Circus (Britney Spears album)
Encyclopedia
Circus is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Britney Spears
. The album was first released on November 28, 2008 by Jive Records
. Spears started work on the album in early 2008 with a range of producers including long-time producers Bloodshy & Avant
and Danja. The album consists of pop music
and dance-pop
.
The album received positive reviews from critics and drew heavy comparisons to her previous studio album Blackout. Commercially the album also performed very well. In the United States the album debuted atop the Billboard 200
selling over half a million copies and 814,000 copies worldwide in first week. The feat also earned Spears a place on the Guinness Book of World Records due to Spears becoming the youngest female artist in history to have five number one albums. Elsewhere the album had a good commercial response topping charts in Canada
and the European charts.
The album's lead single "Womanizer
" became a worldwide hit and broke records for registering the largest jump to number one on the Billboard Hot 100
after debuting at number ninety-six on the chart. The song became her best-selling single in the US since her debut single "...Baby One More Time
". The second single "Circus
" debuted and peaked at number 3 in the US. The third single "If U Seek Amy
" created controversy for its double entendre, but managed to peak at number 19 in the US. Circus is Spears's second album since ...Baby One More Time
to have two top-ten hits and three top-twenty hits. The album gained a Grammy Award
nomination for Best Dance Recording for "Womanizer," but lost to Lady Gaga's "Poker Face
." The album has become her biggest-selling album since In the Zone
selling over eight million combined sales of digital tracks and over four million copies worldwide.
Spears embarked on her fifth concert tour to support the album named The Circus Starring Britney Spears. The tour kicked off on March 3, 2009 in New Orleans' New Orleans Arena
and finished in Adelaide
's Adelaide Entertainment Centre
. Spears embarked on four legs of the tour visiting North America twice performing elsewhere in Europe and Australia
. The tour gained controversy in Australia due to accusations of lip-synching. Elsewhere Spears promoted the album, performing on several television shows and releasing a promotional music video for the track "Kill the Lights
".
It was confirmed in 2008 that Spears was in the process of recording her sixth studio album. Producer Sean Garrett
was confirmed as a producer saying "I'm just happy to see her back and recovering. She's really shaping up and getting her whole situation back together. I'm really proud and happy to see her" after her much publicized breakdown. Spears manager Larry Rudolph confirmed development of the album would take place in summer 2008 saying despite no official album confirmation at the time that they were happy with her progress and that she had been working with a range of producers. Spears told reporters at OK!
that it was her longest time spent recording an album and she stated that it was her best work ever. She added ""I think it is more urban [...] I’m writing every day, right here at the piano in this living room". Producer of the record Claude Kelly
talked about the development and lack of concept saying "When I went in with Luke we knew we were going to maybe write something for her, but there was no concept, it was just knowing her style and knowing what she does. The album title was released alongside the Take That
album The Circus
with the same release date and title. Spears talked about the name of the album saying:
Spears talked about the initial recordings stating that she chose to write a lot of the material for the album and she also confirmed that she was developing a more pop-influenced record with producers she had worked with in the early stages of her career. The confirmation that Spears would be recording the album in the summer of 2008 also came with confirmation of producers such as Sean Garrett
, Guy Sigsworth
, Danja and Bloodshy & Avant
. Max Martin
, who produced Britney's first hit "...Baby One More Time
", produced "If U Seek Amy
" for the album. Guy Sigsworth
, who previously produced the singles "Everytime
" and "Someday (I Will Understand)
", spent time in the studio with Spears in June 2008. It was then confirmed that Jim Beanz
would be the vocal producer and co-writer of the album calling her "a true professional" and calling her "amazing". Another notable collaborator is The Outsyders
, an Atlanta-based production team, who produced the album's first single. Fernando Garibay
revealed on his official website that he was working on two songs for Spears, "Amnesia" and "Quicksand", which both became bonus tracks. Danja reported that he worked on the tracks at Chalice Recording Studios in Los Angeles, and Spears recorded them at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank
. He said he was inspired by Hans Zimmer
's scores, such as Pirates of the Caribbean
soundtracks. Lil Jon
, Rodney Jerkins
, Sean Garrett
, and Taio Cruz
, among others all announced they were working with Spears, but none of their tracks appear on the album or as bonus tracks.
and has been called a sequel
to Spears' previous album, Blackout. She described the album as lighter than its predecessor, which was more urban sounding. The songs of the album have been compared to the styles of many artists, such as Janet Jackson
, Eurythmics
, New Order
and the songwriting of Prince
, Leiber & Stoller
and Phil Spector
. To a lesser degree, the album draws elements from other genres
, such as a 1960s go-go rock guitar in "Mmm Papi". Circus focuses on different themes and Spears "does double duty as a dance diva and brokenhearted ballad
eer". Lyrically, it has been compared to Blackout, due to the fact that they are "fiery" and "confrontational". In songs such as "Circus" and "Kill the Lights", the lyrics discuss fame
, a theme she has previously acknowledged in "Lucky" and "Piece of Me
". The album's opening track, "Womanizer" as well as "Shattered Glass" are songs that talk about a womanizing man. The third track, "Out from Under", chronicles the end of her relationship with Kevin Federline
.
"Womanizer
" the first track was chosen as the lead single
and was described by Spears as a girl anthem
and lyrically talks of a cheating man. The song features synth sirens with a repetitive chorus. The second song, "Circus
", talks about Spears' feelings as an entertainer and the emotions she feels while performing with the lyrics "All eyes on me in the centre of the ring just like a circus/When I crack that whip everybody gonna trip just like a circus". It has been described as featuring "thudding electronic dance production" and has gained comparisons to Spears' earlier single "Break the Ice". The third track, "Out from Under" gathered comparisons Spears' track "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman
" with acoustic guitar backings. The song lyrically has been linked to Spears' relationship with ex-husband Kevin Federline
and has been noted as a story of a suffocating relationship. "Kill the Lights", the fourth track, is a dance-pop
song that talks about Spears conflict with the paparazzi
and draw comparisons to her earlier "Piece of Me
". With an introduction that states "our very own pop princess, now Queen of Pop". The song has gained comparisons to music by Madonna
. "Shattered Glass" the fifth track is features dark electronic beats and lyrically it discusses a broken non-repairable relationship.
"If U Seek Amy
" the sixth track is a Pop song with elements of "glam-rave" and gained controversy for its double entendre
which consisted of the "If U Seek Amy" name sounding phonically like "F.U.C.K. me". The seventh track, "Unusual You
", is a synthpop
song, that deals with a woman finding unexpected love. "Unusual You" has been compared to works by the Eurythmics
' during the 1980s and has been noted as a "pulsating ballad" with other critics noting the 1990s music themes. "Blur" the eighth track is a pop song with an urban influence and recalls a morning after a party with lyrics ""Can't remember what I did last night/I gotta get my head right, where the hell am I? Who are you? What'd we do last night?". It has gained comparisons to the track "Early Mornin" from her fourth studio album In the Zone
. "Mmm Papi
" is the ninth track, with critics noting the Latin-pop dance hall
themes they also noted the track was fun, but panning it for appearing to "revisit the Lolita
persona of "…Baby One More Time". It has been suggested that its lyrics deal with either her father Jamie Spears or paparazzi Adnan Ghalib. "Mannequin" the tenth track is a dance-pop
song with a trip hop
influence, with critics noting it for being risky and futuristic while some others saying her vocals sound "lifeless" whilst the eleventh track "Lace and Leather" has gathered comparisons to Vanity 6
's works from the 1980s with the final track "My Baby" written by Spears about her two sons; Sean Preston Spears and Jayden James Spears.
. The A.V. Club
gave the album a positive review saying "Spears specializes in the sort of songs dominated by smoke and mirrors, and when ensconced within those trappings, she reaches the highest heights of shiny dance music. Hence, Circus is exhilarating when Spears is at her most artificial, but it stumbles under some misguided attempts at sentiment." Rolling Stone
gave the album a positive review saying "Britney may have left the psych ward, but on Circus, she proves she's still a freak. The clubby, adventurous pop on her sixth album—her first since getting committed and losing custody of her kids—would have made a fine follow-up to 2003's In the Zone." The New York Times
gave the album a positive review saying "Most of her new songs are crisp, cunning dance-pop with a touch of schoolyard singsong. Just before they grow mechanical, they’re zapped with new effects or catchy melodic interludes." PopMatters
gave the album a mixed review saying "The music slides, cracks, inhales in anticipation and explodes, and somehow sounds dense and amazingly expansive at once. So, to review: one song dropkicks the dudes (perhaps the same ones who might have kept the single from topping the Hot 100) out the exit door, and the other launches her straight past them to clutch the brass ring. It’s brilliant."
Allmusic gave the album a mixed review saying "With its title, Circus nods knowingly at the madhouse that is Britney Spears' life, acknowledging that things got a little rough after the release of 2007's Blackout." The Guardian
gave the album a mixed review saying "In fairness, it's a rare lapse into abject awfulness. Circus isn't bad as pop albums go, but whether by default or design, it's substantially less edgy and exciting than its predecessor. You're left to conclude that the sound of Britney back on track is substantially less interesting than the sound of Britney going off the rails." Slant
magazine gave the album a mixed review saying "With Circus, Britney Spears drops the richly self-referential posture she almost reluctantly adopted on last year's Blackout in favor of a far more risky mode: self-actualization, which is probably why the album frequently sounds so hollow. Instead of wallowing in the great drama that was her train-wreck quarter-life crisis, as Blackout did, her new album represents the rebirth of regression." NME
gave the album a mixed review saying "Britney Spears is quite simply rubbish at being sexy. Her voice – treated and autotuned to within an inch of its life throughout – still sounds like that of the Mouseketeer who brought us …Baby One More Time. Los Angeles Times
gave the album a mixed review saying "the lyrics about Britney as mannequin, sex object, paparazzi victim and leather-clad mistress have grown tedious. When the wittiest one is based around an adolescent text-message-style joke, you know it's time to refocus. That might be why "Unusual You," a ballad from Bloodshy & Avant, stands out." Nick Levine of Digital Spy
said "Circus is essentially a sequel to last year's Blackout album - it has the same fierce electro sound, but Britney sounds more confident and there's less reliance on the vocoder."
Circus debuted atop the US Billboard 200
, moving over 505,000 units in its first week. It earned Spears a place in the 2010 Guinness Book of World Records for being the youngest female artist in history to have five albums debut at number one. The album became the sixth fastest selling album of 2008. The album has spent nine weeks in the top 10, making it Spears' longest-running top 10 album since Oops!... I Did It Again
, which spent twenty-three weeks in the top 10 in 2000. Circus was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
on January 29, 2009. According to Nielsen SoundScan, as of December 2010, the album has sold over 1.7 million copies in the United States. With over 51,000 units sold, the album opened at number-one in the Canadian Albums Chart
, her best sales effort since Oops!... I Did It Again
, which racked up 95,000 copies in May 2000. In less than a month, Circus became the ninth best-selling album of 2008, with 143,000 copies, and one of the top ten selling digital albums of the same year with over 10,100 downloads. In March 2009, Circus was certified 3× platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
, denoting 240,000 shipped copies to retailers. In Mexico, the album debuted at the top of the international chart and at No. 3 in the overall chart, selling over 46,000 copies and going gold in its first week.
In Oceania, the album has been a top ten hit. It debuted at number three in Australia and was certified Platinum after three weeks, selling over 70,000 copies. It has since gone on to be certified 3× platinum for sales over 210,000. In Europe the album spent sixteen weeks on the European Hot 100 chart. In the United Kingdom the album debuted and peaked at number 4 in the United Kingdom albums chart spending thirty-one weeks on the chart. The album was certified Platinum in the United Kingdom. In France the album sold 18,319 copies in its first two days of release, debuting at number five on the French Weekly Album Charts. In Asia the album charted in the Japanese Oricon
albums chart peaking at number 5 on the albums chart and gaining a Gold certification.
" was the lead single from the album released on September 26, 2008. Described by Spears as a girl anthem
, the song's lyrics recall a womanizing man, "Womanizer" was well-received by contemporary critics, with reviewers complimenting its hook and empowering lyrics, and deeming it as a return of form and a "comeback" single for Spears. The music video premiered on October 18, 2008 and is a sequel to her 2004 hit "Toxic
" video. It portrays Spears as a woman who disguises herself in different costumes and follows her boyfriend through his daily activities to expose him in the end. Womanizer debuted on the Billboard Hot 100
at number ninety-six before jumping the next week to number one. The song broke the record for the largest leap to any position. The record was later broken by Kelly Clarkson
's "My Life Would Suck Without You
". The song is considered one of Spears' biggest hits and has been covered by several other artists. "Womanizer" has sold over 3,200,000 digital downloads in the US.
"Circus
" was chosen as the second single off Circus, released to radio stations the same day as the album. It's lyrics discuss being an entertainer and putting on shows and the "idea of fame". "Circus" debuted and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The accompanying music video portrays Spears as a ringleader of a circus accompanied by different performers, and features scenes of Spears in different circus settings. The video received positive reviews from critics, but was criticized for featuring "cruelly trained animals", however claims were dismissed. "Circus" was released on December 4, 2008, a day before its first scheduled date to an online leak. The video received strong positive reception and won a Best Video award on Fuse TV
. "Circus" has so far sold over 2,763,000 digital downloads in the US.
"If U Seek Amy
" was voted as the third single from the album and was released on March 10, 2009. After its release, "If U Seek Amy" caused controversy for the double entendre
in the sentence "All of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if u seek Amy", which can be interpreted phonetically as "All of the boys and all of the girls are begging to F-U-C-K
Me". Sharon Dastur of Z100 stated that Spears had recorded a new version of the song and the new edit would be provided by Jive Records
. The Parents Television Council
(PTC) threatened to file indecency complaints with the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) against any station that played the song between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The music video was released on March 12, 2009 to Virgin Mobile
's website and Spears' official site. The video shows Spears at a sex party and pokes fun at American culture, it was noted by critics for referencing many of her past . Despite controversy, "If U Seek Amy" managed to peak at number nineteen on the Hot 100.
"Radar
" was originally included on her 2007 album Blackout and was set to be released as the album's fourth single. However, the single release was canceled due to Spears starting on new material for Circus, and "Radar" was released only as a promotional single in 2008. "Radar" was then included as a bonus track on Circus and was released as the album's fourth and last single on June 23, 2009. The music video portrays Spears as an aristocrat at a polo mansion involved in a love triangle with two men who are polo players. "Radar" originally entered the Billboard Digital songs chart at number fifty-one due to digital downloads from Blackout and after being confirmed as the fourth and final worldwide single from Circus, finally entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety and then peaked the following week at number eighty-eight.
"Shattered Glass
", peaked at number seventy on Billboard Hot 100
, higher than the album's fourth single "Radar". It peaked at number twenty-nine on U.S. Hot Digital Songs
, while peaking at number thirty-six on Canadian Hot Digital Songs
. The song also entered the Pop 100 chart, peaking at number fifty-seven, and at .
"Lace and Leather" peaked at number eighty-four on Billboard Pop 100
"Mmm Papi" peaked at number ninety-four on the same chart.
"Out from Under
" also charted in Sweden. The song debuted at number forty on the week of August 14, 2009, reaching number thirty-two on the following. It stayed five weeks on the chart.
set up a hotline where fans could leave a message for Spears, with some of the callers receiving a return phone call from her. Some tracks off the album were previewed via the website of the New York radio station WKTU
and Amazon.com
. MTV aired a 90-minute documentary titled Britney: For the Record
November 30, 2008. The show was about her return to the pop music spotlight. In May 2009, Jive's official website held a Britney Spears Global Fan-Fiction
Contest, in which requires a fan to submit a 200 word story based on one of the songs from Circus. The public were allowed to vote for their favorite short story which would be produced into an animated music video. The winning story was based on the song "Kill the Lights
" and the video premiered on July 27, 2009. Spears' live comeback began on November 6, 2008 with a cameo appearance
at the Dodger Stadium
show of Madonna
's Sticky & Sweet Tour
, midway through the performance of "Human Nature
", Spears joined Madonna on stage.
The week before the release of the album saw a string of performances in several different countries with the Circus Promo Tour. On November 27, 2008 Spears performed "Womanizer
" live at the Bambi Awards in Offenburg
, Germany, where she received an award for "Best Pop International Artist". In addition, she performed "Womanizer" on The X Factor
, in the United Kingdom, on November 29, finishing the European pre-release promotional tour. Her performance on The X Factor was watched by an average of 11,880,000 UK citizens. Spears premiered her second single "Circus
" on the Big Apple Circus at the "Good Morning America
" in New York, and also performed "Womanizer" on December 2, 2008 which coincides with her 27th birthday and the release of Circus album, most fans often considered it as her official comeback. On December 15, 2008, Britney visited the popular musical variety show in Japan, "Hey! Hey! Hey!" and performed "Womanizer" there. The following day, she performed on NTV Japan's-3000 "Best Artist of 2008".
on December 2, 2008 whilst performing on Good Morning America
She announced a first leg of twenty-five dates in the US and two dates in the UK. The tour kicked off on March 3, 2009 in New Orleans' New Orleans Arena
and finished in Adelaide
's Adelaide Entertainment Centre
. Spears embarked on four legs of the tour visiting North America twice performing elsewhere in Europe and Australia
The stage was composed of three rings and set in-the-round to resemble an actual circus. Fashion designers Dean and Dan Caten
created the costumes. A giant cylinder screen was set above the stage to showcase videos and backdrops. Effects were provided by Solotech. The setlist was composed generally from her albums In the Zone
, Blackout and Circus. In June 2009, Britney announced she would tour Australia for the first time. Spears was also rumored to tour South America, however, Her manager Adam Leber denied this despite their efforts to do so. Her longtime manager, Larry Rudolf stated that the tour would "blow people's minds and promises to show Britney's fans something they will never forget." He later added, "she goes full–speed the whole show — about an hour and a half. It's pretty intense. This is a full–blown, full–out Britney Spears show, It is everything everybody expects from her — and more!" Spears explained that since she did not tour to promote Blackout, she was excited about having to include songs from that album into the setlist.
The tour received generally well-received responses with critics, the tour generated positive responses from critics, while some praised its aesthetics and complimented it as an entertaining show, others criticized Spears' "lip-synching". This was followed by controversy during the Australian leg, when a reporter said that a great number of fans had walked out during the performances. However, this was later denied by Spears's management and promoters. The tour was ranked as the fourth highest grossing tour of the year in North America, becoming the highest grossing tour of the year by a solo artist. In February 2010, Pollstar released their Top 50 Worldwide Concert Tours of 2009. The tour ranked as the fifth highest-grossing tour, worldwide, of the year, with a gross of $131.8 million. In May 2010, Hollyscoop ranked the tour at the fifth position in their 15 Most Profitable Female Tours Ever list.
and the promo packet released by Jive Records
, a two-disc Deluxe Edition of Circus was released on December 2, 2008.
The Deluxe Edition contains two additional tracks, "Rock Me In" and "Phonography", and a bonus DVD. It was released on November 28, 2008 in most of the European Union, November 29, 2008 in Australia and Philippines, and December 1, 2008 in the United Kingdom. The Deluxe Edition also includes a special collector's two sided poster.
Performance
Miscellaneous
Technical
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...
. The album was first released on November 28, 2008 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...
. Spears started work on the album in early 2008 with a range of producers including long-time producers Bloodshy & Avant
Bloodshy & Avant
Bloodshy and Avant are a music production and songwriting team from Sweden made up of Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg...
and Danja. The album consists 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...
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...
.
The album received positive reviews from critics and drew heavy comparisons to her previous studio album Blackout. Commercially the album also performed very well. In the United States the album debuted atop the 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...
selling over half a million copies and 814,000 copies worldwide in first week. The feat also earned Spears a place on the Guinness Book of World Records due to Spears becoming the youngest female artist in history to have five number one albums. Elsewhere the album had a good commercial response topping charts in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the European charts.
The album's lead single "Womanizer
Womanizer (song)
"Womanizer" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on September 26, 2008 by Jive Records as the lead single of the album. Produced and co-written by Nikesha Briscoe and Rafael Akinyemi of The Outsyders, the song had to be...
" became a worldwide hit and broke records for registering the largest jump to number 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...
after debuting at number ninety-six on the chart. The song became her best-selling single in the US since her debut 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,...
". The second single "Circus
Circus (song)
"Circus" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on December 2, 2008, by Jive Records as the second single from the album. "Circus" was written by Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly and Benny Blanco as a metaphor for the public's perception of...
" debuted and peaked at number 3 in the US. The third single "If U Seek Amy
If U Seek Amy
"If U Seek Amy" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on March 13, 2009 by Jive Records as the third single of the album, and was chosen by a poll on Spears's official website. "If U Seek Amy" was co-written and produced by Max...
" created controversy for its double entendre, but managed to peak at number 19 in the US. Circus is Spears's second album since ...Baby One More Time
...Baby One More Time
...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...
to have two top-ten hits and three top-twenty hits. The album gained a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination for Best Dance Recording for "Womanizer," but lost to Lady Gaga's "Poker Face
Poker Face (Lady Gaga song)
"Poker Face" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga from her debut album, The Fame. Produced by RedOne, it was released as the album's second single in late 2008 for some markets and in early 2009 for the rest of the world...
." The album has become her biggest-selling album since In the Zone
In the Zone
In the Zone is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Britney Spears, released on November 16, 2003, by Jive Records. Following the end of the Dream Within a Dream Tour in July 2002 and her break-up with Justin Timberlake, Spears announced she would take a six-month break from her...
selling over eight million combined sales of digital tracks and over four million copies worldwide.
Spears embarked on her fifth concert tour to support the album named The Circus Starring Britney Spears. The tour kicked off on March 3, 2009 in New Orleans' New Orleans Arena
New Orleans Arena
New Orleans Arena is an indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the city's Central Business District, adjacent to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome....
and finished in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
's Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Adelaide Entertainment Centre
The Adelaide Entertainment Centre is an indoor arena located in the South Australian capital of Adelaide, and is used for sporting and entertainment events. It is the principal venue for concerts, events and attractions for audiences between 2,000 and 12,000. It is located on Port Road in the...
. Spears embarked on four legs of the tour visiting North America twice performing elsewhere in Europe and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The tour gained controversy in Australia due to accusations of lip-synching. Elsewhere Spears promoted the album, performing on several television shows and releasing a promotional music video for the track "Kill the Lights
Kill the Lights
"Kill the Lights" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her sixth studio album, Circus . The song was written by Nathaniel Hills, James Washington, Luke Boyd and Marcella Araica, who previously worked with Spears on Blackout...
".
Background and recording
Sean Garrett
Garrett Hamler, better known by his stage name Sean Garrett is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He has produced fifteen number one singles in only seven years of producing music. That number puts him in fifth place on the Billboard list of producers with the most number...
was confirmed as a producer saying "I'm just happy to see her back and recovering. She's really shaping up and getting her whole situation back together. I'm really proud and happy to see her" after her much publicized breakdown. Spears manager Larry Rudolph confirmed development of the album would take place in summer 2008 saying despite no official album confirmation at the time that they were happy with her progress and that she had been working with a range of producers. Spears told reporters at OK!
OK!
OK! is a British weekly magazine specializing in celebrity news. Originally launched as a monthly, its first issue was published in April 1993. In September 2004, OK! publishers Northern and Shell launched in Australia as a monthly title – the magazine went weekly in October 2006...
that it was her longest time spent recording an album and she stated that it was her best work ever. She added ""I think it is more urban [...] I’m writing every day, right here at the piano in this living room". Producer of the record Claude Kelly
Claude Kelly
Claude Kelly is an American singer-songwriter. He has a prolific discography, well known for writing for artists such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, Jay Sean, Adam Lambert, Jessie J and Charice.-Career:He began playing the piano...
talked about the development and lack of concept saying "When I went in with Luke we knew we were going to maybe write something for her, but there was no concept, it was just knowing her style and knowing what she does. The album title was released alongside the Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
album The Circus
The Circus (Take That album)
The Circus is the fifth studio album from the British pop band Take That. The album was released on 1 December 2008.- Album information :...
with the same release date and title. Spears talked about the name of the album saying:
"I like the fact that you're always on the edge of your seat when you're at a circus. You're never bored [...] You're just really engulfed in what's going on around you. And you want to know what's going to happen next."
Spears talked about the initial recordings stating that she chose to write a lot of the material for the album and she also confirmed that she was developing a more pop-influenced record with producers she had worked with in the early stages of her career. The confirmation that Spears would be recording the album in the summer of 2008 also came with confirmation of producers such as Sean Garrett
Sean Garrett
Garrett Hamler, better known by his stage name Sean Garrett is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He has produced fifteen number one singles in only seven years of producing music. That number puts him in fifth place on the Billboard list of producers with the most number...
, Guy Sigsworth
Guy Sigsworth
Guy Sigsworth is a U.K. based composer, producer and songwriter. In his career to date he has worked with many famous artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian and Alanis Morissette...
, Danja and Bloodshy & Avant
Bloodshy & Avant
Bloodshy and Avant are a music production and songwriting team from Sweden made up of Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg...
. 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,...
, who produced Britney's first hit "...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,...
", produced "If U Seek Amy
If U Seek Amy
"If U Seek Amy" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on March 13, 2009 by Jive Records as the third single of the album, and was chosen by a poll on Spears's official website. "If U Seek Amy" was co-written and produced by Max...
" for the album. Guy Sigsworth
Guy Sigsworth
Guy Sigsworth is a U.K. based composer, producer and songwriter. In his career to date he has worked with many famous artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian and Alanis Morissette...
, who previously produced the singles "Everytime
Everytime
"Everytime" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her fourth album, In the Zone. It was released on May 17, 2004, by Jive Records as the third single from the album. After Spears ended her relationship with pop singer Justin Timberlake, she made friends with her backing...
" and "Someday (I Will Understand)
Someday (I Will Understand)
"Someday " is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, from the bonus CD of Britney & Kevin: Chaotic. It was released in Europe as a single on August 21, 2005, by Jive Records. In July 2004, Spears announced her engagement to American dancer Kevin Federline, later revealing she would be...
", spent time in the studio with Spears in June 2008. It was then confirmed that Jim Beanz
Jim Beanz
James David Washington, better known under his stage name Jim Beanz, is an American vocal producer, songwriter, musician, singer and record producer from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, now working out of Philadelphia, signed to Timbaland Productions and Sunset Entertainment Group...
would be the vocal producer and co-writer of the album calling her "a true professional" and calling her "amazing". Another notable collaborator is The Outsyders
The Outsyders
The Outsyders The Outsyders The Outsyders (Nikesha Briscoe (K.Briscoe), Dean Beresford (Deaneaux), Ervin Ward (Wiz Kid), Kamran Mian (KAM) and Rapheal Akinyemi (Ro.A), are a production team from Atlanta, Georgia. Their production talents were first featured on "Womanizer," from Britney Spears'...
, an Atlanta-based production team, who produced the album's first single. Fernando Garibay
Fernando Garibay
Fernando Garibay is a Mexican music producer, DJ, and songwriter. He was the official musical director for musician Lady Gaga during the making of her third album Born This Way.Garibay has been making records since the age of sixteen...
revealed on his official website that he was working on two songs for Spears, "Amnesia" and "Quicksand", which both became bonus tracks. Danja reported that he worked on the tracks at Chalice Recording Studios in Los Angeles, and Spears recorded them at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
. He said he was inspired by Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including critically acclaimed film scores for The Lion King , Crimson Tide , The Thin Red Line , Gladiator , The Dark Knight and Inception .Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the...
's scores, such as Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (soundtrack)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is the soundtrack for the Disney film of the same title, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. The score was composed by Hans Zimmer. The soundtrack is much more experimental than the first, utilizing pipe organs, musical box and electronic beats...
soundtracks. Lil Jon
Lil Jon
Jonathan Mortimer Smith , better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, music producer, entrepreneur, and occasional disc jockey who was a member of the group Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz. Lil Jon formed the group in 1997, and the group released several albums between then and 2004...
, Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
, Sean Garrett
Sean Garrett
Garrett Hamler, better known by his stage name Sean Garrett is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He has produced fifteen number one singles in only seven years of producing music. That number puts him in fifth place on the Billboard list of producers with the most number...
, and Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz is a British singer-songwriter, record producer, occasional rapper, and entrepreneur. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which Cruz wrote, arranged and produced himself. It achieved initial success in the UK and earned him a MOBO Award nomination...
, among others all announced they were working with Spears, but none of their tracks appear on the album or as bonus tracks.
Composition
Circus takes influence from a variety of pop genres, such as electropop and danceDance 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...
and has been called a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to Spears' previous album, Blackout. She described the album as lighter than its predecessor, which was more urban sounding. The songs of the album have been compared to the styles of many artists, such as 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...
, Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
, New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
and the songwriting of Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Leiber & Stoller
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Jerome "Jerry" Leiber and Mike Stoller were American songwriting and record producing partners. Stoller was the composer and Leiber the lyricist. Their most famous songs include "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock", "Kansas City", "Stand By Me" Jerome "Jerry" Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011)...
and Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
. To a lesser degree, the album draws elements from other genres
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
, such as a 1960s go-go rock guitar in "Mmm Papi". Circus focuses on different themes and Spears "does double duty as a dance diva and brokenhearted ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
eer". Lyrically, it has been compared to Blackout, due to the fact that they are "fiery" and "confrontational". In songs such as "Circus" and "Kill the Lights", the lyrics discuss fame
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
, a theme she has previously acknowledged in "Lucky" and "Piece of Me
Piece of Me
"Piece of Me" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her fifth studio album, Blackout. It was released on November 27, 2007 by Jive Records as the second single from the album...
". The album's opening track, "Womanizer" as well as "Shattered Glass" are songs that talk about a womanizing man. The third track, "Out from Under", chronicles the end of her relationship with Kevin Federline
Kevin Federline
Kevin Earl Federline is an American dancer, rapper, fashion model, and actor. Previously engaged to actress Shar Jackson, Federline is best known for his two-year marriage to pop singer Britney Spears...
.
"Womanizer
Womanizer (song)
"Womanizer" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on September 26, 2008 by Jive Records as the lead single of the album. Produced and co-written by Nikesha Briscoe and Rafael Akinyemi of The Outsyders, the song had to be...
" the first track was chosen as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
and was described by Spears as a girl anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
and lyrically talks of a cheating man. The song features synth sirens with a repetitive chorus. The second song, "Circus
Circus (song)
"Circus" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on December 2, 2008, by Jive Records as the second single from the album. "Circus" was written by Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly and Benny Blanco as a metaphor for the public's perception of...
", talks about Spears' feelings as an entertainer and the emotions she feels while performing with the lyrics "All eyes on me in the centre of the ring just like a circus/When I crack that whip everybody gonna trip just like a circus". It has been described as featuring "thudding electronic dance production" and has gained comparisons to Spears' earlier single "Break the Ice". The third track, "Out from Under" gathered comparisons Spears' track "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman
I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman
"I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. The song was written by Dido, with additional writing and song production by Max Martin and Rami Yacoub for Spears' third studio album, Britney . It was released on February 5, 2002 by Jive Records, as the...
" with acoustic guitar backings. The song lyrically has been linked to Spears' relationship with ex-husband Kevin Federline
Kevin Federline
Kevin Earl Federline is an American dancer, rapper, fashion model, and actor. Previously engaged to actress Shar Jackson, Federline is best known for his two-year marriage to pop singer Britney Spears...
and has been noted as a story of a suffocating relationship. "Kill the Lights", the fourth track, is a 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 talks about Spears conflict with the paparazzi
Paparazzi
Paparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
and draw comparisons to her earlier "Piece of Me
Piece of Me
"Piece of Me" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her fifth studio album, Blackout. It was released on November 27, 2007 by Jive Records as the second single from the album...
". With an introduction that states "our very own pop princess, now Queen of Pop". The song has gained comparisons to music by 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...
. "Shattered Glass" the fifth track is features dark electronic beats and lyrically it discusses a broken non-repairable relationship.
"If U Seek Amy
If U Seek Amy
"If U Seek Amy" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on March 13, 2009 by Jive Records as the third single of the album, and was chosen by a poll on Spears's official website. "If U Seek Amy" was co-written and produced by Max...
" the sixth track is a Pop song with elements of "glam-rave" and gained controversy for its double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
which consisted of the "If U Seek Amy" name sounding phonically like "F.U.C.K. me". The seventh track, "Unusual You
Unusual You
"Unusual You" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, from her sixth studio album Circus. It was released on September 15, 2009, as the fifth and final single from the album in Australia and New Zealand. The song was written and produced by Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg from...
", is a synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
song, that deals with a woman finding unexpected love. "Unusual You" has been compared to works by the Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
' during the 1980s and has been noted as a "pulsating ballad" with other critics noting the 1990s music themes. "Blur" the eighth track is a pop song with an urban influence and recalls a morning after a party with lyrics ""Can't remember what I did last night/I gotta get my head right, where the hell am I? Who are you? What'd we do last night?". It has gained comparisons to the track "Early Mornin" from her fourth studio album In the Zone
In the Zone
In the Zone is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Britney Spears, released on November 16, 2003, by Jive Records. Following the end of the Dream Within a Dream Tour in July 2002 and her break-up with Justin Timberlake, Spears announced she would take a six-month break from her...
. "Mmm Papi
Mmm Papi
"Mmm Papi" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. The song was written by Spears and Nicole Morier, while additional writing and song production were done by Canadian band Let's Go to War, whose members are Henry Walter, Adrien Gough and Peter-John Kerr, for Spears' sixth studio...
" is the ninth track, with critics noting the Latin-pop dance hall
Dance hall
Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub...
themes they also noted the track was fun, but panning it for appearing to "revisit the Lolita
Lolita
Lolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris and 1958 in New York, and later translated by the author into Russian...
persona of "…Baby One More Time". It has been suggested that its lyrics deal with either her father Jamie Spears or paparazzi Adnan Ghalib. "Mannequin" the tenth track is a 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 with a 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...
influence, with critics noting it for being risky and futuristic while some others saying her vocals sound "lifeless" whilst the eleventh track "Lace and Leather" has gathered comparisons to Vanity 6
Vanity 6
Vanity 6 was a female vocal trio assembled by Prince in the early 1980s.They released one studio album, which blended the sounds of pop, New Wave, dance music, R&B, and funk.-Formation:...
's works from the 1980s with the final track "My Baby" written by Spears about her two sons; Sean Preston Spears and Jayden James Spears.
Release
The album was planned for worldwide release on December 2, 2008, Spears' birthday. After online leaks, the album was made available for digital download prior to its planned release.Critical reception
The album received a rating of 64 out of 100 on aggregator score site MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the album a positive review saying "Spears specializes in the sort of songs dominated by smoke and mirrors, and when ensconced within those trappings, she reaches the highest heights of shiny dance music. Hence, Circus is exhilarating when Spears is at her most artificial, but it stumbles under some misguided attempts at sentiment." 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 a positive review saying "Britney may have left the psych ward, but on Circus, she proves she's still a freak. The clubby, adventurous pop on her sixth album—her first since getting committed and losing custody of her kids—would have made a fine follow-up to 2003's In the Zone." The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
gave the album a positive review saying "Most of her new songs are crisp, cunning dance-pop with a touch of schoolyard singsong. Just before they grow mechanical, they’re zapped with new effects or catchy melodic interludes." PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
gave the album a mixed review saying "The music slides, cracks, inhales in anticipation and explodes, and somehow sounds dense and amazingly expansive at once. So, to review: one song dropkicks the dudes (perhaps the same ones who might have kept the single from topping the Hot 100) out the exit door, and the other launches her straight past them to clutch the brass ring. It’s brilliant."
Allmusic gave the album a mixed review saying "With its title, Circus nods knowingly at the madhouse that is Britney Spears' life, acknowledging that things got a little rough after the release of 2007's Blackout." The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
gave the album a mixed review saying "In fairness, it's a rare lapse into abject awfulness. Circus isn't bad as pop albums go, but whether by default or design, it's substantially less edgy and exciting than its predecessor. You're left to conclude that the sound of Britney back on track is substantially less interesting than the sound of Britney going off the rails." Slant
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
magazine gave the album a mixed review saying "With Circus, Britney Spears drops the richly self-referential posture she almost reluctantly adopted on last year's Blackout in favor of a far more risky mode: self-actualization, which is probably why the album frequently sounds so hollow. Instead of wallowing in the great drama that was her train-wreck quarter-life crisis, as Blackout did, her new album represents the rebirth of regression." 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...
gave the album a mixed review saying "Britney Spears is quite simply rubbish at being sexy. Her voice – treated and autotuned to within an inch of its life throughout – still sounds like that of the Mouseketeer who brought us …Baby One More Time. Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
gave the album a mixed review saying "the lyrics about Britney as mannequin, sex object, paparazzi victim and leather-clad mistress have grown tedious. When the wittiest one is based around an adolescent text-message-style joke, you know it's time to refocus. That might be why "Unusual You," a ballad from Bloodshy & Avant, stands out." Nick Levine of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
said "Circus is essentially a sequel to last year's Blackout album - it has the same fierce electro sound, but Britney sounds more confident and there's less reliance on the vocoder."
Chart performance
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...
, moving over 505,000 units in its first week. It earned Spears a place in the 2010 Guinness Book of World Records for being the youngest female artist in history to have five albums debut at number one. The album became the sixth fastest selling album of 2008. The album has spent nine weeks in the top 10, making it Spears' longest-running top 10 album since 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...
, which spent twenty-three weeks in the top 10 in 2000. Circus was 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...
on January 29, 2009. According to Nielsen SoundScan, as of December 2010, the album has sold over 1.7 million copies in the United States. With over 51,000 units sold, the album opened at number-one in 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...
, her best sales effort since 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...
, which racked up 95,000 copies in May 2000. In less than a month, Circus became the ninth best-selling album of 2008, with 143,000 copies, and one of the top ten selling digital albums of the same year with over 10,100 downloads. In March 2009, Circus was certified 3× platinum by 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...
, denoting 240,000 shipped copies to retailers. In Mexico, the album debuted at the top of the international chart and at No. 3 in the overall chart, selling over 46,000 copies and going gold in its first week.
In Oceania, the album has been a top ten hit. It debuted at number three in Australia and was certified Platinum after three weeks, selling over 70,000 copies. It has since gone on to be certified 3× platinum for sales over 210,000. In Europe the album spent sixteen weeks on the European Hot 100 chart. In the United Kingdom the album debuted and peaked at number 4 in the United Kingdom albums chart spending thirty-one weeks on the chart. The album was certified Platinum in the United Kingdom. In France the album sold 18,319 copies in its first two days of release, debuting at number five on the French Weekly Album Charts. In Asia the album charted in the Japanese Oricon
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...
albums chart peaking at number 5 on the albums chart and gaining a Gold certification.
Singles
"WomanizerWomanizer (song)
"Womanizer" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on September 26, 2008 by Jive Records as the lead single of the album. Produced and co-written by Nikesha Briscoe and Rafael Akinyemi of The Outsyders, the song had to be...
" was the lead single from the album released on September 26, 2008. Described by Spears as a girl anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
, the song's lyrics recall a womanizing man, "Womanizer" was well-received by contemporary critics, with reviewers complimenting its hook and empowering lyrics, and deeming it as a return of form and a "comeback" single for Spears. The music video premiered on October 18, 2008 and is a sequel to her 2004 hit "Toxic
Toxic (song)
"Toxic" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, co-written and produced by Bloodshy & Avant, from her fourth album, In the Zone. It was released on January 12, 2004, by Jive Records as the second single from the album. After trying to choose between " Boom Boom" and "Outrageous" to...
" video. It portrays Spears as a woman who disguises herself in different costumes and follows her boyfriend through his daily activities to expose him in the end. Womanizer debuted 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...
at number ninety-six before jumping the next week to number one. The song broke the record for the largest leap to any position. The record was later broken by Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
's "My Life Would Suck Without You
My Life Would Suck Without You
"My Life Would Suck Without You" is a song performed by American pop rock singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson. It is the first single from her fourth studio album, All I Ever Wanted. Dr. Luke and Max Martin, writers of her hit "Since U Been Gone", co-produced and co-wrote the song. Claude Kelly also...
". The song is considered one of Spears' biggest hits and has been covered by several other artists. "Womanizer" has sold over 3,200,000 digital downloads in the US.
"Circus
Circus (song)
"Circus" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on December 2, 2008, by Jive Records as the second single from the album. "Circus" was written by Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly and Benny Blanco as a metaphor for the public's perception of...
" was chosen as the second single off Circus, released to radio stations the same day as the album. It's lyrics discuss being an entertainer and putting on shows and the "idea of fame". "Circus" debuted and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The accompanying music video portrays Spears as a ringleader of a circus accompanied by different performers, and features scenes of Spears in different circus settings. The video received positive reviews from critics, but was criticized for featuring "cruelly trained animals", however claims were dismissed. "Circus" was released on December 4, 2008, a day before its first scheduled date to an online leak. The video received strong positive reception and won a Best Video award on Fuse TV
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
. "Circus" has so far sold over 2,763,000 digital downloads in the US.
"If U Seek Amy
If U Seek Amy
"If U Seek Amy" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on March 13, 2009 by Jive Records as the third single of the album, and was chosen by a poll on Spears's official website. "If U Seek Amy" was co-written and produced by Max...
" was voted as the third single from the album and was released on March 10, 2009. After its release, "If U Seek Amy" caused controversy for the double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
in the sentence "All of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if u seek Amy", which can be interpreted phonetically as "All of the boys and all of the girls are begging to F-U-C-K
Fuck
"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
Me". Sharon Dastur of Z100 stated that Spears had recorded a new version of the song and the new edit would be provided 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...
. The Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
(PTC) threatened to file indecency complaints with the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) against any station that played the song between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The music video was released on March 12, 2009 to Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile is a brand used by many mobile phone service providers across the globe; its headquarters are based in the United Kingdom. Virgin Mobile has local operations in Australia, Canada, France, India, South Africa, Greece, United Kingdom and the United States. It briefly also had operations...
's website and Spears' official site. The video shows Spears at a sex party and pokes fun at American culture, it was noted by critics for referencing many of her past . Despite controversy, "If U Seek Amy" managed to peak at number nineteen on the Hot 100.
"Radar
Radar (song)
"Radar" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. It was written and produced by Bloodshy & Avant and The Clutch in November 2006 as a record that did not relate to any of her personal problems at the time. The recording sessions took place the day after Spears filed for divorce from...
" was originally included on her 2007 album Blackout and was set to be released as the album's fourth single. However, the single release was canceled due to Spears starting on new material for Circus, and "Radar" was released only as a promotional single in 2008. "Radar" was then included as a bonus track on Circus and was released as the album's fourth and last single on June 23, 2009. The music video portrays Spears as an aristocrat at a polo mansion involved in a love triangle with two men who are polo players. "Radar" originally entered the Billboard Digital songs chart at number fifty-one due to digital downloads from Blackout and after being confirmed as the fourth and final worldwide single from Circus, finally entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety and then peaked the following week at number eighty-eight.
Other charted songs
Despite not being released as singles, several songs from "Circus" appeared on Billboard's component charts after the album's release."Shattered Glass
Shattered Glass (Britney Spears song)
"Shattered Glass" is a song recorded by American recording artist Britney Spears. The song was written by Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, Claude Kelly, Benjamin "Benny Blanco" Levin, and produced by Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco for Spears' sixth studio album, Circus...
", peaked at number seventy on 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...
, higher than the album's fourth single "Radar". It peaked at number twenty-nine on U.S. Hot Digital Songs
Hot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
, while peaking at number thirty-six on Canadian Hot Digital Songs
Hot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
. The song also entered the Pop 100 chart, peaking at number fifty-seven, and at .
"Lace and Leather" peaked at number eighty-four on Billboard Pop 100
"Mmm Papi" peaked at number ninety-four on the same chart.
"Out from Under
Out from Under (song)
"Out from Under" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her sixth studio album, Circus . The song was written by Shelly Peiken, Arnthor Birgisson, and Wayne Hector, initially for the soundtrack of Bratz: The Movie, featuring vocals of American recording artist Joanna...
" also charted in Sweden. The song debuted at number forty on the week of August 14, 2009, reaching number thirty-two on the following. It stayed five weeks on the chart.
Promotion
In order to promote the album Jive RecordsJive 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...
set up a hotline where fans could leave a message for Spears, with some of the callers receiving a return phone call from her. Some tracks off the album were previewed via the website of the New York radio station WKTU
WKTU
WKTU is a radio station based in New York City that plays an upbeat, gold-based CHR format. The station's broadcast transmitter is located on the top of the Empire State Building and its city of license is Lake Success, New York, with offices formerly in the "Newport" section of Jersey City, New...
and 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...
. MTV aired a 90-minute documentary titled Britney: For the Record
Britney: For the Record
Britney: For the Record is a 2008 documentary of American recording artist and entertainer Britney Spears. The 60-minute introspective documentary chronicles Spears' return to the recording industry after her much-publicized professional and personal struggles...
November 30, 2008. The show was about her return to the pop music spotlight. In May 2009, Jive's official website held a Britney Spears Global Fan-Fiction
Fan fiction
Fan fiction is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator...
Contest, in which requires a fan to submit a 200 word story based on one of the songs from Circus. The public were allowed to vote for their favorite short story which would be produced into an animated music video. The winning story was based on the song "Kill the Lights
Kill the Lights
"Kill the Lights" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her sixth studio album, Circus . The song was written by Nathaniel Hills, James Washington, Luke Boyd and Marcella Araica, who previously worked with Spears on Blackout...
" and the video premiered on July 27, 2009. Spears' live comeback began on November 6, 2008 with a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
at the Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
show of 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...
's Sticky & Sweet Tour
Sticky & Sweet Tour
The Sticky & Sweet Tour was the eighth worldwide concert tour by American singer Madonna to promote her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy. It began in August 2008 and was Madonna's first tour from her new recording and business deal with Live Nation. The tour was announced in February 2008, with...
, midway through the performance of "Human Nature
Human Nature (Madonna song)
"Human Nature" is the fourth and final single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her sixth studio album Bedtime Stories, released on June 6, 1995 by Maverick Records.-Song information:...
", Spears joined Madonna on stage.
The week before the release of the album saw a string of performances in several different countries with the Circus Promo Tour. On November 27, 2008 Spears performed "Womanizer
Womanizer (song)
"Womanizer" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on September 26, 2008 by Jive Records as the lead single of the album. Produced and co-written by Nikesha Briscoe and Rafael Akinyemi of The Outsyders, the song had to be...
" live at the Bambi Awards in Offenburg
Offenburg
Offenburg is a city located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With about 60,000 inhabitants, it is the largest city and the capital of the Ortenaukreis.Offenburg also houses University of Applied Sciences Offenburg...
, Germany, where she received an award for "Best Pop International Artist". In addition, she performed "Womanizer" on The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
, in the United Kingdom, on November 29, finishing the European pre-release promotional tour. Her performance on The X Factor was watched by an average of 11,880,000 UK citizens. Spears premiered her second single "Circus
Circus (song)
"Circus" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on December 2, 2008, by Jive Records as the second single from the album. "Circus" was written by Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly and Benny Blanco as a metaphor for the public's perception of...
" on the Big Apple Circus at the "Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
" in New York, and also performed "Womanizer" on December 2, 2008 which coincides with her 27th birthday and the release of Circus album, most fans often considered it as her official comeback. On December 15, 2008, Britney visited the popular musical variety show in Japan, "Hey! Hey! Hey!" and performed "Womanizer" there. The following day, she performed on NTV Japan's-3000 "Best Artist of 2008".
Tour
The Circus Starring Britney Spears was announced as Spears' fifth worldwide concert tourConcert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
on December 2, 2008 whilst performing on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
She announced a first leg of twenty-five dates in the US and two dates in the UK. The tour kicked off on March 3, 2009 in New Orleans' New Orleans Arena
New Orleans Arena
New Orleans Arena is an indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the city's Central Business District, adjacent to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome....
and finished in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
's Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Adelaide Entertainment Centre
The Adelaide Entertainment Centre is an indoor arena located in the South Australian capital of Adelaide, and is used for sporting and entertainment events. It is the principal venue for concerts, events and attractions for audiences between 2,000 and 12,000. It is located on Port Road in the...
. Spears embarked on four legs of the tour visiting North America twice performing elsewhere in Europe and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
The stage was composed of three rings and set in-the-round to resemble an actual circus. Fashion designers Dean and Dan Caten
Dean and Dan Caten
Dean and Dan Caten are identical twin brother fashion designers and the creators of DSquared2, a high-end fashion label.-Early life and career:...
created the costumes. A giant cylinder screen was set above the stage to showcase videos and backdrops. Effects were provided by Solotech. The setlist was composed generally from her albums In the Zone
In the Zone
In the Zone is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Britney Spears, released on November 16, 2003, by Jive Records. Following the end of the Dream Within a Dream Tour in July 2002 and her break-up with Justin Timberlake, Spears announced she would take a six-month break from her...
, Blackout and Circus. In June 2009, Britney announced she would tour Australia for the first time. Spears was also rumored to tour South America, however, Her manager Adam Leber denied this despite their efforts to do so. Her longtime manager, Larry Rudolf stated that the tour would "blow people's minds and promises to show Britney's fans something they will never forget." He later added, "she goes full–speed the whole show — about an hour and a half. It's pretty intense. This is a full–blown, full–out Britney Spears show, It is everything everybody expects from her — and more!" Spears explained that since she did not tour to promote Blackout, she was excited about having to include songs from that album into the setlist.
The tour received generally well-received responses with critics, the tour generated positive responses from critics, while some praised its aesthetics and complimented it as an entertaining show, others criticized Spears' "lip-synching". This was followed by controversy during the Australian leg, when a reporter said that a great number of fans had walked out during the performances. However, this was later denied by Spears's management and promoters. The tour was ranked as the fourth highest grossing tour of the year in North America, becoming the highest grossing tour of the year by a solo artist. In February 2010, Pollstar released their Top 50 Worldwide Concert Tours of 2009. The tour ranked as the fifth highest-grossing tour, worldwide, of the year, with a gross of $131.8 million. In May 2010, Hollyscoop ranked the tour at the fifth position in their 15 Most Profitable Female Tours Ever list.
Track listing
Deluxe edition
First confirmed by AmazonAmazon.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...
and the promo packet released 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...
, a two-disc Deluxe Edition of Circus was released on December 2, 2008.
The Deluxe Edition contains two additional tracks, "Rock Me In" and "Phonography", and a bonus DVD. It was released on November 28, 2008 in most of the European Union, November 29, 2008 in Australia and Philippines, and December 1, 2008 in the United Kingdom. The Deluxe Edition also includes a special collector's two sided poster.
Personnel
- Adapted from album booklet.
Performance
- Britney Spears – primary artist, background vocals, piano
- Cathy Dennis – background vocals
- Greg Kurstin – bass, guitar, keyboards
- Guy Sigsworth – strings, keyboards
- Max Martin – background vocals
- Leah Haywood – background vocals
- Andy Page – synthesizer, acoustic guitar, piano, strings, electric guitar, synthesizer bass
- Chris B. Worthy – guitar
- Nicole Morier – background vocals
- Kesha Sebert - background vocals
- Henrik Jonback – bass, guitar
- Windy Wagner – background vocals
- Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald – guitar, drums, keyboards
- Kasia Livingston – background vocals
- Debi Nova – background vocals
- Candice Nelson – background vocals
- Claude Kelly – background vocals
- Luke Boyd – background vocals
- Myah Marie – background vocals
- Fernando Garibay – background vocals, synthesizer
- Stefani Germanotta – background vocals
Miscellaneous
- Teresa LaBarbera Whites – A&R executive
- Jackie Murphy – art direction
- Jeri Heiden – art direction
- John Heiden – design
- Nick Steinhardt – design
- Kate Turning – photography
- Steven Jacobi – production
- Laura Duncan – wardrobe styling
- Chris McMillan – hair
- Pati Dubroff – make-up
Technical
- David Boyd – engineer
- Greg Kurstin – composer, programming, producer, wngineer
- Shelly Peiken – composer
- Guy Sigsworth – composer, producer, drum programming
- Ron Taylor – digital editing
- Tom Coyne – mastering
- Max Martin – composer, programming, producer
- Harvey Mason Jr. – composer, producer
- Britney Spears – composer
- Andrew Hey – engineer
- Andrew Wyatt – engineer
- Balewa Muhammad – composer
- Emily Wright – engineer, vocal editing
- Wayne Hector – composer
- Andy Page – engineer, drum programming
- Eric Weaver – engineer
- Arnthor Birgisson – composer
- Dabling Harward – engineer
- Nicole Morier – composer, vocal producer
- Henrik Jonback – composer, engineer
- Teresa LaBarbera Whites – executive producer
- Seth Waldmann – engineer
- Larry Rudolph – executive producer, video producer
- Ezekiel Lewis – composer
- Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald – composer, programming
- Alexander Kronlund – composer
- Kasia Livingston – composer
- Nathaniel "Danjahandz" Hills – composer
- Candice Nelson – composer
- James Fauntleroy – composer
- Claude Kelly – composer, vocal producer
- Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica – composer, engineer
- Jim Beanz – engineer, vocal producer
- Frankie Storm – composer
- Luke Boyd – composer
- Rob Knox – composer, producer
- Brendan Dekora – engineer, vocal recording
- Savan Kotecha – composer
- Karl Schuster – composer
- Nikesha Briscoe – composer
- Pontus Winnberg – composer
- Stacy Barthe – composer
- Adrien Gough – composer
- Peter John-Kerr – composer
- Jim Carauna – composer
- Ronnie Jackson – composer
- Rafael Akinyemi – composer
- Ezekial Lewis – composer
- James Washington – composer
- Henry Walter – composer
- Christian Karlsson – composer
- Benjamin Levin – composer
- Patrick Smith – composer
- Stefani Germanotta – composer
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Argentina Albums Chart | 2 |
| 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... |
3 |
| Austrian Albums Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
9 |
| Belgian Walloon 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... |
4 |
| Belgian Flanders 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... |
7 |
| 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 |
| Czech Republic Albums Chart | 23 |
| Danish Albums Chart | 4 |
| Dutch Album Chart | 10 |
| Finland Albums Chart | 16 |
| France Albums Chart | 3 |
| German Albums Chart | 9 |
| Hungarian Albums Chart | 22 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:... |
2 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 9 |
| Japan Oricon 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... Album Chart |
5 |
| Japan Oricon 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... International Album Chart |
1 |
| Mexican Albums Chart Top 100 Mexico Top 100 México is a record chart which accounts for sixty percent of the albums sold in Mexico. The chart has the support of major record distributors in Mexico and is issued by the Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C. since 2005 on a weekly basis... |
3 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 6 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 21 |
| Portugal Albums Chart | 28 |
| Polish Music Charts Polish Music Charts The Polish Music Charts are two official album charts and seven singles charts in Poland, provided by ZPAV, the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . The first, the Top 100, is a monthly chart based on data received from the album companies... |
32 |
| Russian Top 100 | 1 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 10 |
| 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 .... |
19 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart 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... |
4 |
| 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... |
1 |
Certifications
End of year charts
| Year | Region | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Greece | 23 |
| Australia | 25 | |
| New Zealand | 36 | |
| Mexico | 44 | |
| United Kingdom | 61 | |
| Denmark | 33 | |
| 2009 | Mexico | 51 |
| United States | 6 | |
| Australia | 47 | |
| Denmark | 91 | |
| United Kingdom | 139 |
Chart procession and succession
External links
- Circus at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...