Blackout

Britney Spears’ Blackout is full of hedonistic, club-ready pop music, documenting America’s pop culture obsession from a superstar’s POV

By James Schaak

Recently Britney Spears’ career has been revisited in the wake of a must-watch The New York Times documentary about her conservatorship and the sexist bullying she endured in the media spotlight. Yet, in addition to the media apologizing, it’s important to also commend Spears for work. Especially regarding her most cohesive album: the aptly-titled, “Blackout”. Recorded during what’s arguably the most widely-publicized bender in American history, the album was once considered a flop. Spears’ ex-boyfriend, a Michael Jackson knockoff named Justin Timberlake, described her as a “wannabe Madonna” at the time. However, with each passing year, “The Pop Bible,” as fans call it, has proven to stand the test of time better than anyone would’ve guessed. So what sets “Blackout” apart?

Within the first second of the first song, “Gimme More,” Spears offers a three word content warning: “It’s Britney, bitch.” The most infamous woman in America is about to indulge in a 43 minute hot mess of hedonistic, club-ready pop music about partying and having sex, amidst the paparazzi. Spears is so adept at playing the part of exhibitionist in “Blackout” that the listener should almost feel like a pervert just for hitting play. Veering wildly from her once carefully curated public image, it’s easy to tell that “Blackout” was released in 2007, the pinnacle year of her notorious meltdown. However, those who worked with her at the time were surprised with her work ethic during the chaos. “Radar,” one of the album’s four singles, was recorded the day after her divorce from Kevin Federline. Through “Blackout” is deeply nihilistic and darkly self-aware style, it’s apparent that Spears' best work arrived during her most unstable months.

For Example, take “Piece of Me,” the second song on the tracklist. Spears begins by matter-of-factly stating, “I’m Miss American Dream since I was seventeen / Don’t matter if I step on the scene / Or sneak away to the Philippines / They still gon’ put pictures of my derriere in the magazine,” before the titular hook arrives, “You want a piece of me?” It’s less a question and more a blunt commination directed at Us Weekly. Keep invading Britney’s space, eventually she’ll grab an umbrella and start fighting back. 

Unlike earlier Britney albums that are dragged by slow ballad-fillers, “Blackout” moves fast and hard from cover-to-cover. Legendary aughts’ dance music producers, such as Danja, Robyn, and The Neptunes, supply their most bizarre works of EDM-influenced avant-disco. “Get Naked (I Got a Plan)” delivers on the outrageously naughty premise of its title. On “Freakshow,” Spears showcases formally unseen versatility by rapping over a vibrating bassline. The closer, “Why Should I Be Sad” could be the most depressing (and underrated!) song in Pharrell’s discography. 

One would be forgiven for finding the gaudy, often-repetitive dance beats brain-numbing at times and some songs do seem unnecessary. Yet those are also the same attributes that have made this album into such a cult classic. “Blackout” deals extensively in celebrity culture, which is a gaudy, repetitive, numbing, and mostly unnecessary product of a consumerist, fame-obsessed media landscape. The gross excess helps immerse the listener into the fast-paced imagery of planes, parties, and poor decisions. Blackout is the fantasy that catches your eye in the supermarket line, tempting you to imagine an overabundance you’ll never come close to, before snapping back and remembering how that’s all completely unhealthy. Music about this sensation should sound delicious yet cheap, like the candy bars displayed alongside those glossy tabloids. 

“Blackout’s” effect on subsequent entertainment is obvious. The early ‘10s inundation of new, chart-topping solo female pop stars (Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, etc.) mimicked the sexy, feminine, hardcore “Blackout” persona. More experimental artists, like Charli XCX and SOPHIE, noted “Blackout’s” malfunctioning-fembot vocal distortions as they laid the groundwork for hyperpop. Social media accounts have garnered thousands of followers by leaning into 2007 aesthetics. The plastic feel of a reactionary, post-9/11, pre-recession Bush America, when the internet encouraged voyeurism, free of stars controlling their narratives through social media. Britney Spears epitomized this era and “Blackout” documented this phenomenon from within; it’s the single defining musical statement of this niche yet influential flash in American pop culture. So no, she’s not just some Madonna wannabe, she’s Britney, bitch.