3. Britney Spears- Toxic (8.750)



Highest score: 10 x23 (jinzo, HaHa2011, backtoback, supaspaz, madonnas, Green, Strangergab, Cassiopeia, dinorel, lovesong, Glassheart, conseeded, airbornE, Regina George, Kool_Aid_King, Sporefan, berberocka, Pink Panther, VJoker, Chemist, Flashing Lights, Dream, keshaspearsxo)
Well, eww @ u: 2 x1 (superben), 3 x1 (Konichiwa)

We had Toxic. Past tense. This is present tense:













...............

F*cking heck. Did you know that Spears's team couldn't decide between I Got That (Boom Boom) and Outrageous for second single? Did you know that Brit had to intervene and bring their madness to an end? Yep. Had a radio beatdownE and a climate of horrid urban/r'n'b to compete against, but this little song pulled through to become one of Brit's most iconic moments.

Of course, mention this song to any Britney stan and they'll go into an unstoppable breakdown of exclamative hollerings. This song is their bread, their water, their oxygen. To any pop lover, really- this song is immediately recognisable as one of the defining pop songs of the modern era. But it nearly belonged to Local Minogue; Local saying "I wasn't at all angry when it worked for her. It's like the fish that got away. You just have to accept it." Ace, aren't you fuming at what could have been?

But Toxic....pretty much has everything, doesn't it? Intelligent production, smart lyrics, catchy-ass melody, steamingly hot video, a girl at the prime of her singing and dancing and sex appeal- all the pieces slotted together in fine harmony at this very moment.

The video costed quite a bit. Her most expensive to date actually, costing over £1m. Brit was meant to be heavily involved in the editing of this, but did not get in contact with director Joseph Kahn following that wack-ass wedding/annulment she had in Vegas. Also, the video was only allowed to played late at night on MTV, many thanks to Janet Jackson's t*ts.

The song did, however, get her the one and only Grammy of her career- Best Dance Recording. More than Katy Perry, I suppose. It reached #9 on the Hot 100. For comparison, Gangnam Style by internet meme PSY has reached #2 this week. The other week, ya'll gave Flo Rida a #1. Don't you think there's a small part of you that should be ashamed?

Jinzo's verdict: 10
Timeless brilliance. A go-to song for any pop fan, regardless of stan-ship or persuasion. One song in a very small elite that really should just be universally-recognised as objectively excellent. It's helped to make our pop songs and pop girls what they are today, and it should be used as the template on how to do pop right for many years from now.