"Toxic" songwriter Cathy Dennis says it was originally written for Janet Jackson

[danielhaus29]

Cathy Dennis, one of the masterminds behind Britney Spears' iconic song "Toxic," says it was originally written for Janet Jackson. 

“That was written in Sweden with Bloodshy & Avant [Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg] and Henrik Jonback. I went over there to write with Janet Jackson in mind," she tells IvorsAcademy. 

"I was there for about ten days in total. I’d had a meeting with Janet, I think in London, but it may have been in New York. I thought I’d have a go at writing something that would work for her and it didn’t come out at the time. We did have this song Toxic, though. “It was started on day one of seven… then took part of day two to try to finish it. And because I couldn’t quite finish it, I said: ‘Look, let’s start on something else.’ So we wrote another three songs that week and in my spare time while I was in my hotel room I was very busy editing my lyrics on Toxic. Eventually on day seven, which was the day I was flying back to England, I had run out of time. I knew that it was D-Day and I had to sing and that was what I came up with after a lot of editing.”

Fun fact: Janet turned down "Slave 4 U."

Thoughts, Exhale?!

 

Related:

[JoshuaWood]

1 minute ago, danielhaus29 said:

Cathy dennis 

Britney Spears, Toxic
“That was written in Sweden with Bloodshy & Avant [Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg] and Henrik Jonback. I went over there to write with Janet Jackson in mind. I was there for about ten days in total. I’d had a meeting with Janet, I think in London, but it may have been in New York. I thought I’d have a go at writing something that would work for her and it didn’t come out at the time. We did have this song Toxic, though. “It was started on day one of seven… then took part of day two to try to finish it. And because I couldn’t quite finish it, I said: ‘Look, let’s start on something else.’ So we wrote another three songs that week and in my spare time while I was in my hotel room I was very busy editing my lyrics on Toxic. Eventually on day seven, which was the day I was flying back to England, I had run out of time. I knew that it was D-Day and I had to sing and that was what I came up with after a lot of editing.”

 

Source: https://ivorsacademy.com/info_advice/perfect-pop-cathy-dennis-interview/

Well the creator/s of Toxic (samples included - Lata Mangeshkar & S.P Balasubramaniam - Tere Mere Beech Mein (1981)) deserve a lifetime achievement award.

That song is a masterpiece ;)

[PokemonSpears]

30 minutes ago, danielhaus29 said:

D-Day

 

Well, so Slave and Toxic were created for Janet

[Nickey]

Wasn't it for Kylie Minogue tho? 

[PlayboyMommy]

I feel like she comes up with a different story each time to be honest 

[babyimmafreak90]

17 minutes ago, Nickey said:

Wasn't it for Kylie Minogue tho? 

That’s what I thought too 
Either way, Toxic was just too iconic for Janet or Kylie and I’m glad history got it right in this case 

[Stannedforever]

22 minutes ago, Nickey said:

Wasn't it for Kylie Minogue tho? 

Toxic was offered to Kylie Minouge at some point but she turned it down. Cathy states here that she wrote the song Janet in mind but it's not clear if Janet ever even heard the demo. 

[ThisMeowBiteback]

I can’t see Janet singing it, just like I can’t see Britney singing umbrella 

some songs are not meant to be 

[Nickey]

21 minutes ago, Stannedforever said:

Toxic was offered to Kylie Minouge at some point but she turned it down. Cathy states here that she wrote the song Janet in mind but it's not clear if Janet ever even heard the demo. 

Oh, now I see.

 

Well I love Kylie but Britney's voice has that meaty extra something that makes this song way more "wow". Kylie or Janet would never.

[Puppy]

36 minutes ago, Stannedforever said:

Toxic was offered to Kylie Minouge at some point but she turned it down. Cathy states here that she wrote the song Janet in mind but it's not clear if Janet ever even heard the demo. 

I could've sworn she said she wrote Toxic with Kylie in mind, it sounds very much like a Kylie track especially with those high notes. I mean the track was practically finished and Britney just laid her vocals on it. Maybe she got it mixed up 

but seeing as Britney is a Janet fan and wanted slave and boys because they were Janet rejects, so maybe it was. 

[Infinity101]

Fake news! Janet wouldn't sing Toxic rofl!! 

[Soysaucechicken08]

I mean this is standard practice in the music industry songs are passed around to different artist the same time ..bought etc then writer sometimes is an artist and wants it back for themselves etc etc. I could see Janet or Kylie both singing this as they’re both like Britney and have that **** whispery tone. But if Janet got this it’d be very diff sound for her At this point in her music career.. could of been a hit for her bc or a forgettable flop lol. 🤣🤷🏻‍♀️

[bliss]

I'm not surprised by this, I'm A Slave 4 U was also supposed to be for Janet. I'm glad it ended up with Britney cause I don't think it would've fit Janet or the Damita Jo album.

[danielhaus29]

9 hours ago, Soysaucechicken08 said:

I mean this is standard practice in the music industry songs are passed around to different artist the same time ..bought etc then writer sometimes is an artist and wants it back for themselves etc etc. I could see Janet or Kylie both singing this as they’re both like Britney and have that **** whispery tone. But if Janet got this it’d be very diff sound for her At this point in her music career.. could of been a hit for her bc or a forgettable flop lol. 🤣🤷🏻‍♀️

It would most likely flopped because of the Superbowl backlash.

[Leolileinstein]

I can image Janet singing Slave 4 U or Boys or even Circus but not toxic lol

[Roxxy]

I think she's just confused.

But now that I think about it,Toxic is like all of Janet's smex bops during the 2000s. All Nite (Don't Stop), So Excited, and Feedback. 

[Brat]

I can’t see Janet singing “all you people look at me like I’m a little girl” 

[Puppy]

1 minute ago, Brat said:

I can’t see Janet singing “all you people look at me like I’m a little girl” 

That’s the line that bothers you? Her just singing “I’m a slaaaaave for youuuuu” as a black woman

[Stefani]

Janet's version would've slayed if it had been released before the Superbowl, but not after. 

[jdaf43g]

Not disregarding some of the impact Janet Jackson had on Britney's career, but the fact is that 'Toxic' was NEVER written for Janet Jackson.

In that widely circulated quote, Cathy Dennis clearly said about Janet, "I went over there to write with Janet Jackson in mind. I was there for about ten days in total. I’d had a meeting with Janet, I think in London, but it may have been in New York. I thought I’d have a go at writing something that would work for her and it didn’t come out at the time."

https://ivorsacademy.com/info_advice/perfect-pop-cathy-dennis-interview/

Then she says, "We did have this song Toxic, though."  And 'Toxic' is the song she initially offered to Kylie Minogue, not Janet Jackson.

Don't forget, in those sessions Cathy Dennis also wrote 'Sweet Dreams of My La Ex', which sounds VERY similar to Toxic, and also not written for Janet Jackson.