Why Britney Spears Didn’t Want ‘…Baby One More Time’ to Sound Too Pop

Music

Britney Spears' "…Baby One More Time" is considered one of the best pop songs ever. However, Spears didn't want her signature song to be too pop.

Published on July 9, 2024

2 min read

Britney Spears is known as the Princess of Pop and "…Baby One More Time" is considered one of the best pop songs ever. However, Spears didn't want her signature song to be too pop. Here's a look at what the "Toxic" singer was thinking during one of the most fateful recording sessions of her life.

Britney Spears' '…Baby One More Time' was inspired by a classic 1980s song

In her 2023 memoir The Woman in Me, Spears revealed that "…Baby One More Time" was partly inspired by a beloved 1980s song. "The night before we recorded '…Baby One More Time,' I was listening to Soft Cell's 'Tainted Love' and fell in love with that sound. I stayed up late so that I'd go into the studio tired, my voice fried. It worked. When I sang, it came out gravelly in a way that sounded more mature and sexier."

She wanted the track to be a genre fusion. "Once I felt what was happening, I became so focused on the recording," the "Womanizer" singer recalled. "And [producer] Max [Martin] listened to me. When I said I wanted more R&B in my voice, less straight pop, he knew what I meant and he made it happen."

Someone asked Britney Spears a fateful question after she recorded the song

The Princess of Pop gave fans more insight into how she approached her music during the "…Baby One More Time" era. "I worked for hours straight," the "Everytime" star recalled. "My work ethic was strong. I would never come out. If you knew me then, you wouldn't hear from me for days. I would stay in the studio as long as I could. If anyone wanted to leave, I'd say, 'I wasn't perfect.'"

After recording all the songs for the album …Baby One More Time, Spears was asked if she was interested in dancing. She absolutely was and came up with a dance-heavy concept for the music video. From there, she regularly incorporated the art form into her music videos and live performances. Besides Michael Jackson, no pop star has impressed the world through dance more than Spears. 

How '…Baby One More Time' changed everything

Spears' approach to "…Baby One More Time" in the studio set the tone for her career in two major ways. For starters, she worked with Martin throughout her career. He's responsible for many of her most popular songs, including "Oops!… I Did It Again," "Lucky," "Hold It Against Me," "Till the World Ends," and "I Wanna Go." His collaboration with Spears revolutionized pop and he went on to work with numerous superstars, including Katy Perry, Kesha, Adele, Taylor Swift, and Christina Aguilera. Martin is undoubtedly the most important producer of the past 25 years.

Secondly, the R&B-style vocals of "…Baby One More Time" presaged Spears' further explorations of the genre. Many of her classics, like "I'm a Slave 4 U," "Me Against the Music," and "Break the Ice" dabble in R&B sounds. The best pop stars, like Spears, Jackson, Madonna, and Lady Gaga, understand that no artist should entirely limit themselves to making pop music.

"…Baby One More Time" is one of the ultimate pop songs because it transcends the genre.