It’s been 25 years since Britney Spears dropped her iconic sophomore album, "Oops!... I Did It Again" and we’re finally giving it the CCTV treatment. In this episode, Chris and Chantel Nicole go track by track through Britney’s blockbuster follow-up, sharing our unfiltered thoughts on the vocals, lyrics, production, and pop legacy of each song. Did Britney level up from ."..Baby One More Time"? Was "Oops!" her best era? And do some of these tracks still slap in 2025? Whether you’re a lifelong Britney stan or just revisiting this Y2K-era gem, this review is for you.
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- 0:00 - Intro
- 1:21 - "Oops!...I Did It Again" Album Info
- 2:11 - Album Cover
- 3:36 - "Oops!...I Did It Again"
- 12:42 - "Stronger"
- 19:38 - "Don't Go Knockin' On My Door"
- 24:48 - "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
- 28:48 - "Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know"
- 36:59 - "What U See (Is What U Get)"
- 41:34 - "Lucky"
- 49:02 - "One Kiss From You"
- 52:56 - "Where Are You Now"
- 56:44 - "Can't Make You Love Me"
- 1:02:00 - "When Your Eyes Say It"
- 1:05:31 - "Dear Diary"
- 1:10:47 - Cut or Keep
- 1:13:38 - Overall Thoughts & Final Rating
References:
- “Oops!…I Did It Again” MV https://youtu.be/CduA0TULnow?si=-tEzixdiqxoBM0pI
- “Oops!…I Did It Again” Live at Top of the Pops https://youtu.be/zdwjvOVUTDg?si=UGe8m69nT54Lmmgy
- “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” & “Oops!…I Did It Again” Live at the MTV VMAs 2000 https://youtu.be/aWtv_MKip8o?si=Zk9DZoHuzCdqp2Fl
- “Stronger” MV https://youtu.be/AJWtLf4-WWs?si=_t_GUzw2XAiZZ83D
- “Stronger” Live at the AMAs 2001 https://youtu.be/5f0vIeIjp5M?si=1DsGTpm9DLVbCsJE
- “Stronger” Live at MTV Total https://youtu.be/aDpocqhjgMs?si=qQr9uwFoIHAOuo9M
- “Don’t Go Knockin’ On My Door” Live on Oops! Tour https://youtu.be/7oz8H0nqJvs?si=chGPF_HV5AQmmV6s
- "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” Live on Oops! Tour https://youtu.be/3el5veZEv4Y?si=bhugZAIqfkfW84hQ
- “Don’t Let Me Be The Last To Know” MV https://youtu.be/jGoM7atmJJA?si=HdqSir9GGrUYmbCT
- “Don’t Let Me Be The Last To Know” Live at SNL https://youtu.be/IdIxB71qFxg?si=KQjxQQN-qDxhD5Av
- “What U See (Is What U Get)” Live on Oops! Tour https://youtu.be/IdIxB71qFxg?si=eWAvC6NwrGWntVNQ
- “Lucky” MV https://youtu.be/4vvBAONkYwI?si=y92S2wiF3i5R_mKf
- “Lucky” Live on the Today Show https://youtu.be/pWcjiL9_bWc?si=v6iiL_j8zbrQLeWH
00:00:00 --> 00:00:28 Imagine your first album is a smash hit and oops, you did it again. We're going to go track by track and review Britney's second album, Oops, I Did It Again. We have reached over 4 subscribers on YouTube, so thank you all so much for joining the CCTV crew. And if you're on a podcast platform, please make sure to give us that rating and follow. Please share the episode as well because it really helps us grow and get into the algorithm.
00:00:28 --> 00:00:57 Yes. And a special shout out to our Patreon crew members, Emily, George, Lily, Julianne, Jonathan, Jasmine, Janelle, Darius, Ren, Hillary, and JK0861, the newest member. Hello, darling. You can also join our Patreon at patreon.com slash cctvpops because not only do you get a shout out, but you get to contribute to our episode. That means you get to give us something to say as a part of our script. And also, you can help us choose the episode text.
00:00:57 --> 00:01:05 topics. We are getting down the list and a lot of great things are coming. So definitely get on that. We do have a free tier, so don't be scared. Join us over there. Come on.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:31 Yes. And we've done quite a few Britney episodes so far. We've reviewed Blackout and we reviewed In the Zone. Yes. And both episodes are still getting very consistent listens. So we figured it was the perfect time to do another Britney episode because Oops, I Did It Again was released in May 2000, meaning it has just hit its 25th anniversary. And they've also just released a 25th anniversary edition as well.
00:01:31 --> 00:02:00 Yes, they have. And this album was a massive success, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 1.3 million copies in just its first week alone, topping charts across the globe. Yeah, and those sales are just in the U.S. as well. That doesn't even include the global sales, which is crazy. Absolutely. And conceptually, this album continues the sound of her debut, but with a more mature, playful, and confident edge, leaning into dance pop with touches of funk and R&B as well.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:29 So we will now go track by track and discuss the production, vocal, and lyrics and give our ratings for each song. Viewer discretion is advised. Your fave will be criticized. But first, let's discuss the album cover, which has Britney standing against a plush, velvety background with the beaded curtains. And her outfit is that perfect 2000s pop star outfit with like the cropped top. In the pants. Yeah. What do you think of the album cover? You know what?
00:02:29 --> 00:02:48 It's a huge step up from maybe one more time because here we are on our new... You didn't like her on the floor? No, it was fine. It was cute. She's wearing a little cardigan. I'm so innocent. Look at me. I'm singing about sleeping with my boyfriend one last time before actually breaking up with him. Don't worry about the meeting. I'm adorable. This one is more like, okay...
00:02:48 --> 00:03:13 Hello, I'm back. Honestly, I love the title of Oops, I Did It Again. Obviously, it's the title track, but let's just say we did not know what was to come. The fact that the boldness of the label, she's going to do it again. She has no choice but to do it again and have a hit on her hands. I love that. She looks great. She looks more mature. And at this time, she was like 18. So it makes sense for her to go a little belly button action in a tight leather pants. I love it.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:32 Yes. I like her facial expression too. It's like you can't really read it, which I kind of like. Yeah. So it could mean a lot of different things. So yeah, it's an iconic album cover. I love the zoomed in version that they use for the deluxe or the new special 25th anniversary version though. It's getting lazy. The zoomed out one is better for sure. Anyway.
00:03:32 --> 00:04:02 Okay, let's go into the album. So track one is, of course, Oops, I Did It Again, which was done by Max Martin and Rami Yacoub, and it was released as the album's first single in March 2000, and it peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in over 15 countries, including the UK, Australia, and Canada. And the red catsuit from the music video is now in the Smithsonian's pop culture collection. Amazing. That's how iconic it is.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:27 and i dressed up for her for a party i looked so hot in that outfit i was like yes and then i saw somebody else in the outfit and i was like oh that cheap spandex sheet looks a mess um but yes the outfit is iconic i still have my little red outfit uh the song itself obviously is i think a pop staple i don't think you can think of pop music without thinking about britney in general but this song specifically um
00:04:27 --> 00:04:47 The intro of the song is undeniably impactful. You have these crunchy guitar riffs, something synths, some drums. Like, the hits are everything. And the, yeah, yeah. The nerve, the attitude. There's nothing about, you know, nothing begging, like, with One More Time. It's very like, oh, baby, I want you to, like, treat me good again. This one's like...
00:04:47 --> 00:05:14 Hello. How are you? I'm back with a vengeance. It's the first song on the album. Very bold. It's so... It balances the sweet and sassiness that I think a lot of women, people, whoever... If you're flirty and you're somebody who's like, I'm so hot, I'm so sorry I just got feelings for me. Like, it was just a crush. It doesn't mean I was serious. Like, come on, we love that. Like, it's not my fault that you're thirsty, you know? You took this so seriously.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:40 Yeah, more it's not my fault that I'm so amazing that you fell in love with me. Exactly. Honestly, I feel the same way. It's like, oh, it's not my fault. I'm perfect. But all the jokes aside, I think this is definitely one of the best breakup, not even breakup songs, but like it's not that I don't know how to describe it. It's not a breakup anthem, but it's one of those just like, here's a boundary. Here's a line. Oops. It's almost telling the audience like, hey, guys.
00:05:40 --> 00:06:05 I know you're watching this story unfold, but it's my fault this happened, and I have to admit it. Yeah, but yes, it's just, I love it. It's a good song. The chorus is very, very deep. I think the mix of it is probably one of my favorites. I think with Max Martin and team, whoever they have doing backgrounds, obviously, is not just Britney, because you can hear lows. You can hear some highs here and there. But I love how it's mixed, because it has such, like,
00:06:05 --> 00:06:22 The depth is very great here. And it's mixed really well where it doesn't sound overwhelming, but it's still full. It's very warm. The song isn't big. It isn't obnoxious. It's slinky. It's funky with bursts of energy here and there. And so when the bridge comes around,
00:06:22 --> 00:06:42 You know that, oops, I'm like, oh my God. It's giving like choir even at that point. It's a lot going on. And then we get a little belty moment where she never did it on like a released single. You know what I'm saying? So it's just like, oh, she's belting now? Hang on. Is she belting? She's belting, you know?
00:06:43 --> 00:07:07 Yeah, no, I think this is one of, it's a perfect pop song. Yeah. There's not much else to say. It really is a perfect pop song. And yeah, the production is so good on this. It is the just inherent drama in it with all the silence, the hits in the silence. Boom, boom. And then it's just like Britney's vocal. And then there's just so much of that throughout. So it just keeps you engaged. Like the fact that there's all that drama already just in the,
00:07:07 --> 00:07:30 backing track is pretty amazing and i feel like it's kind of lacking in a lot of pop music now like a lot of pop music now is so chill yeah you know and boring yeah like give me or it's just constant kind of there's no it doesn't take you kind of yeah yeah yeah like it doesn't take you on a ride like pop music used to yeah and this is just a great example of that and yeah this has a
00:07:30 --> 00:07:46 Martin and team stuff in it. Like the electric guitar riffs. Oh, yeah. Because he always kind of put some rock stuff in there, too. It's so, so good. And yeah, the lyrics are really well written. It tells a story. Yes. It's fun. It's easy to remember. There's so many hooks in it.
00:07:46 --> 00:08:13 And it has a larger message, too. I think clearly the whole concept of this album is, you know, she's getting older. She was very much marketed as this super juvenile... Bubblegum pop princess. Yeah, angelic, virginal girl in the beginning. And now she ends this chorus with, I'm not that innocent. Yes. In a really dramatic way. It's a statement, you know? And it's not just...
00:08:13 --> 00:08:21 a part of the story, it's like her singing that to kind of everyone. Yeah. So I think that's pretty cool. And then, of course, we have to mention the Titanic scene.
00:08:21 --> 00:08:50 reference the skit in the song is hilarious like it's not amazing not the music video it's the song folks yeah it's so good and and you know it's timeless too titanic was such a moment yeah and everyone knows what that's talking about and it's like uh it's just so it's so fun and it's not overly done like it's it's done in a really cute way where everyone kind of knows what it's talking about yeah so yeah super well done but yeah what do you think of the video um
00:08:50 --> 00:09:10 The video is probably one of my favorite videos. I think back in the 2000s, the whole space thing was just in and made sense. It was just fun. It was literally just so fun. And I like how it seems like she is this alien queen.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:36 I think it's hilarious because you have these astronauts looking for Mars, trying to find life on another planet. And it's a teeny, a teeny, a teenage girl giving you life in her red jumpsuit and apparently black shoes that she swapped out because she was getting ready to bust her behind in the red shoes. So the YouTube released like a behind the scenes, like almost like a pop up video version of what was going on. And they were like, those shoes are not it. She was like, let's switch to black.
00:09:36 --> 00:10:05 And honestly, shoot, the black shoes are a look. I think overall, the choreography was great. Tina Landon, who worked for Janet, did a great job with it. The boxing of the hands, the playing with the heart, like everything about, like we all know it. And it's really impressive to have. There's a certain bit of campiness that comes with it, like her flipping to meet the guy in the astronaut suit. Yeah. I just, I think there's so much...
00:10:05 --> 00:10:29 playfulness but also like she looks really hot and then it's it's a good balance of making sure that she's she looks more mature but not taking it too far and i think they did a really good job of doing that um do you have like any favorite scenes at all honestly i mean yes i love the whole setup with the space station and the random astronaut just kind of watching them just perform the crap out of this song
00:10:30 --> 00:10:59 Like all the random men with the random... Yeah, with the levers. Yeah, the levers. Very random. Yeah. Honestly, the best moments are just the close-ups of her. Yes. Because she... Every pop star needs to take lessons from her. Yeah. The amount of facial expressions that she gives. She is a committed lip-synker. Yeah. It's such a well-done lip-sync. Like every single word she is still emoting in her face. Yeah. And she's just so charismatic. Yeah.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:28 You know? I agree. Honestly, she is the best part of it. But yeah, the choreography, of course, is iconic. And there are some really iconic performances, too. Oh, yeah. And it was still at this point where she was still singing live a little bit as well. Yeah. So some versions with live vocals, which is fun. But of course, we do have to shout out the VMA 2000 performance. The medley with Can't Get No Satisfaction. Yeah. Because that bassy remix, you got all the shirtless dancers with the fire pants. Yeah.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:47 She has that contraption that circles around her. But she is just killing it. You can feel the confidence the whole time. The haerography is amazing in that one when she's on the floor at the end. And then even that like
00:11:47 --> 00:12:14 dance break where it's like not even really a dance break like it's just shibby shibby shibby but you're still like it's so captivating yeah you know yeah what a great performance absolutely it's so iconic i feel like again that's one of those vma performances i've gone down in history every time she took the vma stage she ate it up so or oops i did it again i'm gonna give my first 10 you have to give it have to give it a 10 for sure
00:12:14 --> 00:12:32 Can you imagine one? I've given a one before, guys. Have I given a one before? I have. I have. Have you? Yes, I have. Remember last week when we were reviewing some album? That was a zero, wasn't it? Oh, it was a zero. It wasn't an album. Guys, it was Eurovision. Go watch my Eurovision episode. If you're a Eurovision fan, go watch it. I gave a zero to one of the songs.
00:12:33 --> 00:13:00 And the fans are really mad at us about it. But yes, we will continue. Oopsie! Your fave's getting criticized, I don't have to say. All right, moving on to Stronger. And this is done by Max Martin and Rami Yacob. And this is the third single from the album released in October 2000. And it peaked at number 11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and charted well across the globe. And it features a music video directed by the Joseph Kahn.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:33 A Man Stronger is probably one of my favorite. Yeah. If not the favorite, I need to like think about it. But it's definitely up there in the Britney songs for me. I love this song. Yes. The chorus is just so empowering, but without being overly cheesy. So they balance that super well. The whole lyric reference to Bibi one more time with her saying that the loneliness ain't killing her no more. Yeah. Like it's just so perfect. Again, just really smart ways to show...
00:13:33 --> 00:13:55 her just growing as a person yeah and we love a self-referencing you know moment yes in a song absolutely uh and the production again is just so good i love that danger alarm kind of yeah you know yeah i don't know how to describe it it's a really cool yeah it's a really cool baseline
00:13:55 --> 00:14:14 throughout it. And again, just some really great just pop moments. Like there's a double clap after the first line of the chorus. Yeah. There's that super dramatic pullback before the final chorus is. Like again, it takes you on a ride. It's just good pop production and there's just a lot of little moments to latch on to. And the way the vocal layers are produced here
00:14:14 --> 00:14:43 So good. Yeah. I love her singing in the lower register. Yeah. And this one is the perfect kind of like balance of robotic kind of Britney execution. Very staccato kind of execution. But there's still emotion there. Yes. Like they balance that super, super well. Yeah. So yeah, this is up there. One of my favorites. Yes, me too. I remember when I was playing. Was it Britney's dance beat? Oh, yes. Yeah. I had the Game Boy version. I had the PlayStation version because I remember...
00:14:44 --> 00:15:14 I was like, is this a Britney DVD? I don't know. And then I was like, oh, it's not. It's a game. So I remember playing it, and this is the level that kept kicking my butt. It was so annoying because it was harder to play. I don't know why, but I couldn't get the fingers and the buttons. But anyway, I think, when I think about this song, I think about trauma with my fingers. But yeah, the thunderous opening. The fact that you said alarm, that's what it sounds like. It sounds like a warning alarm. It sounds like the person is escaping. You know, that kind of baseline.
00:15:14 --> 00:15:40 for lack of a better analogy, there's like a steely electro glitter vibe. You know, it just screams empowerment. It's still really pretty, even though it's like quote unquote strong, like for lack of a better word. It's fierce. It's, it's, it's ferocious. I'll talk about things strong. It's fuerte or whatever. But yeah, I think arguably one of her best tracks is,
00:15:40 --> 00:16:09 like Anvil. It's punchy, it's catchy, and it's very cathartic. That hush just stop line is fire. And the song stops. I think Money Long mentioned it before, but as a songwriter, sometimes people just write the song and don't think about what the music can do. Like I know I run into that sometimes too. I'm talking to a producer, I'm like, I need you to do something here. Like stop the music here or like do something different because I'm singing quicker or like I'm singing more slowly. Like I need you to just erase this part, you know? Just to add more dynamic.
00:16:09 --> 00:16:37 animism to the song and that first line hush just stop is so rude it's so fresh it's so abrupt it's so like critics stop whoever stop just stop okay there's nothing you can do i say to fix this that pause creates so much impact and tension and oh my goodness i think i agree with you in terms like there's so many parts where you can kind of sing along even when the the song falls away and you hear the bass line and the bridge he's like here i go here i go i'm like oh my god
00:16:37 --> 00:16:57 And then it comes back in and it smacks you in the face with that same kind of choir-esque stronger than yesterday. And I'm like, yes, it's my way! It's my way! Which made me kind of think of, um... What's that man's name who sings My Way? It's my life, Bon Jovi. So I was like...
00:16:57 --> 00:17:23 Which is also Max Martin. Exactly. Yeah. So it's one of those things where this man has the Max Martin cinematic, not cinematic universe, symphonic universe. And in it exists all these songs that can kind of interweave into each other and just fit well, but make sense for the artists that they're with. So if you hear it with someone else, you're like, girl, that sounds like Britney. That sounds like Backstreet, et cetera. But yeah, the callbacks in the song, love those. I write callbacks in my songs because I heard this callback in this song.
00:17:23 --> 00:17:40 So yeah, Brittany, the Holy Spirit is in me. Okay. Yeah. The music video is also one of my favorite Brittany videos ever. Purely almost just for the chair moment. Oh, hello. That black room with her and the silver chair. Yeah.
00:17:40 --> 00:17:57 Ugh, it's so good. Doesn't matter what she's doing on it. Doesn't matter if the chair has effects on it or what's going on. Every time that chair comes back, it's amazing. I do enjoy the other scenes, too. Like, the whole party scene just looks so 2000s with all white. Mm-hmm.
00:17:57 --> 00:18:20 And the whole kind of car into the rain and then the water flying off of her. Yeah. Love that, too. So dramatic. Oh, it's so good. So dramatic. And she looks amazing. Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. It's so sickening. I love how she's under the chair. I'm like, you are sick. Mm-hmm. You know, Joseph Kahn could make a great video. Some of my favorite Janet videos are by him. You know what I'm saying? Like, Joseph is never, like, oof, never misses when it comes to the videos. Yeah.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:45 We also need to shout out some performances of this song. Oh. Yes. There have been a few different ones, but she did also do an award show performance, this time at the American Music Awards. Oh my god, yeah. And again, I think she had Michael Jackson's guitarist. I think it was her. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I don't remember her name. But they turned it into this whole kind of rock moment. And...
00:18:45 --> 00:19:10 There's actually not that much choreography in it. It's mostly Britney just kind of navigating this kind of big set. And just a lot of, just her, just kind of, she wasn't singing live in this case. But just kind of her just performing her ass off. There is a dance break in it. But the performance just exudes pure star quality. It's like a rock version of the song. So that was really good. There are performances, of course, with choreography as well.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:31 Nothing too memorable about the choreography for this one. Yeah. But yeah, I always think of the AMA performance, I think. Yes, with the wind blowing in the precursor to I'm a Slave For You outfit, Vatan. Listen, if the silhouette ain't broke, don't fix it. Let's go. Okay, so for Stronger, I give a 10, of course.
00:19:31 --> 00:19:47 Yes, I'll also give this a 10. The blondes take it. Okay, moving on to Don't Go Knocking on My Door. This was done by Alexander Cronlin, Jake Schultz, Rami, and Max Martin.
00:19:47 --> 00:20:03 Yes, a bit of a more mid-tempo, kind of R&B-ish moment. Yeah, yeah. You know, I said for me that the song feels good. I like when she plays with R&B because no matter what anyone says, she's supposed to be Baby Janet.
00:20:03 --> 00:20:18 Not Madonna. No offense to Madonna, but everything is giving Janet the dancing, the movement, the baby voice. And she's not copying Janet. She's just influenced by Janet. I know there's that whole Lizzo conspiracy, and apparently Britney was very unhappy about that moment. But I think Lizzo just meant
00:20:19 --> 00:20:42 that she was clearly influenced by Janet. Yeah, like Tina and Beyonce. Yeah, totally. It was a compliment, I think. Yeah. I think maybe Britney just, or the headlines made it sound weird. I blame headlines, totally. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, I completely forgot about the Lizzo thing. Oh my goodness. But yeah, it's just one of those things when I think about it, I'm like, Janet would have liked this. Or the R&B groups from the 2000s, like 702, or like, it's nice. Oh, yeah.
00:20:42 --> 00:21:03 Not Escape, but like 702. And there's another group I have in mind. I can't think of it right now. Total. Not total. But some R&B group. Not total. Some R&B group, either from the UK or from America, would have appreciated this song. I would say that for me, I got to say that Lonely on the Britney album is a stronger version of this concept of her exploring. Oh, yeah.
00:21:03 --> 00:21:19 Yeah, you know what I'm saying? I agree with you. It's a little bit more fleshed out. Yeah. Like this is nice, like a nice Brit version of what Shakespeare was doing with the harpsichord, harpsichord, harpsichord, harpsichord, harpsichord and music, you know, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the,
00:21:19 --> 00:21:36 I sound like the Inspector Gadget. I don't know why I did that. But the point is, it is a nice kind of Britney Spears version of that. Lyrically, it's okay. Melodically, I'm like, I get it. I appreciate the whole idea of like, do not come back here. You've left. You will not tell me you don't want me more than once. Okay.
00:21:37 --> 00:21:54 Do not tell me more than once. Yeah. So I appreciate that concept. And she needs something with a little bit more attitude by this time. Like, in terms of, like, relationship, like, not powerful rock ballad. But this kind of adds a little bit more, like, of a different palette to the whole feisty feisty. Because she does feisty well.
00:21:54 --> 00:22:10 Yeah. You know, so I was like, this is cute. And it's like, I think I'm one of the only R&B-esque song on this album that really has that kind of like, oh, anyone else? Anyone else on it? I can do this. No, just knocking on my door.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:38 Yeah, this one's good as an album track. Yeah. The tempo on it, I like. I like that it's kind of more mid-tempo. But there is still that energy in there, again, because it's Max Martin and team. They just are so good with the production of it and really kind of injecting that into it. I do think the chorus is good. Like, I like the melody of it. It feels, again, kind of just very confident, which I appreciate. And again, you do get that army of backing vocals around her yet again. Yes. Yeah.
00:22:38 --> 00:23:06 So yeah, not the most memorable, I think, in her discography, but it's not bad on the album. I think it is one of the better songs on the album, actually, in terms of the album tracks. We should shout out, this is then now the first time we hear an interlude at the end of the song. So there are these little spoken interludes kind of with her friends, like little conversations. And this one has one talking to a friend about a boy, you know.
00:23:06 --> 00:23:29 Yeah, I thought she was talking to herself. It's not like she was talking to herself. That little twang is in the table. I think it's just a friend. I think it's a friend. Yeah, because it has that phone kind of sound as well. Yeah, it's meant to be a friend, but is it? It could be her. Yeah, yeah. But, you know, it's hard. Like you mentioned earlier how young she still was. And these interludes take you back to that because then you're like, oh, she's like still like a teenage girl. Yeah.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:40 So I think they're really cute. I will say it makes playlisting some of these songs a little harder because then they're kind of like 30 seconds at the end that leads to someone else.
00:23:40 --> 00:24:07 But that's a modern day issue. Right. And yeah, she did perform it on the tour with the multiple doors on stage, very on the nose. But, you know, I'm here for it. And there was some good choreography, a lot of a lot of chest hits and a lot of hair flip and fair hits. She's good at flipping her hair. She's so good. Yeah. She's so good. She knows just the right amount. Word up. Yeah. Word up. Choreography is a lot harder than people realize. Yeah.
00:24:07 --> 00:24:26 Honey. That was when I started teaching heels. I had to tell people how to lift. There is a lot. Yeah. Y'all don't know. It was just my hair. No, it's like spaghetti on it, on a, like on your face. But yeah, um, for this one, because of what you said about it being a lot better than some other tracks, I will bump it up to an eight. I was going to give it a 7.5.
00:24:27 --> 00:24:38 Okay, I will give it an eight. I do like it. I do listen to it. So, yeah. I don't want to set the bar too low and then like, oh, you know, it's not, I kind of, yeah. Let me just go up a little bit. Okay.
00:24:39 --> 00:24:59 All right. I mean, it's funny that I say all this. I only rub it up a little bit because the next song, it kind of implies how I feel a little bit. I Can't Get No Satisfaction. And this was done by, well, Britney, obviously, but it was a cover of Mick Jagger's and Keith Richter's writing and their song with the Rolling Stones, obviously. Yeah.
00:25:05 --> 00:25:31 And this version is produced by Rodney Darkchild Jerkins, someone we've talked about quite often on our show, especially with our Forever Spice Girls. And though it wasn't a single, this song got a lot of attention since it was performed so much at notable events like the VMAs in 2000, as Chris has mentioned. In that lovely suit that was kind of coming open. And I'm so glad it, oh man. I know. I was so glad it didn't come fully open. I was like, come on. Yeah.
00:25:31 --> 00:26:01 Yeah, they didn't fully ruin the reveal. But yeah, that performance is great. I remember people talking about it. You know, I was still young at the time, but I remember, yeah, that was like a moment. She's also singing live too. Yeah. You could just, again, that performance is just like her most confident. Yeah. Maybe not her most confident, but up there for sure. But yeah, so you don't like this version. Okay, hear me out, right? It's not that I don't like this version of the song. It's just for me, it's like,
00:26:02 --> 00:26:17 I guess because I know the original. I think a lot of people know the original. Of course. You know, you're turning a rock classic into a synthy, pop, slow grind. It's bold. Did it work? I mean, I don't hate it. It's sensual. It fits Britney's concept. It's the same...
00:26:17 --> 00:26:43 ish same ish rolling stone lyrics but now it's britney purring them in low-rise jeans which i think is when i say she's praying them in low-rise jeans i mean like in the concept of the song and the production but she is literally also telling people to mind her mind their business about her style which i appreciate um but yeah for me it kind of feels like the musical equivalent of like rebooting the godfather with like tiktok influencers like it doesn't have that same uh
00:26:43 --> 00:27:00 you know, ooh, to it. Like, for the voting, it was fun, it was gritty, and it was like you knew what they couldn't get satisfied by, right? Obviously, with her, she's young. Whatever, no problem. But yeah, it's, like, ambitious. It's, like, not terrible, but I think I like it because of the performance.
00:27:00 --> 00:27:24 I saw the performance first. You know what I'm saying? As a kid, I was like, I can't get no satisfaction. Yeah, you know. So, yeah, I just feel like for me, it's like, it's okay. It's not terrible. It's just okay. Okay. Yeah, I could definitely see why this version is polarizing. And I think if you look back at the old reviews, you know, I'm sure all the, you know, the old white men that were doing the album reviews in these publications at the time were like, why? Haters. Haters. You know, why? Why?
00:27:24 --> 00:27:53 But I actually am here for the interpretation. I agree with you in that it doesn't even come close to the original. But I like the kind of slinky, kind of sexy-ish kind of version that she's doing. And I like how it starts off kind of slow and sweet. And then the energy amps up. And you can hear and feel the MJ Janet influence in the vocal execution of it. You know, she does all the... And you just... The way...
00:27:53 --> 00:28:15 Yeah, you can really hear it, and I like that. Like, I feel like they would appreciate this interpretation of it. And again, I think in the context of the album, lyrically, I think it's perfect. You know, it's her clapping back at everybody. And it gives a different energy to the album. Yeah.
00:28:15 --> 00:28:40 because it's kind of the most kind of strong just kind of in your face kind of moment yeah and i like that for her kind of at this time so yeah i don't know i'm kind of here for it i like the key change that happens oh yes i think there are some interesting little moments you know dark child's an awesome producer yes uh and he was an interesting choice for this so yeah i'm here for it i will give it an 8.5
00:28:41 --> 00:29:07 I will give it an A because it's not worse than knocking on my door. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's not. Okay. It's not terrible. Yeah. Okay. Up next, we have Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know. And this was done by Shania Twain, Robert John Mutt Lang, and Keith Scott. And this was the fourth single from the album in March 2001, peaking at number 12 in the UK and number one in Romania. And unfortunately, did not chart in the US because it was just released kind of, I think, to some radio formats. Yeah.
00:29:07 --> 00:29:22 And the music video was actually deemed too suggestive and needed to be edited for certain broadcast channels. And apparently, and I think this was just rumored, or some fan just made it up that I was reading that apparently Justin was also very unhappy with all this touching.
00:29:27 --> 00:29:55 You know what? Knowing what we know about Mr. Timberlake now, Mr. Justin Randall Timberlake now, I want to put it past him. Okay? But here's the thing. I don't hate Justin. I liked Justin up until 2020 experience. After that, I don't know what happened. The latest album is actually pretty good. It was. It was. But unfortunately, this man opened his mouth and said he apologized to no one, so we couldn't talk about the album. Thanks a lot, Justin. We don't want to give you more promotion. Right.
00:29:55 --> 00:30:05 We might come back. We might come back like a few years from now. But anyway, this is like no shade toward him. I was just joking for the sake of the show. But yes, um...
00:30:05 --> 00:30:35 Okay, Shania on this means a ballad dipped in country light glitter. Shania can write a song, right? I think she can write a good song. But I was trying to figure out when I was listening to it, or even as growing up with it, I knew the whole, don't let me be the last to know. I get it, right? I didn't peep that it was giving kind of country light. But now it's just like, oh, wait. It is giving very much like, don't let me be the... I'm not going to sing it like Shania, but the point is, I can hear it and I enjoy it.
00:30:35 --> 00:30:41 I think the lyrics are so interesting because I think no matter what age you're at, I,
00:30:42 --> 00:31:05 So there are some people that you end up in relationships with and you're like, listen, don't let me be the last to know to find that you don't want me. Don't let me be the last to know that you actually do care for me. Whatever. We all get there. But like in high school specifically or when you're in a community of people that know your business, this song kind of like really embodies that where she's like, my friends say you're ending me, that you need me desperately. And, you know, like they say that you think that we're great together, but like, wow.
00:31:05 --> 00:31:35 are you not telling me? And that's so high school. That's so relatable. And that's why I think the song works for her demographic or what the record label's demographic for her was. Like it's just, it's just high school hallway heartbreak in one song. And is this one is kind of like vulnerable, surprisingly mature. And it's a very nice breather from the pop juggernauts we've been getting smacked with for the past like couple of tracks. And like the video, we'll get to it later. Yeah.
00:31:35 --> 00:31:56 I feel like the song itself is not a bad attempt at her being a little bit more like genuine and not so like, yeah, oh, I guess I broke this guy's heart or don't talk to me anymore. You know, like something a little bit more real about it. Yeah. And I totally agree with you. I love that as well. And yeah, like, yeah, you're right. Shania would not sing this song.
00:31:56 --> 00:32:23 Even though it sounds like, she'd probably sound great singing the song, but lyrically, it did feel like they wrote it for a younger person, which I like. But sonically and everything, it is still a bit more mature. So in that way, it still is showing a sonic progression for Britney. And it does stand out in the whole discography in a pretty good way, I would say. It has a really beautiful melody. Yeah.
00:32:23 --> 00:32:47 And I do think her vocal execution is quite good. You know, she sounds very vulnerable. There are some nice runs in here. You know, of course, you know, everyone talks so much about Brittany's voice. Like, yes, it gets kind of tight sometimes. Yeah. But I feel she kind of utilizes that to also emote. So sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't work as well. But I think in this one, it actually really works. Yes. Yeah.
00:32:47 --> 00:33:14 And the production is interesting because obviously they wanted to make it more pop, right? Yeah. That's not really... And, you know, of course, Shania's whole thing was the whole crossover situation. But in this case, they really... It's not... I think melodically it sounds country, but the production really isn't country at all. It's more kind of like 80s-esque kind of synths. And I will say I don't love the way they did the background vocalists. Shoo-be-do-be-doop.
00:33:14 --> 00:33:41 But it's that vocoder kind of thing that they did to it that takes all the emotion out of it. So then when they are singing, I don't know, it feels kind of disconnected. I hate the shooby-dooby-doobs so much. Shooby-dooby-doop. I hate those. Because it's just like, that's what you chose to do? Oh, my God. I will say there are live performances, though, with a live band and live vocalists where I think it sounds much better. I just don't like that effect that they put on it in the studio. Come on.
00:33:41 --> 00:34:08 You know, I was thinking about vocally speaking, when you're talking about, like, emoting and all the things like that. I was like, you know, Janet would have eaten it up. It was R&B-focused, yeah. Like, I feel like she would have kind of been, like, when she's doing, like, the Let's Wait a While kind of thing, when she was a little bit younger. This is kind of Janet when she was younger. But I thought about who was her contemporary at the time. Can you imagine if Jessica Simpson would have... How extra she would have been? Yeah.
00:34:09 --> 00:34:33 Yeah. So in the sense of like, she sounds a little tight yes to help her emote, Jessica would have been a little bit like, okay, girl, there ain't no song in this world that requires all that mouth movement. I love you, Jess. Love you, Jessica. But yes, going on to the video now. Yeah. So you would mention that it was mature in some countries. Okay. Did you find this uncut video?
00:34:34 --> 00:34:53 I think that version on YouTube is already the more explicit one. Again, fans, correct me if I'm wrong. Right. That version that's uploaded on her YouTube is actually the edited one already. But, you know, there is touching and there is some kissing and stuff. And I can see why, you know, her fans were very young. Oh, my God. Her fans were like...
00:34:53 --> 00:35:11 Some of them were younger than tweens. They're single digits. I understand that people felt this was a little bit much. But, you know, watching it now, it is very romantic in the lighting and the setting. Definitely seems a bit perfume-addy.
00:35:11 --> 00:35:27 Oh my god. Yeah. Yeah. But I do like that in some scenes, you know, the guy seems super into her and they're laughing and blah, blah, blah. And then in others, he's just ignoring her and just like smizing to something off camera. And she's like on top of him. Like, huh?
00:35:27 --> 00:35:50 you know, wailing. Right. She's like, look at me, look at me, look at me. Yeah, so I'm here for that as the concept. It works. You know, it's not the most creative. But I will say I did get pretty bored midway through because you run out of new scenes. You know what I mean? Like you only have, you know, you have the campfire, you have the beach moment, and then you have kind of the B-roll of them like...
00:35:50 --> 00:35:58 you know, hugging and twirling in circles and stuff. But then you see all of that within the first, like, minute. So nothing else happens.
00:35:58 --> 00:36:20 Yes, and I feel like they were trying to give us a wow moment, but the song for me does not match the video completely. Her emoting, the acting kind of sort of matches. Yeah. But the beach situation, I guess. What's it called? Cabana? The cabana? I guess. But what really killed me, she looks great, but why is Brit Brit in a tree like a sexy coconut? She was in the tree like this.
00:36:20 --> 00:36:34 Yeah. And I was like, ain't got nothing to do with this. She was thinking. In the tree, like a, like a jaguar. She was, what's that called? When you're like touching, when you touch nature. Touching grass. Oh, grounding. Oh.
00:36:37 --> 00:37:05 I mean, the way she was like, look at me, look at me, look at me. Maybe she needs to touch some grass in the video. But yeah. Overall, not a bad video. Not a terrible video, I'll say that. It's not a great video either. But not a bad song. So with that, I give this one an eight. I also give this one an eight. Yeah. Up next is What You See, parentheses, is what you get. Done by Max Martin and Rami Yacob. All right.
00:37:11 --> 00:37:36 I like this one. It's a great partner, too. Can't get no satisfaction. You know, this is me. Take me as I am. It's the most just, like, overt, I guess, kind of clap back at her. You know, haters, really. But, yeah, this one's good. I enjoy the melody of the song. It all feels kind of reflective, kind of pensive, and the hook is quite catchy. Again, you have that drama of Max where...
00:37:36 --> 00:38:02 It's a statement. You know, that whole chorus is a real statement and you can feel kind of the power of it. Yeah. And I will say the favorite part for me of the track is the bridge where she's kind of actually threatening a little bit. You know, believe me, you'll be looking for trouble if you hurt me. Oh, wow. Yeah. I like that. We're starting to get, you know, you mentioned the sass earlier. We're starting to get a little bit more here. Instead of just take me as I am. It's like...
00:38:02 --> 00:38:30 You better take me as I am. Yeah. So, yeah, you know, as an album track... Decent. Mm-hmm. Couldn't be a single, though, you know? I don't think... Ooh, interesting, because I saw some people say that this could have... should have been a single. Really? Interesting. Okay, so hear me out, right? So I think the whole mid-tempo bop situation with the respect me or lose me attitude, it feels like a bedazzled PSA. We hear the Max Martin sparkle. We get the whole, like...
00:38:30 --> 00:38:51 I'm threatening you or not really, or like I'm warning you. Yeah. Respect me. And I get it. Like if you think about how with overprotected, she kind of was like stepping out and saying, oh my God, I'm sick of this. This is annoying. This is too much. I don't deserve this. I know to make my own decisions. Right. I agree with that.
00:38:51 --> 00:39:08 idea of like having this FU anthem for her critics at that time and the haters and her fans at the time would also have had a theme song to like the rebellion to have a theme song like that for the you know for young generation I get that concept. Brittany is starting her independence so early though.
00:39:08 --> 00:39:31 While wrapped in this crop top, sugary production moment, I don't think it would have been the best time. So for the fans who were like, it should have been a single, or the Redditors that said it, I don't think it would have been a good time. Because Overprotected, I don't think it would have hit the same if this was released. Because it was like, we already heard you say you don't want to be controlled. Now I hear you are saying it so early on in your career. This is a good kind of like...
00:39:31 --> 00:39:50 hidden gem for the fans where you're like, you know what? She had a mind of her own. She had an idea of what she wanted to say. She just did not say it until X, Y, and Z time. But yeah, I mean, I could be wrong. Maybe there aren't a lot of fans that say it, but I did happen to see it on Reddit. But yeah, I do appreciate that this song has...
00:39:50 --> 00:40:10 maintains its youth and expects respectability. The bridge isn't overbearing, which I appreciate because it could have been like some, don't tell me what to do. Like, you know, I just can't wait to be king, you know, Simba moment. And it wasn't. Y'all know what I'm talking about where it's just like, don't tell me this. Don't say be there. Don't say stop that. It could have gone there and it didn't.
00:40:10 --> 00:40:40 It wasn't listing demands. It was a very clear, melodic kind of just progression of the song. And then, bam, she punctuates her point with a belt. And it's like, oh, wow, the jaw dropped in the studio. The air came out. The voice came out. Bam. We love that. So, again, it creates this whole dynamic of I'm mature. Listen to me. I can sing. Shut up. Let me dress the way I want to dress without coming across as bratty. And I think that's really important, especially at the age and the genre of music she's making.
00:40:40 --> 00:41:00 Yeah, we did get another interlude here at the end with Britney's voicemail message, which is very cute. Do your thing. I'm here for it. And then the tour performance. I'm going to be honest, I did not love the tour performance with the pole and the cowboy hat because it just didn't match the song to me.
00:41:00 --> 00:41:22 You know, the whole trying to make her like this country, Louisiana girl, but then also throwing the pole. The AMAs also had her with the pole. It did. And the half-naked blonde women. So it's just, I think in terms of imagery, it wasn't the most well thought out. It just didn't match the song. Yeah, no, it wasn't well thought out at all. Yeah. But anyway, I do think this is one of the better album tracks on this album. So I will give it an 8.5.
00:41:23 --> 00:41:53 Oh, well, I'll match you. Okay. I'll match you. Oh, the next song. Yes, the next song is Lucky, done by Max Martin, Rami, Jakob, and Alexander Cronlin. And this was released as the second single from the album in August 2000. It peaked at number 23 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, which is very low. The song deserved higher, but it did hit number one in a few countries like Austria, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland. Oh.
00:41:57 --> 00:42:15 Yes. Oh my goodness. Can I tell you, I have this poster that was like, you know, those little scrolls that people, yeah. So it was a plastic at the top or maybe that plastic at the top, but the bottom was plastic and it had a button on it and it played Lucky. It played three sound bites from Lucky.
00:42:15 --> 00:42:41 I also had a hit clip when I was a little kid. My sister gave me her hit clip. And I think it had one more time. But I had a lot of Britney things when I was a kid, including that video game. When I could tell you I kept playing the song. And they say, and they say, and they say. Over and over. My sister was like, stop. You didn't have the whole song? No. Snippets. That's how they got you. The poster. You didn't buy the album? Yeah.
00:42:41 --> 00:43:02 Can I tell you, as a kid, I didn't even know albums existed. All I saw was Britney's video. Bam. If I got memorabilia from it, I was like, wow, this is amazing. I didn't have a concept of consumerism. I wasn't a consumer as a young music fan. I was not. I was just like, yeah, I'll just wait for the video to come on. I was very traditional in that sense. But yeah, I think this song is...
00:43:03 --> 00:43:28 Very interesting because you have this interlude where she's doing this whole nerdy voicemail, according to the friend. But it keeps the momentum of the album, keeps the theme of the album. She's a young girl. It kind of segues into the next kind of situation where you're like, where the person says, hey, remember that movie we watched about this girl whose life kind of sucked even though she was rich? Yeah, let's talk about that. And then all of a sudden you have like this dreamy kind of melancholic bop.
00:43:28 --> 00:43:52 It has enough sparkle to hide the fact that it's a sad story. Even the title itself, you think, oh, Lucky, let's hear this song. And it's like, no, she's probably the most unluckiest person you've ever met in your life. And it's almost kind of like very soap opera-esque, melodramatic, especially with the knock, knock, knock on the door with the bass drums kind of punctuating that. Like, that's my favorite thing to pantomime. Like, knock, knock, knock at the boop, boop.
00:43:52 --> 00:44:19 I love it. I love it. She's so lucky she's a star, but she cries, cries, cries in her lonely heart. It is so sad. It is so sad. It's super sad. Because honestly, when you're young and you're looking at your favorite singer, you don't think this person is upset. You might just be saying like, oh, maybe they're just telling a story of someone. And then years progress and you all getting older listening and then making the music and then seeing the things happening. You're like, oh, my God.
00:44:19 --> 00:44:46 This is like some weird self-fulfilling prophecy, but let's just imagine that crap didn't happen. I think the song does tell a really good story of a lot of young starlets who go through, you know, this loneliness, this sadness. It's a very good prototype to the Sad Girl pop star anthem. I mean, this song literally walks so Lana Del Rey could like sigh into a microphone. And then I think in terms of skits, the fact that there's another skit in it
00:44:46 --> 00:45:06 Yeah. Jade of Little Mix. This is what she's doing now. And it feels so good to watch. It's not in the tracks themselves, which is like such a shame sometimes. I wish she would release like music video versions onto her albums. But the whole skit, we've had it in Oops! I did it again. So to have it here again doesn't feel out of place, right?
00:45:06 --> 00:45:28 It feels so MJ, but it also is so her because no one else has done this except in a music video. And I think when the bridge comes back in and the song kicks up the notch, it just feels so more serious. It feels like, you know, I've never seen like when people, the pageant girls win and they start crying.
00:45:28 --> 00:45:55 Like, God, I won. I won. Like, oh, God, I'm so happy. But, like, she knows, like, you've seen Scary Movie, right? Or, like, I Know What You Did Last Summer. Yeah. And Sarah Michelle Gellar's, like, character wins the pageant, but she's watching her boyfriend get— No, she doesn't win it, but she's, like, doing her skit, and she's watching her boyfriend get shanked to death. That's what it felt like at the end. It's like, you should be happy for it because it sounds very joyous in that bridge, but the lyrics are, like, she's sad. And I'm like, wow.
00:45:56 --> 00:46:18 Yeah. What a good song. Yeah, the songwriting is pretty amazing. Yeah. And I like the style they went for because it sounds kind of retro, but not really. Yeah. Right? Yeah. I'm glad they didn't go full like doo-wop or Motown, right? It's not that at all. But there is a reference there that you can feel. It feels kind of old Hollywood in that way. Yeah.
00:46:18 --> 00:46:45 And of course, yeah, the storytelling is awesome. I do miss that in pop music, actually. Yeah, I agree. We haven't had a full storytelling song in a while. Yeah. At least in the charts. I'm sure maybe people have done it on their albums and stuff. But yeah, I agree with you. The melody itself is just really smartly done. Like even just that chorus. She's so lucky she's a star, right? That sounds so hopeful and joyful and just like very light. Yeah. And then it gets melancholic right after that with the cry, cry, cry.
00:46:45 --> 00:47:13 Yeah. So just the way even the melody was written to match the lyrics is really, really well done. Yes. And of course, the music video, also one of her best. Yes. Oh, her as Lucky is so pretty. First of all, like just to get that out the way she looks so pretty as Lucky. And then to have her almost narrate Lucky's life on the billboard. Very like, oof. I think my favorite scene, like that scene with Set is her sitting in that star.
00:47:13 --> 00:47:18 Oh. I think it's so... Because it's just her, a normal girl...
00:47:18 --> 00:47:45 talking about this other girl who seems like her life should be perfect. And it's like, yeah, I love that scene. I think it's so pretty because you can see, like her eyes look like she's getting ready to cry. She's sitting there singing to the camera. Brittany is very good at emoting. I can see why they try to give her the movies, all the movies back in the day. Yeah. No, she did a great job acting in this, I thought. Yeah. I do love the middle when the man comes in and then it's like, cut, cut, cut. And then, yeah.
00:47:45 --> 00:48:05 it's like oh it was a movie set i love that yeah it's just such a good little moment yeah um and yeah all this stuff with kind of like the storytelling the narrator britney kind of watching starlet britney or lucky i guess lucky uh yeah i thought all those scenes were really really well done
00:48:05 --> 00:48:26 And there are some really cute performances of this song too. And in this case, they did go for a kind of more of a 60s girl group, kind of Andrew Sisters kind of situation with her two background singers. And the tour performance too, they went full Andrew Sisters, like military, you know, kind of like Christina did with Candyman later on.
00:48:26 --> 00:48:36 So yeah, really, really fun performances of this. Some live vocals here. And she does some really cute facial expressions. So these are some really fun ones to watch. So...
00:48:36 --> 00:48:57 Yeah, I think I feel like I feel like maybe at the time she liked this song, too. You know what I'm saying? Because I feel. Yeah. People get lost in the whole like, oops, I did it again. But Britney has some depth, y'all. And this is one of those songs I'm glad like they like let her have. And that's not so weird. But to let her have this, even though she has like this pop girl image. Love it. 10 for me. Definitely a 10 for me.
00:48:57 --> 00:49:08 All right. Moving right along is One Kiss from You, done by Steve Lunt and Larry Rock Campbell. Mm. Okay.
00:49:12 --> 00:49:35 Yeah. Well, after all these kind of more deeper, I guess, songs on the album. Right. Here's our first kind of just kind of cheesy love song. Yeah. And I will say it is a bit jarring. I think this one actually, I feel like in the sequencing, it makes it worse than it actually is.
00:49:35 --> 00:49:59 You know what I mean? Like listening to this song just kind of on its own, standalone, I'm kind of like, okay, it's fine. But I feel like because it came after Lucky, which is f***ing amazing. Yeah. Yeah, no, for real though. Yeah. Yeah. And a lot of the songs before that I do really like, and like you said, they were confident, like they're sassier, you know, she's growing up. And then you go to this where it feels just a bit.
00:49:59 --> 00:50:17 juvenile underbaked comparison yeah and just kind of very fillery you know yeah i think even the production in itself is quite i mean it's it's okay yeah there's a funky guitar in it that i think is kind of interesting there are these kind of hip-hoppy kind of samples in it though yeah
00:50:18 --> 00:50:42 which I don't love. Me either. I found that a very odd choice. And even the vocal, I mean, maybe it was a choice to not do too much processing on it, but because I think Max Martin and team does such good vocal producing and processing, and this one, it just felt very raw. Like the harmonies and stuff didn't fully line up sometimes with the lead vocals. So it felt like a demo.
00:50:42 --> 00:51:12 Yeah, I guess just more raw, which again, maybe that's just what they were going for. But I just thought that was an interesting choice. And also, I have to shout out the ending. It's so annoying. Oh, yeah. Because it doesn't end on a note that sounds like it's a conclusive note. There's a word for that, right? Dissonant. Is that the right word? Yeah, because it's not dissonant, but I know what you mean. It's like, this is the end. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was like, wait. This is the end. You're like.
00:51:13 --> 00:51:31 There's no resolute note. Yeah, yeah, yeah. A resolute note. Let's call it that. Like, it doesn't end, like, where it feels like it should end. And that really annoys me every time I listen to this song. Anyway, what do you think? This song sounds like a first round of demos.
00:51:31 --> 00:51:51 that they were trying to create for one more time. Like, like think about it. Like you said, the fact that the harmonies did not match with the lead tells me everything. I know they were like, what we got, what we got, what we got, what we got. Okay. Like it's, it's a standard falling in love track. Not the best though. And it's like, I don't know what I would do without one kiss from you. Oh my gosh.
00:51:51 --> 00:52:20 Like, oh my gosh, something about the song is just not giving. I don't mind a little, oh my God, I really like this guy. Listen, I'm queen of a sappy moment, but this is just not done well. And the harmonies, harmonies, please, makes this feel even more demo-y. First of all, it was like a concept that wasn't fleshed out because like, why is there a top, but then barely a bottom harmony? This old Chris, it's like you and me singing together.
00:52:21 --> 00:52:50 live unrehearsed and just hoping that the voices sync up right now without editing like come on now it's just it's safe forgettable but harmless this is the capri son of ballads watered down but i guess it gets the job done next okay so what do you rate it i gave it a five i'm not that terrible but it's a five okay i'll go a little higher i'll give it a six i i don't think it's
00:52:51 --> 00:53:01 Fine. Yeah. Okay. Moving on to Where Are You Now? Done by Max Martin, Andreas Carlson, and Rami Yacob.
00:53:05 --> 00:53:23 Mm-hmm. We have this echoing... It really does echo. Echoing, resonant piano ballad with a touch of that Max Martin polish. Honestly, I guess... Max wasn't super, super big by then, right? I mean, yes, because Backstreet and...
00:53:23 --> 00:53:40 I think he was. I think he was already... This is his kind of peak. Isn't 2000, like, his peak? Yes. Actually, just in terms of, like, hits. No, you're so right. My bad. I said that. It was so false of me to say. My point is, this man, whatever budget they had for her, they were spending it. Because...
00:53:40 --> 00:53:57 almost every track is done by him which is really impressive um I think with this one it's heartbroken but tender um it makes things like it makes songs like every time later on in the future feel more believable because it's like if you're a fan you know she can do this kind of ballad like this is definitely a good
00:53:57 --> 00:54:15 a pre-pre-pre-pre-pre-pre-pre-pre-pre-pre-precursor with training wheels. But the point is, there's emotional range here. A deep cut that's worth revisiting if you're ever in your feelings about something or someone. This song, I think, makes sense.
00:54:15 --> 00:54:43 after one kiss from you. So, like, I appreciate it to a certain extent, you know? Yeah. There's a lot of noise, though, I would say. Even with all my, like, oh, wow, Britney's going there. Britney's going there. But there's a lot of noise right before this underwhelming chorus. But at least, at least this song feels fleshed out, right? Like, this, you can, it's like some clankety, clankety, clanky, boring chorus. Like, the where are you now so I can let you go, oop.
00:54:43 --> 00:55:00 I guess. I felt this way though before. It's like, I can't let people stalk their exes all the time. I get it. But it's just so funny. Where are you now? So I can let you go. So basically she's saying, I can't let go. I keep wondering and such. Like I understand. Like if I see that you're still a jerk or like you haven't grown into the man that I need. Yikes. Yikes.
00:55:00 --> 00:55:16 But still, bye. I know where to leave you. You know what I'm saying? So I kind of, even though it didn't have that sense of like snark that I'm giving it, I was listening to it and I was like, oh, I totally get it. Like, where are you right now? So I can leave that alone. I just need to know where you are.
00:55:16 --> 00:55:42 You know, just for the pettiness in me. Are you still sucky? Great. Or if you're doing good, great. Either way. So I get that concept. I appreciate the belt-y moment in the bridge outro part of the song. It just makes the song feel better. So I bump up my score. I'm not going to lie. It's a little for the snails. But I can appreciate it way more than its out-of-place, undercooked predecessor. Wow. Yeah.
00:55:42 --> 00:56:05 Yeah, I do like the kind of dreamy quality to this one. And I do think it is a nice melody. Britney definitely has way better than this in terms of ballads. But I think on the album, I think it has its place on the album for sure. The vocal delivery is nice, you know, very tender. I will say the way she sings, Oh, baby.
00:56:05 --> 00:56:32 Always makes me laugh. It's so funny. Just because, you know, it's the baby, you know, the whole thing. But this one, it's just especially emphasized every time. I just think it's so funny. I do enjoy the acoustic guitar solo in the bridge. And she sounds really good in the bridge. Yes. Before we get to kind of the big belts at the end. So, yeah, I'm here for this as like a nice pop ballad, you know. Okay. It does the job. Yeah.
00:56:32 --> 00:56:57 Yeah. In this album, you know? I agree with that. I concur. So I'll give it a 7. I was going to give it a 6.5, but her belty moment at the end saved it. I agree. I'm going to give it a 7 as well. Up next is Can't Make You Love Me, and this was done by Jake Schultz, Kristen London, Andres Carlson, and Max Martin. We know Andres Carlson. He's done a lot of K-pop. That man has transitioned. Good for you.
00:57:01 --> 00:57:26 I will say, you mentioned before about how Max, you know, writes for all these pop artists, but you can kind of tell who fits with artists. I think this one sounds like a Backstreet Boys song. That guy's it? Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Like the instrumentation and production of it. I can't call out exactly which Backstreet Boys songs, but I just immediately think BSB. Oof. That's so fine. Yeah, this one's fine. I will say, compared to the other...
00:57:26 --> 00:57:52 kind of more upbeat album tracks i think this one's a bit fillery or more fillery i would say than the others um like the chorus is catchy but melodically just doesn't do that much for me uh i will say the lyrics are kind of interesting though because it again has that whole concept in a way of kind of take me as i am yes thing mm-hmm
00:57:52 --> 00:58:14 But then it's kind of on the other way where it's like, oh, why don't you like me? Oh, yeah. Kind of thing. Yeah. So I thought, like, originally when it started, I was like, okay, it's more about, you know, again, kind of like the general public and how they feel about her. But then you get the line about the crush, right? I'm just a girl with a crush on you. So I was like, oh, yeah. I guess they, like, tried to make it so it kind of works as a...
00:58:15 --> 00:58:41 love song as well like a double meaning yeah i mean uh it's tough because it's like i'm like why don't you love me by beyonce she's very very clearly saying i'm great i'm great but why don't you love me what the heck so maybe it's one of those like i'm amazing i have a crush on you why don't you like me back which i get i totally get i guess but then also in the lyrics it kind of talks about how is it the lifestyle that i have
00:58:42 --> 00:59:05 Yeah. You know what I mean? Which is why I thought it was more about the general public. That's valid. Okay. The messaging on the song is not clear. Abort, abort, abort. So do we like that it's kind of confusing? This is a melody. Okay. So here's not that. Do we like the melody enough to ignore the fact that the lyrics are a little bit like, eat her. They're not great.
00:59:06 --> 00:59:23 I don't know. It feels like the whole song was written to the general public, except for that one line about being a girl with a crush on you. That's valid. OK, you know, not great. But maybe it's also, oh, maybe it's about a boy that she knew pre-fame.
00:59:23 --> 00:59:52 that she liked. And now it's like, he's like, oh, I don't, you've changed. And she's like, no, I haven't changed. I'm just surrounded by, you know, movie stars, right? That line about the sitting with the movie stars. Yeah. Interesting. Ooh. Okay. I'm not mad at that. Three meanings. Three potential meanings. Look at him. He's genius. He's Chris genius over here. Someone's going to comment and be like, no, the song is about something completely different.
00:59:53 --> 01:00:13 Yes, and if you leave that comment, be sure to leave a subscription as well. Come subscribe. If you made it this far, you might as well join the CCTV crew. And if you're listening on a podcast, hello! Subscribe there too, because our episodes are fun. We also have the videos on wherever your streaming platforms are. Only Spotify and YouTube. Only on Spotify and YouTube. My bad.
01:00:13 --> 01:00:43 You know what? I keep thinking everyone's doing what Spotify and YouTube is doing. I'm so sorry. You might as well leave this in. It's part of our gag. Me being confused and you correcting me. Let's get it. So, yeah, this song is, hmm, at this point in the album, as I was listening to it over and over and over and over again, trying to refresh my brain of the 2000s, I was like, the Max Martin sparkle is starting to lose its impact by this point. I was like, Jesus, it's not bad, but it's the sonic.
01:00:43 --> 01:01:03 it's not bad, but it's the sonics we've heard from him without the impact. Like it, like I said, it is not bad. The man was going to make a song because it's so formulaic at this point, though. We know what to expect. There are some differences here in terms of like what he's doing with it or how the song's being attacked, but the elements are still the same. Wow.
01:01:03 --> 01:01:31 guitars and then some hits and then some choruses and then, and then, you know, baby voice. She sounds good on this. Like Brittany is the princess of Swedish turned American pop. Um, I think what makes the song a little bit different is that there's a dance break. It's cute. It's my favorite part of the song. Um, it's like, I'm just a girl with a question on you. This is just a song with a structure we've heard before. So, I mean, it's okay. Oh my gosh. Uh,
01:01:32 --> 01:01:58 Listen, I love Britney. In the name of the mother, the daughter, and the Britney spirit. Huge fan. Oh, yeah, this is far from being her best album. Exactly. I don't think any fan would say this is her best album. I'd be surprised. Right, but someone's going to be like, oh my god, she's so mean. I'm making a joke for the sake of the show. I promise I'm still a fan. The song is just not it, but it's not as bad as some other one. Okay, so what do you give it? A seven. Okay, I'll go a little higher and do a 7.5. Yeah, the dance break wasn't enough.
01:01:59 --> 01:02:25 Okay, moving on to When Your Eyes Say It, done by Diane Warren, Robert Esmail Jazayiri, and Steve Lunt. And this was actually considered as a potential fourth single from the album, with the music video even being discussed. But the label, of course, ultimately went with Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know, which I think was the right choice. Yeah, I started laughing. I'm sorry. Who did that? Yeah.
01:02:30 --> 01:02:36 Oh, boy. This one. Oh, man. You know...
01:02:38 --> 01:03:05 Every so often a great songwriter has to go through some duds. And listen, listen, listen, listen, listen. Just because it's a Diane Warren ballad does not mean it's going to be great. She has to build her name from somewhere, okay? We all have off days and this may have been one of them, but I don't blame her for the songwriting. I think the producers involved are also to blame.
01:03:05 --> 01:03:27 So, yeah, no, I feel like this song is giving Nicholas Sparks novel with the theme song. It's like a soft focus love song, you know, starry eyed metaphor is like, oh, God, it just doesn't feel as. It doesn't feel as concrete as like even the let me be the last to know, you know, I'm saying it's just something about this just doesn't feel as. It doesn't feel as.
01:03:28 --> 01:03:41 not honestly it doesn't feel real but I it's okay it's okay I like the groove you know me and my friend were kind of like dancing to it like okay let's get into it yeah all right it's cute or whatever but it's just not like
01:03:43 --> 01:04:06 Like my favorite. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. Yeah. I agree. I think the melody is actually very pretty. I think Diane Warren does write beautiful melodies. You know, she is the ballad queen. Yes. There are some nice vocal layers here as well. And again, the vocal execution, it's all very sweet, very warm. Yeah. Like Brittany, I think does a really good job with it. I will say...
01:04:07 --> 01:04:25 In the production, it's pretty. I like the electric guitar in it because then it just, it works a little better with kind of all the Max Martin. You know, you still kind of have the kind of more organic kind of stuff in there. But I will say the song itself does plod a little bit. Yes, that's the word. I don't like the spoken parts.
01:04:26 --> 01:04:52 Oh my God. Maybe as an intro, it's okay. But then it happens again. Yes. You know, it's like, okay. Yeah. I don't, I don't love that. I do think the song second half, like once the bridge hits and the strings get more intense and Britney starts doing kind of more runs and ad libs and stuff. I think it gets a lot better after that. Yeah. Okay. I agree. Yeah. I do think the song, I don't know. It just feels a little long. It feels laborious.
01:04:53 --> 01:05:18 for me yeah i can kind of see if they did like a radio edit and cut a verse out um i could see because if they were going for kind of the adult contemporary ballad i can see why they were considering this as a potential okay yeah but yeah not my favorite no me they sorry guys um i mean i give it a six it's not like terrible but it's like not as bad as
01:05:20 --> 01:05:47 Is it? No, it's bad. I'm gonna give it a five. I don't like it. Yeah, I kind of put it on the same level as One Kiss From You. So I will match that and I give it a six. Yeah. Sorry. Ooh. Up next is Dear Diary. And this was done by Britney Spears, Barry Eastman, Timmy Allen, Jason Bloom, and Eugene Wilde. And this is Britney's first songwriting credit in her discography. So that's really exciting for her. Yay. In the fans, of course. Yeah.
01:05:47 --> 01:05:58 Because not every pop musician is a robot that doesn't have a brain. This is Very Sweet.
01:05:59 --> 01:06:20 This is feels like, you know, a piano led confessional that is it feels like a middle school sleepover as well. It's giving a little bit juvenile for me. Very. Can't lie. Not a little bit. Very. Yeah. The Teletubby, the Rolling Stone cover.
01:06:20 --> 01:06:41 the Rowan Sloan cover girl buttoned up her shirt, put some pants on, and then went to bed to write this song. She had to tell her, she had Tinky Winky right next to her when she did it. Because that's who wrote this song, a sweet young girl. The whole Dear Diary, Today I Saw a Boy kind of vibe. I feel like for me, it's what Olivia Rodrigo might have written at age nine.
01:06:43 --> 01:07:01 I'm so sorry. Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry. I love that reference. That's amazing. It's very confessional. It's very like, if you date me, everything is copy. I understand that concept. Again, I do appreciate the fact that this 18-year-old girl on her second album was allowed to even get a credit.
01:07:01 --> 01:07:23 You know what I'm saying? On an album that's her. I respect that. But, you know, it's corny, but it's almost kind of charming. It's Britney's notebook moment, since we talk about notebook. If the notebook had like Hello Kitty on it or like, you know, Mr. and Mrs. Timberlake on it or whatever, you know, or whoever she was like in love with at the time. I will say, though, it is a terrible ending to the album.
01:07:23 --> 01:07:46 I'm sorry, but not really sorry. But also she was 18 years old. She was working on an album since she was what? Like mid teens. So in terms of her maturity, this song may have been written around the time she's like, I'm going to be a singer. I just got signed. Holy crap. It might be one of those. Or it might just be one of those things that she kind of was like.
01:07:46 --> 01:08:11 You guys want to give me assignment? Okay, Dear Diaries, the song? Okay, I can do that. And she just kind of went with it because she does have a younger demographic. So it makes sense for who she was at the time. You know, but like sonically speaking, it's not the strongest. I think there are some deluxe tracks or like bonus tracks from other releases that are a little better. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I think fans...
01:08:11 --> 01:08:41 like this one or they support this one just because it's like her first writing credit you know I do wonder is the boy singing about Justin like is this like aww because that's pretty cute actually it would be so cute you know it's her like first love yeah I think again I have to put myself in the mindset that Brittany is a teenager and yeah I would think
01:08:43 --> 01:09:13 she didn't really know how to write a song really so you know she just kind of took the people were like oh it's like go to your diary and she's like very literally yeah that's what i'm saying like so she wrote it when she was like maybe one more time britney or whatever but like you know yeah i mean it is very cute and innocent so i think it's i i think about it in that way i actually don't mind it because it is quite cute right i think it is very sweet and um
01:09:13 --> 01:09:31 It's kind of like church-like almost in the way they did the keyboards. Yeah. And there's a lot of strings in it too. And I almost feel like it should have just been like an acoustic guitar maybe. Oh my god. You know what? Like maybe just a, you know, imagine this is just an acoustic ballad like at the end of the album. Because I think that's what Olivia would do.
01:09:31 --> 01:09:57 If Olivia did this, I think it would be really stripped back Or even Taylor, you know, young Taylor It would be just acoustic guitar And her singing kind of just raw vocal on top of it I think that would have actually worked better Than this kind of ethereal string keyboard Purity ring, yeah It feels kind of spiritual Like the backing track of it Yes Yeah, and I don't love that
01:09:57 --> 01:10:19 I do think her vocal execution is actually really good. You know, we've said this whole time. She does... She emotes really well. And you can... And the whole kind of sweet kind of thing really works here. And she uses the head voice and the vocal fry and stuff very strategically. You know, there is thought behind that and a finesse behind that. Yes. So, yeah, I think in the context of...
01:10:20 --> 01:10:36 where she was in her life at that point. I can appreciate the song. Yes. But I would never choose to listen to it, you know, otherwise. Valid. Very valid. Yeah. Oh, so what did you give it? I'll give it a five. It's, it's okay. Okay.
01:10:37 --> 01:10:58 Yeah, I'm sorry guys, I'm gonna give it a 5 too. I hate that I gave so many fives. Yikes. I mean, okay, fans, please let us know. Yeah. But I would be very surprised if a bunch of you feel like these songs deserve like way higher scores. Right. Compared to her discography. Yeah. These are not that notable.
01:10:58 --> 01:11:15 To me. Yeah, I don't... But, you know, music is, you know, subjective. So feel free. Write your defenses in the comments. Let us know what did we miss about these songs. This is true. Yeah. So this is the end of the standard album.
01:11:15 --> 01:11:44 Oops, I did it again. There are quite a few bonus tracks. So a lot of international versions of the album had a few bonus tracks and the singles as well had some B-sides. So if you would like to hear us discuss these bonus tracks from the Oops era, you need to join us on Patreon at patreon.com slash cctvpops for that exclusive bonus episode. So we'll see you over there. But for now, let's get to the cut or keep section of the album. Yes, let's do it. Okay.
01:11:45 --> 01:12:14 So if I had to cut a song from this album, ooh, what would I choose? Oh, goodness. I have to look. Oh, my goodness. I mean, it's clearly between two, right? Right. Between One Kiss From You and what was the other one? I can't make you up. When Your Eyes Say It. When Your Eyes Say It. Mm-hmm. Out of those two, I think One Kiss From You is worse.
01:12:15 --> 01:12:36 Absolutely. Off with her head. Off with her head. I don't like one test. And then in terms of a keep, okay, if it's a single, I would have to choose Stronger. It's a tough choice. But if it's single, I would choose Stronger. Will you choose the same or Lucky? Oops. It's hard. But I love Stronger.
01:12:36 --> 01:12:59 I'll let you have it because we match quite a bit. We don't usually match so much on the episodes, but today we did because I feel like we've. Yeah. Yeah. Our taste is similar, especially with Britney. Yeah. OK, for the singles, then out of those, what would you keep? And then I guess for the album for me, album track wise, I think I would keep. I guess what you see is what you get.
01:13:00 --> 01:13:22 Oh, okay. That's valid. Yeah, so I would keep Lucky for the single because I don't think people would expect Britney to do that. They think the dancing and the movement, not, you know, look at her life. It sucks, but she's so beautiful. Album track I would keep is, even though, even though I had his critiques.
01:13:22 --> 01:13:43 I'll keep satisfaction because it does go off. It does what it needs to do. And you already picked the one that I would have picked anyway. So, yeah. Again, we always match pretty well on the Britney episodes. We don't always match. We do. But we come to Britney's like, yeah, same. Yeah, same. Yeah. Okay. So 25 years later. Wow. Any overall thoughts on this album? And a final rating, too.
01:13:43 --> 01:14:09 Ooh, that's right. We need our final rating. So I feel like this is a solid album. I think the main takeaway from this album is not like, oh, yeah, all the songs are amazing. It's the fact that Britney dropped the jaw and gave us some moments of a little belty belt. Okay? It wasn't just for Mickey Mouse Club, y'all. It wasn't just, y'all know what I'm talking about. You've seen the clips where she going, oh, baby. Yeah.
01:14:09 --> 01:14:36 Yeah, no, she was giving it here as well. And I think that's the most important takeaway from this album is that she could actually give us some type of vocal, even when she was performing a little bit more live back in the day. She did become a lot more dance-oriented as she went on, which is completely fine. But if you listen, the album tracks do have a little secret, and it's that she could actually sing and build some notes. And honestly, a lot of the times when...
01:14:36 --> 01:14:48 when I didn't like the production, her vocals would save the song. So, um, shout out to her. And for final rating, I'll give it a seven. I feel like, um, the strong songs are the strong ones.
01:14:48 --> 01:15:15 yeah i'll match you with the seven i think the album's okay yeah but the singles are so strong that that bumps it up because i think if you took out the four singles and you just gave me the rest of it the score would be much lower than that i feel like this is such a mediocre pop album yeah is it better than her first album yes right which we haven't talked about yet so if you want to if you want to hear us talk about the first album let us know uh
01:15:16 --> 01:15:44 But she just improves so much after this. Yeah. You know, like these first two albums are kind of like, like singles are great. Yeah. But the actual albums are like only okay. And I rarely go back to the rest of the songs on it. Yes. So in terms of growth, it's, like I said, it's better than the first album. So there is growth. Yes. But because, you know, we're looking at this retrospectively where we know she gets so good. Hello. This album's.
01:15:44 --> 01:16:13 not a fave, you know? No, no. And it doesn't have to be your fave either, fans. We know it's 25 years, but it's okay. Release your grip. It's okay. All right, y'all. We appreciate the Britney Army for tuning in. And once again, we do have a bonus episode where we talk about the deluxe tracks where there are some songs I think should have been on the standard issue of this album, y'all. So Britney Army, tell us what you think about this album, but also let us know in the comments
01:16:13 --> 01:16:40 what you would like to hear us review. It doesn't have to be a Britney album. Maybe it's a Christina album. Maybe it's a Jessica Simpson album. I did mention that woman at least once this episode. Let's do it. Come on, let's get into it. We love talking about pop music. And you can totally join us for these conversations and hang out with us and our crew on Patreon. And you can send us a message at CCTV Puffs on all social media. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and turn on those notifications for our YouTube channel. And of course, if you're enjoying the show on a podcast platform, first of all,
01:16:40 --> 01:16:55 big kiss for you. Please give us a follow rating and a review. Until next time, that's Chris. That's Chantal. And we're signing off from CCTV, the launch.pop show.