"Outrageous" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her fourth studio album, ''

In the Zone ''In the Zone'' is the fourth studio album by American pop singer Britney Spears. It was released on November 12, 2003, through Jive Records. With the conclusion of her Dream Within a Dream Tour in July 2002 and the end of her relationship with ...

'' (2003). It was written and produced by

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...

, with vocal production provided by Trixster and Penelope Magnet. The song was released on July 13, 2004, by Jive Records, as the fourth and final single from ''In the Zone''. "Outrageous" was the record label's choice for first or second single, but Spears pushed for "

Me Against the Music "Me Against the Music" is a song by American singers Britney Spears and Madonna for Spears' fourth studio album, ''In the Zone'' (2003). It was written by Spears, Madonna, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Thabiso "Tab" Nikhereanye, Penelope Magnet ...

" and "

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 subs ...

" respectively, to be released instead. It was finally announced as a single after it was selected as the theme song for the 2004 film ''

Catwoman Catwoman is a fictional character created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Debuting as "the Cat" in ''Batman'' #1 (spring 1940), she is ...

''. "Outrageous" is a hip hop and R&B song with an exotic feel. Lyrically, it talks about materialism and entertainment. "Outrageous" received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised its funky sound, while others deemed it "forgettable". "Outrageous" only charted in Japan, Romania, Russia and in the United States, entering many of '' Billboard''s component charts and peaking at number 79 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Spears only performed the song on 2004's

The Onyx Hotel Tour The Onyx Hotel Tour (billed as The Onyx Hotel Tour 2004) was the fifth concert tour by American entertainer Britney Spears. It showcased her fourth studio album, ''In the Zone'' (2003), and visited North America and Europe. A tour to promote the ...

. The music video was being shot in New York City in June 2004, when Spears hurt her knee and had to undergo

arthroscopic surgery Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the ...

. The video was canceled, as well as remainder of The Onyx Hotel Tour and the feature in the ''Catwoman'' soundtrack. A composite of different scenes was released in the DVD '' Greatest Hits: My Prerogative'' (2004).

Background

"Outrageous" was written and produced by

, and was recorded at The Chocolate Factory, in Chicago, Illinois.''

'' liner notes. Jive Records (2003) Penelope Magnet and

Christopher "Tricky" Stewart Christopher Alan "Tricky" Stewart (born January 4, 1974) is an American record producer, record executive, songwriter, and music publisher. In a career spanning over 30 years, Stewart has won 5 Grammys and is responsible for over 50 million rec ...

of production team RedZone were enlisted to produce Spears's vocals. She recorded them at Battery Studios in New York City. The song was later mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

. On September 11, 2003, "Outrageous" was confirmed as one of the tracks from ''In the Zone''. Jive Records hoped the song would be released as the first single from the album, but Spears convinced them to release her collaboration with Madonna, "

". The track was also one of the choices for second single along with "(I Got That) Boom Boom", but Spears selected "

" instead. On June 1, 2004, it was announced that "Outrageous" would be released as the fourth single from the album and would be sent to radio stations on June 29, 2004. It was also announced that the track would be the

theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

from the 2004 film ''

''. "Outrageous" was sent to mainstream radio in the United States on July 20, 2004.

Music and lyrics

"Outrageous" is a hip hop and R&B song. The

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was compared by Gavin Mueller of '' Stylus Magazine'' to R. Kelly's 2003 single "

Snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...

". Jennifer Vineyard of MTV noted that "she whispers and moans ..with a

snake charmer Snake charming is the practice of appearing to hypnotize a snake (often a cobra) by playing and waving around an instrument called a pungi. A typical performance may also include handling the snakes or performing other seemingly dangerou ...

melody giving the song an exotic feel". Nick Southall of ''Stylus Magazine'' compared the

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 us ...

to those of Punjabi musician

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ( pa, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997) was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. He was primarily a singer of qawwali — a form of Sufi devotional music. Sometimes ...

. According to the sheetmusic published at Musicnotes.com by

Universal Music Publishing Group Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) is a North American music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group. It was formerly known as MCA Music Publishing until it merged with PolyGram. Universal Music Publishing is the worl ...

, "Outrageous" is composed in the key of

D major D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Ch ...

, with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

of 105

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ...

. The song's lyrics talk about materialism and amusement, with Spears referencing in the chorus a number of things that give her pleasure, such as "my world tour" and " my sex drive". Vineyard noted, "the cumulative effect seems like it's designed to put the listener in the lover's shoes—taking full advantage of the aural male gaze". Sal Cinquemani of '' Slant Magazine'' said the track "includes a telling parallel that reveals a lot about one of music's biggest—as Alanis Morissette would put it—treadmill capitalists: she sings "my sex drive" and "my shopping spree" with the same dripping gusto".

Critical reception

"Outrageous" received mixed reviews from music critics. Mim Udovitch of ''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender container with a rotating me ...

'' called the song an "R. Kelly club number,

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

has a hot, odd compulsion and lyrics that are practically big-pimpin', Spears-style". William Shaw of ''Blender'' selected it as the ninth best Spears song, highlighting "the nonsense chants" at 1:10. While reviewing '' Greatest Hits: My Prerogative'', Ann Powers commented, "'Outrageous' is R. Kelly's dirty little take on the ideal

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

song". Spence D. of

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

said of the song that "it's a somewhat derivative Egyptian lover groove number. Yet for all repetitiveness, it's still kind of funky and pervasive". Kelefa Sanneh of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' called it " composition that cruises along on

autopilot An autopilot is a system used to control the path of an aircraft, marine craft or spacecraft without requiring constant manual control by a human operator. Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator' ...

for two minutes and then suddenly switches gears with a delectable

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

-inspired bridge". Annabel Leathes of the

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...

Background

Music and lyrics

Critical reception

Commercial performance

Music video

Live performances

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Charts

Release history

References