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...Baby One More Time is the debut studio album by America recording artist Britney Spears, 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.
...Baby One More Time garnered mixed reviews from music critics, with many praising its commercial appeal but deeming it silly and premature. 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.
...Baby One More Time produced five singles. The lead single, "...Baby One More Time", "Sometimes" and "Born to Make You Happy" and "(You Drive Me) Crazy."
Recording and production[]
In June 1997, Spears was initially considered for Innosense by manager Lou Pearlman. However, her mother, Lynne Bridges, asked Larry Rudolph, for his advice instead. To show off Spears's talent, her mother sent Rudolph a tape of Spears singing over a Whitney Houston karaoke track, along with some photos. Rudolph was impressed and decided to pitch her as a solo artist to record labels. This required a professional demo tape. He gave her an unused song originally meant for Toni Braxton, which Spears quickly rehearsed and recorded in a studio. With the demo in hand, Spears traveled all the way from her hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana, to New York City to meet with four record labels in one day. Three of the labels rejected her, saying that audiences only wanted pop groups like the Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls, and that the market didn't need any more solo female stars like Madonna or Tiffany.[1] However, two weeks later, Jive Records called Rudolph back. Jeff Fenster was the one who signed her. He was especially impressed, noting that it was "very rare to hear someone that age who can deliver emotional content and commercial appeal," and that Spears had the crucial "eye of the tiger" motivation. This led to her signing a multi-album deal with Jive Records in 1997.[2]
After signing with Jive Records, Spears was immediately paired with producer Eric Foster White for a month. White was credited with shaping her vocal delivery, moving it from a "lower and less poppy" style to the signature sound that became "distinctively, unmistakably Britney." After hearing the material, Clive Calder ordered a full studio album.[1] Following her work with White, Spears traveled to Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, in May 1998 to record the second half of her album.[3] She collaborated with Swedish producers Max Martin and Rami Yacoub. The sessions also included songwriting contributions from the late Denniz Pop, who was unable to attend due to illness.
During these sessions, Martin introduced Spears and her management to a track titled "Hit Me Baby One More Time." The song had initially been written for the American group TLC, who had rejected it. Spears immediately loved the track, later recalling her excitement and certainty that it would be a hit.[4] Steve Lunt, agreed, calling it "a fuckin' smash." However, some executives were concerned that the phrase "Hit Me" could be misinterpreted as condoning domestic violence, leading to the line being famously revised to "...Baby One More Time."[5]
Singles[]
- The title track was released as the lead single from ...Baby One More Time and Spears' debut single on September 29, 1998,
- "Sometimes" was released as the second single from ...Baby One More Time on April 6, 1999.
- In May 1999, Martin and Spears went to the Battery Studios in New York City to re-record the vocals of "(You Drive Me) Crazy", 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). The remix was subsequently released as the third single from ...Baby One More Time on August 24.
- "Born to Make You Happy" was released as the fourth and final European single from ...Baby One More Time on December 6, 1999.
- "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.
Critical reception[]
...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. 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". 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. 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."
Barry Walters of Rolling Stone gave the album two stars out of five, and compared the album's sound to early hits of Debbie Gibson, Mariah Carey and Samantha Fox. 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." 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". 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!" 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."
Track listing[]
...Baby One More Time - North American edition
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "...Baby One More Time" | Max Martin | Martin • Rami Yacoub | 3:31 |
| 2. | "(You Drive Me) Crazy" | Martin • David Kreuger • Per Magnusson • Jörgen Elofsson | Kreuger • Magnusson • Martin | 3:18 |
| 3. | "Sometimes" | Elofsson | Kreuger • Magnusson | 4:05 |
| 4. | "Soda Pop" | Mikey Bassie • Eric Foster White | White | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Born to Make You Happy" | Kristian Lundin • Andreas Carlsson | Lundin | 4:03 |
| 6. | "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" | White | White | 5:12 |
| 7. | "I Will Be There" | Martin • Carlsson | Martin • Yacoub | 3:53 |
| 8. | "I Will Still Love You" (featuring Don Philip) | White | White | 4:03 |
| 9. | "Thinkin' About You" | Bassie • White | White | 3:34 |
| 10. | "E-Mail My Heart" | White | White | 3:43 |
| 11. | "The Beat Goes On" | Sonny Bono • White | White • The All Seeing I | 3:43 |
| Total length | 42:20 | |||
...Baby One More Time - International edition
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Deep in My Heart" | Magnusson • Kreuger • Carlsson | Magnusson • Kreuger | 3:35 |
| 10. | "Thinkin' About You" | Bassie • White | White | 3:34 |
| 11. | "E-Mail My Heart" | White | White | 3:43 |
| 12. | "The Beat Goes On" | Bono • White | White | 3:43 |
| Total length | 45:54 | |||
...Baby One More Time - Asian edition (bonus tracks)
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "I'll Never Stop Loving You" | Jason Blume • Steve Diamond | Magnusson • Kreuger | 3:41 |
| 14. | "...Baby One More Time (Davidson Ospina Radio Mix)" | Martin | Martin • Yacoub • Davidson Ospina | 3:24} |
| Total length | 53:23 | |||
...Baby One More Time - Japanese, Australian and 2003 deluxe edition (bonus tracks)
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "I'll Never Stop Loving You" | Jason Blume • Steve Diamond | Magnusson • Kreuger | 3:41 |
| 14. | "Autumn Goodbye" | White | White | 3:41 |
| 15. | "...Baby One More Time (Davidson Ospina Radio Mix)" | Martin | Martin • Yacoub • Ospina | 3:24 |
| 16. | "...Baby One More Time (Boy Wunder Radio Mix)" | Martin | Martin • Yacoub • Boy Wunder | 3:27 |
| Total length | 60:20 | |||
...Baby One More Time - South Korean limited edition (bonus disc)
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "(You Drive Me) Crazy (The Stop! Remix)" | Elofsson • Magnusson • Kreuger • Martin | Martin • Yacoub | 3:17 |
| 2. | "(You Drive Me) Crazy (Spacedust Club Mix)" | Elofsson • Magnusson • Kreuger • Martin | Martin • Yacoub • Spacedust | 7:31 |
| 3. | "Sometimes (Soul Solution – Mid Tempo Mix)" | Elofsson | Magnusson • Kreuger • Soul Solution | 3:32 |
| 4. | "...Baby One More Time (Davidson Ospina Club Mix)" | Martin | Martin • Yacoub • Ospina | 5:44 |
| 5. | "I'll Never Stop Loving You" | Blume • Diamond | Magnusson • Kreuger | 3:41 |
| 6. | "I'm So Curious" | Britney Spears • White | White | 3:36 |
| Total length | 27:01 | |||
...Baby One More Time - Singaporean limited edition (bonus disc)
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Born to Make You Happy (Radio Edit)" | Lundin • Carlsson | Lundin | 3:38 |
| 2. | "Born to Make You Happy (Bonus Remix)" | Lundin • Carlsson | Lundin | 3:40 |
| 3. | "(You Drive Me) Crazy (Jazzy Jim's Hip-Hop Mix)" | Elofsson • Magnusson • Kreuger • Martin | Martin • Yacoub • Jazzy Jim • Ricky Brown | 3:43 |
| 4. | "...Baby One More Time (Answering Machine Message)" | 0:21 | ||
| Total length | 11:27 | |||
Scrapped debut album[]
Main article: Britney Spears
Unreleased & unused songs[]
Main article: ...Baby One More Time outtakes
Personnel[]
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of ...Baby One More Time, except where noted.
- Mikey Bassie – vocals (track 4)
- Daniel Boom – engineering
- Jimmy Bralower – drum programming
- Jason Buckler – production
- Larry Busacca – photography
- Andreas Carlsson – backing vocals
- Tom Coyne – mastering
- Denniz Pop – production (uncredited)
- Nikki Gregoroff – backing vocals
- Nana Hedin – backing vocals
- Andy Hess – bass
- Dean Honer – production
- David Kreuger – production
- Tim Latham – engineering, mixing
- Tomas Lindberg – bass
- Kristian Lundin – production
- Per Magnusson – keyboards, production, programming
- Max Martin – backing vocals, engineering, keyboards, mixing, production, programming
- Charles McCrorey – engineering assistance
- Andrew McIntyre – electric guitar
- Jackie Murphy – art direction, design
- Lisa Peardon – photography
- Dan Petty – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Doug Petty – keyboards
- Don Philip – vocals (track 8)
- Rami Yacoub – production
- Albert Sanchez – photography
- Aleese Simmons – backing vocals
- Britney Spears – vocals
- Chris Trevett – engineering, mixing
- Eric Foster White – arrangement, bass, drum programming, electric guitar, engineering, keyboards, mixing
Charts[]
Weekly charts[]
| Chart (1999–2000) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| Argentine Albums (CAPIF) | 8 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) | 2 |
| Australian Dance Albums (ARIA) | 1 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) | 2 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) | 2 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) | 2 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) | 1 |
| Canadian Top Albums/CDs (RPM) | 1 |
| Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI) | 5 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten) | 7 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) | 3 |
| Estonian Albums (Eesti Top 10) | 1 |
| European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media) | 2 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) | 11 |
| French Albums (SNEP) | 4 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 1 |
| Greek Albums (IFPI) | 5 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) | 4 |
| Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn) | 4 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA) | 6 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI) | 8 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) | 9 |
| Malaysian Albums (RIM) | 3 |
| Mexican Albums (AMPROFON) | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) | 3 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) | 5 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP) | 1 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) | 6 |
| Singapore Albums (SPVA) | 9 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) | 2 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) | 10 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) | 1 |
| Taiwanese Albums (IFPI) | 1 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 2 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) | 2 |
| US Billboard 200 | 1 |
Monthly charts[]
| Chart (1999) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| South Korean Albums (RIAK) | 13 |
Year-end charts[]
| Chart (1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) | 7 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) | 4 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) | 3 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) | 4 |
| Canadian Top Albums/CDs (RPM) | 2 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten) | 27 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) | 11 |
| European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media) | 5 |
| French Albums (SNEP) | 21 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 8 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) | 85 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) | 15 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) | 11 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 14 |
| US Billboard 200 | 2 |
Certifications and sales[]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina (CAPIF) | 4× Platinum | 240,000^ |
| Australia (ARIA) | 4× Platinum | 280,000^ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria) | Platinum | 50,000* |
| Belgium (BRMA) | 3× Platinum | 150,000* |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) | Gold | 250,000 |
| Canada (Music Canada) | Diamond | 1,000,000^ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark) | 3× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat) | Gold | 37,865 |
| France (SNEP) | 2× Platinum | 625,000 |
| Germany (BVMI) | 3× Gold | 750,000^ |
| Iceland | — | 5,000 |
| Italy | — | 200,000 |
| Japan (RIAJ) | Platinum | 205,780 |
| Mexico (AMPROFON) | 2× Platinum+Gold | 500,000 |
| Netherlands (NVPI) | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) | 3× Platinum | 45,000^ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway) | Platinum | 50,000* |
| Philippines (PARI) | 4× Platinum | 200,000 |
| Poland (ZPAV) | Platinum | 100,000* |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
| Sweden (GLF) | Platinum | 80,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) | 2× Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | 4× Platinum | 1,210,000 |
| United States (RIAA) | 14× Platinum | 14,000,000^ |
| Summaries | ||
| Asia | — | 1,680,000 |
| Europe (IFPI) | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000* |
| Worldwide | — | 25,000,000 |
| * Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone | ||
Release history[]
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Edition | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | January 12, 1999 |
|
Standard | Jive |
| Japan | February 24, 1999 | CD | Deluxe | Avex Trax |
| Germany | March 8, 1999 | Standard | BMG | |
| United Kingdom |
|
Jive | ||
| Argentina | March 17, 1999 | CD | EMI | |
| France | April 9, 1999 | Jive | ||
| Australia | November 23, 1999 | Deluxe | BMG | |
| Poland | May 8, 2003 | Digital download | ||
| Germany | June 30, 2003 | CD | ||
| France | October 14, 2003 | Jive | ||
| United States | December 25, 2007 | Digital download | ||
| November 3, 2017 | Vinyl (Urban Outfitters exclusive) | Standard | Legacy | |
| Various | November 23, 2018 |
| ||
| Australia | March 31, 2023 | Opaque pink vinyl | Sony | |
| Germany | ||||
| Mexico | ||||
| Poland | ||||
| United Kingdom | ||||
| United States | Black vinyl | Legacy |
[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20091229180017/http://www.buzzmarketing.com/media/pdf/britney.pdf
- ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/britney-spears-teen-queen-rolling-stones-1999-cover-story-254871/
- ↑ http://www.jorgenelofsson.com/biography/the-story-behind-britney-spears-sometimes/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120614153215/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427200/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120614153215/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427200/