Justin Stands Up for Britney

Thanks to my five (soon to be six) year old friend, Ava, I've recently revisited Britney Spears catalog of hits.

Review with me:

(You Drive Me) Crazy: Classic video. I believe Brit's video costume is even on display at Hard Rock Hotel in LV. Everyone walks by it and wonders, "Can I fit in that?" Well, even Britney wonders that these days, but that's not the point. The song is catchy, timeless, and brings back memories of Drive Me Crazy with Melissa Joan Hart, Vince - er, I mean Adrien Grenier, and the prom scene filmed at the Utah State Capitol building. Drenched in neon. Too hot.

I'm A Slave For You: I question the merits of the song, however she certainly worked it well. Didn't she perform this with a HUGE snake while wearing a nude body suit at the VMA's circa 2000. That's another classic moment in recent pop culture, and she looked hot. Also, when I was in Aruba in 2003, this song was playing at a bar, and an African American woman from Arkansas, there with her girlfriends (Stella getting her groove back, maybe) was singing along. One of the girlfriends got seriously angry with the singing woman. Because she felt the song inappropriate.

Stronger: Come on. Agree with me. She nails it here. This song is an ANTHEM! It works at the gym, it works at the clubs, it works at work. And it certainly worked for me when I went back to London in 2001 after living there in 2000. I went back STRONGER than YESTERDAY and it was nothing but my way. Well done. But not her best song. I'm saving that for last.

Lucky: I can't tell you how many girls/women I know that feel this is their life's theme (one - SJ). I bet Britney feels alot like the girl named Lucky these days. However, Britney seems to have given up on the time for make-up and worrying about the perfect smile. But again, not the point of this post. The song is a little too slow for me, but in my opinion if it can win over SJ - an incredibly discerning critic of all things artistic - the song is meritorious. (Side note: SJ saw the Haylie Duff movie Material Girls over the weekend and she does not recommend it.)

My Only Wish: I love this one. It is her contribution to the Christmas song catalogue. I love it because I'm pretty sure she recorded it when she was dating Justin Timberlake and when she pleadingly sings for Santa to bring her baby to her for Christmas, I picture Santa stealing Justin from Cameron and delivering him to the Federline household and chaos ensuing. No really though, I like pop Christmas and this one fits the bill. Happy Christmas Britney.

Boys: Hate it. She can't win them all.

Oops I Did It Again: This song is her legacy. I'm convinced. How do I know this? Because I remember singing it with four year old kids in 2000, and I sang it with a five year old in 2006. And they sang it to me FIRST. It wasn't me grabbing them and saying, "listen to this magic! I think you will really, really enjoy this." Instead, the reverse occurred. And I fully expect that I will be singing it in another two years with my cousin Ella, and a couple years after that with her baby sister. Now, my only criticism about the song is the Titanic-themed spoken word part because it really dates the song, but actually I work the guy's part pretty well: "well, baby I went back down and got it for you." I love it when she gives us a male verse. Top drawer song. But again, not her best in my opinion.

Born to Make You Happy: How do I love this song? Let me count the ways. I'm sure I first heard it when I lived in London, but my most poignant memory of the song is it playing at beach side bars in Mykonos, Greece. The song isn't too fast, and it isn't too slow. It doesn't have hard beats, and her voice isn't all technotronic. It's just a really nice song about a lovely girl named Britney wanting to do everything she can for me, the boy she loves, because that is what she was born to do. This I submit, is her best work.

And for some reason, that duet she did with Madonna is not coming to mind - not even a snippet of a lyric - something about "the music" I guess, oh, her against the music maybe; anyway, no strong memory of it equals not a big hit.

So let's stop judging Britney for K-Fed, and Manny, and pregnancy, chewing gum, bare feet, and Matt Lauer. Janet Jackson got her body back and Britney will too. She's not Carnie for god's sake. Let's let Britney's music speak for itself. And let's usher in a time of healing.

Today's Song: Lucky, Britney Spears (for Ava - download here)