Everything you always wanted to know about Britney’s albums and singles – …BABY ONE MORE TIME
I decided to create this blogs serie for to celebrate Britney’s power in those last 13 years of career. Every two weeks I will post a blog dedicated to one of Britney’s albums and I will reveal all the secrets, the curiousities, everything you always wanted to know about her awesome works, and you will read that all those certifications have a huge value, because Britney has always been a perfectionist and always loved what she does, of course she’ the Queen of Pop.
So, we start from the beginning, with her first album “…Baby One More Time”
– Released: January 12th, 1999
– Britney started to work at this album in Spring 1997
– 52 weeks in the first ten positions of Billboard chart and 60 weeks in the first twenty, staying in the chart for two years.
– 2nd album most sold in USA in 1999 after Millenium of Backstreet Boys
– 14 platinum album
– Over 28 million of copies worldwide
– “Hit Me Baby One More Time” was the first name for the album, but for not rend the title ambiguous, producers removed “Hit me” and add three dots
– There are a lot of different covers of the album and of the homonymous single for the different countries, the album with more alternative album of her career.
– Official cover would have had to be the one used for box versions in Taiwan (in the red circle):
– American official cover is completely different to the European one. This choice has been done because USA cover was considered too few “prissy” and at those times the idea to launch Britney as a goody-goody was pressing , overall after the lot of covers dedicated to her inside religious and conservator magazines.
American cover
European cover
– Deep In My Heart was never included in the official American tracklist, although it is in the European one, so it was included as bonus track in Oops! …I did it again single, never released in America as physical single
– Soda Pop has been used as promotional single as soundtrack of the first “Pokémon” movie, exist also a promotional single included in the Britney’s doll of 2000.
– The font used for to write “Britney Spears” on albums and on singles of the first era is of Jive property and it’s still the only one irrecoverable on the web
– Japanese version cover seems the same of the European one, expect for the pose, but there are two curious details. The first is linked to the lips, colored of rose with graphic computer and the other is linked to the dress, different in the two covers.
…Baby One More Time (single)
Oh baby, baby How was I supposed to know Oh pretty baby I shouldn’t have let you go I must confess, that my loneliness Is killing me now Don’t you know I still believe That you will be here And give me a sign Hit me baby one more time
Debuted: November 21, 1998
Directed by: Nigel Dick
Shot in a Venice, CA high school (the same of Grease) which featured Britney’s new iconic “school girl” look
Gold: 3x Germany
Platinum: 3x Australia, 2x UK, USA, Norway
Platinum: Austria, France, Germany, New Zeland, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland)
#1 on US BILLBOARD HOT 100
#1 single in 21 countries
Gold, Platinum or multi- platinum in 23 countries
Sales: 9.154.000 copies worldwide
First concept for the video was Britney as a wonder woman but she decided to change the story with the dancing and singing school girl who plays basketball too, a sort of portrait of herself (she played in the basketball team in high school)
Britney’s assistant Felicia Culotta plays the role of the teacher
In the promotional single of “…Baby One More Time” for USA, the title for the album was Britney Spears, and then it wasn’t used.
The photo used for the cover is a mirror image. In all the other shots, Britney’s fringe goes from right to left and not from left to right as we can see in the single cover.
Sometimes
Sometimes I run Sometimes I hide Sometimes I’m scared of you But all I really want is to hold you tight Treat you right, be with you day and night Baby all I need is time
Debuted: May 22, 1999
Directed by: Nigel Dick
Top 10 in 7 countries
Sales: 3.903.000 copies worldwide
Gold: Netherlands, New Zeland, UK
Platinum: Australia
Part of the video has been shot outside Britney’s beach house
During the shooting Britney hurt a knee and was constrict to go at hospital
Blink 182 shot a sort of video parody of “Sometimes” for their single “All the small things” in 2000.
The other track includes in the single is “I’m so curious” written by Britney
(You Drive Me) Crazy
You Drive me crazy I just can’t sleep I’m so excited, I’m into deep Ohh…Crazy, But it feels alright Baby, thinkin’ of you keeps me up all night
Debuted: September 18, 1999
Directed by: Nigel Dick
Second Britney’s hit to enter in Billboard Hot 100 and stayed at tenth position for a week
#6 on Hot 100 Airplay, the highest results on all Britney’s singles
The single was released in vinyl
Top 10 on Top 40 Tracks, Mainstream Top 40 and Rhythmic Top 40
Sales: over 5 million of copies
The video stayed in Top 10 of TRL USA for 65 days
In 2000 was nominated in VMA’s for Best Dance Video
The choice to release (You Drive Me) Crazy as single has been improvised – Email My Heart was chose as single only for USA – The song wouldn’t have had to be a single because in any commercial board said it but with the release of “Drive Me Crazy” movie with Melissa Joan Hart and Adrian Grenier (both in the official video f the song) has been asked a promotion request, so Jive remixed the song for to rend it more commercial and it came out as (You Drive Me) Crazy [The Stop Remix]
Born To Make You Happy
I don’t know how to live without your love I was born to make you happy ‘Cause you’re the only one within my heart I was born to make you happy Always and forever you and me That’s the way our life should be I don’t know how to live without your love I was born to make you happy
Debuted: December 27, 1999
Directed by: Billie Woodruff
Only released as an international single
#1 in UK, Germany and Europe
Top 5 in Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and Finland
The single won a gold worldwide and three platinum worldwide
Platinum in UK
Sales: 3.673.000 copies
Britney fall during the pillows fight on the bed, luckily she wasn’t hurt.
The remix of the song includes in the single was the original version of the song
From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart
From the bottom of my broken heart There’s just a thing or two I’d like you to know You were my first love, you were my true love From the first kisses to the very last rose From the bottom of my broken heart Even though time may find me somebody new You were my real love, I never knew love ‘Til there was you From the bottom of my broken heart
Debuted: February 1, 2000
Directed by: Gregory Dark
Last single for “…Baby One More Time” album
Platinum: worldwide and one in USA
Top 20 on US BILLBOARD HOT 100 CHART
Released only for USA and Australia, only one time has been broadcast on TRL Italy
Brit was stung by a bee while she sat in the sunflowers field
In the photo used for the single cover Britney is back of a transparent glass, Britney’s fingertips are pressed on the glass, even though for a lot of people seemed a mosquito net.
Which is your fav single of this album, what do you think about this debut album?
