In honor of Britney Spears' upcoming gig as a judge on the second season of FOX's The X Factor this week, here is a list of the pop star's best singles. It was a difficult decision to dwindle down Spears' 36 mainstream singles to only ten songs, delving through her teen pop beginnings with 1999's ...Baby One More Time up to last year's electronic dance romp, Femme Fatale. In the end, the list became pretty representative of the different sounds and genres Spears has dabbed in throughout her long and illustrious music career.
No. 10 - “Do Somethin'” (2004)
“Do Somethin'” was originally packaged as a bonus track on Spears' first compilation album, Greatest Hits: My Prerogative. Her Bobby Brown cover was suppose to serve as the album's only single, but at a time when she was taking control of her career, Spears fought her label to create a video for “Do Somethin'.” The underrated track is one of Spears' more quirkier offerings as she proclaims for others to stop rubbernecking and do their own thing. Whether Spears meant other club goers or the media is up to anyone's intepretation, but she brought the song to life in a fun music video she co-directed with Billie Woodruff. Though not released in United States, “Do Somethin'” would hit No. 100 on Billboard's Hot 100 through strong digital sales.
Britney Spears in "Toxic"
Video: Britney Spears in "Toxic"
No. 9 - “3” (2009)
Spears was due for a long break following the success of her 2008 comeback album, Circus, but before surrendering the radio airwaves to her pop contemporaries, she released the “3.” The song served as the only single and new material from her second greatest hits set, The Singles Collection, marking Spears' tenth anniversary in the music industry. While “If U Seek Amy” alluded to sex, Britney was straight forward about threesomes in this blaring electro-pop standout. She teamed up once again with producer Max Martin, the man behind her early hit singles. The racy track would be Spears' first single to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles.
No. 8 - “Overprotected” (2001/2002)
When Spears' was straddling between being “not a girl, not yet a woman” at age 20, she released the defiant “Overprotected” as her declaration of entering adulthood. The track was lifted as a single from Spears' self-titled 2001 album. In it Spears sings that she doesn't want to be “so damn protected” and wants to be free to do what she feels. While the album version of the song was released overseas, the U.S. received the funkier Darkchild Remix. The music video for the remix features Britney's best choreography to date during the song's breakdown. “Overprotected” managed to peak at No. 86 on Billboard, but garnered Spears a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance.
No. 7 “Stronger” (2000)
Britney proved she wasn't one to be messed with early in her career with the teen pop jam, “Stronger.” The song was the third single released from Spears' second album, Oops!... I Did It Again. It sports one of Britney's best vocal performances as she sings loud and clear: “My loneliness ain't killing me no more.” The empowering anthem received an amazing music video in which Spears tells a cheating boyfriend goodbye and heads off on her own. Before Adele sat in her “Rolling in the Deep” chair, Spears was performing demanding choreography on one in this dark clip. “Stronger” would just just miss the top 10, hitting No. 11 on Billboard's Hot 100.
No. 6 “Piece of Me” (2007)
Spears embraced an experimental electronic sound on her 2007's Blackout. The album's second single, “Piece of Me,” is a sluggish yet banging track where Spears gives the hounding press her two cents with lyrics like “I'm miss bad media karma / another day, another drama.” The biographical song about her relationship with the paparazzi was crafted by hit-makers Bloodshy & Avant and it got upped in the “cool” factor when Swedish pop star Robyn lent her voice as a background singer. Spears would parody her then chaotic life in the song's memorable music video, which included a short but sweet dance routine in the restroom. “Piece of Me” would break Spears' Susan Lucci-like losses as MTV's Video Music Awards when it won three moonmen, including Video of the Year. It reached No. 18 on the Billboard charts.
No. 5 - “...Baby One More Time” (1998)
“...Baby One More Time” is the song that catapulted a then unknown 16-year-old Britney into music super-stardom with its undeniable pop chorus about being hit by a sign of affection. As soon as those opening piano chords hit the ears, Spears follows it up with her signature pronunciation of the word “baby.” She cemented the song as a hit with its classic music video, which included her dressing up in an iconic Catholic schoolgirl get-up. Spears teenage daydreaming in the clip leads to full-on dance party around school property that none of us wanted to wake up from in the '90s. “...Baby One More Time” would go on to lead Billboard's Hot 100 for two weeks.
No. 4 - “Gimme More” (2007)
As if we didn't already know, Spears playfully opens “Gimme More” with the striking line: “It's Britney, bitch!” From there, the dark electronic beats set in and Britney's breathy vocals detail a good time in the club. Even when she was down during this difficult time in her personal life, we still wanted more from Spears and she certainly delivered with this outstanding lead single from Blackout. The song's glowing music video would feature Spears as a stripper pandering to her crowd. “Gimme More” peaked at No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100.
No. 3 - “Everytime” (2004)
While a majority of Spears' hit singles have been written by others, she stepped up the plate and got very personal with the song, “Everytime.” The song was released as the third single from 2003's In the Zone. Spears co-wrote material prior to “Everytime” along with much of the music on the song's parent album, but the singer really let her guard down on the delicate piano ballad about heartbreak and forgiveness. Reportedly inspired by her breakup with former beau Justin Timberlake, Spears and Annet Artani churned out one of Britney's most telling and endearing works. The track would become even more haunting in its music video where Britney dies after a fallout with her on-screen boyfriend, but she is later revealed to be alive. “Everytime” reached No. 15 on Billboard's singles chart.
No. 2 - “Till the World Ends” (2011)
On her seventh studio album for 2011's Femme Fatale, Spears showed no signs of slowing down as a dance music maven with “Till the World Ends.” The song was released as the album's second single and was written by hit-makers Dr. Luke and Max Martin along with fellow pop star Ke$ha. While the track was concocted by many folks, Spears holds her own on this electro-pop number as she confidently delivers her lyrics with utmost fervor and seductiveness. The song's video captures an underground dance party where Spears and her attractive cohorts try to hide from the world coming to an end. Only Britney could make end time look and sound like a good time. “Till the World Ends” peaked at No. 3 on Billboard's singles chart.
No. 1 - “Toxic” (2004)
On paper, “Toxic” reads like a freak of nature with its Bollywood-inspired strings, surf rock guitar, and grinding synthesizers, but on the ears, the song plays like a slice of pop perfection. The ambitious track was released as the second single from In the Zone and launched Spears back into the top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100 after four years of moderate chart hits. Producers Bloodshy & Avant became a hot commodity when Spears handpicked the duo and struck gold with this innovative number. “Toxic” is that one Britney song that everyone can agree on from Pitchfork hipsters to the stuffy music academy, which awarded Spears a Grammy for Best Dance Recording in 2005. The experimental track's imaginative music video would make it a classic of the '00s, featuring Spears as a sexy secret agent on her way to take out a cheating boyfriend.
http://www.examiner.com/article/brit...es-of-all-time
HIAM, IAS4U and BTMYH being absent here invalidates this list though.
