Taylor of Billboard noted that the singer "turned toward the sad side" on the track, with its lyrics talking about the loss of a first love and how breaking up can be hard. As the song begins, Spears declares, "'Never look back', we said/How was I to know I'd miss you so? Loneliness up ahead, emptiness behind/Where do I go?" During the chorus, she realizes that she has lost her true love, stating, "From the bottom of my broken heart, even though time may find me somebody new/You were my real love, I never knew love, till there was you." According to sheet music published at musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" is composed in the key of G major and is set in time signature of common time with a slowly tempo of 76 beats per minute.

 

The single's b-side, "Thinkin' About You", is also a teen pop influenced song. The song is composed in the key of G major and is set in time signature of common time with a moderate tempo of 96 beats per minute. Spears vocal range spans over two octaves from the low note of D₃ to the high note G₅  Craig McDennis of The Hamilton Spectatorsaid the lyrics of "Thinkin' About You", along with "Born to Make You Happy", "verge on the sort of boy-worshipping dreck that even Tiffany would have sniffed at", while Jane Stevenson of Toronto Sun noted Spears "puts some rather grownup heartfelt soul into [it]".

 

Critical Reception:

 

"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Amanda Murray of Sputnikmusic considered the song a competent, but unremarkable single. Kyle Anderson of MTV criticized its lyrics, deeming it as "another rejection ballad that references kissing but nothing else." Caryn Ganz of Rolling Stonecalled "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" a "further hit" from ...Baby One More Time, along with "Sometimes" and "(You Drive Me) Crazy". The song was a Track Pick from the Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, who praised it along with the other singles from the album, saying, "...Baby One More Time has its share of well-crafted filler, but the singles, combined with Britney's burgeoning charisma, make this a pretty great piece of fluff". Author David Gauntlett considered its lyrics as "slushy", and noticed that the track was "seen as less interesting and relevant [by the fans], although [they] clearly enjoyed [the song] too." Billboard critic Chuck Taylor praised the song, and did a further review on his column:

"Eighteen-year-old Britney Spears, 1999's biggest-selling new artist, spreads it out like soft cream cheese on her fourth-to-be runaway smash single, as dreamy and fresh as that first spin of "...Baby One More Time" over a year ago. It's her first ballad, following that No. 1 debut as well as "Sometimes" and the recent "(You Drive Me) Crazy", yet "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" still possesses a breezy air that is certain to continue her breakneck success on the singles charts. Eric Forster White is at the helm this time, writing and producing a song that will easily appeal to Miss Spears' young core, with the potential to chart the more mature AC audience, too. [...] Spears' star is shining brighter than ever, and this wholesome track will only serve to illuminate it all the more. Ace."

 

Chart Performance:

 

On the chart issue dated February 19, 2000, "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" was at number 52 on United States' Billboard Hot 100. The following issue, the song peaked at number 14, after selling 78,000 physical units of the single, and became the Greatest Gainer/Sales title of that week. The song also went from number 73 to number 3 on the Hot Singles Sales chart, before peaking at number 1 on the chart issue dated March 4, 2000. "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" also appeared on several Billboard component charts, peaking at number 24 on Top 40 Tracks, number 17 on Pop Songs, and number 53 on Radio Songs. On March 28, 2000, "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipping 1,000,000 physical units of the single in the country. By the end of 2000, the song peaked at number 77 on Billboard Hot 100 Year-End chart. "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" was the 8th best-selling single of the 2000s, according to Nielsen Sound Scan. As of June 2012, "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" has sold 778,000 physical singles, with 33,000 paid digital downloads in the United States. It is Spears' second best-selling physical single in the country. In Australia, "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" entered the ARIA chart at number 47, before peaking at number 37 on the following issue. The song stayed a total of five weeks on the chart. It performed better in New Zealand, where it peaked at number 23. Through imports, "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" did manage to peak at number 174 in the United Kingdom, while in Canada, after staying for five weeks on the RPM Singles Chart, the song peaked at number 25 on the dated week of February 28, 2000.

 

Music Video:

 

Background and synopsis:

 

Jive Records commissioned a music video for the song to be directed by Gregory Dark. According to Dark, the label hired him with the intention of re-image Spears from the naughty schoolgirl persona of "...Baby One More Time", and stated that they "wanted a much more story-oriented video without dance, one that was serious and emotional."  He further stated that, during the filming, "I'd joke with her so that she would loosen up and feel comfortable acting, as opposed to being Britney Spears at that moment." The video was produced by the FM Rocks Production Company.

 

The music video portrays Spears is packing up her belongings, as she readies herself to move away from home, and feeling upset because she knows that she is going to miss her first love. Throughout the video, scenes of the couple's past are also seen and Spears is sitting on a tyre swing, including one where they climb up onto a windmill, with Spears singing the song, and Spears is standing by a billboard that reads "Welcome to Cedar Springs Gardens" similar to the video "Lucky". Before the end of the video, Spears is waiting at a bus stop while, at the same time, her first love is driving to come see her one last time. However, by the time he finally gets there, Spears had left him behind and taken the bus.

 

Reception

 

According to writer Linda Ruth Williams, the music video attracted attention from the press because of "the clash between Spears' wholesome image and Dark's unwholesome back catalogue." A Spears representative spoke to the Sunday Sport and revealed, "as far as I'm aware the director just does music videos. This is a video for young teenage girls and not sexy at all."  Dark responded to the negative reviews saying, "I don't deny that I did [adult films], it's just that I also like people to know that I don't currently and haven't in a long time."  Billboard reporter Carla Hay also noted, "I don't think people who buy records are too concerned about the background of the video's director." Lucy O'Brien, author of She Bop II: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop and Soul, noted that hiring Dark as the video director implied that Spears was not that innocent. Time journalists Briton Hadden and Henry Robinson Luce said that Spears "may be the queen of pop tardiness, but her new video, 'From the Bottom of My Broken Heart', is an entirely wholesome affair," while Chris Ryan of MTV considered it "a suitably soft-focus affair". The video was also added to MTV's 2000 Yearbook, a list with the "biggest, best, most memorable music videos of every year since the beginning of MTV."

 

Alec Hanley Bemis of LA Weekly highly criticized Spears and the music video. He thought that the singer's "lack of musical talent" had begun to affect her career, after Dark was selected as the director of the video. Bemis commented, however, that Spears' already had "a history of questionable decisions", and cited her Rolling Stone photo-shoot done in early 1999, which was condemned by the American Family Association, as an example.  He continued to state that the plotline set the singer "on the fast track to adulthood" and questioned, "who's in bed with Britney now? While a TV tabloid recently reported that an old bayou beau in Louisiana has mother Spears’ approval, fantasizing fans want to believe Britney‘s dallying with that braided moppet from N’Sync or a member of the Backstreet Boys. But the only verifiable fact we have to work with is that Spears has started running with a darker L.A. crowd."  Bemis finished his review saying that "no avant-garde film techniques [were used on it]. But Britney's lips glisten so... Speaking frankly, this light in our lives hurts us, from the fire in our loins to the bottom of our broken hearts."

 

Live Performances:

 

"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" was performed for the first time on Spears first tour, ...Baby One More Time Tour. After its release as a single, Spears performed the song in a medley with "...Baby One More Time" at the 42nd Grammy Awards. Spears was wearing a turtleneck and a full tulle skirt at the beginning of the performance, while dancers surrounded her with enormous hand fans. After singing a shortened version of the song, she then took a few moments to shuffle into a form-fitting red rhinestone outfit (with side cut outs) and emerged onto a stage to perform "...Baby One More Time." The Grammy’s creative Director, in 2015 stateed that this performance was noted as one of his biggest mistakes. Jocelyn Vena of MTV included the performance on her list of Spears' Top 10 Best TV Performances. Spears also performed the song on her 2000s Crazy 2k Tour, where her dancers picked a boy from the audience and invited him onstage, while Spears dedicated the performance of "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" to the boy. The same year, the song was performed on Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour. Wearing glittery jeans and an orange halter top, she performed an acoustic version of the song with her guitarist Skip. Spears also performed "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" and "Born to Make You Happy" on Disney Channel in Concert in 1999. The performances were recorded and included on Spears' first home video release, Time Out with Britney Spears. The song was also performed in the television program Good Morning America in January 7, 2000 along with ...Baby One More Time.

[Term of Endearment]

ALBUM FACTS:

 

Album: …Baby One More Time

Alternative album Cover:

 

Estimated worldwide sales: First week 150k (US) and 200k (WW) – Overall – 35 mil (WW)

Animated Album links: 

 

 

 

Album Cover:  

 

 

 

The need to know interesting facts:

 

The album was released on January 12, 1999.

 

..Baby One More Time was supposed to be a self-titled album and have alternative cover art. This was confirmed in a promotional poster in 1998. The original cover can be seen at the back of the …Baby One More time single – see below.

 

The lead ingle …Baby One More time was meant to feature on the TLC album ‘Fan Mail’ however the band rejected it as it was not their style and they felt the lyrics were not what they believed in. TLC – Fan Mail sold 6 million copied - …Baby One More Time has sold over 30 million..

 

When TLC rejected …Baby One More Time, Max Martin choose to offer the single to a boy band – his original thoughts were to offer it to 5ive – but finally choose to offer it to Britney Spears – and what a great choice..

 

The original concept for the lead single was to have Britney be a cartoon character – however Britney disagreed and wanted to go with the catholic school girl idea – this contributed to the major success of the single.  You can find all the facts you need to know about Britney’s videos from the link in the original post. The Video was named TRL’s most iconic video of all time.  Although the video is arguably her most iconic – if you do a Google search for Britney Impersonators – strangely none of the looks are from this video.

 

The Ellipsis at the beginning of the title refer to the fact that ‘’Hit Me’’ was removed from the original title due to concerns that it would be seen to condone domestic violence.

 

The song reached number one on every chart upon which it appeared. Wikipedia’s entry for the song is a solid line of 1’s. No Other song, not even ‘My Heart Will Go On,’ ‘I will Always Love You’ or ‘Billie Jean ‘ can make that same claim.

 

If you Play …Baby One More Time backwards, you can apparently hear Spears sing, ‘’Sleep with me, I’m not too young’’ according to weird pervs who spend their time playing music backwards.

 

‘’The Call’’ by Backstreet Boys uses essentially the same chord Structure, Though when played at the same time …Baby One More Time is far and away the better song.

 

Britney Spears signed a Jive deal thanks to a Whitney Houston song. Spears described being "so nervous" when she was invited to Jive Records to audition. "It's easy to sing in front of a thousand people, because you can't see their faces," said the former "Mickey Mouse Club" star. "But then you got into a room, and there are 10 people staring at you." Spears performed Whitney Houston's challenging classic "I Have Nothing," blew everyone away, and signed to Jive on the spot. "…Baby One More Time" was soon to follow.

 

Britney knew "…Baby One More Time" was going to be a hit. "I had been in the studio for about six months listening to and recording material, but I hadn't really heard a hit yet," said a 16-year-old Spears. "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 was one of those songs you want to hear again and again. It just felt really right."

 

Max Martin worked on Britney's "…Baby One More Time" album more than originally intended. The Swedish producer-songwriter was set to work on two songs for Spears' debut album, but ended up submitting eight -- three of which, including singles "…Baby One More Time" and "(You Drive Me) Crazy," made the final track list. "In 10 days, I never even saw Sweden," says Spears. "We were so busy."

 

Britney Spears sings the word "baby" 25 times in the song. In case you were wondering.

 

"…Baby One More Time" lost to a Sarah McLachlan song at the Grammys. Long before Esperanza Spalding angered Beliebers at the Grammy Awards, the Canadian singer-songwriter's live version of "I Will Remember You" trumped Spears' debut single in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category. Also nominated? Christina Aguilera's debut radio hit, "Genie in a Bottle."

 

"…Baby One More Time" is still Britney's biggest Hot 100 hit. The song spent 32 weeks on the tally, and is her longest-charting single. After debuting at No. 17 on the Hot 100 chart dated Nov. 21, 1998, the song hit No. 1 in its 11th week, in January 1999.

 

"…Baby One More Time" bumped Brandy's "Have You Ever?" out of the top spot on the Hot 100. Oddly enough, after "…Baby" spent two weeks at No. 1, the song moved down when Brandy's "The Boy Is Mine" partner, Monica, hit No. 1 with "Angel of Mine."

 

Britney shouted out her "…Baby One More Time" video in the 2009 "If You Seek Amy" clip. Watch the end of the video, and check out the outfit that Britney's "daughter" is sporting. Fifteen years later, those pink ribbons cannot be forgotten.

 

…Baby One More Time has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album released by a solo teenager EVER.

 

Britney initially pictured being like singer Sheryl Crow, and wanted her debut album to be ‘young Adult Contemporary Rock.’ We’re glad she agreed with her label’s advice (demands?) and went pop.

 

The official album cover wouldn't have been like the American one (with the pink background), neither like the European one (with white background), but it would been the one used for the box versions released in Taiwan!

In fact, if you check back, or inside, of many edition of the first single "...Baby One More Time" you will notice this cover that was then replaced.

 

The official U.S. cover of the album is totally different from the European one, and this is because the American one was not considered chaste, and at the time the idea of launching Britney as a chaste and virgin girl was very pressing.

 

The choice to release "(You Drive Me) Crazy" as a single was improvised. In fact, no advertising poster showed signs of it, but with the release of the movie "Drive Me Crazy", it was made the promotional request to release it as a single and so Jive Records remixed the song to make it more commercial.

 

"Email My Heart" had to be released as a single exclusively for the American market instead of "(You Drive Me) Crazy", but it didn't happen for the reasons just mentioned.

 

 

"Soda Pop" has been used as a promotional single as the soundtrack of the feature debut of "Pokèmon The Movie", in fact, there is also a promotional single inserted in the series of dolls related to Britney in 2000.

 

"...Baby One More Time" is the album with the most alternatives album cover in Britney's career

 

The lyrics of the song "Born To Make You Happy" was rewritten in many parts, because Britney refused to sing a few verses in which they were overly explicit sexual references. The lyrics was modified and then adapted by the authors.

 

 

The bonus track "You Got It All", which many do not know, is a cover of an old song of The Jets, whose original title was shortened as titled "You Got It All Over Him". It was recorded for the album "... Baby One More Time". In fact, a clip of the song was available on a promotional tape containing a preview of some songs of the album of 1999.

 

"Thinkin’ About You" was planned as the 3rd single after "Sometimes", after discussions of releasing Email My Heart, but was cancelled.

 

"Sometimes" original album version was replaced to the single version (had the Guitar intro and a different outro). The original version can be found on 1st pressing promos of "...Baby One More Time" and on the album sampler.

 

There are 11 album covers for "...Baby One More Time" (album) & 1 wooden box cover

 

There are 7 different colour disc and flowers for "...Baby One More Time" (album)

 

"...Baby One More Time" (single) has 4 different covers, "Sometimes" has 4 different covers and "From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart" has 2 different covers.

 

 

The 1st pressing of the US "...Baby One More Time" (album) has "The Beat Goes On" at 5:52 due to there being a hidden message from Britney giving a peak at the Backstreet Boys' new album. The rest of the US pressings have The Beat Goes On at 3:43.

 

There are 2 versions of the fold out poster. You can see this posted in the above posts…

 

 

When Britney and Felicia went to New Jersey to work with Eric Foster White for some tracks for the album, Eric taught Britney how to play darts. From this they took inspiration for that line in "From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart" that says: "...you drove a dart through my heart..."

 

In New Jersey, Eric Foster White wrote "E-Mail My Heart" after he taught Felicia how to e-mail her boyfriend on the computer.

 

 

Information overload – the Wiki facts:

 

...Baby One More Time is the debut studio album by American recording artist Britney Spears. It was released on January 12, 1999, by Jive Records. In June 1997, while Spears negotiated with manager Lou Pearlman to join female pop group Innosense, her mother asked family friend and entertainment lawyer Larry Rudolph for his opinion and submitted a tape of Spears singing over a Whitney Houston karaoke song. Rudolph decided to pitch her to record labels, sending them a demo tape with an unused song from Toni Braxton. Jive was interested and appointed the singer to work with producer Eric Foster White. After hearing the recorded material, Jive signed Spears to a multi-album deal.

 

Spears travelled to Sweden to work with producers Max Martin, Denniz Pop and Rami Yacoub, among others. Martin showed Spears and her management a track titled "Hit Me Baby One More Time", which was originally written for American R&B group TLC;  however, they rejected the track. Spears later claimed that she felt excited when she heard it and knew it was going to be a hit record. By June 1998, the album had been finished.

Critics gave the album mixed reviews, describing the singer as a Madonna next door, considering it silly and premature. The album was successful on the charts, reaching the top five in several countries, while reaching number one in Canada and the United States. It also received several certifications around the world, including a 14xplatinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of over 14 million units in the country. ...Baby One More Time is Spears' most successful album, selling over 30 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time and the best-selling album by a teenage solo artist.

 

Five singles came from the album. "...Baby One More Time" became a worldwide success and one of the best-selling singles of all time, at over ten million copies. The album was promoted with appearances on live television, and also by the ...Baby One More Time Tour in 1999, with a second leg titled Crazy 2k Tour in 2000. Spears claimed she wasn't able to explore her vocal ability on the album. This album set Spears' international pop culture icon image and launched her career. The album earned Spears Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "...Baby One More Time."

 

Background And Development:

 

In June 1997, Spears was in talks with manager Lou Pearlman to join female pop group Innosense. Lynne 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 a sound engineer. Spears travelled to New York 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. 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."  They appointed her 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." Spears recorded ten songs with White, including "Autumn Goodbye", "E-Mail My Heart", "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart", "I'm So Curious", "I Will Still Love You", "Luv The Hurt Away", "Soda Pop", "Thinkin' About You", and "You Got It All". The singer also recorded a cover of Sonny & Cher's 1967 single "The Beat Goes On". White was responsible for the vocal recording and song production, while additional production was done by English electronic music group All Seeing I.

 

After hearing the material, President Clive Calder ordered a full album. Spears flew to Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, where half of the album was recorded from March to April 1998, with producers Max Martin, Denniz Pop and Rami Yacoub, among others. Martin showed Spears and her management a track titled "Hit Me Baby One More Time", which was originally written for American R&B group TLC; however, they rejected it. Spears later claimed that she felt excited when she heard it and knew it was going to be a hit. "We at Jive said, 'This is a fuckin' smash'," revealed the label's A&R executive, Steven Lunt; however, other executives were concerned that the line "Hit Me" would condone domestic violence, and later revised it to "...Baby One More Time". The singer 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'." By June 1998, the album was done, and Spears embarked on a promotional tour sponsored by L'Oreal.  ...Baby One More Time was released as Spears' debut album on January 12, 1999.

 

Composition:

 

Spears had originally envisioned "Sheryl Crow music, but younger more adult contemporary", but felt all right with her label's producers, since "It made more sense to go pop, because I can dance to it—it's more me." The album opens with the first single "...Baby One More Time", a teen pop and dance-pop song that begins with a three-note motif in the bass range of the piano. The opening was compared to many other songs, such as "We Will Rock You" (1977), "Start Me Up" (1981) and the theme song of the film Jaws due to the fact the track "makes its presence known in exactly one second". According to magazine Blender, "...Baby One More Time" is composed by "wah-wah guitar lines and EKG-machine bass-slaps". 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." The next song and third single, "(You Drive Me) Crazy" runs through a moderately slow dance beat, and has a rhythm and blues melody mixed with edgy synthesized instrumentals. The third track and second single "Sometimes" is a ballad, that Spears begins with "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". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic noted the song has "a catchy hook and endearing melody, with a reminiscent euro-dance rhythm."

 

After "Sometimes" is ...Baby One More Time's fourth track, "Soda Pop", a song that draws influences from bubble gum pop and dancehall, and features background vocals from co-writer Mikey Bassie. Spears' vocals on the fifth track and fourth single, "Born to Make You Happy", span more than an octave. 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". The sixth track and final single, "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart", is a sentimental slow-tempo teen pop ballad. "I Will Be There" features 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. The eleventh track, "E-Mail My Heart", is a sensitive piano ballad where Spears sings, "E-mail me back/ And say our love will stay alive". The cover of Sonny & Cher's 1967 single "The Beat Goes On" is influenced by Bossa Nova and Trip Hop, and features a similar sound to spy movies themes.

 

Critical Reception:

 

...Baby One More Time received mixed reviews from critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All music gave the album four out of five stars, and commented that, by the time Spears launched her career, "everything old was new again", comparing the album to Hangin' Tough (1988) by New Kids on the Block.  Erlewine further complimented the quality of the singles while praising Max Martin, "who is also the mastermind behind Spears' debut."  Entertainment Weekly's Beth Johnson noted the singer "sounds remarkably like the Backstreet Boys' kid sister", saying, however, that this was "not surprising, since BSB hit-master Max Martin wrote the candy-pop-with-a-funky-edge smash debut." Robert Christgau commented Spears portrayed a "Madonna next door" in the album with songs like "...Baby One More Time" and "Soda Pop", while Craig McDennis of The Hamilton Spectator said the album "offers a glib compendium of soul/pop clichés, served with a giddy, uptempo verve that recalls Debbie Gibson on a chocolate high." Amazon.com's Rickey Wright gave ...Baby One More Time a mixed review, saying that "a few of the disc's cuts are pleasantly catchy", noting, however, "neither does the 17-year-old Spears's debut album contain anything else that remotely approaches that instant hit single ['...Baby One More Time']." Billboard '​s Paul Verna considered the album "a top 40-ready workout filled with hook-laden songs from the same bag as the title cut".

 

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." Barry Walters of Rolling Stone gave the album two stars out of five, and compared the album's sound to early hits of Debbie Gibson, Mariah Carey, and Samantha Fox. Walters also said that "while several Cherion-crafted kiddie-funk jams serve up beefy hooks, shameless schlock slowies, like 'E-Mail My Heart', are pure spam." A NME reviewer rated ...Baby One More Time 1 out of 10, 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". 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 more happier for it. Now grow up, girl. Quick!"  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."

 

Commercial Performance:

 

...Baby One More Time debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 selling 121,000 units, replacing DMX's Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood (1998). Spears broke several records by doing so. 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; 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; and the first new female artist to have the first single and first album at number one the same week.  Spears is also the youngest female in Billboard history to have a simultaneous number and album at number in the same week. After four weeks since its release, the album had sold more than 500,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan sales data. After dropping to the top five, the album went back to number one in its fourth week, with a total of 804,200 units sold. On its fifth week it reached its highest sales week with 229,000 copies sold. ...Baby One More Time spent a total of six non-consecutive weeks at number one, and sold more than 1.8 million copies in its first two months of release in the country. In its 47th week on the Billboard 200, the album held strong at number three and with sales of over of 10 million copies in the United States alone. The album was later certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America, making Spears the youngest artist to receive that award, breaking Alanis Morissette's record, who was 21 when she released Jagged Little Pill (1995). The album was the fourteenth album since 1991 to sell over 10 million copies in the United States, and Spears became the best-selling female artist of 1999. ...Baby One More Time spent a total of fifty-one weeks in the top ten of the Billboard 200. The album spent a total of 103 weeks on the chart....Baby One More Time landed at number three on BMG Music Club all-time best-sellers list, selling 1.6 million units, behind Shania Twain's Come on Over (1997).

 

The album debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, totalling nine non-consecutive weeks at the top. On December 12, 1999, the Canadian Recording Industry Association certified it Diamond, for sales over 1 million units.  ...Baby One More Time spent two weeks at number two on the European Top 100 Albums, and sold over four million copies within the continent, being certified quadruple platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. The album reached number two in the United Kingdom, number four in France and was certified triple Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry, double Platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique, triple Gold in Germany by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, and ten-times Platinum (Diamond) by the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry....Baby One More Time debuted at number nine in May 1999 on the Australian Albums Chart, reaching at number two nine weeks later, placing behind the Dawson's Creek soundtrack. The album became the seventh highest-selling of 1999 in the country, and was certified four-times Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association the following year after shipping 280,000 copies to retailers. The track debuted at number three in the New Zealand, placing behind Shania Twain’s Come on Over and The Corrs’. The album was later certified triple Platinum in the country by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand.

 

Singles:

 

"...Baby One More Time" was released as Spears' debut single on October 23, 1998. The song received generally favourable critical reviews, mostly praising its composition. "...Baby One More Time" attained worldwide success, reaching number one in every European country where it charted.  It received numerous certifications around the world, and is one of the best-selling singles of all time, at over ten million copies. An accompanying music video, directed by Nigel Dick, portrays Spears as a student from a Catholic high school, who starts to daydream that she is singing and dancing around the school, while watching her love interest from afar. In 2010, the music video for "...Baby One More Time" was voted the third-most influential video in the history of pop music.

 

"Sometimes" was released as the second single on April 30, 1999.  "Sometimes" achieved commercial success worldwide, reaching number one in Belgium (Flanders),Netherlands and New Zealand, while peaking inside the top five in four countries. In the United States, "Sometimes" missed the top ten, peaking at number twenty-one on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video for the song was directed by Nigel Dick. During rehearsals, on February 11, 1999, Spears injured her left knee and needed surgery. After recuperating in Kentwood, Louisiana, the music video was shot on April 9–10, 1999 at Paradise Cove in Malibu, California. It was released on May 6, 1999 on MTV's Total Request Live.

 

In May 1999, Max Martin and Spears went to the Battery Studios in New York City, New York to re-record the vocals of "(You Drive Me) Crazy", due to the fact that a remixed version called "The Stop! Remix" was going to be included on the original motion picture soundtrack of the film Drive Me Crazy (1999). "The Stop! Remix" of the song was released as the third single on August 23, 1999. The music video was directed by Nigel Dick, and featured actors Melissa Joan Hart and Adrian Grenier.

 

"Born to Make You Happy" was released on December 6, 1999 as the fourth single, and received mixed reviews from music critics. The song achieved commercial success, peaking inside the top-five in eleven countries. The music video for it was directed by Billie Woodruff and produced by Geneva Films, choreographed by Wade Robson.

 

"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" was released on December 15, 1999 as the final single. The song also received mixed reviews, finding the song a classic hit and competent single, despite considering it as an unremarkable song that refers only to kissing. "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" achieved moderate success, peaking at number thirty-seven in Australia, and twenty-three in New Zealand. Through imports, the song reached one hundred seventy-four in the United Kingdom.  In the United States, "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" reached number fourteen on Billboard Hot 100, and seventeen on Pop Songs, and was later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 28, 2000, for selling over 1,000,000 physical units of the single. The music video, directed by Gregory Dark, was released on December 17, 1999. It was highly criticized due to the fact that Dark had previously directed porn films.

 

Promotion:

 

Promotion began in 1998, when Spears did a small tour in malls and food courts that were located mostly in larger cities around the United States. Each show lasted around 30 minutes, and Spears had two female dancers with her on the stage. The promo tour is also known as the L'Oreal Mall Tour, after its sponsor. The singer made several promotional appearances including talk shows and live performances around the world. On December 1998, Spears' first showed up on MTV's and the Box's most-requested video charts. She also appeared on the Ricki Lake Show, the Howie Mandel Show, and was the presenter of the 1999 American Music Awards, prior to the release of the album. The singer also appeared on MTV's Spring Break and on the 100th episode of Nickelodeon's All That. However, after hurting her knee, she had rescheduled appearances several shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Live With Regis And Kathie Lee. After recovering, Spears embarked on another promotional schedule. The singer appeared on Nickelodeon's 12th Annual Kids Choice Awards on May 1, MTV's FANatic on May 12, Live With Regis & Kathie Lee on May 3, and The Rosie O'Donnell Show on May 25.

 

Outside the United States, Spears visited German talk show Wetten, dass..? and Top of the Pops on June 25, 1999. She also went to the United Kingdom, making appearances on programmes such as This Morning, CD:UK and National Lottery. She visited a music variety show called Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ in Japan, and performed at the Festival Bar in Italy. Spears was also featured on an episode of ABC television sitcom, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, where she played herself. Melissa returned the favour to Spears and played a cameo role in Spears' video for "(You Drive Me) Crazy," according to People magazine. The episode aired on September 24, 1999. 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. She had a mini-Disney concert titled "Britney Spears & Joey McIntyre In Concert." Spears and Joey McIntyre performed live in the taped concert event. Promotion for the album continued in early 2000, where Spears performed at the American Music Awards of 2000, and also performed "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" in a medley with "...Baby One More Time" at the 2000 Grammy Awards.

Touring

 

On March 5, 1999, it was reported that Spears was planning her first headlining tour. She announced that the tour would start in July. On May 12, Tommy Hilfiger was announced as the main tour sponsor. During the time of the announcement, Spears was being featured in the company's "AllStars" campaign. On December 17, during the premiere of the music video of "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" on TRL, Spears called the show to announce March 2000 US tour dates. The extension, entitled Crazy 2K Tour, was considered a prelude to her future world tour. The leg's main sponsor was Got Milk?. 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. The secondary sponsor was Polaroid and the corporation released the Polaroid 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. The show was divided into segments, separated by interlude, ending with an encore. The set list consisted of songs from her debut album and several covers. Some changes were made during the 2000 leg, with the covers replaced by songs from her second studio album, Oops!... I Did It Again. The tour received positive critical appreciation. During the tour, Spears was accused of lip synching, although she denied these claims. On April 20, 2000, the concert at Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu, Hawaii was taped. It was slightly altered from its Crazy 2K incarnation and featured different costumes. On June 5, 2000, it was broadcast on Fox. The special was aired several times during the year. On November 21, 2000, Jive Records released the Live and More! DVD, which included the Fox special. It was certified triple platinum by the RIAA for shipping 300,000 units.

 

Legacy:

 

Spears was credited with leading the revival of teen pop. The Daily Yomiuri reported that "critics have hailed her as the most gifted teenage pop idol for many years, but Spears had set her sights a little higher-she is aiming for the level of superstardom that has been achieved by Madonna and Janet Jackson." 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." 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." 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." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All music referred to her music as a "blend of infectious, rap-inflected dance-pop and smooth balladry." Sputnikmusic writer Amanda Murray noted the album "offers a marker for Spears' progression as an artist, as a celebrity, and as a woman."

 

Spears became an international pop culture icon immediately after launching her recording career. Rolling Stone magazine 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 broke the bank". She is listed by the Guinness World Records as having the "Best-selling album by a teenage solo artist". 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 37 million albums worldwide". Barbara Ellen of The Observer has 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 Mousketeer, was that most unusual and volatile of American phenomena â€” a child with a full-time career. While other little girls were putting posters on their walls, Britney wanted 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"....Baby One More Time is Spears' most successful album to date, with worldwide sales over 30 million copies, and also the best-selling album by a teenage solo artist.

 

Listen to the album now:

https://play.spotify.com/album/3WNxdumkSMGMJRhEgK80qx?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open

[Term of Endearment]

[Term of Endearment]

FEELING NOSTALGIC?

 

This section includes video links – collector’s pages and trips down memory lane – let’s do the Time Warp again…

 

Collectors’ items: http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=355313

More Collector’s items: http://www.mybritneycollection.com/search/label/Baby%20One%20More%20Time%20Album

 

Music Video Posters by Neemz:

 

 

 

General Images:

 

 

#

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Website back in the day:

[Term of Endearment]

Performances:

http://youtu.be/g8YV2EgzQ7g

 

http://youtu.be/RPMyOp8pqZU

 

http://youtu.be/jh1pIJSPffo

 

http://youtu.be/vgPXOBfgtQ0

 

http://youtu.be/b5RV99DoJaE

 

http://youtu.be/MQGEDT0_J9c

 

http://youtu.be/TJC-9k9o8Ck

 

http://youtu.be/OFgTVnmCUcc

 

http://youtu.be/gZClwUi_1pE

 

http://youtu.be/XfWPydXS3Uc

 

http://youtu.be/6Jf4wN0sYFs

 

http://youtu.be/aL_L7WbgY6M

 

http://youtu.be/wEoLMstU4jI

[Term of Endearment]

Interviews:

http://youtu.be/1ZZox6jfWUk

 

http://youtu.be/g3Ok_QTwf3g

 

http://youtu.be/Z446k3KUeiI

 

http://youtu.be/X9PBAYzuRbM

 

http://youtu.be/DYjqAJQqHWw

 

http://youtu.be/igabv-TKC_U

 

http://youtu.be/5JqgmI4w6AE

 

 

General Videos:

http://youtu.be/-wam6jpe9Rc

 

http://youtu.be/XA6Zs-tN-3I

 

http://youtu.be/x3KFgMuYYYI

 

http://youtu.be/QiThq8M6wJo

 

http://youtu.be/5GBNIDsQXY8

 

http://youtu.be/7OS3Xp8I5zk

 

http://youtu.be/eZCe9-M3TvQ

 

http://youtu.be/P2WLfTGpG-4

[Term of Endearment]

Please post as many things as as you can  

[Pop Sensation]

flawless stan tbh.

 

[Ooh-Ooh Britney]

Let's make this thread as big as possible

 

Here' stunning BOMTney

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOMTney is SO underrated and deserves so much more praise

[PopMusicJunkie]

 

Ok. There was some serious pre-JIVE vocals going on here.

[Term of Endearment]

Let's make this thread as big as possible

 

Here' stunning BOMTney

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOMTney is SO underrated and deserves so much more praise

 

BOMTNEY is flawless - thank you for posting!!

[stephaniesu01]

Hi! Britney is an amazing singer! I love all her music. She is the best female artist ever made from the 90's.

She is one of my inspiration in doing music. I am now a music teacher and I have a blog Music Advisor.

Hope you will check this out and enjoy wonderful guidelines about Music.

[Wendy Williams]

On 6/13/2015 at 4:35 AM, PopMusicJunkie said:

 

 

Ok. There was some serious pre-JIVE vocals going on here.

It was after BOMT single release, no?