Attitude picks five Britney songs that should have been singles
By Josh Haggis
To celebrate the imminent release of Britney’s new single Pretty Girls – May 5! – Attitude’s Josh Haigh has decided to take a look back at the legendary performer’s back catalog and pick out tracks he thinks were criminally looked over when it came to single releases.
Up N’ Down – Femme Fetale
Arguably featuring one of Britney’s best ever bridges – “the beat just dropped and the room got sexy” is one of Femme Fetale‘s’ major highlights – this undeniable club banger was shockingly relegated to bonus track status on her the 2011 album, when it should have sat in place of the enjoyable, but criminally forgettable Beautiful (Drop Dead).
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TiJSqNQrCI[/youtube]
Perfect Lover – Blackout
Sure, Blackout is so packed full of potential hits that there were bound to be some disappointed fans no matter what was released, but the skipping over of the album’s magnum opus, Perfect Lover, is one of the biggest injustices in Brit’s career. It’s trippy baseline, sexually-charged lyrics and breathy vocal delivery make for a defining moment in Britney’s discography.
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRkjL9uEnv0[/youtube]
Blur – Circus
One of the more urban-influenced tracks on Britney’s comeback album, this mid-tempo ode to the walk of shame sees Britney delivering one of her best vocals post-2007 on what felt like the most personal track on the album – take that, Britney Jean – considering she had spent the previous year on a much publicised alcohol-fueled self destructive path.
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc0aNwU0uIs[/youtube]
Breathe On Me – In The Zone
In The Zone was where we saw Britney’s true sexual awakening that she had hinted on with Slave 4 U, and with it culminated with the sublime Breathe On Me. Instantly drawing comparisons to Madonna’s Justify My Love, the mid-tempo sex anthem sees Britney begging her lover to put his lips together and blow. I defy you to find a gay man that hasn’t had a steamy sexual encounter with this playing in the background. No, just me? Moving on…
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_s6uGY2gNY[/youtube]
Trouble – Circus
Britney fans have a tendency to forget just how good the Circus era was. Womanizer, although it’s not exactly aged well, was the balls-out track she needed to return to pop with a bang, and in true Britney style, every single bonus track was better than anything on the standard edition of the album. The cream of the crop was the R&B-laced Trouble, where Britney sings “I don’t wanna lose control, but then again, I think I wanna lose control,” which again, was another of the more poignant moments on the album when seen in the context of where she was in her life at the time of recording.
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q9fO3G2Hbs[/youtube]
Honorable mentions: Heaven On Earth (Blackout), I Got That Boom Boom (In The Zone), And The We Kiss (B In The Mix), Radar (It should be a single from every Britney album).
We’re sorry to say, but Email My Heart and My Baby just missed out a mention, despite being unforgettably iconic.
