(Martin) Album: …Baby One More Time – Single / …Baby One More Time
And here we are: the one that started it all. With three iconic plucks of the piano, Britney Spears stormed onto the music scene in late 1998, and pop music was never the same again. Rarely has an artist’s debut single made such cultural impact, but this sleekly produced bubblegum pop gem, paired with its equally iconic schoolgirl themed video, put the burgeoning star (and pop music in general) at the forefront of the public consciousness. Up to that point, grunge, new jack swing, and indie rock reigned supreme, and American pop was dominated by genre mainstays where the songs were designed to showcase a star’s vocal prowess (think Mariah and Whitney).“…Baby One More Time” hit radio like a laser-beam, with Britney’s strong and punctuated vocal delivery sounding at once menacing and mesmerizing.Even in the video, Britney struts down the school hallway directly toward the camera with a confidence that makes it seem like she knew she was destined for world dominance.It is the perfect pop song, and the perfect pop moment.The song boasts strengths in everything from its deceptively simplistic structure, its glossy and layered production, and Britney’s confident delivery with her newly iconic snarl. The song (and video) has transcended cultures and generations, and for good reason: few times in pop history have the stars aligned in such a way to create something so timeless. The late 90s and early 00s were saturated with imitators hoping to cash in on the magic, but few have even come close.
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