Oops!...I Did It Again - Album Review

 

Some basic stuff: Released on May 16th, 2000 by Jive Records, little over a year after her first. It became her second album to debut at #1, selling over a million copies in it's first week in the U.S., half that on the first day. To date, it has sold over 20 million copies worldwide becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time. Like its predecessor, it was generally well received, with critics noting more maturity on this record.

Tracklisting as it appears on the "Special UK Edition"

1. Oops!...I Did It Again - Production-wise, the albums first single soars above anything on "...Baby One More Time", opening with a pulsating beat intertwined with Spears' vocals; the definintion of a hook. Now, she doesn't work too hard on this song, but that fits the tone, she's laid back, "dreamin' away". At least not until after the bridge breakdown and now-infamous Titanic-referencing line. Then, there are little glimmers of her signature warble, a few bits of falsetto and throaty vibratto (2:30). It's a great wat to introduce your album to the masses, and is one of Spears' classics. - 10/10

2. Stronger - "Hush just stop" crokes Britney on the opening to the third single off "Oops". Co-written and produced by Max Martin and Rami Yacoub, the team behind her first 3 singles, it's an infectious pop-anthem. Here, you can hear AutoTune being utilized on her background singing, and it's used artistically I believe, to give a certain tone and rapid energy (see 1:21 "but you're wrong"). NOTE: AutoTune is a pitch-correction software. It does not produce the effect on Britney's voice in the opening, that is the result of a vocoder/voice filters and/or layering her natural voice over another that it pitched significantly lower. AutoTune started out being used as an experimental, artistic effect, not to give "Firework"-prefect vocals. Back to the song, what a whopper, total Britney classic now, one that has her rebelling against the guy she couldn't get out of her head on "...Baby One More Time"; "my loneliness is killing me"/"my loneliness ain't killing me no more". - 10/10

3. Don't Go Knockin' On My Door - The intro is so D-Child circa "Writing's on the Wall", I just can't. If it wasn't clear from the first 2 tracks, Britney is bringin' the attitude, and in this song, she's fed up with a guy, possibly the same guy she made fall for her in "Oops!". This album was when she started experimenting with voice filters and flickers (2:10-2:20) and it amps up the production value of her work. This is a signature Britney song; choir-background singers, Britney nasally ad-libbing over them, BIG chorus, to me, this was a contender for a single. I'm not gonna mention the little interludes on this album. Like, ever. - 10/10

4. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - THIS is how to do a cover, and it marks her first collaboration with Darkchild AND Bobby Brown, as in Whitney's BOBBAY!!, served as an assistant engineer on this cover of The Rolling Stone's classic track, though he's not credited on the song, he did receive album credit. Where to start, the angelic "la la la" opening over a stripped guitar melody leads right into Britney's deep voice over a kick drum, light guitar and snaps. Snaps. This R&B flavored track jumps off after her intro with a clapping beat over what sounds like a DJ record-scratching. The song changes a little bit on certain verses, altering the clap-beat to a lighter high-hat rhythm, adding some heavy electric guitar or using spacey-"boops" to add texture, Darkchild's stamp is all over this song. It does get a bit repetive, and besides the intro, the best part of the song is the final minute and a half where Britney ad-libs the chorus, there's some high-five moments to be heard. - 8/10

5. Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know - For this international-only single release, Britney's newfound tough attitude melts away, as it should with a proper ballad. Canadian songstress Shania Twain co-wrote the song with fellow Canadian Kieth Scott (guitar player) and Robert Lange, the latter of which produced the number. What's interesting is that the Lange has a mostly rock background (AC/DC, Nickelback, Def Leppard), and though there is some electric guitar, the song is for sure a slow, ballad (76 bpm to be exact). Spears excels at singing ballads, but this one in particular is a stand out track, with some credit due to the songwriters, who appear only on this song and aren't seen again, which is not really that rare, but it's fun to note. For the most part, it's absent of her signature "oh yeahs" (but not her "baby"s), but the signature Brit voice is in full effect, with some sprinklings of AutoTune (heard especially at 1:36 "oh yeah baby", 2:17 "let it go"), but she hardly needs it; this is one of her songs that she nails live, check her on SNL. - 8/10

6. What U See (Is What You Get) - Her rebellious-teenage self rears it's head on this Swede-lead production: Per Magnusson, David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson and Rami Yacoub collaborate and make some great Euro-pop magic. Following an opening similar to the title track's, she tells her guy "you should never try and change me", but there's an underlying theme here that can be interpreted a couple different ways. "You think I'm wearing too much make-up and my dress is too tight"; packaged as a self-worth anthem of sorts, the song could be her telling her audience to be themselves, or telling the parents of her youngest fans to back the fuck off. Again, tinged with some AutoTune that giver her voice a sharp, crackly feel, the song is a strong one, in the vein of "Stronger". - 9/10

7. Lucky - Talk about Britney classics, this may take the cake. They don't make pop songs like this anymore, albeit a bit cheesy, this is another one of those songs where you can't help but wonder if she was trying to say something more; "if there is nothing missing in my life, why do tears come at night?". Martin + Rami make some magic on the 2nd single from "Oops", transitioning from guitar and drum verses to NBA-style booming synths, and let's not forget the announcement of Lucky as the ambiguous 'winner', the song tells a story, and it's a vivid one, paired with a literal music video, it's an interesting concept to include on a pop-stars album, though it won't be the first tinge of melancholy to be found in her discography. - 8/10

8. One Kiss From You - I wanna say this song is driven by borderline reggae-beat layered with wind instruments and twangy guitar. This mid-tempo song is a step above an album filler that has one of my favorite lines from a Britney song; "cause I don't have to feel the heat of the sung to know it's shining on me everyday". She's saying that she's not too young to know what love is, and that it just takes 1 kiss for her to feel whole. So an adult statement combined with an adolescent one. The chorus, or rather choruses, has Britney singing different lines over her filtered voice, and the song ends with that underlying chorus, something refreshingly different from such similarly produced numbers. Though produced with more diverse producers than her debut album, they can start to sound less cohesive and more repetitive. But this song does help to break up the similarities, and Britney applies ballad-style tender vocals that bring some warmth into the song. - 7/10

9. Where Are You Now - I'm a little unsure about how to feel about this song, listening to it, I only recall the chorus from my youth. It's the sleepy ballad, which thankfully only appears a few more times in her career. Oddly enough, it was written by the Vice President of A&R at Jive Records Steve Lunt, also credited as an Arranger, Producer and Engineer on "The Singles Collection" (check it). Produced by Larry Campbell, a jack of all trades when it comes to instruments, the song is a bit draining to listen to, however there is one dazzlingly bright diamond to be found here; from 3:13-3:19 Britney hits a note that truly goes right to your soul. I mean, damn girl. - 6/10

10. Can't Make You Love Me - "Don't care about money" sings Britney on this upbeat track, and I'm sure she wouldn't need to rely on a man financially. Another Martin & the Swedes affair, this song does have the same format as many of her others, with some interesting flickering xylophone-like synths mixing it up a bit. She calls to mind the same misunderstood pop-star from "Lucky", only this time, it's about love, not happiness; "I might be sittin' with the movie stars, everybody sayin' that I have it all, but I can't make you love me". It's a great album filler, definitely goes with the flow of the album and has some of that hard-edge she's cultivates on this album. - 7/10

11. When Your Eyes Say It - Another case of a song with an interesting background story, written by Dianne Warren, who is a renowned songwriter who has won and been repeatedly nominated for Academy Awards, Grammy's and Golden Globes, recently winning the latter for her work on 'Burlesque'. But anyways, the song, is another slow one, but it has a kind of hypnotic effect, opening with some kinda-creepy-kinda-cool spoken word lines from Britney, an effect she repeats for some later verses. She's basking in the love from her man, only saying "BUT when your eyes say it" to show how much better it gets when they engage in what I assume is that weird love-telepathy only achievable through eye contact. It's a good, slow, album filler. - 6/10

12. Girl In The Mirror - And all that maturity and growth, down the drain. I'm sure this song was great for some girls growing up, but looking at "the girl in the mirror" and doing some self-reflection isn't really a theme I can get into. The vocals are pretty tame here, and the song's soft tone is definitely sleep-inducing, until she shifts into falsetto, and the sound is... inhuman oddly enough (3:06). It was one of the European bonus tracks, so there's no nostalgia-factor for me here, oh well. - 5/10

13. You Got It All - Fun fact: not only was this song recorded and intended for her debut album, as seen here on the back of a promo-tape, it was also released as a promo-single in France. This is how not to do a cover, oh Britney, it does remind of "...Baby One More Time"s slower moments, and not in a nostalgic way. The singing is good enough, the music is good enough, but they don't improve each other when combined, in fact, some points of the song find Britney almost struggling over the drum and guitar beat. Another European bonus track, no nostalgia factor, and with a grimace, I type that it is Eric Foster White's sole contribution to this album. Sigh.- 4/10

14.* Heart (B-Side to "Lucky") - The producers and writers behind "One Kiss From You" unite again for a rather slow number all about Britney talking to her heart. Out of context, yeah it sounds weird, but of course it's her metaphorical heart, unless she really does want to be friends with her organ... Digital flutes paired with some great piano playing, kinda paino-bar elevator-music style stuff, and some sweet string work by the rather officially-credited "The Hampton String Quartet". She's almost begging the listener not to change the track; "give it time, hear me through". Or maybe it was "help me through"...whatever, I already changed it. - 4/10

15. Dear Diary - As on "..Baby One More Time", Britney only flexes her writing chops once, and when she does, there seems to be an extra "umph" in her vocals, here she puts in some emotion and soul as she tells her diary "today I saw a boy and I wondered if he noticed me, he took my breath away". She does sound like a bit of a creeper, but it's okay cause she just stares and writes about it, no Disturbia shenanigans goin' on here. Bobby Brown appears once again as an assistant engineer and there are an insane number of strings players credited for a song that relies more on piano-synths and wind-chimes. - 6/10

* Walk On By (B-Side to "Stronger") - An oddity for any artist, this song has the distinction of being one of the few released as a B-Side, but not as a bonus track. The Swede dream team minus Max crafted this decent track, it's a bit below the standards of a filler track, but it doesn't completely bore. The song is about what you'd imagine, Britney yearning after a guy, every time they "walk on by". The production on this song is a bit odd, the background singers are present, but not merged with Britney, they remain oddly and distinctly separated. - 7/10

I've Got The Urge (To Herbal) - I REALLY love this song, which is sad considering it's about shampooing your hair...In summer of 2000, Britney was featured in Herbal Essences's print ads and commercials, and in return, they sponsored her tour for this album. Though I searched high and low, there's no information to be found on any writers/producers of the song, but for a minute long clip, it hooks ya. Here's the song and an unrelated, but rather slutty commercial. Is it even right to rate this? - 10/10

What's Going On - Not really worth a review, but definitely worth a mention, Bono of U2 had the idea to do a charity single for "Artists Against AIDS Worldwide" covering Marvin Gaye's hit song "What's Going On", which boasts quite a roster of artists. Released just before the September 11th attacks, some of the proceeds were later directed to the Red Cross' Septermber 11th fund. She appears at 1:07-1:29, trading verses with Destiny's Child a.k.a. pretty much just Beyoncé (not the last time they'll collaborate musically). There was a music video made, which was funnily enough Britney's idea (source) and you can check it out here.

Overall: You have to forgive her, this time around, she's "not that innocent", comin' back with a different attitude towards men. When it was released, the response from parents was similar to that of Miley Cyrus, placing more emphasis on adult themes of relationships, wearing even more revealing clothing, taking some scandalous pictures, though at least she was legal. Whether it's overpowering nostalgia that makes me love this album, or the pure-pop handiwork of great producers, her one constant in her career was that she released great music. She went a little deeper with this album and co-wrote a track that actually made it on the album and though she mainly rode the wave of "...Baby"s success and refined the sound, oops, she did it again and we're lucky she put her heart into it so we're not wondering "where are you now"? and any other song-referencing phrases you can think of - 9/10

Highlights: Stronger, Don't Go Knockin' on My Door, What U See (Is What U Get), Lucky

Fun Facts: The album was confirmed to originally be titled "Sunflower" and then "Platinum 2000" before the final title was chosen.

Sources: Album booklet, single back covers and Unreleased Britney Spears.