How did "3" Become a No. 1 Hit?

[forefortifive]

It's not as replayed as her other songs, but I remember "3" getting so much overplay in 2010.

How did it become a huge hit?

[WhatTheHellWhoCares?]

It was a damn good song, especially for that time. 

[PZHSB]

It came out of nowhere and was so good. It was like modern classic pop. 

[gapeach704]

Because it was Britney and Max Martin…which is pop perfection. And was coming off the success of Circus. 

[IndieBritFan]

I’m not a fan of the lyrics but the instrumental is perfection 

[Million Billion]

12 minutes ago, aspireone said:

How did it become a huge hit?

Well, it didnt. That's why. 

 

Well, Im not sure but I dont see it as a big hit on the same level as Womanizer, Circus, Gimme More, Piece of Me, TTWE or I Wanna Go which were actual hits around that time. It's just a cool song which happened to hit #1 like many others but it's not memorable. 

 

My scale to test if a pop song was a hit, is asking people who are not entirely into pop music, if they remember it was a hit and '3' is not one fo those. 

[Kletus]

Not you creating this topic when LITERALLY all I have been listening to is "3" for the last week

[4EverIntoxicated]

I remember hearing guys in my classes talking about it. I think it was just the subject matter 

[forefortifive]

4 minutes ago, Million Billion said:

Well, it didnt. That's why. 

 

Well, Im not sure but I dont see it as a big hit on the same level as Womanizer, Circus, Gimme More, Piece of Me, TTWE or I Wanna Go which were actual hits around that time. It's just a cool song which happened to hit #1 like many others but it's not memorable. 

 

My scale to test if a pop song was a hit, is asking people who are not entirely into pop music, if they remember it was a hit and '3' is not one fo those. 

I'll give you this.

"3" has no long-lasting impact sans being featured in POM for years.

IUSA and Criminal are more played these days than 3, in terms of Spotify and YouTube.

BUT at the time, "3" was definitely a hit, an overplayed hit even. It just didn't last long in the public consciousness.

 

"3" is like HIAM, but i don't actually remember HIAM being played at the time whereas I remember "3".

[Stefani]

Was it really that big though? I went #1 but it ranked quite low on the YE chart in both 2009 and 2010. And I haven't heard the song on radio in years where I live compared to Womanizer, Circus, HIAM, TTWE and S&S which still get a decent amount of recurrent airplay. High chart peak =/= big hit imo. 

[gapeach704]

4 minutes ago, Million Billion said:

Well, it didnt. That's why. 

 

What?  “3” was Britney’s first song to debut at #1 on the billboard hot 100. Britney has performed it on every tour and residency since it was released. This is literally one of her biggest hits. Like…what? 

[SlayOut]

Payola!

Just kidding!  Idk how it accomplished that but 3 was my high school bop!

[gapeach704]

1 minute ago, Stefani said:

Was it really that big though? I went #1 but it ranked quite low on the YE chart in both 2009 and 2010. And I haven't heard the song on radio in years around here compared to Womanizer, Circus, HIAM, TTWE and S&S which still get a decent amount of recurrent airplay.

Year end charts = yearly farts. 3 was a huge hit 

[Kletus]

I think the real question is why did the music video said "living in NIS is the new thing" when they didn't even censor for radio

[Spicechinodiva]

It was plugged for a greatest hits album that nobody asked for 

 

But that box set is so rare, 29 CD singles, with a single layer dvd, and from what I'm told the video content is bad due to it being a single layer over a dual layer disc. 

 

3 remains her last Grammy nomination to date in best dance recording lost to Poker face by lady gaga, of course and naturally expected to lose to that juggernaut which still gets massive airplay. 

[Mattyj7883]

[Freakshow__]

I was surprised it that was big with zero promo. 

[Phonography423]

I just watched the video for the first time in years this weekend. Still don’t understand why people even like it. 

[Kletus]

2 minutes ago, Phonography423 said:

I just watched the video for the first time in years this weekend. Still don’t understand why people even like it. 

Spoiler

 

[Million Billion]

17 minutes ago, gapeach704 said:

What?  “3” was Britney’s first song to debut at #1 on the billboard hot 100. Britney has performed it on every tour and residency since it was released. This is literally one of her biggest hits. Like…what? 

Maybe it was a temporary hit but it is only remembered by either britney fans or (at most) by people who are into pop music. Bad Romance came out around the same time and the difference is huuuuuuge, that's an actual hit. The fact she included it in her shows says nothing about if it was a hit or not. 

 

16 minutes ago, Spicechinodiva said:

3 remains her last Grammy nomination to date in best dance recording lost to Poker face by lady gaga

That was Womanizer in 2010