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MUSIC FEATURE

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BRITNEY SPEARS ...Baby One More Time (1999)

This month we’re Lifting the Lid on the debut album from a teen who would soon be the biggest pop princess on the globe: Britney Spears. Britney’s back catalogue has just been re-released on coloured vinyl; check out what’s available at jbhifi.com.au. Words Bryget Chrisfield

Girls don’t sell records, huh? . ..Baby One More Time , the album, was strategically released to ensure that Britney would top both Billboard’s Hot 100 and Albums charts simultaneously: the title track held the number four position and was rapidly gaining momentum when the album dropped on January 12, 1999. Britney ushered in a perfectly choreographed teen-pop revival and knocked the grunge, hip hop, and boy bands that had previously defined the sound of the decade off their thrones, satisfyingly debunking short-sighted, old-school nonsense – ‘girls don’t sell records’ – while sporting a customised, Kmart-purchased school uniform and plaited pigtails. During a 2009 interview with MTV News, Nigel Dick – the video director hired by Britney’s record label Jive (also home to Backstreet Boys and her one-time boyfriend DUN-DUN-DUN! After hearing these three immediately recognisable chords, you could probably NameThatTune even before Britney purrs “Oh, bay-bey, bay-bey” softly and sweetly, in her deliberately innocent ‘baby voice’. ...Baby One More Time , the title track and lead single from Britney’s debut album of the same name, transformed this former Mouseketeer from Kentwood, Louisiana into a world famous household name in a heartbeat, shifting 500,000 units on release day in the US alone and hitting number one everywhere it charted (in 22 countries). Her Diamond-certified debut album, one of the best-selling records of all time, has sold over 25 million copies worldwide.With a little help from Britney’s primary collaborator, Swedish songwriter producer extraordinaire Max Martin, the level of Britney’s immediate success set a new benchmark for future pop princesses.

Britney Spears in the . ..Baby One More Time clip

Justin Timberlake’s band *NSYNC) – gave Britney full credit for her iconic schoolgirl look: “My idea originally was just jeans and T-shirts, and we were at the wardrobe fitting and Britney holds up the jeans and T-shirts and says, ‘Wouldn’t I wear a schoolgirl outfit?’ Every piece of wardrobe in the video came from Kmart, and I was told at the time not one piece of clothing in the video cost more than $17. On that level, it’s real. That probably, in retrospect, is a part of its charm.” “All I did was tie up my shirt,”

described as “this animated Power Ranger-y thing”. Dick confirmed in the FAQ section of his website: “I wrote an idea which sucked, so the label put me back on the phone with Britney who told me she wanted to make a video where she was stuck in a classroom thinking about boys. We took it from there.” Britney’s “baby voice” Video footage of Britney as a young girl demonstrates a way more gutsy and soulful singing style than the ‘baby voice’ she adopted for her solo

FUN FACT: ...Baby One More Time ’s music video was shot at Venice High School, which was transformed into Rydell High for 1978’s hit movie Grease .

Britney pointed out during her 1999 Rolling Stone cover story interview. “I’m wearing a sports bra under it. Sure, I’m wearing thigh highs, but kids wear those – it’s the style. Have you seen MTV? All those thongs?” ... Baby One MoreTime ’s iconic vid was Brit’s concept At just 16 years old, Britney wasn’t afraid to speak up against wack ideas such as the director’s original concept for her ... Baby One More Time film clip, which she has since

output. It’s widely believed that the intention here was to create a marketable, unique sound that would distinguish Britney from her main rival (and former Mickey Mouse Club co-star) Christina Aguilera. ”I developed her signature vocal sound,” Grammy-winning songwriter-producer Eric Foster White said during a 2019 interview...

Continue reading the full article online at stack.com.au

14 AUGUST 2023

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