Worldwide. Maybe that figure's off, I just thought I'd seen it thrown around.
According to Mediatraffic BOTM was bigger but I believe in the US GIAB was the bigger hit, in 1999 physical singles were declining you can see the top song of the year "only" sold 1,7 million.
"Genie in a Bottle"'s numbers were bigger, yes. "...Baby One More Time" had the lasting impact, mainly due to the video.
Honestly, and I don't know if this is a generational thing, but no one in my grade (18 year olds) remembers any of Xtina's hits. Britney's hits are widely-remembered, however.
@ the Britney vs Xtina discussion.
