Britney (album)


Britney is the third studio album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on November 5, 2001 in the United States through Jive Records. Looking to transition from the teen pop styles of her earlier albums ...Baby One More Time and Oops!... I Did It Again, Spears began to embrace a significantly more mature sound with Britney. Its music incorporates genres of pop and R&B with influences of dance and occasionally dips into elements of disco, hip hop, rock, and electronica. Its lyrics address the subjects of reaching adulthood and sexuality. Contributions to its production came from a variety of collaborators, including Max Martin and Rami Yacoub. Spears herself assumed a more prominent role in the album's development, co-writing six of its tracks.
Upon its release, Britney received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who complimented the progression from Spears's earlier works, but criticized her increasingly provocative image. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 745,750 copies. Its success made Spears the first female artist to have her first three studio albums debut atop the chart, a record she would later break again with her fourth studio album In the Zone. To promote the album, Spears embarked on her fourth concert tour, the Dream Within a Dream Tour, which began in November 2001 and continued until July 2002. The album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards.
Six singles were released from the album. "I'm a Slave 4 U" reached the top ten in several countries but reached only number twenty-seven on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Spears's first lead single not to peak within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. "Overprotected" and "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" had alternated as the second and third single of the album, respectively, both of which performed similarly internationally by reaching top ten in several countries, while the Darkchild remix of the former peaked at number eighty-six on the US Billboard Hot 100. "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman", as well as the following singles "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", "Anticipating" and "Boys" didn't chart on the US Billboard Hot 100; however all of them except for "Anticipating" reached the top ten in several countries albeit in less than its preceding singles. Britney has sold over 9 million copies worldwide.

Background and development

In May 2000, Spears released her second studio album Oops!... I Did It Again. Spears collaborated with producers including Rodney Jerkins, David Kreuger, and Max Martin. Following its release, Oops!... I Did It Again became an international success and peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200.
While recording her follow-up record, Spears wanted an "older generation to pick up on it", adding that she "had to change it up and pray people think that's cool". She stated that she chose to self-title the album because the majority of its content describes who she is. Spears recorded twenty-three tracks for the release, several of which she co-wrote with the assistance of Brian Kierulf and Josh Schwartz. She added that personally writing the album and developing its concept made the project "that much more special", elaborating of her intentions to "get better and grow" as a songwriter.
Spears worked with a variety of collaborators, including pop colleagues Martin and her then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake. She commented that she initially felt "awkward" and "nervous" working with Timberlake, saying that she was accustomed to the process being "like work". Spears also worked with hip hop producers Rodney Jerkins and The Neptunes, who made the record "nastier and funkier". She was additionally set to record songs with Missy Elliott and Timbaland, but they never worked with Spears due to scheduling conflicts.

Music and lyrics

Britney is a pop and R&B album with dance influences. The album opens with its lead single "I'm a Slave 4 U". The song features an urban influence and Middle Eastern flavor, amid breathy, emotive noises, and it has been compared to "Nasty Girl" by Vanity 6. Spears commented that its lyrics are "about me just wanting to go out and forget who I am and dance and have a good time". "Overprotected" was noted for having Europop styles, and addresses a girl who is tired of being manipulated. Lyrically, "Lonely" sees a girl moving on from a troublesome romance after being lied to and manipulated. It was considered "a teenage version of Janet Jackson's "What About?". The soft rock piano ballad "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman", co-penned by English singer-songwriter Dido, Max Martin and Rami, details the emotional struggles that teenage girls experience during puberty. "Boys" incorporates R&B and hip hop styles, and was criticized by David Browne of Entertainment Weekly as "cut-rate '80s Janet Jackson". The disco-inspired track "Anticipating" discusses the friendship and camaraderie between women, and it's reminiscent of 'Holiday' or Kylie in disco mood."
Spears's cover of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", made famous by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, infuses pop rock styles into the original hard rock rendition. "Cinderella" reflects on a girl who left her boyfriend after he failed to appreciate her efforts in the relationship. "Let Me Be" sees Spears ask to be trusted as an adult and be afforded her own opinions. "Bombastic Love" discusses a love where Spears feels that the romance will happen "exactly like in a movie". Similarly, the penultimate track "That's Where You Take Me" details the joy she gets from an emotionally fulfilling relationship, amid Middle Eastern chimes and a collage of electronic beats and drum programming. In some editions, "When I Found You" is the penultimate track. On the electronica track, Britney tells she has found her "deepest love" in her soul mate who is essentially a reflection of herself. The album closes with "What It's Like to Be Me", which was co-written and co-produced by Spears's then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake; Spears sings that a guy must "figure out" to "be man".

Release and promotion

Britney was first released in Japan on October 31, 2001, followed by a release in Europe and Oceania on November 5, 2001 and in North America the following day. The bonus edition of the album was released on April 9, 2002 in North America and included a bonus VCD. The special limited edition was released in June, featuring a new cover artwork, four bonus tracks and a bonus DVD, with the Japanese and Australian edition featuring the track "Before the Goodbye". Brazilian special limited edition's cover artwork is different from the others, featuring a black background and the Britney typeface in white; however, the track listing remained the same. In Japan, Britney was re-released on November 7, 2002 in a special Christmas package under the title Gift from Britney, which had the same track listing and similar cover artwork as the Australian and Japanese special limited edition, and was packaged with a bonus charmbracelet.
On January 28, 2001, Spears performed at Super Bowl XXXV. Shortly after, she appeared on Total Request Live to premiere new material from Britney. On September 6, Spears premiered "I'm a Slave 4 U" at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards; the performance was criticized for her use of a yellow python as a stage prop. Four days later, she performed "I'm a Slave 4 U" on The Rosie O'Donnell Show. Spears was scheduled to perform and hold a press conference in Australia on September 13; however, she cancelled the event in light of the September 11 attacks two days prior, saying that holding the conference would have been inappropriate. The following month, Spears performed at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In November, she performed in her first HBO concert special from the MGM Grand Garden Arena; Cher was supposed to join Spears onstage for the song "The Beat Goes On", which Spears covered on ...Baby One More Time, though Cher was unable to do so due to scheduling conflicts.
In December, Spears performed at the 2001 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada. The following January, she sang "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" at the 2002 American Music Awards. Later in the month, Spears gave interviews to The Frank Skinner Show in the United Kingdom and The Saturday Show in Australia. Crossroads premiered in February 2002, allowing Spears to simultaneously promote both the film and her album. On February 2, she was featured as both the host and performer of Saturday Night Live. A week later, she sang "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" at the NBA All-Star Game and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Spears also appeared on Live with Regis & Kelly, The View, and the 44th Annual Grammy Awards in the United States, and Wetten, dass..? in Germany.
In November 2001, Spears began her Dream Within a Dream Tour in Columbus, Ohio; it ended in July 2002 in Mexico City. An accompanying video album was released, titled , on November 20, 2001 through Jive Records. Made available less than three weeks after Britney, Britney: The Videos included a selection of her earlier music videos, behind-the-scenes footage, commercials, and notable live performances. It peaked at number one on the US Top Music Videos on December 8, 2001.

Singles

"I'm a Slave 4 U" was released as the album's lead single on September 24, 2001. Its accompanying music video was directed by Francis Lawrence, and received three nominations at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. The song peaked at number twenty-seven on the US Billboard Hot 100, and debuted at number four on the UK Singles Chart.
"Overprotected" was released as the album's second single internationally in November 2001 and the third single in the United States in April 2002. Its "Darkchild Remix" peaked at number eighty-six on the Billboard Hot 100, while the original version reached number four in the United Kingdom. The song was nominated for the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2003 Grammy Awards. Two variations of the music video were released, one for the original and the other for the Darkchild Remix.
Staggered to fit the varying release dates of Crossroads internationally, "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" was released as the theme song of the film and the second single for Britney in the United States. The song charted at number two on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, an extension of the twenty-five songs that failed to make the Billboard Hot 100. It was met with more success internationally, peaking at number two in the United Kingdom.
Spears's cover of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" was released as the fourth Australian and European single. Consequentially, the song did not chart in the United States, but reached number thirteen on the UK Singles Chart. "Anticipating" was released as the fifth single exclusively in France; it reached number thirty-eight on the French Singles Chart. "Boys" served as the sixth single from Britney internationally, and it peaked at number twenty-two on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, and reached number seven in the United Kingdom.

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Britney received an average score of 58, which indicates "mixed or average reviews", based on 13 reviews. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly found Spears's increasingly provocative image to be unnatural, noting "virginal vamping in an awkward adolescence" and "a few tentative new moves". PopMatters Nikki Tranton complimented the production of the songs, but questioned if Spears was ready to establish herself as a grown woman in the music industry. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine agreed, writing that although "Britney, , fills her role of guilty pleasure, it's time for Spears to quit being such a cock-tease and cook something up that will satisfy the ever-vacillating hype-machine."
AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave a positive review, feeling that the album "strives to deepen persona" and proves she "will know what to do when the teen-pop phenomenon of 1999–2001 passes for good". Similarly, a reviewer from Billboard commented that the project was "a nicely varied, wholly satisfying collection". Chris Heat of Dotmusic praised Britney for "us this opportunity to take the odd risk and adds a welcome edge to her sound." NMEs Ted Kessler recognized the release as a "coming of age album" and joked that it "works best when making a good pop cheese and dance sandwich". By contrast, Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club panned the album, opining that the music "just catchy" and that "though neither a girl nor a woman, Spears inspires grown-up anger on her own". Craig Seymore of Spin recognized that she "sound almost human," but criticized that "the rest of the record is as coldly anthemic as ever."

Accolades

Commercial performance

Britney debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 745,750 copies. In doing so, Spears became the first female to have her first three studio albums debut atop that chart. She also held the second-highest debut album sales of 2001, behind Celebrity by NSYNC with 1.88 million units moved and was the highest debut-week sales by a female artist of the year. After fluctuating within the top twenty of the chart in the following weeks, Britney sold 3.3 million copies by 2002. As of March 2015, Britney has sold 4.4 million units in the United States alone and was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Internationally, Britney debuted atop the Canadian Albums Chart with first-week sales of 44,550 copies. It later sold 316,944 copies in the country, a significant decline in relation to the sales of ...Baby One More Time and Oops!... I Did It Again. The album peaked at number four on both the Oricon Albums Chart in Japan and the UK Albums Chart. In the latter, it was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for shipments of 300,000 copies to retailers. Across the rest of Europe, Britney debuted at number one in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. In 2002, it was certified double platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for shipments of two million copies throughout Europe. The album also peaked at number four in Australia, and was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association.

Track listing

Notes
Credits adapted from AllMusic.

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Australian Albums 34
Austrian Albums 21
Belgian Albums 36
Belgian Albums 46
Danish Albums 97
European Top 100 Albums 22
French Albums 46
German Albums 49
South Korean International Albums 7
South Korean International Albums
Special limited edition		16
Swiss Albums 49
UK Albums 79
US Billboard 2008

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history