"Britney" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Bebo Norman Jeffery Stephen "Bebo" Norman (born May 29, 1973) is a former contemporary Christian musician from Columbus, Georgia, US. His most successful album to date is ''Myself When I Am Real'', which included hit songs "Great Light of the World" and "Fall ...

. It was written and produced by Norman for his ninth '' self-titled studio album'' (2008), with additional writing by Jason Ingram. The song was released on July 28, 2008 through

BEC Records BEC (Brandon Ebel Company) Recordings is a Christian rock record label that is an imprint of Tooth & Nail Records. The label was formed in 1997 in partnership with the EMI Christian Music Group. The label promotes bands with more adult Christ ...

as the album's first single. The inspirational

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

song, is an apology to pop singer

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

for the consequences of fame and success. "Britney" was very well received by

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, with some calling it "sweet" and "not cynical at all," and noticing the song's sympathetic message to Spears. After its release,

Lynne Spears Lynne Irene Spears ( Bridges; born May 4, 1955) is an American author and mother of pop singer Britney Spears, as well as producer Bryan Spears and child star Jamie Lynn Spears. Biography Early life and family Lynne Irene Bridges was born on May ...

praised the song and thanked Norman for writing it. "Britney" failed to chart on ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but did manage to peak at number 28 on the

Hot Christian Adult Contemporary The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

chart.

Background and composition

"Britney" was written by Bebo Norman in the beginning of 2008 as an apology to the pop singer

, after watching a news report about Spears on television. The song was later recorded and produced by Norman for his self-titled album, with additional production by Jason Ingram and Rusty Varenkamp. When asked about the song, Norman said:

"'Britney' is a song about what our culture says and does to young women these days. It's about the lies we tell them about fame and money and what's beautiful and what will give them life. It's an apology for those lies. But more than that, it's an invitation to the truth about a God who is bigger than the pain this world so often leaves them in."

"Britney" is an inspirational

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

with elements of

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

, that lasts for three minutes and thirty-four seconds long.

Josh Taylor Josh or Joshua Taylor may refer to: * Josh Taylor (actor) (born 1943), American comedy and dramatic television actor * Josh Taylor (baseball) (born 1993), American professional baseball pitcher * Josh Taylor (boxer) (born 1991), Scottish profession ...

of ''Jesus Freak Hideout'' compared its structure to "

Hey There Delilah "Hey There Delilah" is a song by American pop rock band Plain White T's. It was released on May 9, 2006 as an EP from their third studio album, ''All That We Needed'' (2005). The song was later released in 2007 as a single from their fourth studi ...

" by the

Plain White T's Plain White T's are an American Rock music, rock band from Lombard, Illinois, formed in 1997 by high school friends Tom Higgenson, Dave Tirio, and Ken Fletcher, and joined a short time later by Steve Mast. The group had a mostly underground music, ...

. The song was released on July 28, 2008 as a digital single on

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

, two months before the official release of Norman's album. Despite not being a Spears fan, Norman enjoys her song "

Toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

Reception

Upon its release, "Britney" received generally positive reviews from critics. Andree Farias of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

highlighted "Britney" on Bebo Norman's album, saying, "the left-field stunner is "Britney", a poignant, heartfelt ode to the teen pop superstar that also serves as a sharp analysis of culture's make-or-break treatment of celebrities." The team of ''New Release Tuesday'', "a popular music website in the Christian community", praised the song, with reviews saying, " Britney"is without a doubt one of Bebo Norman's best songs." A review by ''Lancaster Online'' called "Britney" a "hit song", and described it as "a compassionate look at someone damaged, but maybe not broken, by the relentless glare of the spotlight." Kim Jones of

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, l ...

called the song an "anthem of sorts". Deborah Evan Price of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' said "Britney" has "a sympathetic message to the burnished pop singer."

of ''Jesus Freak Hideout'' said, "the way in which

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continually addresses Britney Spears just seems the least bit odd", but commented on how pleasant the song is. A review by ''

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

'' noticed "Britney" has "a melody that dares to be clear and pretty in ways emo bands ..don’t usually dare," and commented how the song's "strongly sung" lyrics are "sweet ndnot cynical at all." ''

The Denver Post ''The Denver Post'' is a daily newspaper and website published in Denver, Colorado. As of June 2022, it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 13 ...

'' reported that after the song's release, Spears' mother Lynne thanked Norman for writing the song, "because it was all she wanted to say to her daughter." On the week of September 19, 2008, "Britney" peaked at number twenty-eight on ''

chart.

Track listing

*Digital download #"Britney" - 3:34

Credits and personnel

* Bebo Norman – lead vocals, songwriting, acoustic guitar,

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

* Mike Payne – acoustic guitar, electric guitar * Adam Lester – electric guitar * Jason Ingram – keyboards, songwriting, programming, background vocals * Josh Moore – keyboards * Tony Lucido – bass guitar * Will Sayles – drums * Ben Phillips – drums * Rusty Varenkamp – programming Source:''Bebo Norman'' liner notes.

(2008)

Release history

References

{{authority control Contemporary Christian songs 2008 singles 2008 songs Bebo Norman songs Cultural depictions of Britney Spears Songs written by Jason Ingram 2000s ballads Folk ballads Songs written by Bebo Norman