5 of our favourite Britney Spears singles

To celebrate CelebMix’s fifth anniversary, we have taken a closer look at some of our favourite celebrities, and the different aspects that we love about them.

For this article, we have decided to share with you our top five favourite singles by Britney Spears!

5. “Everytime” (2004)

The third single to be released from Britney’s fourth studio album, “In the Zone” (2003), we consider this song to be up there as one of her best ballads. Britney herself helped to co-write the song, alongside Annet Artani, and also composed and came up with the song’s melody on piano.

Lyrically, “Everytime” is a plea for forgiveness for hurting a past lover. It is highly rumoured to be about Britney’s breakup from Justin Timberlake, although this has never been confirmed.

We think the song is hauntingly beautiful. A soft piano melody backed by strong, breathy vocals from Britney – the song seems a lot more simple compared to some of the other tracks from “In the Zone”, but the organic nature of its production helps to establish the raw vulnerability behind Britney’s vocal performance. It is one of the more heartbreaking offerings in her discography, as well as one of the most personal songs she has ever released as a single.

4. “Stronger” (2000)

The third single from Britney’s second studio album, “Oops!… I Did It Again” (2000), “Stronger” is a storming pop song with a strong empowerment message. Even today, the song resonates with many people and is easily one of the more relatable offerings from Britney’s discography.

For this song, we see Britney sing about leaving her cheating boyfriend for good, and how she feels much better without him. However, the song can also be interpreted to be about becoming much ‘stronger’ after a tough situation in life, and not necessarily a breakup.

One of the best parts of the song in our opinion is the middle 8. How the atmospheric production slows down for a few seconds before creeping back up into an explosive vocal delivery from Britney and that final chorus – it truly is an epic moment in such a catchy and powerful song. We also love the reference to Britney’s previous hit, “…Baby One More Time” (1998) in the chorus (“my loneliness ain’t killing me no more”).

3. “Toxic” (2004)

The second single from “In the Zone” (2003), and arguably, one of Britney’s most successful and recognisable songs throughout her entire career. It notably samples “Tere Mere Beech Mein” from the 1981 Bollywood film “Ek Duuje Ke Liye”.

At the time of its release, “Toxic” was seen as one of the most experimental dance tracks from Britney’s discography, and this still stands true today. Even in 2020, the song still sounds as fresh and exciting when it did when it was first released. The song fuses the “Tere Mere Beech Mein” sample with influences from Bhangra, electropop and dance music, and it works so well. Moreover, the song is incredibly catchy right from the first listen.

Lyrically, you could argue that the song is nothing to write home about. But the thrilling and daring composition of the song, accompanied by the fact that the song was a massive step forward in Britney’s career compared to some of her past releases, help to make it one of her most memorable.

2. “Overprotected” (2001)

Just missing out on the top spot is “Overprotected”. Taken from Britney’s self-titled third studio album, “Britney” (2001), this song was released as the album’s second single in most countries, although it was the third in the US – albeit a remixed version, but we are discussing the superior original version here. The song was also used in Britney’s motion picture movie, “Crossroads” (2002).

One of the biggest points that makes the song one of Britney’s best singles is the lyrical content, where she sings about wanting more freedom in her life. Even today, the song can still be resonated with Britney due to the struggles she has faced along the way and some of her more recent personal issues. Anyone who has gone through a similar situation will also be able to identify with and relate to the song’s lyrics. It is one of the more autobiographical moments from Britney’s career.

There is also no denying just how catchy and infectious the song is. It may seem like a typical Max Martin-style instrumental, but the heart-pounding instrumental, accompanied by that funky middle 8 and final chorus makes for a perfect pop song.

1.“Gimme More” (2007)

Our top pick for our favourite Britney Spears single has to be “Gimme More”. The song is an exhilarating piece of pop music, which showcases Britney at her most artistic. Released as the lead single for Britney’s fifth studio album, “Blackout” (2007), this single was considered a huge comeback for her following a series of high profile personal struggles earlier that year (2007).

Everything about this song is daring and experimental for so many reasons. Firstly, the incredible, dark and atmosphere electropop sound on the track, which, in a way, has become influential and paved the way for similar electro-fused songs in the years to come. Let’s not forget the main vocal point of the song – the iconic opening line, “It’s Britney B***h”. This line set the tone for the song, and let everyone know who exactly it was: it’s Britney Spears, back and better than ever.

The lyrical content of “Gimme More” is also quite interesting. Although the song may seem to be about sex, if you take a closer look, it’s actually about the media’s fascination with Britney and her private life (“cameras are flashing while we’re dirty dancing”/ “feels like the crowd is saying gimme, gimme more”). It could not be a more perfect song for Britney to come back with after experiencing the media watching her every move the past few years – and especially in 2007.