The 12th Anniversary of the Most Iconic Debut in Music
Written and produced by Max Martin, , ...Baby One More Time was the single that officially introduced Britney Spears to the world, hitting radio stations worldwide 12 years ago, on October 23rd, 1998. The immensely popular video, set in a high school, became the most requested video ever on UK channel, The Box, and, when released commercially in the UK in February 1999, soared straight to #1, becoming the biggest selling record of the year, and also hit #1 in every other country it was released in, including the USA.
The Grammy nominated masterpiece was a worldwide commercial success topping the charts in every country it was released in, peaking at #1 on the worldwide top 40 chart for 7 consecutive weeks and ended up as the 2nd best-selling single by a female artist of 1999. The pop smash opened at #1 in the UK selling close to 500,000 copies setting the record for a female act at the time and remains one of the best-selling singles of all-time selling over 2 million in the US, over 1.5 million in the US, more than 900,000 copies in Germany, more than 500,000 copies in France and more than 300,000 copies in Austria alone, and still holds the title of the most successful debut single in the history and one of the biggest singles of all-time. It has won a Teen Choice Award for Single of the Year and an MTV Europe Music Award for the Best Song since it's release.
The pop classic was welcomed by the critics who praised Max Martin's ingeniousness and Britney's burgeoning charisma. The critics called the song well-composed and tightly arranged and named it a highlight in the pop music genre, saying it will be long remembered as one of the cornerstones of pop music in general and named it the prototype for the 90s pop resurgence. When asked about the slickly conceived pop tune, Britney answered: It’s a song every girl can relate to. She regrets it. She wants him back. I didn’t do well at all the first day in the studio, I was just too nervous. So I went out that night and had some fun. The next day I was completely relaxed and nailed it. The track is also easily recognizable for it's opening line Oh baby, baby, a phrase coined by Britney that is also used in her future recordings such as "Oops!...I Did It Again" and "If U Seek Amy", while the line "My loneliness is killin' me" is referenced in a single from her second album, "Stronger", in which she sings "My loneliness ain't killing me no more".
Frequently listed in best songs listings, the song was listed at #25 on the list of Greatest Pop Songs Since 1963, compiled by Rolling Stone. Blender listed it at #9 on the list of The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born. The song was also listed as the 7th best song of the nineties by VH1 and ranked at #28 on the list of 100 Best Songs Of The Past 25 Years compiled in 2003.
The music video's original setup was in high contrast to what eventually became the final product. The plan was to have the video in a cartoon-like environment, in a likely attempt to attract the audience of younger children, something Britney was unhappy with. She argued that she wanted her video to reflect hers and the lives of her fans and wanted to set the video in a school, pitching the idea to the director and saying she wanted the video to have dance scenes. The original setting was later scrapped and replaced with Britney's concept.
The original idea for the wardrobe were jeans and a T-shirt, but during the wardrobe fitting, Britney decided to change it for a schoolgirl outfit. Every piece of wardrobe in the video came from Kmart and not one piece of clothing in the video cost more than $17 which was a part of the video's charm. When asked about the knotted shirt design, Britney replied: The outfits looked kind of dorky, so I was like, 'Let's tie up our shirts and be cute'. About the experience of shooting her first music video, Britney said: It was a wonderful experience. All these people there, working for you. I had my own trailer. It was an amazing experience. The music video was shot at Venice High School, the same school used to film the movie Grease.
The video begins with Britney appearing bored in class at a Catholic high school. Her assistant Felicia Culotta played the role of Britney's teacher. When the bell rings, Britney runs out into the hall and begins a choreographed dance. After this, she is outside, now adorned in an athletic outfit. Along with a couple of other students, she performs a number of gymnastic moves before heading back inside. Next, she is sitting on the bleachers in the gymnasium watching a basketball game. Her love interest is revealed sitting close to her. After this short segment, Britney begins her final dance routine and the video ends shortly afterwards, revealing that the whole thing had actually just been Britney's daydream.
The music video was an inflection point in the culture and Britney's schoolgirl outfit is today considered to be one of her iconic looks and is on display at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The ensemble caused controversy among parents associations for showing the midriff of a sixteen year old. Britney faced the criticism saying: Me showing my belly? I'm from the South. You're stupid if you don't wear a sports bra when you go to dance class, you're going to be sweating your butt off. The video is referenced in the music video for Britney's 2009 single, If U Seek Amy. After she comes out of the house dressed as a housewife, her daughter is dressed in a similar schoolgirl outfit she once wore while taping the ...Baby One More Time video.
The video was a huge success on MTV's TRL, becoming the first out of fourteen of her videos to retire on the show. On TRL's final episode, …Baby One More Time was ranked #1 in their final countdown of the most iconic music videos of all-time and was the last video to be played on the show. The video came in at #3 on The Top 100 Pop Videos only after Madonna's Like A Virgin and Michael Jackson's Billie Jean.
The biggest, most iconic and most successful debut in the history of music.
I can't at this much perfection. This is one of the biggest hits of all time and a song that will NEVER EVER be forgotten, seriously I can't believe there's been 12 years since our queen pleased us with this masterpiece!
Frequently listed in best songs listings, the song was listed at #25 on the list of Greatest Pop Songs Since 1963, compiled by Rolling Stone. Blender listed it at #9 on the list of The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born. The song was also listed as the 7th best song of the nineties by VH1 and ranked at #28 on the list of 100 Best Songs Of The Past 25 Years compiled in 2003.
Quote:
The original idea for the wardrobe were jeans and a T-shirt, but during the wardrobe fitting, Britney decided to change it for a schoolgirl outfit. Every piece of wardrobe in the video came from Kmart and not one piece of clothing in the video cost more than $17 which was a part of the video's charm. When asked about the knotted shirt design, Britney replied: The outfits looked kind of dorky, so I was like, 'Let's tie up our shirts and be cute'. About the experience of shooting her first music video, Britney said: It was a wonderful experience. All these people there, working for you. I had my own trailer. It was an amazing experience. The music video was shot at Venice High School, the same school used to film the movie Grease.
I can't at this much perfection. This is one of the biggest hits of all time and a song that will NEVER EVER be forgotten, seriously I can't believe there's been 12 years since our queen pleased us with this masterpiece!
BOW DOWN!
Legend! 
That gif. 
