...Baby One More Time

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Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” doesn’t begin as much as it announces itself: Its opening few seconds combine forceful piano, wah-wah guitar, and the teen-pop star’s swagger-filled “baby, baby” into a moment that’s part rallying cry, part longing plea. The audacious intro of her first single—the title track of her full-length debut—was an appropriate introduction to the woman who would eventually become the face of Y2K teen-pop, mixing age-appropriate angst with brain-adhering choruse, big beat, and Spears’ undeniable charisma. The teen-pop world was reaching a boil when “...Baby One More Time” was initially released in late 1998. Max Martin’s brooding, lightly funky confection sent it into overdrive. <i>…Baby One More Time</i>, the album, followed in early ’99, and its full-spectrum approach to pop resulted in other era-defining hits: “Sometimes” and “From the Bottom of My Broken Heart” showcase Spears in bummed-out bloom, while “(You Drive Me) Crazy” is an upbeat pop song in the vein of “…Baby.” (Its “Stop! Remix,” a tie-in with the Melissa Joan Hart rom-com <i>Drive Me Crazy</i>, has a bit more of its predecessor’s stride.) .

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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