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b'In 2003 Britney Spears released \\u201cToxic,\\u201d a song that would make converts out of pop skeptics, be named one of the greatest tracks of the 21st century by multiple publications, and become a personal favorite of Switched on Pop.\\n\\nDespite its success, when \\u201cToxic\\u201d was released as the second single from Spears\\u2019s fourth album, In the Zone, even the song\\u2019s writers thought it was too \\u201cweird\\u201d to become a hit. But thanks to the new iTunes platform, which was just gaining traction in 2013, audiences kept buying the track and helped push it to the top of the charts.\\xa0\\n\\nFor many listeners, your hosts included, hearing \\u201cToxic\\u201d for the first time was a moment of epiphany, an opportunity to rethink one\\u2019s views on the expressive power and musical invention of Top 40 pop. And almost twenty years after its release, \\u201cToxic\\u201d is still rippling through the culture. It\\u2019s been covered as a jazz-noir ballad by Yael Naim, a screamo anthem by A Static Lullaby, and a bluegrass burner by Nickel Creek. In 2022, the song enjoyed yet another revival in the form of DJ duo Altego\\u2019s viral TikTok mash-up of the song with Ginuwine\\u2019s \\u201cPony.\\u201d\\n\\nWhat makes \\u201cToxic\\u201d so enduring? For one, it\\u2019s the pull of Spears\\u2019 voice, as she moves from her chest voice in the verse to an eloquent falsetto in the pre-chorus, then combines the two techniques in the chorus. It\\u2019s the way the song\\u2019s producers, Bloodshy and Avant, combine a matrix of sounds that should not go together\\u2014a 1981 Bollywood love song, electric surf guitar, and funky synthesized bass\\u2014into an unforgettable melange. And it\\u2019s the lasting power of Cathy Dennis\\u2019s lyrics, which spins a universal tale of trying to resist temptation\\u2026and ultimately failing.\\n\\nSongs Discussed\\n\\nBritney Spears - Toxic\\nLata Mangeshkar and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam - Tere Mere Beech Mein\\nKylie Minogue - Can\\u2019t Get You Out of My Head\\nKaty Perry - I Kissed A Girl\\nYael Naim - Toxic\\nA Static Lullaby - Toxic\\nNickel Creek - Toxic\\nMark Ronson - Toxic\\nAltego - Toxic/Pony Mashup\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices'