...Baby One More Time
Encyclopedia
...Baby One More Time is the debut studio album
of American recording artist Britney Spears
, released on January 12, 1999, by Jive Records
. In June 1997, while Spears was in a negotiation 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 he wanted to pitch her to record labels, sending them a demo tape with an unused song from Toni Braxton
. Jive Records was interested in working with Spears, and appointed the singer to work with producer Eric Foster White. After hearing the recorded material, Jive signed Spears for a multi-album deal.
Aside from Eric Foster White, Spears traveled 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, 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. By June 1998, the album had been finished. The songs on ...Baby One More Time are sung by Spears in a mid-nasal voice, and lyrically talks about love and relationships.
Contemporary critics gave the album mixed reviews, who described the singer as a Madonna
next door, despite 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 fourteen-times platinum
certification by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA), for shipments over 14 million units in the country. ...Baby One More Time is Spears' most successful album to date, selling over 26 million copies worldwide.
Five singles were released from the album, with "...Baby One More Time
" becoming a worldwide success and also one of the best-selling singles of all time, with over nine million copies sold. The album was promoted with several appearances on live television, and also by the ...Baby One More Time Tour
in 1999, with a second leg titled Crazy 2k Tour
starting in 2000. Spears revealed she wasn't able to explore her vocal ability in the songs of the album. ...Baby One More Time marked the singer's progression as an artist, celebrity, and woman, and was also responsible for setting Spears' international pop culture icon
image.
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 traveled 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." 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", "Soda Pop", and "Thinkin' About You". The singer also recorded a cover of Sonny & Cher
's 1967 single "The Beat Goes On
". White was responsible for the vocal recording of the cover and song production, while additional production was done by English electronic music group All Seeing I
.
After hearing the recorded material, president Clive Calder
ordered a full album. 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 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 fuckin' 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". 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 already done, and Spears embarked on a promotional tour sponsored by L'Oreal
. ...Baby One More Time was then released as Spears' debut album on January 12, 1999.
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." The album opens with the first single "...Baby One More Time
", a teen pop
and dance-pop
song that begins with a three-note motive 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 and EKG-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." The next song and third single, "(You Drive Me) Crazy
" runs through a moderatly slow dance
beat
, and has a rhythm and blues similar melody mixed with edgy synthesized instrumentals. The third track and second single "Sometimes
" is a heartbroken ballad, where Spears declares at the beginning of the song "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 Times fourth track, "Soda Pop", a song that draws influences from bubblegum pop
and dancehall
, and features background vocals from the co-writer Mikey Bassie. Spears' vocals on the fifth track and fourth single, "Born to Make You Happy
", spans over an octave, and it's lyrics alludes too 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 sixth track and final single, "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
", is a sentimental teen pop
ballad that runs through a slowly tempo. "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.
(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-meister 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 cliches, 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".
Toronto Sun
journalist Jane Stevenson found the album "somehow appropriate that the first new teen queen of 1999 is a former Mousketeer", despite commenting that "for the most part, this 11-song collection threatens to turn your brain into mush." Stevenson, however, noted "it's only when the material slightly elevates itself, that Spears -- who counts her favourite singers as Whitney Houston
, Mariah Carey
and Michael Jackson
-- is not half bad", praising songs like "Sometimes
", "Soda Pop", "I Will Be There", and the cover version of "The Beat Goes On
". 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 noted the album as preamture, 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."
selling 120,500 units, placing at number two three-week chart-topper DMX
's Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood
(1998). After four weeks, 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, selling over than 804,200 since its release and debut on the chart. ...Baby One More Time spent a total of six non-consecutive weeks at number one, and had sold more than 1.8 million copies in its first two months of release. In its 47th week on the Billboard 200, the album held strong, peaking at number-three, and with sales over of 10 million copies in the United States only. The album was later certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America
, making Spears the youngest artist to receive one,breaking a record previously held by Alanis Morissette
, who was 21 when she released Jagged Little Pill
(1995). The singer was also 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, placing behind Shania Twain
's Come on Over
(1997) and the Backstreet Boys' self-titled album (1996).
The album also debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart
, and spent 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 went on to sell over four million copies within the continent, being certified four-times 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 three-times Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
, double Platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
, three-times Gold in Germany by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, and ten-times Platinum (Diamond) by the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry
. Additionally, ...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. ...Baby One More Time debuted at number three in the New Zealand
, placing behind Shania Twain's Come on Over and The Corrs
' Talk on Corners
(1997). The album was later certified three-times Platinum in the country by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
.
" was released as Spears' debut single on September 30, 1998 by Jive Records
, when she was only 16 years old. The song received generally favorable reviews from contemporary critics, who mostly praised its composition. "...Baby One More Time" attained worldwide success, reaching number one in every European country where it charted on. It also received numerous certifications around the world, and is one best-selling singles of all time, with over nine 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. Later, 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 from the album 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" became Spears' first single to miss the top ten, peaking at number tweny-one on the Billboard Hot 100
. The music video for the song was directed by Nigel Dick. During the music video rehearsals, on February 11, 1999, Spears injured her left knee and needed surgery to correct it. After recuperating from the surgery 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
. On 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 from ...Baby One More Time on August 23, 1999. The music video for the song was also directed by Nigel Dick, and featured actors Melissa Joan Hart
& Adrian Grenier
.
"Born to Make You Happy
" was released on December 6, 1999 as the fourth single from ...Baby One More Time, 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, while choreographed by Wade Robson
. "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
" was released on December 15, 1999 as the fifth and final single from the album. The song also received mixed reviews from critics, who noted the song as a classic hit and competent single, despite considering it as an unremarkable song that only refers to kissing and nothing else. "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 managed to peak at number 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, being 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. An accompanying 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.
Mall Tour, because it was sponsored by L'Oreal
. Spears made many promotional appearances including talk shows and live performances all around the world to help promote the album. On December 1998, Spears' first showed up on MTV's and the Box's most-requested video charts. Spears' also poised numerous media appearances weeks before the release of her debut album, most notably on the Ricki Lake Show, the "Howie Mandel Show", and as a presenter at the American Music Awards
on January 11, 1999. She has also appeared on MTV's Spring Break and on the 100th episode of Nickelodeon
's All That
. After hurting her knee during the rehearsals for the music video of "Sometimes", Spears was forced to reschedule appearances on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and Live With Regis And Kathie Lee
.
Before the ...Baby One More Time Tour
, Spears' was making guest appearances on a number of television shows, including The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on April 25, 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. She also appeared on German talk show Wetten, dass..?
and on Top of the Pops
on June 25, 1999, This Morning
, CD:UK
& National Lottery
in the United Kingdom, she also visited a Japanese music variety show called Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ in Japan to help promote the album. She also performed at the Festival Bar in Italy. Meanwhile, Spears' also played herself in the season of the ABC
television sitcom, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch
. Spears was returning a favor to actress Melissa Joan Hart
, who had a cameo in Spears's video for "(You Drive Me) Crazy," according to People magazine. The episode featuring Spears' was aired on September 24, 1999. She also performed at the American Music Awards of 2000
. Then she performed in the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards, which was televised live on CBS
Feb. 23. On late 1999, Spears was equally busy, as she performed on The Rosie O'Donnell Show
on Sept. 27. On Sept. 28, she visited Carson Daly over at MTV's Total Request Live
at 3:30 p.m. (ET). She also had a mini Disney concert titled "Britney Spears & Joey McIntyre In Concert", Spears and Joey McIntyre performed live in the taped concert event.
was announced as the main tour sponsor. During the time of the announcement, Spears was being featured in the "AllStars" campaign launched by the company. On December 17, 1999, during the premiere of the music video of "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
" on TRL
, Spears called the show to announce March 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 official camera of the tour. Spears also used the I-Zone onstage to take pictures of the audience and further promote the product.
The show was divided into various segments, with each segment being followed by an interlude to the next segment, and it ended with an encore. The setlist consisted of songs from her debut album and several cover
s. Some changes were made during the 2000 leg, with the covers replaced by songs Spears premiered from her second studio album, Oops!... I Did It Again
. The tour received positive critical appreciation from critics. 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 broadcasted in a special in 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 three-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) for shipment of 300,000 copies in DVD units.
in the late 1990s. The Daily Yomiuri reported that "[m]usic critics have hailed her as the most gifted teenage pop idol for many years, but Spears has set her sights a little higher-she is aiming for the level of superstardom that has been achieved by Madonna and Janet Jackson
." 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." Following the release of her debut album, 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's 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 Allmusic referred to her music as a "blend of infectious, rap-inflected dance-pop and smooth balladry." Spears later commented, "With ...Baby One More Time, I didn't get to show my voice off. The songs were great, but they weren't very challenging". 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" for ...Baby One More Time, which sold over thirteen million copies in the United States. 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 Mouseketeer, was that most unusual and volatile of American phenomena — a child with a full-time career. While other little girls were putting posters on their walls, Britney was wanting to be the poster on the wall. Whereas other children develop at their own pace, Britney was developing at a pace set by the ferociously competitive American entertainment industry". ...Baby One More Time is Spears' most successful album to date, with worldwide sales over 26 million copies.
Personnel
Production
Design
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
of American recording artist Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, released on January 12, 1999, by Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
. In June 1997, while Spears was in a negotiation with manager Lou Pearlman
Lou Pearlman
Louis Jay "Lou" Pearlman is a former impresario of the successful 1990s boy bands such as The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Take 5, O-Town and US5. In 2006, it was discovered that Pearlman had perpetrated one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in American history, leaving more than $300...
to join female pop group Innosense
Innosense
Innosense was an all-female American group. The band were together from 1997 to 2003.-History:The band was managed by Lou Pearlman and Lynn Harless. The original members were Danay Ferrer, Mandy Ashford, Nikki DeLoach, Amanda Latona, and Britney Spears and formed in 1997...
, her mother asked family friend and entertainment lawyer Larry Rudolph
Larry Rudolph
Larry Rudolph is a personal manager. He is best known as the manager of Britney Spears from 1999–2004, briefly in 2007, and 2008-present.-Career:...
for his opinion and submitted a tape of Spears singing over a Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
karaoke song. Rudolph decided he wanted to pitch her to record labels, sending them a demo tape with an unused song from Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
. Jive Records was interested in working with Spears, and appointed the singer to work with producer Eric Foster White. After hearing the recorded material, Jive signed Spears for a multi-album deal.
Aside from Eric Foster White, Spears traveled to Sweden to work with producers Max Martin
Max Martin
Martin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
, Denniz Pop
Denniz Pop
Dag Krister Volle , better known under the artistic name Denniz Pop , was a Swedish DJ, music producer and songwriter....
and Rami Yacoub
Rami Yacoub
Rami Yacoub is a Swedish music producer and songwriter of Palestinian descent, and former member of the successful songwriting/production houses Cheiron Studios and Maratone...
, 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
TLC (band)
TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...
; 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. By June 1998, the album had been finished. The songs on ...Baby One More Time are sung by Spears in a mid-nasal voice, and lyrically talks about love and relationships.
Contemporary critics gave the album mixed reviews, who described the singer as a Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
next door, despite 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 fourteen-times platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
certification by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA), for shipments over 14 million units in the country. ...Baby One More Time is Spears' most successful album to date, selling over 26 million copies worldwide.
Five singles were released from the album, with "...Baby One More Time
...Baby One More Time (song)
"...Baby One More Time" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. It served as Spears' debut single from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time . Written by Max Martin and produced by Martin, Denniz Pop and Rami Yacoub, "...Baby One More Time" was released on September 30, 1998,...
" becoming a worldwide success and also one of the best-selling singles of all time, with over nine million copies sold. The album was promoted with several appearances on live television, and also by the ...Baby One More Time Tour
...Baby One More Time Tour
The ...Baby One More Time Tour was the debut concert tour by American recording artist Britney Spears. It supported her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time and visited United States and Canada. The tour was announced in March 1999, with dates released a month later. Tommy Hilfiger was chosen...
in 1999, with a second leg titled Crazy 2k Tour
...Baby One More Time Tour
The ...Baby One More Time Tour was the debut concert tour by American recording artist Britney Spears. It supported her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time and visited United States and Canada. The tour was announced in March 1999, with dates released a month later. Tommy Hilfiger was chosen...
starting in 2000. Spears revealed she wasn't able to explore her vocal ability in the songs of the album. ...Baby One More Time marked the singer's progression as an artist, celebrity, and woman, and was also responsible for setting Spears' international pop culture icon
Pop icon
A pop icon is a celebrity, character, or object whose exposure in pop culture constitutes a defining characteristic of a given society or era. The categorization is usually associated with elements such as longevity, ubiquity, and distinction. Moreover, "pop icon" status is distinguishable from...
image.
Background and development
 |
I had been in studio for about six months listening and recording material, but I hadn't really heard a hit yet. When I started working with Max Martin in Sweden, he played the demo for 'Baby One More Time' for me, and I knew from the start it one was of those songs you want to hear again and again. It just felt really right. I went into the studio and did my own thing with it, trying to give it a little more attitude than the demo. In 10 days, I never even saw Sweden. We were so busy. |
||
 |
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In June 1997, Spears was in talks with manager Lou Pearlman
Lou Pearlman
Louis Jay "Lou" Pearlman is a former impresario of the successful 1990s boy bands such as The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Take 5, O-Town and US5. In 2006, it was discovered that Pearlman had perpetrated one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in American history, leaving more than $300...
to join female pop group Innosense
Innosense
Innosense was an all-female American group. The band were together from 1997 to 2003.-History:The band was managed by Lou Pearlman and Lynn Harless. The original members were Danay Ferrer, Mandy Ashford, Nikki DeLoach, Amanda Latona, and Britney Spears and formed in 1997...
. Lynne asked family friend and entertainment lawyer Larry Rudolph
Larry Rudolph
Larry Rudolph is a personal manager. He is best known as the manager of Britney Spears from 1999–2004, briefly in 2007, and 2008-present.-Career:...
for his opinion and submitted a tape of Spears singing over a Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
karaoke song along with some pictures. Rudolph decided he wanted to pitch her to record labels, therefore she needed a professional demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
. He sent Spears an unused song from Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
; she rehearsed for a week and recorded her vocals in a studio with a sound engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
. Spears traveled 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
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...
and the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
, and "there wasn't going to be another Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, another Debbie Gibson, or another Tiffany
Tiffany (singer)
Tiffany Renee Darwish , known popularly as Tiffany, is an American singer and former teen icon. She is most notable for her 1987 cover version of "I Think We're Alone Now", originally recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells in 1967. Released as the second single from her eponymous album, Tiffany,...
." Two weeks later, executives from Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
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." 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", "Soda Pop", and "Thinkin' About You". The singer also recorded a cover of Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher were an American pop music duo, actors, singers and entertainers made up of husband-and-wife team Sonny and Cher Bono in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector....
's 1967 single "The Beat Goes On
The Beat Goes On
"The Beat Goes On" is a Billboard Hot 100 top ten hit song written by Sonny Bono and recorded by Sonny & Cher. It was issued as a single and appeared on their 1967 album In Case You're In Love...
". White was responsible for the vocal recording of the cover and song production, while additional production was done by English electronic music group All Seeing I
All Seeing I
The All Seeing I is an English electronic music group from Sheffield, comprising Dean Honer, Jason Buckle and DJ Parrot...
.
After hearing the recorded material, president Clive Calder
Clive Calder
Clive Calder is a South African-born and UK based record executive and businessman primarily known for co-founding the Zomba Group and its subsidiary Jive Records. The relocation of Warner Music Group Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr...
ordered a full album. She flew to Cheiron Studios
Cheiron Studios
Cheiron Studios was a recording studio located at Kungsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden founded in 1992 by Denniz PoP and Tom Talomaa. Cheiron Studios was apart from being a recording studio, also a label Cheiron Records in affiliation with BMG for a while, and the music publishing service Cheiron Songs...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, where half of the album was recorded from March to April 1998, with producers Max Martin
Max Martin
Martin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
, Denniz Pop
Denniz Pop
Dag Krister Volle , better known under the artistic name Denniz Pop , was a Swedish DJ, music producer and songwriter....
and Rami Yacoub
Rami Yacoub
Rami Yacoub is a Swedish music producer and songwriter of Palestinian descent, and former member of the successful songwriting/production houses Cheiron Studios and Maratone...
, 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
TLC (band)
TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...
; 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 fuckin' 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
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
, later being revised 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 already done, and Spears embarked on a promotional tour sponsored by L'Oreal
L'Oréal
The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
. ...Baby One More Time was then released as Spears' debut album on January 12, 1999.
Composition
Spears had originally envisioned "Sheryl CrowSheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
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." The album opens with the first single "...Baby One More Time
...Baby One More Time (song)
"...Baby One More Time" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. It served as Spears' debut single from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time . Written by Max Martin and produced by Martin, Denniz Pop and Rami Yacoub, "...Baby One More Time" was released on September 30, 1998,...
", a teen pop
Teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
and dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
song that begins with a three-note motive in the bass range of the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, opening that has been compared to many other songs, such as "We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You
"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century...
" (1977), "Start Me Up
Start Me Up
"Start Me Up" is a song by The Rolling Stones featured on the 1981 album Tattoo You. Released as the album's lead single, it reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the UK Singles Chart.-Writing and recording:...
" (1981) and the theme song of the film Jaws
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
due to the fact the track "makes its presence known in exactly one second". According to magazine Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
, "...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), noted 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
(You Drive Me) Crazy
" Crazy" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. The song was written and produced by Max Martin, Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson and David Kreuger for Spears' debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time . It was released on August 23, 1999 by Jive Records, as the third single from the...
" runs through a moderatly slow dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
beat
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
, and has a rhythm and blues similar melody mixed with edgy synthesized instrumentals. The third track and second single "Sometimes
Sometimes (Britney Spears song)
"Sometimes" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her debut studio album ...Baby One More Time . Written by Jörgen Elofsson and produced by Per Magnusson and David Krueger, the song was released as Spears' second single on April 30, 1999 by Jive Records...
" is a heartbroken ballad, where Spears declares at the beginning of the song "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
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
of Allmusic noted the song has "a catchy hook and endearing melody, with a reminiscent euro-dance rhythm."
After "Sometimes" is ...Baby One More Times fourth track, "Soda Pop", a song that draws influences from bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
and dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
, and features background vocals from the co-writer Mikey Bassie. Spears' vocals on the fifth track and fourth single, "Born to Make You Happy
Born to Make You Happy
"Born to Make You Happy" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time . 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,...
", spans over an octave, and it's lyrics alludes too 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 sixth track and final single, "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time . It was released on December 15, 1999, by Jive Records as the fifth and final single from the album...
", is a sentimental teen pop
Teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
ballad that runs through a slowly tempo. "I Will Be There" features a guitar riff similar to Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
'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
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. 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
Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher were an American pop music duo, actors, singers and entertainers made up of husband-and-wife team Sonny and Cher Bono in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector....
's 1967 single "The Beat Goes On
The Beat Goes On
"The Beat Goes On" is a Billboard Hot 100 top ten hit song written by Sonny Bono and recorded by Sonny & Cher. It was issued as a single and appeared on their 1967 album In Case You're In Love...
" is influenced by bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
and trip hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
, and features a similar sound to spy movies
Spy film
The spy film genre deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way or as a basis for fantasy . Many novels in the spy fiction genre have been adapted as films, including works by John Buchan, John Le Carré, Ian Fleming and Len Deighton...
themes.
Critical reception
...Baby One More Time received mixed reviews from contemporary critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic 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' ToughHangin' Tough
-Production:*Executive Producer: Cecil Holmes*Arranged & Produced By Maurice Starr*Associate Producers: Jordan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg & Danny Wood*Recorded, Engineered & Mixed By Phil Greene, Richard Mendelson, Maurice Starr, Hediki Sunada & Danny Wood...
(1988) by New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block are an American boy band from Boston, Massachusetts, assembled in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr. The band currently consists of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood.New Kids on the Block enjoyed success in the late 1980s and...
. Erlewine further complimented the quality of the singles while praising Max Martin, "who is also the mastermind behind Spears' debut." Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Beth Johnson noted the singer "sounds remarkably like the Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...
' kid sister", saying, however, that this was "not surprising, since BSB hit-meister Max Martin wrote the candy-pop-with-a-funky-edge smash debut." Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
commented Spears portrayed a "Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
next door" in the album with songs like "...Baby One More Time" and "Soda Pop", while Craig McDennis of The Hamilton Spectator
The Hamilton Spectator
The Hamilton Spectator, founded in 1846, is a newspaper published every day but Sunday in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The paper has a daily circulation of 105,000 and a daily readership of nearly 260,000.-History:...
said the album "offers a glib compendium of soul/pop cliches, served with a giddy, uptempo verve that recalls Debbie Gibson on a chocolate high." Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
'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
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Paul Verna considered the album "a top 40-ready workout filled with hook laden songs from the same bag as the title cut".
Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
journalist Jane Stevenson found the album "somehow appropriate that the first new teen queen of 1999 is a former Mousketeer", despite commenting that "for the most part, this 11-song collection threatens to turn your brain into mush." Stevenson, however, noted "it's only when the material slightly elevates itself, that Spears -- who counts her favourite singers as Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
and Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
-- is not half bad", praising songs like "Sometimes
Sometimes (Britney Spears song)
"Sometimes" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her debut studio album ...Baby One More Time . Written by Jörgen Elofsson and produced by Per Magnusson and David Krueger, the song was released as Spears' second single on April 30, 1999 by Jive Records...
", "Soda Pop", "I Will Be There", and the cover version of "The Beat Goes On
The Beat Goes On
"The Beat Goes On" is a Billboard Hot 100 top ten hit song written by Sonny Bono and recorded by Sonny & Cher. It was issued as a single and appeared on their 1967 album In Case You're In Love...
". Kyle Anderson of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
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
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
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
Samantha Fox
Samantha Karen "Sam" Fox is an English dance-pop singer, actress, and former glamour model. In 1983, at the age of 16, she began her topless modeling career on Page Three of The Sun, and went on to become a popular pin-up girl...
. 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
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
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 noted the album as preamture, 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
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
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 number one on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
selling 120,500 units, placing at number two three-week chart-topper DMX
DMX (rapper)
Earl Simmons , better known by his stage name DMX, is a multiplatinum American rapper and actor who rose to fame in the late 1990s. His stage name pays tribute to the Oberheim DMX drum machine, an instrument he used when he made his own rap beats in the 80's...
's Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood
Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood
Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood is the second album released in 1998 by rapper DMX. It entered the charts at number one with an impressive 670,000 units shipped in the first week. The album eventually went 3x Multi-Platinum in the US. DMX released his debut album It's Dark and Hell Is Hot in...
(1998). After four weeks, the album had sold more than 500,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
sales data. After dropping to the top five, the album went back to number one in its fourth week, selling over than 804,200 since its release and debut on the chart. ...Baby One More Time spent a total of six non-consecutive weeks at number one, and had sold more than 1.8 million copies in its first two months of release. In its 47th week on the Billboard 200, the album held strong, peaking at number-three, and with sales over of 10 million copies in the United States only. The album was later certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
, making Spears the youngest artist to receive one,breaking a record previously held by Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
, who was 21 when she released Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette. It was Morissette's first internationally released album, and her first studio album after the three year hiatus following her break with MCA Records. The album marked a shift from her style...
(1995). The singer was also 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, placing behind Shania Twain
Shania Twain
Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million...
's Come on Over
Come on Over (Shania Twain album)
Come On Over is the third studio album recorded by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released on November 4, 1997. It became the world's best-selling country music album and the best-selling studio album ever released by a female artist in any genre...
(1997) and the Backstreet Boys' self-titled album (1996).
The album also debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
, and spent nine non-consecutive weeks at the top. On December 12, 1999, the Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
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
European Top 100 Albums
The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100...
, and went on to sell over four million copies within the continent, being certified four-times platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. The album reached number two in the United Kingdom
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, number four in France
Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique
The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...
and was certified three-times Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
, double Platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique
The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...
, three-times Gold in Germany by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, and ten-times Platinum (Diamond) by the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry
Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry
The Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry is the organization that represents the interests of the music industry in Poland, and the Polish chapter of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry...
. Additionally, ...Baby One More Time debuted at number-nine in May 1999 on the Australian Albums Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
, 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
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
the following year after shipping 280,000 copies to retailers. ...Baby One More Time debuted at number three in the New Zealand
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
, placing behind Shania Twain's Come on Over and The Corrs
The Corrs
The Corrs are an Irish band which combine pop rock with traditional Celtic folk music. The brother and sisters are from Dundalk, Ireland. The group consists of the Corr siblings: Andrea ; Sharon ; Caroline ; and Jim .The Corrs came to international prominence with their performance at the...
' Talk on Corners
Talk on Corners
Talk on Corners is the second album by Irish band The Corrs, released in 1997. The name of the album is derived from a line from the album's song "Queen of Hollywood"....
(1997). The album was later certified three-times Platinum in the country by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
.
Singles
"...Baby One More Time...Baby One More Time (song)
"...Baby One More Time" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. It served as Spears' debut single from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time . Written by Max Martin and produced by Martin, Denniz Pop and Rami Yacoub, "...Baby One More Time" was released on September 30, 1998,...
" was released as Spears' debut single on September 30, 1998 by Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
, when she was only 16 years old. The song received generally favorable reviews from contemporary critics, who mostly praised its composition. "...Baby One More Time" attained worldwide success, reaching number one in every European country where it charted on. It also received numerous certifications around the world, and is one best-selling singles of all time, with over nine million copies sold. An accompanying music video, directed by Nigel Dick
Nigel Dick
Nigel Dick is an English music video and film director, writer and musician based in Los Angeles, California. He directed the Band Aid video "Do They Know It's Christmas?", as well as over 300 other music videos.Nigel Dick should not be confused with the Australian Dr...
, portrays Spears as a student from a Catholic high school, who starts to daydream
Daydream
A daydream is a visionary fantasy, especially one of happy, pleasant thoughts, hopes or ambitions, imagined as coming to pass, and experienced while awake. There are many types of daydreams, and there is no consistent definition amongst psychologists. The general public also uses the term for a...
that she is singing and dancing around the school, while watching her love interest from afar. Later, in 2010, the music video for "...Baby One More Time" was voted the third most influential video in the history of pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. "Sometimes
Sometimes (Britney Spears song)
"Sometimes" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her debut studio album ...Baby One More Time . Written by Jörgen Elofsson and produced by Per Magnusson and David Krueger, the song was released as Spears' second single on April 30, 1999 by Jive Records...
" was released as the second single from the album on April 30, 1999. "Sometimes" achieved commercial success worldwide, reaching number one in Belgium (Flanders)
Ultratop 50
Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995...
, Netherlands
Mega Single Top 100
The Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales and legal downloads and composed by MegaCharts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Dutch Top 40 and the Mega Top 50. The difference is that these charts also include airplay data.The list is...
and New Zealand
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
, while peaking inside the top five in four countries. In the United States, "Sometimes" became Spears' first single to miss the top ten, peaking at number tweny-one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The music video for the song was directed by Nigel Dick. During the music video rehearsals, on February 11, 1999, Spears injured her left knee and needed surgery to correct it. After recuperating from the surgery 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
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
. On 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
(You Drive Me) Crazy
" Crazy" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. The song was written and produced by Max Martin, Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson and David Kreuger for Spears' debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time . It was released on August 23, 1999 by Jive Records, as the third single from the...
", 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
Drive Me Crazy
-Tracklisting:# " Crazy " - Britney Spears# "Unforgetful You" - Jars of Clay# "I Want It That Way " - Backstreet Boys# "It's All Been Done" - Barenaked Ladies# "Stranded" - Plumb...
(1999). "The Stop! Remix" of the song was released as the third single from ...Baby One More Time on August 23, 1999. The music video for the song was also directed by Nigel Dick, and featured actors Melissa Joan Hart
Melissa Joan Hart
Melissa Joan Catherine Hart is an American actress, writer, television director, television producer, singer and businesswoman...
& Adrian Grenier
Adrian Grenier
Adrian Grenier is an American actor, musician and director. He is best known for his lead role on the HBO original series, Entourage, as Vincent Chase.-Early life:...
.
"Born to Make You Happy
Born to Make You Happy
"Born to Make You Happy" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time . 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,...
" was released on December 6, 1999 as the fourth single from ...Baby One More Time, 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, while choreographed by Wade Robson
Wade Robson
Wade Jeremy William Robson is an Australian dance prodigy, director, producer, songwriter, and award-winning choreographer. He began performing as a dancer at the age of five. He has directed music videos and world tours for numerous music artists such as 'N Sync and Britney Spears...
. "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time . It was released on December 15, 1999, by Jive Records as the fifth and final single from the album...
" was released on December 15, 1999 as the fifth and final single from the album. The song also received mixed reviews from critics, who noted the song as a classic hit and competent single, despite considering it as an unremarkable song that only refers to kissing and nothing else. "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 managed to peak at number 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, being later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) on March 28, 2000, for selling over 1,000,000 physical units of the single. An accompanying music video, directed by Gregory Dark
Gregory Dark
Gregory Dark is an American film director, film producer, music video director, and screenwriter. Dark is one of the few adult film-makers to successfully transition into mainstream Hollywood film-making...
, was released on December 17, 1999. It was highly criticized due to the fact that Dark had previously directed porn films.
Promotion
Spears started to promote the album in 1998, when she did a small promo tour in malls and food courts around the US, mostly in larger cities. Her set was around 30 minutes, and she had two female dancers with her on the stage. The promo tour is also known as the L'OrealL'Oréal
The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
Mall Tour, because it was sponsored by L'Oreal
L'Oréal
The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
. Spears made many promotional appearances including talk shows and live performances all around the world to help promote the album. On December 1998, Spears' first showed up on MTV's and the Box's most-requested video charts. Spears' also poised numerous media appearances weeks before the release of her debut album, most notably on the Ricki Lake Show, the "Howie Mandel Show", and as a presenter at the American Music Awards
American Music Awards of 1999
The 26th Annual American Music Awards were held on January 11, 1999....
on January 11, 1999. She has also appeared on MTV's Spring Break and on the 100th episode of Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
's All That
All That
All That is an American live-action, sketch comedy-variety show that aired on the Nickelodeon cable television network featuring short comedic sketches and weekly musical guests. The theme song for All That was performed by TLC...
. After hurting her knee during the rehearsals for the music video of "Sometimes", Spears was forced to reschedule appearances on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and Live With Regis And Kathie Lee
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
.
Before the ...Baby One More Time Tour
...Baby One More Time Tour
The ...Baby One More Time Tour was the debut concert tour by American recording artist Britney Spears. It supported her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time and visited United States and Canada. The tour was announced in March 1999, with dates released a month later. Tommy Hilfiger was chosen...
, Spears' was making guest appearances on a number of television shows, including The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on April 25, 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
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
on May 25. She also appeared on German talk show Wetten, dass..?
Wetten, dass..?
Wetten, dass..? is a long-running German-language entertainment television show. It is the most successful Saturday television show in Europe...
and on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
on June 25, 1999, This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
, CD:UK
CD:UK
CD:UK was a British music television programme. Originally run in conjunction with SMTV Live, the programme was first aired on ITV on 29 August 1998 to rival the BBC's Live & Kicking and was the replacement for The Chart Show, which had been airing on the network for nine and a half years.In...
& National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
in the United Kingdom, she also visited a Japanese music variety show called Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ in Japan to help promote the album. She also performed at the Festival Bar in Italy. Meanwhile, Spears' also played herself in the season of the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television sitcom, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Sabrina the Teenage Witch is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a teenage fictional character named Sabrina Spellman. The character was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo. The comic's characters have also appeared in various other media...
. Spears was returning a favor to actress Melissa Joan Hart
Melissa Joan Hart
Melissa Joan Catherine Hart is an American actress, writer, television director, television producer, singer and businesswoman...
, who had a cameo in Spears's video for "(You Drive Me) Crazy," according to People magazine. The episode featuring Spears' was aired on September 24, 1999. She also performed at the American Music Awards of 2000
American Music Awards of 2000
The 27th Annual American Music Awards were held on January 17, 2000....
. Then she performed in the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards, which was televised live on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
Feb. 23. On late 1999, Spears was equally busy, as she performed on The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
on Sept. 27. On Sept. 28, she visited Carson Daly over at MTV's Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
at 3:30 p.m. (ET). She also had a mini Disney concert titled "Britney Spears & Joey McIntyre In Concert", Spears and Joey McIntyre performed live in the taped concert event.
Tour
On March 5, 1999, it was reported that Spears was planning her first headlining tour to support her first studio album. Shortly after, she announced that the tour would start in July. On May 12, 1999, Tommy HilfigerTommy Hilfiger
Thomas Jacob "Tommy" Hilfiger is an American fashion designer and founder of the premium lifestyle brand Tommy Hilfiger.-Early life:...
was announced as the main tour sponsor. During the time of the announcement, Spears was being featured in the "AllStars" campaign launched by the company. On December 17, 1999, during the premiere of the music video of "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time . It was released on December 15, 1999, by Jive Records as the fifth and final single from the album...
" on TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
, Spears called the show to announce March US tour dates. The extension, entitled Crazy 2K Tour, was considered a prelude to her future world tour
Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour
The Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour was the second concert tour by American recording artist Britney Spears. It supported her second studio album Oops!... I Did It Again and visited North America, Europe and Brazil. It marked the first time Spears toured outside North America...
. The leg's main sponsor was Got Milk?
Got Milk?
Got Milk? is an American advertising campaign encouraging the consumption of cow's milk, which was created by the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor Board in 1993 and later licensed for use by milk processors and dairy farmers. It has been running...
. 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
Polaroid Corporation
Polaroid Corporation is an American-based international consumer electronics and eyewear company, originally founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land. It is most famous for its instant film cameras, which reached the market in 1948, and continued to be the company's flagship product line until the February...
and the corporation released the Polaroid I-Zone
I-Zone
The Polaroid i-Zone was a type of instant-film camera manufactured by the Polaroid Corporation. This camera took pictures 1.5"x1", that came on a pull-out strip of paper. The strip was decorated and could later be cut to the size of the photo when the image was finished developing. Special film...
as the official camera of the tour. Spears also used the I-Zone onstage to take pictures of the audience and further promote the product.
The show was divided into various segments, with each segment being followed by an interlude to the next segment, and it ended with an encore. The setlist consisted of songs from her debut album and several cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s. Some changes were made during the 2000 leg, with the covers replaced by songs Spears premiered from her second studio album, Oops!... I Did It Again
Oops!... I Did It Again
Oops!...I Did It Again is the second studio album by American pop singer Britney Spears. The album was released on May 16, 2000 by Jive Records. The album became a commercial success after debuting at top position on the U.S. Billboard 200 selling over 1,319,193 units during its first week...
. The tour received positive critical appreciation from critics. During the tour, Spears was accused of lip synching, although she denied these claims. On April 20, 2000, the concert at Hilton Hawaiian Village
Hilton Hawaiian Village
The Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort and Spa, formerly the Kaiser Hawaiian Village Hotel, has been a popular hotel in the Waikiki area of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States since 1957. It is the largest hotel of the Hilton chain, with 3,386 rooms and with 7 towers...
in Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
was taped. It was slightly altered from its Crazy 2K incarnation and featured different costumes. On June 5, 2000, it was broadcasted in a special in Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
. The special was aired several times during the year. On November 21, 2000, Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
released the Live and More! DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, which included the Fox special. It was certified three-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) for shipment of 300,000 copies in DVD units.
Legacy
Following her debut, Spears was credited with leading the revival of teen popTeen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
in the late 1990s. The Daily Yomiuri reported that "[m]usic critics have hailed her as the most gifted teenage pop idol for many years, but Spears has set her sights a little higher-she is aiming for the level of superstardom that has been achieved by Madonna and Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
." 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." Following the release of her debut album, 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's 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 Allmusic referred to her music as a "blend of infectious, rap-inflected dance-pop and smooth balladry." Spears later commented, "With ...Baby One More Time, I didn't get to show my voice off. The songs were great, but they weren't very challenging". 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
Pop icon
A pop icon is a celebrity, character, or object whose exposure in pop culture constitutes a defining characteristic of a given society or era. The categorization is usually associated with elements such as longevity, ubiquity, and distinction. Moreover, "pop icon" status is distinguishable from...
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
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
as having the "Best-selling album by a teenage solo artist" for ...Baby One More Time, which sold over thirteen million copies in the United States. Melissa Ruggieri of the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Richmond Times-Dispatch is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond the capital of Virginia, United States, and is commonly considered the "newspaper of record" for events occurring in much of the state...
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
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
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 — a child with a full-time career. While other little girls were putting posters on their walls, Britney was wanting to be the poster on the wall. Whereas other children develop at their own pace, Britney was developing at a pace set by the ferociously competitive American entertainment industry". ...Baby One More Time is Spears' most successful album to date, with worldwide sales over 26 million copies.
Track listing
Additional notes:- Early pressings of the album features a recorded message by Spears about the Backstreet Boys after "The Beat Goes On".
Credits and personnel
Credits for ...Baby One More Time adapted from the album liner notes.Personnel
- Britney SpearsBritney SpearsBritney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
– lead vocals, background vocals - Mikey Bassie – composer, guest vocals
- Sonny Bono – composer
- Andreas Carlsson – composer, background vocals
- Jörgen Elofsson – composer
- Nikki Gregoroff – background vocals
- Nana Hedin – background vocals
- Andy Hess – bass
- David Krueger – composer
- Tomas Lindberg – bass
- Kristian Lundin – composer
- Per Magnusson – composer, keyboards
- Max Martin – composer, keyboards, background vocals
- Andrew McIntyre – electric guitar
- Dan Petty – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Doug Petty – keyboards
- Don Philip – guest vocals
- Aleese Simmons – background vocals
- Eric Foster White – bass, composer, electric guitar, keyboards
- Sonny BonoSonny BonoSalvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono was an American recording artist, record producer, actor, and politician whose career spanned over three decades.-Early life:...
– composer - Jason Blume – composer
- Steve Diamond – composer
Production
- Charles McCrorey – assistant engineer
- Chris Trevett – sound engineer, audio mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Daniel Boom – sound engineer
- David Kreuger – producer
- Dean Honer – producer
- Denniz PopDenniz PopDag Krister Volle , better known under the artistic name Denniz Pop , was a Swedish DJ, music producer and songwriter....
– producer - DJ Parrot – producer
- Eric Foster White – producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, sound engineer, audio mixing, drum programming, arrangement - Jason Buckler – producer
- Jimmy Bralower – drum programming
- Kristian Lundin – producer
- Max Martin – producer, sound engineer, audio mixing, programming
- Per Magnusson – producer, programming
- Rami Yacoub – producer
- Tim Latham – sound engineer, audio mixing
- Tom Coyne – audio mastering
Design
- Albert Sanchez – photography
- Jackie Murphy – art direction, design
- Lisa Peardon – photography
- Larry Busacca – photography
- Timothy White – photography
Weekly charts
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
2 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 2 |
| Belgian Flemish Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
2 |
| Belgian Walloon Albums Chart | 2 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
1 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
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| French SNEP Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
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| Finnish Albums Chart | 11 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
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| Hungarian Albums Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
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| Japanese Oricon Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
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| New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
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| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
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| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
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| Swiss Albums Chart | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
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| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
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End of decade charts
| Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 29 |
Certifications
Chart procession and succession
External links
- Britney Spears – official web site.
- Britney Spears – official web site at Jive RecordsJive RecordsJive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
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