Listening 2 Britney: I'm a Slave 4 U
b"In the first three years of Britney Spears\\u2019 pop music career, she released annual, consecutive albums. In 1999 we got Baby One More Time \\u2013 its lead single was #5 on the Billboard year-end Hot 100 chart. In 2000, Oops\\u2026 I Did It Again generated multiple hits. It\\u2019s eponymous single reached the #1 spot on Top 40 radio but only ascended to #55 on the year-end chart \\u2014 the single was only released on vinyl, not CD, to boost album sales. Destiny's Child, Aaliyah and Janet all outperformed \\u201cOops\\u201d on the year end chart. CD era marketing tactics aside, these artists were harbingers of what\\u2019s to come. The sound of pop music was changing and Britney needed to change with it. So in 2001, she released her self-titled album Britney. When we hit play on our metaphorical discman, the skittering beats of \\u201cI\\u2019m A Slave 4 U\\u201d suggests a significant musical transformation. Enter Spears\\u2019 Virginia Beach era.\\xa0\\xa0\\n\\nBritney signaled that she\\u2019s moved beyond the Swedish-produced pop polish for an entirely new sonic identity just as she left behind the ingenue character for the first two albums. Working with the Virginia Beach-based duo The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo), on \\u201cI\\u2019m A Slave 4 U\\u201d Spears evolved her sound to sit aside the the R&B sounds of her chart peers. Now with a soundtrack of off-kilter beats and harmonic dissonance, Spears needed a new vocal approach.\\xa0\\n\\nWe hear this transformation in the opening line: \\u201cI know I may be young.\\u201d She begins with a breath and a half-whispered vocal. As she propels into the verse, we hear some of Britney's unforgettable tone: controlled vocal fry and rhythmic percussiveness. But there's no sign of the ballad-style singing from her earlier hits. Instead, she sing-speaks through the song. The melody is loose because as she says, \\u201cdancing\\u2019s what I love - now watch me.\\u201d This is not a sing-a-long, this is a dance song and the introduction of a whole new musical era for Spears.\\xa0\\n\\nSongs Discussed\\n\\nBritney Spears \\u2013 I\\u2019m A Slave 4 U, Overprotected, Don\\u2019t Go Knockin\\u2019 on My Door, Overprotected (Darkchild Remix), Boys\\n\\nDestiny\\u2019s Child - Say My Name; Bills, Bills, Bills\\n\\nAaliyah - Try Again\\n\\nJanet Jackson - Doesn\\u2019t Really Matter, Son Of A Fun\\n\\nMase, Diddy - Lookin\\u2019 at Me\\n\\nMystikal - Shake Ya Ass\\n\\nJAY-Z I Just Wanna Love U\\n\\nNelly - Hot In Herre\\n\\nSelena Gomez, A$AP Rocky - Good For You\\n\\nLorde - Ribs\\n\\nKesha - Die Young\\n\\nFKA Twigs - Lights On\\n\\n\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices"