BRITNEY SPEARS
Hit Me Baby One More Time
We can’t get enough of Britney Spears — especially as she fights to end her conservatorship against her father, Jamie Spears. The singer, dubbed the Princess of Pop, became an icon at the beginning of her career. So we return to the early days, where we are taking you for this installment of Retro Sexy. Strap in, PROVOKRs, you’re about to be hit with Britney one more time.
Britney arrived with her debut album, Baby One More Time, in 1999. The record debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. After just two months, the album was certified two-times platinum, she became a true Princess of Pop. It then led to a tour with *NSYNC, so that’s cool, too.
The best thing to come out of the album was the music video for the title single. Initially, the record label, Jive Records, wanted it to be animated. Britney shot that idea down and opted to play a Catholic school girl instead. Even at 16, she was hyping up the sex appeal.
“The magic is the attitude,” backup singer NaNa Hedin told Entertainment Weekly. “Deep underneath the pop sound it has a sexy rock rebel attitude, from a young schoolgirl and her voice.”
“…Baby One More Time” demonstrated not only Britney’s mature vocals but also impressive dancing skills. She cleverly blends a narrative with the dance-heavy video to make for a unique experience. Not to mention her choreography in the hallway is some of the most iconic in music video history. I mean, how many times has the Britney school girl outfit been parodied? Too many times to count. According to an oral history of the video, the costumes were purchased at K-Mart for $17 or less. As a result, “…Baby One More Time” is more than a relic of its time. It transcends generations and goes down as one of the hottest in history.
“There are so many other teenagers out there that dress more provocatively than I do and no one says anything about them,” Britney said a couple of years after the video came out. “How can I explain this? I don’t see myself — hand on the Bible — I know I’m not ugly, but I don’t see myself as a sex symbol or this goddess-attractive-beautiful person at all. When I’m on stage, that’s my time to do my thing and go there and be that — and it’s fun. It’s exhilarating just to be something that you’re not. And people tend to believe it.”
Now, as Britney fights to regain control of her life, we’re replaying this video over and over again to show our support. Not only will Britney start producing more music with her newfound freedom, but she’ll also get to be the woman she deserves to be. #FreeBritney.
