The Enduring Legacy of Britney Spears
Amidst chaos, how the music of our best pop princess lives on
When people talk about Britney Spears, it often happens in the past tense.
I loved her. She was the best. It was so sad when she went crazy.
It’s how we robbed Britney of ever having a future. It’s how, looking back, even her biggest supporters have some blood spatter on their hands. And it’s how, with renewed interest in her personal life and conservatorship after the release of documentary “Framing Britney,” there might be time to right the ship.
I have loved Britney Spears for a very long time. She was my first concert. It was something called the Rising Star Habitat for Humanity Benefit Concert, if you can believe something so beautiful. September 1999. Shrine Auditorium. Los Angeles. LFO performed. Barry Watson from “7th Heaven” walked right next to me. It was electric.
In the decades that followed, I obsessed over every move. I drank Pepsi because of Britney. I used her birthdate the first (and only) time I played the Lotto. I told my closest friends and family members that I loved her because she was “really hot.”
But with that fandom comes responsibility. As a pop culture fiend who grew up with the dawn of the Internet, it’s not responsibility that I was not prepared to handle. As her life was falling apart, I bought the magazines. As she dealt with intense mental health issues, I clicked on the gossip sites that paid for her photographs. For some God forsaken reason, I drove to Cedars-Sinai in L.A. after she had been hospitalized in 2008, just to be a part of the moment. At a certain point, devotion doesn’t mean anything if you refuse to draw a line in the sand.
It’s not to say that I, or anybody else, should have necessarily known any better. Celebrities weren’t human beings. We came of age in a society where famous people were for consumption, especially young women who dared to express their sexuality. We made a mockery and memes out of anybody who dare suggest we “leave Britney alone.” We failed her.
Retrospection isn’t always fun, because sometimes retrospect wants to be a little bitch. Britney’s future remains uncertain, but we can learn from her past. To honor the artistry of one Britney Jean Spears and in the spirit of taking a look back, I wanted to make a list of the 20 Britney songs that I consider to be the the best.
Nine studio albums. Multiple compilation albums. The song from “The Smurfs 2” that we actually pretend doesn’t exist. It’s been a legendary ride.
Let’s roll.
“Change Your Mind (No Seas Cortes)” - Glory (2016)
It took Britney seventeen years to start singing in Spanish, but it was worth the wait.
“Now That I Found You” - Britney Jean Deluxe Edition (2013)
There were many issues that plagued Britney Jean, but perhaps the most egregious error was not including “Now That I Found You” on the standard tracklist. Not only should it have been included, but it should have been a single.
“Breathe On Me” - In The Zone (2003)
In The Zone found Britney at the height of her sexual exploration, exuding the confidence and energy of a woman fully realized and aware of her power.
“Piece of Me” - Blackout (2007)
Blackout was Britney’s comeback album, and it’s simultaneously an incredible work of pop music while lacking much of Britney’s personality. “Piece of Me” is the exception. Calling herself “Miss American Dream since I was seventeen” while ridiculing the media scrutiny that took over her life, she managed to be tongue-in-cheek while legitimately angry. It’s a masterclass.
“Don’t Let Me Be The Last To Know” - Oops!…I Did It Again (2000)
“Don’t Let Me Be The Last To Know” is one of Britney’s earliest ballads and one of her best. It’s only elevated by the fact that it’s co-written by Shania Twain.
“Do You Wanna Come Over?” - Glory (2016)
Glory is Britney’s last studio album and, if it goes down as her final one, it’s not a bad way to go out. They went with a G-Eazy feature and “Make Me…” as the lead single, but it probably should have been this. It’s a fun, loud banger with a chorus exciting enough to unite the masses.
“Work Bitch” - Britney Jean (2013)
“Work Bitch” is Britney at her absolute campiest. The fact that it was a lead single is even more incredible and hilarious, in retrospect. She puts on a series of strange accents, screams about wanting three different foreign cars in the span of five seconds and ultimately just wants everybody to have hot bodies and lots of money. Aspirational queen!
“Lucky” - Oops!…I Did It Again (2000)
The knock, knock, knock heard ‘round the world. In 2000, she was already trying to tell us that it was becoming too much. There’s never really been a song like “Lucky,” and given what was to come, it’s even more bittersweet.
“Oops!…I Did It Again” - Oops!…I Did It Again (2000)
The lead singles from Britney’s first two albums both contained an ellipsis. Not enough people talk about that. Punctuation icon. I can still do the dance from this music video by heart and I’ll do it for anybody who asks. The red bodysuit. The “Titanic” reference. The “I’m not that innocent” of it all. “Oops” is a beautiful, nostalgic time capsule.
“Everytime” - In The Zone (2003)
Britney’s best ballad succeeds for many reasons. The vulnerability, her vocals, the songwriting. But ultimately, it’s a more beautiful, nuanced break-up song than Justin Timberlake could ever dream of making.
“Toxic” - In The Zone (2003)
“Toxic” is interesting in the fact that it seems to be most non-Britney fans favorite Britney song. It’s great, of course, and earned Britney her only Grammy, but I do think it’s maybe a tad overrated in most popular music circles. The sky-high music video is undeniably iconic and made me question some things personally.
“Overprotected” - Britney (2001)
Back in 2001, she was already singing “I'll tell 'em what I like, what I want, and what I don't/But every time I do, I stand corrected/Things that I've been told/I can't believe what I hear about the world/I realize I'm overprotected.” WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN LISTENING.
“Boys” - Britney (2001)
“Boys” is a song that’s really only improved over time. Produced by The Neptunes, it still manages to sound current and fresh, leaning into the R&B influences that Britney would dip her toes into sometimes. The remix, featuring Pharrell, appeared on the “Austin Powers in Goldmember” soundtrack, but the original is better. I think I was hesitant to embrace this song initially because I didn’t want to be singing about the titular boys over and over and, thus, give away my cover. However, now I’m a raging homosexual and it’s fine.
“(You Drive Me) Crazy” - …Baby One More Time (1999)
“(You Drive Me) Crazy” not only affirmed Britney’s love of punctuation in her song titles, it also established her as an anthemic pop force. Melissa Joan Hart doesn’t just show up for anybody, guys and dolls.
“Stronger” - Oops!…I Did It Again (2000)
On her debut single, Britney sings “my loneliness is killing me.” Just a year later, on “Stronger,” she sings “my loneliness ain’t killing me no more.” What do we call that? Growth. The music video for “Stronger” taught me to never look at furniture the same way again.
“3” - The Singles Collection (2009)
To promote the release of a greatest hits album with a single about threesomes that references Peter, Paul and Mary. Well, that’s what legends do!
“Touch Of My Hand” - In The Zone (2003)
Britney’s sexual exploration continued with “Touch Of My Hand,” the perfect companion to “Breathe On Me.” A young woman singing about masturbation and the art of personal pleasure should have been celebrated for the act of independence and rebellion that it was. At the time, I did think it was about giving a shoulder massage to a friend.
“I’m A Slave 4 U” - Britney (2001)
It’s pretty remarkable (also weird?) to recognize that Britney was only 19 years old when this song and video were released. Questionable use of the word “slave” aside, it’s about as sweaty and sexy as anything has ever been. God, I miss being absolutely covered in the body slime of strangers.
“Gimme More” - Blackout (2007)
In “Gimme More,” we have another conundrum. Blackout was not Britney at her most lucid, but the product and legacy speak for themselves. And with the most indelible three-word intro in the history of recorded music, well, the song is an undeniable.
“…Baby One More Time” - …Baby One More Time (1999)
Could it possibly be anything else? It’s the song that made me fall in love with Britney. I truly believe, in my HEART OF HEARTS, that it’s one of the best songs of all-time. Not just pop songs. One of the best songs, period. A song that stands the test of time from an artist who will continue to stand the test of time, no matter what comes next.
Dan, u forgot pretty girls