Album Anniversaries: 15 Years Later, Britney Spears’ ‘Blackout’ Still Has Us Saying “Gimme More”

Spears’ public downfall muddled its initial reception, Blackout stands as a pioneering electropop classic with much to reveal about the #FreeBritney movement.

Written by C.S. Harper

Photo courtesy of Jive Records

2007 was a tumultuous year for Britney Spears, to say the least. Leading up to the release of her fifth studio album, Blackout, any remnants of her former image as the innocent “Mickey Mouse Club” alum quickly vanished in a series of highly publicized scandals. Coming off of a divorce and eventually losing custody of her sons, Spears weathered all manners of shaming, inspired by public meltdowns and personal issues, to her infamous head-shaving episode at a drug rehabilitation facility, to her widely mocked MTV VMAs performance of “Gimme More.” The world had seemingly turned against Spears, pathologizing her behaviors that it deemed hysterical, even though the pop star was going through a justifiable mental health crisis and signs of postpartum depression due to her myriad of personal struggles. Nevertheless, these public pressures led the California courts to place her under a permanent conservatorship led by her father, granting him complete authority over her assets and personhood a year later in 2008.

Despite her public downfall during the Blackout era, Spears was able to salvage her image as a world-renowned pop icon — and regain her freedom — after over a decade. As the #FreeBritney movement was beginning to raise awareness about the abuse that the “...Baby One More Time” singer and other Y2K pop stars experienced in the era, it’s important to acknowledge Spears’ story without reducing her to it. An artifact of the singer’s era of infamy that ushered in the age of 2010s electropop, Blackout is also a testament to Spears’ talent and her enduring influence as a musical mastermind.

A certified queer classic and Blackout’s lead single, “Gimme More” has become one of the standouts of the pop queen’s discography. Recorded while Spears was seven months pregnant, the track includes all the elements that have come to define the quintessential Britney track: the “It’s Britney, bitch” ad-lib, a famously infectious pre-chorus, and a tight instrumental composed of vacillating synths and a clubby beat. But despite the song’s pop perfection, Spears experienced public slut-shaming in its accompanying music video, which depicts her as a pole dancer. To further taint the track’s reputation in public memory, her opening performance of “Gimme More” at the 2007 MTV VMAs received disapproval from critics and the public alike for just about everything, from her lip-syncing skills to her wardrobe and even her postpartum body.

Nonetheless, “Gimme More” has been hugely influential in the pop landscape. As one of Spears’ most covered songs, the track has been covered by many artists across the musical landscape, from Swedish metal band Machinae Supremacy to the cast of “Glee.” Moreover, the phrase “It’s Britney, bitch!” has become one of the most instantly recognizable catchphrases in pop culture: it’s even made its way into the rap world by way of sampling on Jay-Z’s “BBC” and will.i.am’s “Scream & Shout,” and it’s inspired other pop singers to adopt their own catchphrases (think Charli XCX’s “It’s Charli, baby”).

Though perhaps not as widely influential as its lead single, the other songs from Blackout also deserve their own merit. Second single “Piece of Me” teases a sense of self-awareness, giving listeners a peek into Spears’ star-studded lifestyle. Over a tambourine and 808 heavy beat, the pop singer croons, “I'm Miss American Dream, since I was 17 / Don't matter if I step on the scene, or sneak away to the Philippines / They're still gon' put pictures of my derriere in the magazine.” She flaunts her “bad girl” reputation and taunts the media for mom-shaming her before telling the paparazzi, “You want a piece of me?” With this track, Spears claps back at the media with class — and a catchy melody to go with it.

But the pop darling steers away from fixating on her reputation for too long, instead focusing the next few tracks on getting steamy in the club. With its siren-like electronics and lyrics referencing hearts “beating like an 808,” third single “Break the Ice” has all the perfect elements of an early 2010s party track. Spears takes inspiration from other femme icons for the track, using a high falsetto and saying “I like this part” before the breakdown like Janet Jackson.

“Heaven On Earth” continues showcasing Spears’ wide-ranging influences, with its New Wave-inspired beat. Reportedly the pop singer’s favorite track on the album, the song contrasts its lively trance-inspired instrumental with vulnerable lyrics. “Tell me that I'll always be the one that you want / Don't know what I'd do if I ever lose you / Look at you and what I see is Heaven on Earth / I'm in love with you,” she sings softly.

Image courtesy of Jive Records

But the next track, “Get Naked (I Got a Plan)” picks up the pace with an orgasmic feature from record producer Danja.  His vocals feel psychedelic, accompanied by Spear’s seductive voice, distorted moans play as he sings, “We can do it here just where you want it, baby.” The trippy nature of the track carries on to “Freakshow,” which includes proto-dubstep synth wobbles. “Make it a freakshow, freakshow,” Spears sings in an ominous minor key, hitting some of the lowest notes on the record.

In the closing track, the pop songstress continues to strip things back with R&B ballad “Why Should I Be Sad.” Accompanied by midtempo, wobbly synths, she reflects on her fame and relationship with ex-husband Kevin Federline. “Lavish homes and fancy cars, even got the drop Ferrari / Filled up our garage for you,” she laments. But she regains her sense of self by the end of the song, proclaiming “It's time for me to move along / (...) I’m tired of singing sad songs.”

“Why Should I Be Sad” perfectly captures Britney Spears’ creative genius, determination, and resilience. Blackout as a whole remains as a time capsule of some of the pop queen’s worst moments, a time in which the media circus pitted the whole world against her amidst her personal struggles 15 years ago. Although Spears has risen back gracefully, this is just the beginning of long-awaited reparations. Earlier this year, Governor Gavin Newsom of California signed a bill limiting conservatorships in response to #FreeBritney. Here’s hoping that just like Blackout’s lasting influence on the pop sphere, the traction of the #FreeBritney movement doesn’t die out and efforts to stop conservatorship abuse continue nationwide.