...Baby One More Time is the debut studio album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on January 12, 1999, by Jive Records. Spears had been a child performer on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993 to 1994, and was looking to expand her career as a teen singer. After being turned away by several record companies, Spears signed with Jive for a multi-album deal in 1997. She travelled to Sweden to collaborate with producers Max Martin and Rami Yacoub, who had been writing songs with producer Denniz Pop and others, for ...Baby One More Time. Their collaboration created a pop, bubblegum pop, dance-pop, and teen pop record, with Spears later saying that she felt excited when she heard it and knew it was going to be a hit record. The album was completed in June 1998.
Upon its release, ...Baby One More Time garnered mixed reviews from music critics, with many praising its commercial appeal but deeming it silly and premature. Despite its initial mixed reception, it helped Spears receive a nomination for Best New Artist at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards (2000). Retrospectively, it has been hailed for its major impact on pop culture, and has been deemed one of the most influential pop records of all time. A massive global commercial success, it made Spears the fifth artist under the age of 18 to top the US Billboard 200. It has been certified 14× platinum (diamond) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Spears's best-selling album, it has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time, as well as the best-selling debut album by a teenage female artist.
...Baby One More Time produced five singles. The lead single, "...Baby One More Time", brought Spears tremendous global success, reaching number one in most countries it charted in and becoming one of the best-selling physical singles of all time. In 2020, it was named the greatest debut single of all time by Rolling Stone. Subsequent singles "Sometimes" and "Born to Make You Happy" peaked within the top ten in most international countries while "(You Drive Me) Crazy" became Spears's second US Billboard Hot 100 top-ten hit. Spears heavily promoted the album through interviews and televised performances. Furthermore, she embarked on her first headlining concert tour, entitled ...Baby One More Time Tour (1999) and later continued with (You Drive Me) Crazy Tour (2000).
Recording and production
"I had been in the studio for about six months listening and recording material, but I hadn't really heard a hit yet. When I started working with Max Martin in Sweden, he played the demo for 'Baby One More Time' for me, and I knew from the start it one was [sic] of those songs you want to hear again and again. It just felt really right. I went into the studio and did my own thing with it, trying to give it a little more attitude than the demo. In 10 days, I never even saw Sweden. We were so busy."
In June 1997, Spears was in talks with then-manager Lou Pearlman to join the female pop group Innosense. Her mother, Lynne Spears, asked family friend and entertainment lawyer Larry Rudolph for his opinion and submitted a tape of Spears singing over a Whitney Houston karaoke song along with some pictures. Rudolph decided to pitch her to record labels, which required a professional demo. He sent Spears an unused song from Toni Braxton; she rehearsed for a week and recorded in a studio with an audio engineer. Spears traveled from her hometown Kentwood, Louisiana, to New York City with the demo and met executives from four labels, returning to Kentwood the same day. Three rejected her, arguing audiences wanted pop bands such as the Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls, and "there wasn't going to be another Madonna, another Debbie Gibson or another Tiffany." Two weeks later, executives from Jive Records returned calls to Rudolph.[2] Jive's senior vice president of A&R Jeff Fenster stated: "It's very rare to hear someone that age who can deliver emotional content and commercial appeal. [...] For any artist, the motivation—the 'eye of the tiger'—is extremely important. And Britney had that."[3]
Jive soon appointed Spears to work with producer Eric Foster White for a month, who reportedly shaped her voice from "lower and less poppy" delivery to "distinctively, unmistakably Britney."[4] One of the first songs Spears recorded with Foster White was "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart", which was released as the album's 4th single. Foster White also produced "Autumn Goodbye", which was the B-side to Spears' debut single "...Baby One More Time". During the same session for "Autumn Goodbye", Spears and Foster White also worked on a song called "Love Is On", which ultimately did not make the album and was later given to Sharon Cuneta. Spears recorded a lot of material with Eric Foster White, such as "Autumn Goodbye", "E-Mail My Heart", "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart", "I'm So Curious", "I Will Still Love You", "Way It Is Loving You", "I'll Be There For You", "Soda Pop", "Thinkin' About You", "Nothing Less Than Real", "Wishing on a Falling Star" and a cover of "You Got It All" by the Jets.[5] She also recorded a cover of Sonny & Cher's 1967 single "The Beat Goes On".[5] White was responsible for the vocal recording and song production, while additional production was handled by English electronic music group All Seeing I.[5] After hearing the material, Jive Records president Clive Calder ordered a full studio album.[4]
Spears flew to Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, where half of ...Baby One More Time was recorded from May 1998,[6] with producers Max Martin and Rami Yacoub, and contributions from others, including songwriting from Denniz Pop, who was too ill to attend any recording sessions.[a][3][7][8] Martin showed Spears and her management a track titled "Hit Me Baby One More Time", originally written for American group TLC, who had rejected it. Spears later said that she felt excited when she heard it and knew it was going to be a hit.[9] "We at Jive said, 'This is a fuckin' smash'", revealed the label's A&R executive, Steven Lunt;[10] however, other executives were concerned that the line "Hit Me" would condone domestic violence, and later revised it to "...Baby One More Time".[9] Spears revealed that she "didn't do well at all the first day in the studio [recording the song], I was just too nervous. So I went out that night and had some fun. The next day I was completely relaxed and nailed it. You gotta be relaxed singing '... Baby One More Time'."[11] By June 1998, the album had been completed.[12]
Music and lyrics
Spears originally envisioned "Sheryl Crow music, but younger – more adult contemporary" for ...Baby One More Time, but acquiesced to the wishes of her label, since "It made more sense to go pop, because I can dance to it—it's more me."[3] The album opens with its lead single, "...Baby One More Time", a teen pop and dance-pop song beginning with a three-note motif in the bass range of the piano. Its opening was compared to many other songs, such as "We Will Rock You" (1977), "Start Me Up" (1981), "These Words" (2004) and the theme song of the film Jaws due to the fact the track "makes its presence known in exactly one second".[11][13][14] According to Blender, "...Baby One More Time" is composed of "wah-wah guitar lines and EKG-machine bass-slaps".[11] Claudia Mitchell and Jacqueline Reid-Walsh, authors of Girl Culture: Studying Girl Culture: A Readers' Guide (2008), observed that the lyrics of the song "gesture toward [Spears] longing for the return of an ex-boyfriend."[15] "(You Drive Me) Crazy" runs through a moderately slow dance beat,[16] and has an R&Bmelody mixed with edgy synthesized instrumentals.[17] "Sometimes" is a ballad,[18] which Spears begins with the lines "You tell me you're in love with me / That you can't take your pretty eyes away from me / It's not that I don't wanna stay / But every time you come too close I move away".[19]Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic noted the song has "a catchy hook and endearing melody, with a reminiscent euro-dance rhythm."[20]
"Soda Pop" draws influences from bubblegum pop and ragga,[20] and features background vocals from co-writer Mikey Bassie.[5] Spears' vocals on the fifth track, "Born to Make You Happy" span more than an octave.[21] Its lyrics allude to a relationship that a woman desires to repair, not quite understanding what went wrong, as she comes to realize that "I don't know how to live without your love / I was born to make you happy".[22] "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" is a sentimental slow-tempo teen pop ballad.[23][24][25] "I Will Be There" is a pop rock song featuring a guitar riff similar to Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" (1997), with a "rousing chorus about standing by your man (or a best friend or a house pet)", as noted by Kyle Anderson of MTV. "E-Mail My Heart" is a sensitive piano ballad on which Spears sings: "E-mail me back / And say our love will stay alive".[22] The cover of Sonny & Cher's 1967 single "The Beat Goes On" is influenced by bossa nova and trip hop,[22][26] and features a sound similar to spy film themes.[22] Among the bonus tracks included on select editions of the album is a cover of J'Son's 1996 song "I'll Never Stop Loving You".[27][28]
Promotion for ...Baby One More Time began in May 1998, when Spears performed "...Baby One More Time", "Sometimes" and "You Got It All" at the Singapore Jazz Festival.[29] Subsequently, she embarked on the L'Oréal-sponsored promotional tour titled L'Oreal Hair Zone Mall Tour, visiting malls and food courts across North America from August 1998 to January 1999.[30] In December, "...Baby One More Time" first showed up on MTV's and The Box's most-requested video charts.[31] In the United States, ...Baby One More Time was originally set for an October 1998 release, but was pushed back to January 12, 1999, due to marketing issues, with its international release occurring within the following three months.[32] Spears had appeared on Ricki Lake, The Howie Mandel Show, and was a presenter at the 1999 American Music Awards prior to the release.[31] However, after hurting her knee in February, she rescheduled appearances on several shows, such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.[33] Additionally, she appeared on MTV Spring Break and on the hundredth episode of Nickelodeon's All That.[33] After recovering, Spears embarked on another promotional schedule, appearing at the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards on May 1, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee on May 3, MTV's FANatic on May 12, and The Rosie O'Donnell Show on May 25.[34]
On March 5, 1999, it was reported that Spears was planning her first headlining tour.[39] She announced that the tour would start in July.[40] On May 12, Tommy Hilfiger was announced as the main tour sponsor, as Spears was being featured in the company's "AllStars" campaign at the time.[41] On December 17, during the premiere of the music video of "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" on Total Request Live, Spears called the show to announce the March 2000 US tour dates. The extension, entitled (You Drive Me) Crazy Tour, was considered a prelude to her future world tour, Oops!... I Did It Again Tour.[42][43] The leg's main sponsor was Got Milk?, whose media director Peter Gardiner explained: "Britney is magic with teen-age girls, and that's an absolutely crucial target for milk". Spears shot an advertising campaign to be shown before her performances began.[44] The secondary sponsor was Polaroid, who released I-Zone as the tour's official camera. Spears used the I-Zone onstage to take pictures of the audience and further promote the product.[45] The show was divided into segments, separated by interludes, and ended with an encore.[46] The set list consisted of songs from ...Baby One More Time and several covers.[46] Some changes were made during the 2000 leg, with the covers replaced by songs from her second studio album Oops!... I Did It Again (2000). The tour received positive critical reception.[47] During the tour, Spears was accused of lip synching, although she denied those claims.[43] On April 20, the concert at Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu, Hawaii, was taped.[48] It was slightly altered from its tour incarnation and featured different costumes. On June 5, it was broadcast on Fox,[49] airing several times during the year. On November 21, Jive Records released the video album Britney Spears: Live and More!, which included the Fox special.[50] It was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping 300,000 units.[51]
On August 14, 2017, 18 years after the release of ...Baby One More Time, it was announced that 2,500 pink-and-white-swirl copies of the album would be released on vinyl exclusively through Urban Outfitters on November 3.[52] During the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Spears' debut single "...Baby One More Time", on October 19, 2018, Legacy Recordings announced the global release of the album on vinyl for November 23.[53]
Singles
The title track was released as the lead single from ...Baby One More Time and Spears' debut single on September 29, 1998.[54] It received generally favorable critical reviews, which mostly praised its composition.[3][20] After its accompanying music video premiered in late November, the single attained worldwide success in early 1999, peaking atop the US Billboard Hot 100 and in most countries it charted in.[55] It received numerous certifications around the world, and is one of the best-selling singles of all time, selling over ten million copies.[56] The music video, directed by Nigel Dick, portrays Spears as a high school student who starts to sing and dance around the school, while watching her love interest from afar.[57] In 2010, the video was voted the third most influential video in the history of pop music on Jam!.[58]
"Sometimes" was released as the second single from ...Baby One More Time on April 6, 1999.[59] It achieved commercial success internationally, reaching number one in Belgium, the Netherlands and New Zealand.[60] In the United States, however, it missed the top 20, peaking at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.[61] The song's accompanying music video was directed by Nigel Dick.[62] During rehearsals, on February 11, 1999, Spears injured her left knee and needed surgery.[63] After recuperating in Kentwood, Louisiana,[63] the video was filmed on April 9–10 at Paradise Cove in Malibu, California.[64] It premiered on MTV's Total Request Live on May 6.[62]
In May 1999, Max Martin and Spears went to the Battery Studios in New York City to re-record the vocals of "(You Drive Me) Crazy",[65] for a reproduced version subtitled "The Stop! Remix", which was going to be included on the original motion picture soundtrack for the film Drive Me Crazy (1999).[66] The remix was subsequently released as the third single from ...Baby One More Time on August 24.[59] It features the addition of a stanza in which Spears yells "Stop!", then all sound cutting out, followed by a transition, while omitting the lines "Lovin' you mean so much more, more than anything I ever loved before". The video was directed by Nigel Dick, and featured actors Melissa Joan Hart and Adrian Grenier.[67]
"Born to Make You Happy" was released as the fourth and final European single from ...Baby One More Time on December 6, 1999, to a mixed critical reception.[22][68] A commercial success, it peaked within the top five in 11 countries and atop the UK Singles Chart.[69][70] Its accompanying music video was directed by Bille Woodruff,[71] and choreographed by Wade Robson.[72] Despite its success in Europe, the song was never released as a single in the US.[73][74]
"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" was released as the fourth and final North American and Oceanian single from ...Baby One More Time on December 14, 1999.[75] The song received mixed critical reviews, which branded it a classic hit and competent single, despite considering it an unremarkable song referring only to kissing.[22][76] It achieved moderate commercial success, peaking at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[77] In Oceania, it peaked at number 37 in Australia and number 23 in New Zealand.[78] It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 28, 2000.[79] The song's accompanying music video, directed by Gregory Dark, was released on December 17, 1999.[42] It elicited controversy due to the fact that Dark had previously directed pornographic films.[80][81]
...Baby One More Time received mixed reviews from music critics upon its release. The editors of AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars.[20] Paul Verna from Billboard considered the album "a top 40-ready workout filled with hook-laden songs from the same bag as the title cut".[89]The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau highlighted the title track and "Soda Pop" while summing the album up as a "girl next door" version of Madonna.[82] Kyle Anderson of MTV said he "was surprised in more ways than one" with his first listening of ...Baby One More Time, commenting he "expected there to be a lot of filler (there sort of is), though I didn't expect it to be as odd (at least sonically) as it ended up being. There has never been any mystery to why Spears became such a superstar, but these songs probably would have been huge even if Britney wore burlap sacks in all of her videos."[22]
Barry Walters of Rolling Stone gave the album two stars out of five,[86] and compared the album's sound to early hits of Debbie Gibson, Mariah Carey and Samantha Fox.[86] Walters also said that "while several Cherion-crafted kiddie-funk jams serve up beefy hooks, shameless schlock slowies, like 'E-Mail My Heart', is pure spam."[86] An NME reviewer rated ...Baby One More Time one out of ten, saying that "we seem to have reached crisis point: pubescent pop is now so rife that 17-year-old Britney 'lizard-lounge' Spears is already halfway through her lucrative showbiz career".[84] He also found the album premature, commenting: "hopefully, if she starts to live the wretched life that we all eventually do, her voice will show the scars, she'll stop looking so fucking smug, she'll find solace in drugs and we'll be all the happier for it. Now grow up, girl. Quick!"[84] Amanda Murray of Sputnikmusic felt that "with the exception of the terrific title track, ...Baby One More Time is a collection of either competent pop songs underwhelmingly executed or underwhelmingly written pop songs competently executed."[76]
In 2024, Paste listed the album among its picks for "The 300 Greatest Albums of All Time", with critic Olivia Abercrombie praising the album's iconic status and influence in pop music.[90]
In the United States, ...Baby One More Time debuted atop the Billboard 200 with sales of 121,000 copies in its first week, beating DMX's Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood.[100] Spears broke several records by doing so.[101] The singer became the first new female artist to have a number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one album on the Billboard 200 at the same time;[101] the first new artist (male or female) to have a single go to the number one spot the same week that the album debuted at number one;[101] and the first new female artist to have the first single and first album at number one the same week.[101] Spears is also the youngest female in Billboard history to have a simultaneous single and album at number one in the same week,[101] and became the fifth artist under the age of 18 to top the Billboard 200.[102] After fluctuating within the top five, the album went back to the summit in its fourth week.[103] It sold over 500,000 copies within its first month, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[104] Its fifth week became the album's highest-selling week with 229,000 copies sold, bringing the total to 804,000 copies. ...Baby One More Time spent a total of six non-consecutive weeks at number one,[34] and sold over 1.8 million copies in the US within its first two months.[105] In its 47th week on the Billboard 200, the album held strong at number three, reaching the ten-million sales mark in the country.[106] The album was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 9, 1999,[107] making then-18-year-old Spears the youngest artist to receive that certification, breaking the record held by Alanis Morissette, who was 21 when her album Jagged Little Pill (1995) was certified diamond.[107] It became the 14th album since 1991 to sell over ten million copies in the US,[108] and Spears became the best-selling female artist of 1999.[107]...Baby One More Time spent a total of 51 weeks within the top ten on the Billboard 200. It was the second best-selling album of 1999 in the US, only behind Millennium by the Backstreet Boys.[38] The album has spent a total of 103 weeks on the Billboard 200.[109]...Baby One More Time landed at number three on BMG Music Club's all-time best-sellers list, selling 1.6 million units through the club.[110] As of May 2020, it has sold 10.7 million copies in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan,[111] with the BMG Music Club sales bringing its total to 12.3 million units.
Spears was at the forefront of the female teen pop explosion starting in 1999 and extending through the 2000s, leading the pack of Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, and Mandy Moore.[129] All of these performers had been developing material in 1998, but the market changed dramatically in December 1998 when Spears' debut single and video were charting highly. RCA Records signed Aguilera and rushed her debut single to capitalize on Spears' success, producing the hit single "Genie in a Bottle" in May 1999 and Aguilera's eponymous debut studio album in August.[130] Aguilera's album sold millions but not as many as ...Baby One More Time.[131] Simpson consciously modeled her persona as more mature than Spears; her single "I Wanna Love You Forever" charted in September 1999, and her album Sweet Kisses followed shortly after.[132][133] Moore's first single, "Candy", hit the airwaves a month before Simpson's single, but it did not perform as well on the charts; Moore was often seen as less accomplished than Spears and the others, coming in fourth of the "pop princesses".[134][135] Fueling media stories about their competition for first place, Spears and Aguilera traded barbs but also compliments through the 2000s.[136]
"With ...Baby One More Time, I didn't get to show my voice off. The songs were great, but they weren't very challenging."
—Spears reflects on ...Baby One More Time in December 1999.[137]
The Daily Yomiuri reported that "critics have hailed her as the most gifted teenage pop idol for many years, but Spears has set her sights a little higher-she is aiming for the level of superstardom that has been achieved by Madonna and Janet Jackson."[138]Rolling Stone wrote: "Britney Spears carries on the classic archetype of the rock & roll teen queen, the dungaree doll, the angel baby who just has to make a scene."[139] Rami Yacoub who co-produced Spears's debut album with lyricist Max Martin commented: "I know from Denniz Pop and Max's previous productions, when we do songs, there's kind of a nasal thing. With N' Sync and the Backstreet Boys, we had to push for that mid-nasal voice. When Britney did that, she got this kind of raspy, sexy voice."[140] Chuck Taylor of Billboard observed, "Spears has become a consummate performer, with snappy dance moves, a clearly real-albeit young-and funkdified voice ... "(You Drive Me) Crazy", her third single ... demonstrates Spears' own development, proving that the 17-year-old is finding her own vocal personality after so many months of steadfast practice."[141] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic referred to her music as a "blend of infectious, rap-inflected dance-pop and smooth balladry."[20] Sputnikmusic writer Amanda Murray noted the album "offers a marker for Spears' progression as an artist, as a celebrity, and as a woman."[76] In 2010, the album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[142]
Spears became an international pop culture icon immediately after launching her recording career. Rolling Stone wrote: "One of the most controversial and successful female vocalists of the 21st century," she "spearheaded the rise of post-millennial teen pop ... Spears early on cultivated a mixture of innocence and experience that generated lots of cash".[143] She is listed by the Guinness World Records as having the "Best-selling album by a teenage solo artist".[99] Melissa Ruggieri of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported, "She's also marked for being the best-selling teenage artist. Before she turned 20 in 2001, Spears sold more than 25 million albums worldwide".[144] Barbara Ellen of The Observer reported: "Spears is famously one of the 'oldest' teenagers pop has ever produced, almost middle aged in terms of focus and determination. Many 19-year-olds haven't even started working by that age, whereas Britney, a former Mouseketeer, was that most unusual and volatile of American phenomena — a child with a full-time career. While other little girls were putting posters on their walls, Britney was wanting to be the poster on the wall. Whereas other children develop at their own pace, Britney was developing at a pace set by the ferociously competitive American entertainment industry".[145]...Baby One More Time is Spears' most commercially successful album to date, with worldwide sales of 25 million copies.[146] It was ranked at number 41 on the all-time US Billboard 200 chart,[147] and at number 16 on the Billboard 200 albums by women.[148]
"...Baby One More Time" (Answering Machine Message)
0:21
Total length:
11:27
Notes
The very first pressings of the album feature a hidden spoken message by Spears after "The Beat Goes On". In it, Spears thanks fans and promotes the then-upcoming Backstreet Boys album, Millennium, with snippets of songs featured on the album.[22]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Release history
Release dates and formats for ...Baby One More Time
^Australian Recording Industry Association (1999). "Australian Annual Chart". Archived from the original on September 12, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
^Ellen, Barbara (December 10, 2000). "Comment: Britney Spears: Growing up is hard to do: America's apple- pie cheerleader is feeling the pressure as she tries to break free from her clean teen image. So is it all proving too much for Britney Inc, as she pulls out of tonight's Smash Hits Poll Winners' party and takes to her bed: The Observer Profile: Britney Spears". The Observer. p. 27. ISSN0029-7712.
^"European Top 100 Albums 200"(PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 52. December 23, 2000. p. 9. OCLC29800226. Archived(PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2020 – via American Radio History.
^"ベイビー・ワン・モア・タイム" [Baby One More Time] (in Japanese). Japan: Oricon. February 24, 1999. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
Knopper, Steve (2009). Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age. Simon & Schuster. ISBN9781416552154.
Parish, James Robert (2002). Hollywood Divas: The Good, the Bad, and the Fabulous. Contemporary Books. ISBN9780071408196.
Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Sólo éxitos. Año a año. 1959–2002 [Only Hits. Year by year. 1959–2002] (in Spanish). Madrid, Spain: Iberautor Promociones Culturales. ISBN9788480486392.
Seabrook, John (2015). The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory. W. W. Norton. ISBN9780393241938.
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