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| Clever Girl... >> Writing >> Britney Spears Britney Spears: avatar of teenage sexual confusion or just a perky party girl? You see my problem is this I'm dreaming away Wishing that heroes would truly exist I cry watching the days Can't you see I'm a fool in so many ways But to lose all my senses That is just so typically me - Oops! I Did It Again! Britney Spears. Utter those two words aloud in almost any group of people and prepare to be inundated with a plethora of spirited opinions. The breast implants. The lipsynching. The clothing. Justin Timberlake. The lack of... erm... vocal finesse. That 'Rolling Stone' cover. It is arguable that no other pop star today (with the possible exception of Eminem's contrived controversiality) inspires such vehemence from such a wide audience. It is inevitable that some, if not the vast majority of people surveyed, would mention the 'shallowness' of Spears' music. The lack of meaning, the homogeny in beat and melody throughout her albums, the fact that Britney herself has contributed (let alone written) to just one song over her two albums. And while I am hesitant to label myself as a mainstream, superficial teenybopper (preferring to think of myself as someone who defends what needs defending at any given time), I would be forced to disagree. Yes, Britney Spears plays almost not part in her own songwriting process. Certainly, her success is the result of a carefully fabricated marketing plan. And sure, her singing often sounds like the cries of a sick cat (with the reverb turned up way too high). But while the lyrics she sings are hardly comparable to Bob Dylan, I don't think it's fair to call them shallow, particularly in comparision to those of her pop princess contemporaries - Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, and Mandy Moore. There is a reason Spears has sociological implications and the others do not. My friends often question my fascination with Britney Spears, asking how I could like music so meaningless when I take so much pride in writing music with meaning, that actually reflects adolescent reality from a feminist standpoint, myself. To which I always reply that she is not meaningless. Britney Spears is an avatar of teenage sexual confusion. Her songs may not be about war, hunger, or political injustices, but they are about experiences undergone by most people, particularly girls, at some stage of their lives - usually their mid-teens. Later for the emotionally immature among us. The skeptical wll inevitably want examples. So here I present you with a song by song analysis of Britney Spears' music. ...Baby One More Time (I must confess that my loneliness is killing me now - Don't you know I still believe that you will be here - So give me a sign...) British rock band Travis have been quoted saying that if Radiohead rather than Max Martin has written this song, critics would have applauded its lyrical genius, but because it was sung by Britney Spears, a pop star... Rather than a plea for physical abuse, this song deals with the difficulty and regret of letting go of love and the heart's refusal to believe that it really is the end. Sometimes (It's not that I don't wanna stay - But every time you come too close I move away...) Acknowledges the fear and uncertainty many girls undergo when embarking upon their first relationship. Oops! I Did It Again! (You see my problem is this - I'm dreaming away - Wishing that heroes would truly exist - I cry watching the days - Can't you see I'm a fool in so many ways - But to lose all my senses - That is just so typically me...) True, this is an awful song. An unapologetic attempt on Spears' part to explain why she led some poor guy on... again. Her alternating between the sweet cooing of 'Ohhhh, you shouldn't have' and coquettish taunt 'I'm not that innocent' is nothing short of annoying, but there is still the glimmer of an underlying truth in the song's second verse. Girls in their mid-teens (and often well into their mid-30s and beyond) all too often fall into the trap of falling for, or putting up the appearance of having fallen for, guys who just don't... cut it, simply because they want to fall in love and find their proverbial knight in shining armour. Stronger (My loneliness ain't killing me nor more - I... I'm stronger) A sequel of sorts to '...Baby One More Time', it addresses both the triumphant feeling of independence and the actual hurt and pain of being on the other side of being led on. The song's clip opens with a close-up of Spears' face, eyes wide with confusion. We cut to her pretty-boy boyfriend, who is being mauled by a model-like brunette with too much eyelinger, and back to Spears, whose expression of confusion turns to pain. The boyfriend shrugs, and we cut back to Spears, whose expression changes to disgust as she says with valley girl nonchalance - 'whatever'. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (No matter what I do - No matter what I say - Everywhere I go - They say it's not okay - I can't get no satisfaction...) Despite the obvious sexual overtones of this song, heightened by Spears' groans and heavy breathing, it expresses more than just sexual frustration. The tone of Britney's voice suggests that not only is she not getting enough 'satisfaction', but she is also unsatisfied, trapped and stifled in the other aspects of her life. Aside from its overall pervading sense of oversexed horniness, 'Satisfaction' could almost be considered an archetypal teen angst song. What You See (Is What You Get) (You should never try to change me - I can be nobody else - And I like the way I am...) Although primarily about a soured relationship in which a boyfriend has suddently tried to take control over a girl's behaviour, no longer satisfied with the attributes that intially attracted him, this song also functions as a 'self-reassurance anthem' of sorts. Rather than bending to the wishes of others, Britney seems frustrated with their inability to accept her as she really is. While at odds with Britney's malleable persona as a pop star, the song, like 'Satisfaction', expresses the common adolescent frustration of feeling that the person you are is not sufficient to please other people. Lucky (She is so lucky but why does she cry? - If there is nothing missing in her life - Why do tears come at night...) 'Lucky' continues the theme over overall dissatisfaction with life that is present in Spears' songs. While overtly the story of a movie star (clearly intended to be equated with Spears) who isn't as 'lucky' as she seems, it also radiates the sense of alienation and loneliness almost universally experienced in adolescence. Granted, your average fifteen year old isn't a multi-million dollar pop star, but the feeling that no one really appreciates just how miserable your life is... is almost quintessentially teenage. A cliche, yes, but it's true. Girl In The Mirror (The pain that she's feeling - The sense of loneliness will face - So dry your tears and rest assured - Love will find you like before - But when she's looking back at me - I know nothing really works that easily...) Britney attempts to counsel herself in an endeavour to convince her reflection that, despite her current cynicism, things will end up okay in the end. Her practical side, however, is unable to overcome her emotional reluctance to believe in love. Heart (Oh heart - I'm not sure it's been long enough - To say that what I feel is really love...) As in 'Girl In The Mirror', Britney attempts to counsel herself about a failed relationship. I'm not going to try to convince anyone that these lyrics are particularly profound, life-changing, or even articulate. Because they're not. They don't offer any solutions, any hints at how to pave the path ahead. They don't even offer the emotional catharsis of what Jen Lindley of 'Dawson's Creek' refers to as 'angry femme music'. But they do read like the diary entries of a teenage girl. And this, I argue, is the essence of the popularity of Britney Spears. Spears embodies the frustration (sexual, social, emotional, spiritual - however you want to put it) that comes with adolescence. When compared with Christina Aguilera (I want you to know you could be the one for me - You've got what I'm looking for, you've got personality...), Jessica Simpson (Just the other night baby - I saw you hanging - You were with your crew - I was with mine too) and Mandy Moore (Sweet to me - Like sugar to my heart - I'm craving for you - I'm missing you like candy...), Britney Spears almost appears to be... meaningful? Admittedly, not all of Spears' songs possess the meaning of even the lyrics above. Many of the songs on her albums are stupid, inane (in 'One Kiss From You' she complains "I don't wanna hear my time will come - When it feels like it's already here - We should learn to walk before we run - But why go anywhere when you're so near...") - some even lack proper words, 'Soda Pop' including the lyrical gem: "Open the soda pop bop shu bop shu bop - The clock is ticking and we can't stop". And yes, Spears' one public attempt at songwriting is an embarrassing failure. 'Dear Diary' is arguably the worst track on either of Spears' albums, with both a dull, dragging melody and the stupidity (there really is no better word for it) of the lyrics. "Dear diary - Today I saw a boy - I wonder if he noticed me - He took my breath away... No one in this world knows me better than I do - So diary, I'll confide in you..." - Dear Diary So Britney Spears herself is not expressing her innermost adolescent fears. Instead, she is expressing a thirty year old Swedish man's (Max Martin, to the pop culturally obsessed) assumptions about the hopes, dreams, and fears of adolescent girls. She plays no part in the creation of the message, but she is the vessal through which the message arrives to us. She is an avatar of teenage confusion - be it sexual, emotional, or whatever you want to call it. And regardless of whether or not this aspect of her image is the key to her phenomenal success (despite Aguilera's greater vocal talent, and Moore's prettier features), I'd wager that it plays a part. Or, then again, maybe you're right. Maybe her blatantly sexual image really is the explanation. It's just a thought. back |
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