You know, everyone’s been doing emails…and it’s e-mail my heart.
“Kevin O’Donnell
155.
Right Now (Taste the Victory) (2002)
154.
Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images;
“It Should Be Easy” feat.
will.i.am (2013)
153.
Soda Pop (1999)
152.
Girls and Boys (2003)
151148.
Dear Diary (2000)
Spears wrote it, enough said.
“Tik Tik Boom” feat.
(2013)
It’s hard to go wrong with a lyric this onomatopoeic.
Especially when it’s matched to a strident trap beat.
But the song is so generic that evenT.I.can’t save this one.Jim Farber
145.
You Got It All (2000)
144.
Intimidated (2000)
143.
Rock Me In (2008)
141.
When Your Eyes Say It (2000)
140.
Til Its Gone (2013)
139.
My Baby (2008)
138.
Before the Goodbye (2001)
137.
Heart (2000)
136.
There’s plenty of Britney’s token “yeah, yeah, yeahhhhs” in there too.R.K.
From the Bottom of My Broken Heart (1999)
134.
One Kiss From You (2000)
133.
“Chillin' With You” feat.
Britney andJamie Lynn Spearsare not part of that tradition.K.O.
Let Me Be (2001)
131.
It’s upbeat and lively, despite the pop princess' sultry vocals growing a little frenzied at times.R.K.
I Run Away (2001)
128.
Love Me Down (2016)
127.
Hold on Tight (2013)
126.
The Girl in the Mirror (2000)
125.
Ill Never Stop Loving You (1999)
124.
“I Will Still Love You” feat.
Don Philip (1999)
123.
When I Found You (2001)
122.
Cant Make You Love Me (2000)
121.
Where Are You Now (2000)
120.
Thinkin About You (1999)
119.
And Then We Kiss (2006)
118.
Thats Where You Take Me (2001)
117114.
Im So Curious (1999)
112.
Dont Keep Me Waiting (2011)
111.
Bombastic Love (2001)
110.
The Answer (2003)
108.
Outta This World (2007)
107.
Body Ache (2013)
106.
But then there’s a poor attempt at rapping, or, at the very least, fast-speaking.
Most of this track’s strength comes from its infectious beat and not much else.R.K.
Private Show (2016)
104.
Dont Hang Up (2003)
103.
Why Should I Be Sad (2007)
102.
Walk on By (2000)
101.
Rock Boy (2008)
100.
Trouble For Me (2011)
99.
Autumn Goodbye (1999)
98.
This cut from”…Oops"has all of that.
Dont Cry (2013)
95.
Trouble (2008)
94.
Alien (2013)
93.
Clumsy (2016)
92.
Scary (2011)
91.
Hard to Forget Ya (2016)
ThisGlorytrack captures Britney at her most frenetic.
Coupere Electrique (2016)
89.
Lace and Leather (2008)
Here, Spears meetsBootsy Collinsat least, in spirit.
An elastic bass line undulates through the entire track, suggesting the funky fingerings of the ’70s icon.
The slap-funk groove adds a bit of leer to the teasing S&M lyrics.J.F.
Early Mornin' (2003)
86.
Change Your Mind (No Seas Cortes) (2016)
85.
Brave New Girl (2003)
Aldous Huxley, eat your heart out.
WHY ARE YOU NOT TRUTHING HER, BAD BOYFRIEND?
Mood Ring (2016)
82.
Phonography (2008)
Before there was sexting, there was this Britney deep cut about phone sex.
Still, the Middle Eastern vibe and the chanting style of singing keep the mind from roaming.R.K.
Liar (2016)
80.
It’s a similar set-up to “Do Somethin',” but pales in comparison.D.K.
My Only Wish (This Year) (2012)
78.
Shattered Glass (2008)
Who knew the word “glass” actually has three syllables?
Not that it needed one.
“Shattered” also has a snappy melody and a snidely mocking synth line.J.F.
For the most part, the new direction paid off, but there were a few misses.
Anticipating (2001)
Like much ofBritney, “Anticipating” took cues from Madonna andJanet Jackson.
AndNile Rodgerson guitar ups the cool factor.C.A.
Ooh La La (2013)
73.
I Will Be There (1999)
72.
But don’t worry Mama, B knows it’s true love!
Selfish (2011)
70.
Touch of My Hand (2003)
68.
“(I Got That) Boom Boom” feat.
It also doesn’t help to have an aggressive key change that stretched Spears' voice aweebit too far.J.G.
Just Like Me (2016)
63.
Perfect Lover (2007)
62.
Is Spears on the level of Annie Lennox vocally?
Is it catchy as all hell?
Of course, it is.D.K.
Just Luv Me (2016)
59.
Shadow (2003)
57.
Ooh Ooh Baby (2007)
Continuing the brilliantly woozy daze ofBlackoutis this idiosyncratic midtempo builder.
Mannequin (2008)
55.
But if you could give yourself over to the silly playfulness of thisBlackoutcut, it produces a giddy high.C.A.
Toy Soldier (2007)
Sonically, thisBlackouttrack plays like a cousin to 2003’s “Toxic.”
DC wins, but Brit holds her own.C.A.
Unusual You (2008)
Something truly unusual happens on this overlooked track offCircus.
We hear a fuller, prettier melody than Britney usually gets to sing.
Better (2016)
50.
Now That I Found You (2013)
49.
Outrageous (2003)
48.
Invitation (2016)
47.
Quicksand (2008)
45.
It was all true, even if it came at one of the darkest times in her public life.
Man on the Moon (2016)
43.
(Drop Dead) Beautiful (2011)
Only Britney would use nasality as a hook.
Her stuffed nose vocal on this track mirrors the reedy synth pulsing under the melody.
Brightest Morning Star (2013)
41.
The heart of the song anchors on the instrument advertised in the title, presented at its stated size.J.F.
Although the lyrical plan is nothing differentBritney as seductressthe spacey beats are freaky fun.C.A.
Some might see such a scenario as an autobiographical nod to Britney’s most troubled period in the mid-aughts.
If nothing else, the red-faced perspective makes Brit seem vulnerable and relatable.J.F.
And she took it, all the way.L.G.
Stand back and watch it burn.L.G.
But featuring production by Dr. Luke andMax Martin, it shimmers with a tossed-off breeziness.C.A.
Looking back, it definitely deserved a better shot at the chartsor at least a 2 a.m. callback.L.G.
But her best introspection comes during this understated ballad, written by Dido, Max Martin, and Rami.
Do You Wanna Come Over?
Make Me… feat.
Another tale of a fateful club encounter leading to something more?
A seductive beat perfect for writhing around and flipping your hair on stage?
Nine albums in, you’d think Spears had run out of surprises for her listeners.
No track fromBlackoutis more indicative of the album’s hedonistic M.O.
And Max Martin shows once again he had an unassailable gift for crafting that decade’s most indelible hooks.M.V.
“bell rings, and a backup choir that turns the chorus into a massive sing-along.
Written by theNeptunes, “Boys” sounds a lot like Miss Jackson’s 1986 smash “Nasty.”
In fact, Janet recorded a version of “Boys” before Miss Spears, but never released it.
For Jackson, the record would have been redundant.
For Brit, it functions as an apt homage.J.F.
), she’s as coquettish as Madonna on “Justify My Love.“K.O.
(Or maybe they did; this one took a minute.)
because a hot guy is in close proximity could feel so sweet and heartfelt?
is sleeker than that Bugatti and Lamborghini combined.M.V.
Before she tangoed with a python, she cautioned that she wasn’t that innocent.
“Me Against the Music” feat.
Madonna (2003)
Two generations of pop stars battle and bond in this zippy ditty.
It finds Britney collaborating with her ultimate role model, Madonna.
Was Maddy passing the torch, or just trying to put her protegee in her place?
Either way, the hit has enough hooks to make both parties come out looking good.J.F.
There’s an earnestness and fragility to Spears' performance here that makes it shine bright like a diaaahmund.N.F.
Weirdly enough, it was only Spears' second No.
1 song on the Hot 100, and it definitely deserved that spot.M.V.
Has there ever been such a tragic pop song about fame?
“shot straight (or if you prefer, bi-curious) to No.
Gimme More (2007)
“It’s Britney, bitch!”
The public always hungered for another photo, another story, another scandal.
So when the song’s bridge arrives and Spears starts to purr, “They want more?
Is it her storied response to Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River”?
1 in more than a dozen countries.
“Baby, don’t you wanna dance up on me?”
“Leaving behind my name, my age.”
For the record, she was still 19but, clearly, her chaperoned Disney days were way over.L.G.
But their loss proved Spears' gain.
(Martin wrote No.1’s for each of those artists.)
A girl like her should wear a warning.L.G.
