This Day in Pop: 'Womanizer' music video premieres in 2008 (October 10)

[PokemonSpears]

  

On October 10, 2008, Britney Spears released the Womanizer music video, the lead single off her album Circus.

The video was directed by Joseph Kahn, who had previously directed Stronger and Toxic videos in 2000 and 2004 respectively. It was filmed in September, and according to Kahn, it was Britney who pitched him the original concept with all the elements that were ultimately used in the final product. In an interview with MTV, Joseph said "She pitched to me a very detailed idea of what she wanted to do. She wanted to dress up in costume, she wanted to follow her man to work, and she eventually wanted to show at the end that she is all three of those women."

 

"It was, like, her first video that no one really knew if she could even come on set, you know? It was just a big question as to you know, like, what would that video look like?" he said. "What shape would she be in? Can she really dance? Can she perform? Who is she at this point?"

"Womanizer, for me, was a great experience on a personal level, because it completely verified that she was coming back," he continued. "By the time I worked with her on 'Womanizer,' you know, that was the Britney that I knew and it was a fun experience for me."

For the sauna scenes Joseph said: "It was an actual sauna and we built a big tent around it ... and Britney, naked again. I guess I have one of the best jobs in the world. I was like, 'You know, if we do this video, and she went through all this work to get a new paint job, I was gonna show off the paint job — she's gonna be naked in this video.' "

"By the time it got out — and the beautiful thing about the Internet is that you get instant reaction — the reaction seemed to be very positive. I'm going to sound like such a wuss, but I think I cried," he said. "That sounds super lame, but come on, man — that's five days of some serious stress. And I had to end the video on her smiling, for sure. Like, we just need to tell everybody that she's OK."

 

About working with Joseph Kahn, Britney said "Working on 'Womanizer' with Joseph was a lot of fun. [...] He makes sure that he gets the types of shots that go with the music. It's not like a movie, it's more like a musical. You know, if I say 'on the hi-hat here or on the drumbeat here, I want my leg to be in the air.' And it's that detail, and it does make a difference, and that's what he can do. It's very rare to find people that still know how to do that."

 

In 2019, amid the #FreeBritney movement, Joseph Kahn tweeted that the record label denied him a bigger budget for the video:

 

The video was nominated for Video of the Year at the VMA's 2009, but lost to Beyoncé's Single Ladies. However, it did win the Best Pop Video category. In MTV Latin America, it landed at #5 on the Top 100 of 2008.

In 2013 it reached the 100M views on her official YouTube account.

However it was in February 2020 that it got the most views in a single day, ever since it was uploaded to her account, with 1,395,897 views.

It currently has over 347M views.

 

 

[danielgeismas]

iconic. invented april 20th. 

[babyimmafreak90]

It’s a good MV and she looked smokin’ 

and lbr, name a more iconic comeback with this level of slayage. 

Womanizer is amongst my least listened to Britney songs though. I like Circus and it’s MV better. 

[BritneyStan88]

Iconic vid! Loved the square shape fried egg ❤️

[PokemonSpears]

6 hours ago, BritneyStan88 said:

Iconic vid! Loved the square shape fried egg ❤️

[princessmimi]

The RESURRECTION of her career and the birth of a comeback QUEEN!

How can anyone not like this video or song??

Plus she looked SOOOO HOT in it especially naked!

 

Also idk if its just me but I miss her strong southern accent that she used to have like in the clip posted on here.

I wonder what happened to it

[bitbitboi]

18 hours ago, PokemonSpears said:

 

I didn't know Team Con said that!! :O

[PokemonSpears]

18 minutes ago, bitbitboi said:

I didn't know Team Con said that!! :O

that wasn't team con, that was Jive Records

[Tear the floor up up]

I think it took me a minute to warm to this song, but I was definitely hooked when the video came!

 

[electricopop]

ICONIC. Now, we need the video in 4K!!!

[bitbitboi]

13 hours ago, Tear the floor up up said:

I think it took me a minute to warm to this song, but I was definitely hooked when the video came!

 

omg 2008 was such a 1998 flashback... You can tell they destroyed her just by remembering her gestures and mannerisms back then... She lost that now.

[agustinmalandra]

I remember my 17 gay *** boping and screaming of joy when this video came out 

[Alex Murr]

Did you know that there is a part that goes unnoticed by everyone, I think she had no underwear on when she had the long skirt, sec. 0:46, is it just my impression? 

 

[asitalian12587]

one. of. her. best. SO good. she really came out swinging for this era, especially after the year she had prior. such a strong woman.