Britney Spears - 'Piece Of Me'
In the film 'This Is Spinal Tap', there's a brilliant moment where the slightly dim rock band that the film is about are having an enormous row. There's been a misunderstanding between their visionary guitarist Nigel Tufnel and the lady the band has hired to build a stage set. He asked for a replica Stonehenge, and sketched out the design on a paper napkin, adding approximate measurements. Unfortunately he's put inches instead of feet, leaving the band with a stage set which, in the immortal words of the band's lead singer David St. Hubbins is "in danger of being crushed by a dwarf".
The band only discovered the mistake while performing their song 'Stonehenge' live on stage, and are more than a little cross. Accusations are flying back and forth, tempers are frayed, and everyone is shouting. It's at this moment of massively high tension that stoic bass player Derek Smalls asks, in all innocence, whether they will be performing 'Stonehenge' again the following night.
I only mention this because, in the light of recent events in the life of Britney Spears - Pop Star, making any attempt to review her current single - or even to address the fact that she has a day job - puts you right in that moment of attempting to ask a practical question in the middle of an incredibly emotional moment, and in doing so, missing the point of everything which is going on around you.
This feeling is multiplied by the tough-talking, bullish (that's B.U.L.L.I.S.H., not the other word) lyrics to 'Piece Of Me'. Lyrics which would come across as empowering, brave and tough, but for all the bad stuff which has happened to Britney since the song was recorded. Right now it seems that the major problem is less to do with media intrusion (although Lord alone knows it can't have helped, and probably continues to not-help on a massive scale), and more to do with Britney herself.
In fact, a more cruel and uncaring blog than this one would have already come up with an extra chorus for the end of the song, and this time some of the blame would land a little closer to home. Something like this, perhaps...
"I'm Mrs Tied-Down-For-My-Mental-Health
(I am in pieces, me)
I'm Mrs Can't-Seem-To-Control-Myself
(I am in pieces, me)
I'm Mrs Taking-Far-Too-Many-Pills
(I am in pieces, me)
I'm Mrs She's-Too-Fit now She's-Too-Ill
(I am in pieces, me)"
(To balance this, here's ...)
So, unless 'Piece Of Me' was being sung as a kind of therapy-cure, into a mirror, in front of camera crews from all of the world's media organisations, plus a battery of paparazzi, and journalists from all the tabloid newspapers, and other journalists from all the celebrity magazines, and journalists from all the music mags, and everyone who presents celebrity gossip shows on TV, and all the celebrity bloggers, and her dad, and her mum, and her sister, and the people who looked after Britney in rehab, and the court officials who signed the documents handing her children over to K-Fed, and her children, and K-Fed himself...unless ALL OF THESE PEOPLE WERE IN THE ROOM AT THE SAME TIME AND IT MADE EVERYTHING ALL BETTER FOREVER...
...well, it just makes the song, good as it is, seem like the least important thing in the whole world. And it's not often you'll hear a member of Team ChartBlog say something like that.
Download: Out now
CD Released: January 7th
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comments
I think that's in bad taste. Poor woman. I'd have focused more on how brilliant the song is.
[Ben, that's the point. If we just focus on the song about how much a media freakshow her life has become, while she's in the middle of an even BIGGER media freakshow, isn't that missing the point of the song? I've a lot of sympathy for Britney Spears, I really have. - Fraser]
I get it that every review of Blackout had to mention her relationship with the media partly because she referenced it, but I wish I could find one review that doesn't liken it to some kind of vehicular accident. I guess I would want to completely take the song out of context, imagine Britney was a just any other singer who complains about fame, and think "Ooh... I like her croakiness... and that's a good line", etc.
[I wanted to write that review, and I would've, but for the events of the last week, which are very dramatic and incredibly relevant to the subject matter of the song. If it makes you feel any better, go here and read Steve's thoughts on the song as a song. - Fraser]
At what point in this 'review' did you ACTUALLY Review the single, this is very sloppy journalism... Why did you not actually look at how the good the song really is, lyrically and the production credentials, or maybe even the fact the video is on par with her previous efforts as opposed to a slight set back with 'Gimme More'. This is a well fitted second single from an Artist who depsite all that is going on in her life managed to push out the best Album of 2007. She slams the lame media who hound the hell out of the poor girl, and are probably half the reason she is the way she is, the video rips the piss out of every silly report people write about her.... Britney is on point, and the sad thing is everyone is so wrapped upm in listening to the useless words of the News of the World to look at how much of a good album she actually put together....
[Seriously? You really don't understand that the stuff she's talking about in this song (and in the video) is already massively out of date? You don't get that by releasing this song during what seems to be a breakdown for her, Britney's record label are part of the problem too? You don't see that it's beyond stupid to talk about production and the video (no matter how good the song is, and it did get four stars, by the way) when the girl singing it has recently had to be tied to a stretcher for her own safety, and her children have been taken away? The News Of the World didn't make that up, y'know. I think you might be missing the bigger picture. - Fraser]
Hi Fraser, i just wanted to leave a comment that you then didn't have to subsequently defend yrself on.
good writing :)
[OH MY GOD THAT IS THE LAST STR...
Oh! Thanks! ;-) - Fraser]
personally, i love both her latest singles just as much as her classics.
But, Britney does need help, her family should step in and sort her lief out beofre it's too late