The Magic of the Oops Era

[filmandstage13]

I feel like Britney is known these days for not promoting (something she's truly earned!), but there was a time when Britney kept us FED!  The first 5 years of her career were non-stop work and we always had new Britney content.  The Oops era is probably the perfect storm of anticipation, execution, and promotion, creating an album rollout the likes of which I don't think we've seen before (though the Britney era is a very close second) and likely never will again considering today's fragmented media.  After a smash debut, it was the first time we'd get new Britney music, and we were thirsty!  And she DELIVERED!

I should start with a disclaimer - the amount of work Britney put into her career is superhuman.  Just take a look at this schedule that was circulating on Twitter

The combination of appearances, interviews, and performances - and not just of her music, but also having to rehearse so she can host AND perform at SNL?  Just one of these would have stressed me out, but to pack all of them into May and June is crazy.  Just a sampling of her appearances is below.  And this was all leading up to a huge world tour, where she absolutely wasn't slowing down:

 

 

And the resulting era was pop music perfection.  I'm not sure who remembers, but the Oops single debuted on MTV's Making the Video more than a month before the album in April of 2000.  To me, Oops took the Baby One More Time formula and combined it with the bombast of the 2000 millennial pop sound that she helped to create.  It was everything that fans wanted - an updated twist on more of the same.  In fact, it's so similar to Baby One More Time in structure that you can literally sing one on top of the other and it lines up perfectly.  Luckily, the production is sleeker and Britney has fully embodied her teen queen persona that it works really well. 

It seems a little crazy by today's standards, but for over a month, the only way we could listen to Oops was on the radio or on MTV, because (in the US at least) there was no physical single available unless you found an import.  (Luckily my family taped - yes on VHS - the Making the Video episode and rewatched it regularly).  While extremely hard to wait, it meant we were all primed to buy the album when it hit the shelves on 5/16/2000.  In the meantime, we more than knew all the words because she was on so many shows performing it!

Lucky as a 2nd single not only built on the millennial pop sound, but served to build up the legend of Britney as a pop star.  It may seem a little kidd-ish compared to her other singles today, but I cannot stress enough how everyone in the sixth grade knew and constantly sang this song.  Its Billboard chart placement (#23) far undersells its popularity because it was once again an airplay-only single.  I love the song because, while firmly rooted in 2000 production, its structure is based on 60s girl group, which she leaned into for the performances.

Of all of the singles, Stronger has to be my favorite.  An all-time top 10 for me.  It has everything you hope for in a Britney song: strong vocals mixed with Britney-isms (those voice-modulated "babys" are everything), a driving beat, and a callback to her biggest hit to date.  But in stark contrast to the Baby One More Time album, Stronger embodied themes of independence and strength, allowing growth for Britney (at least as a pop persona), and something her young fans can relate and aspire to. 

Of all of her singles besides the title track, Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know might have been the best known to fans prior to the album release because she performed frequently in the lead-up promotion.  Shania Twain (who was very hot at the time herself) co-wrote the track and it has all of the trademark elements of her best ballads.  Britney's voice is a great fit - it's super strong, sultry, and conveys yearning while still being ****.  And if any video represented an indication of where Britney was headed, this is the one.  Her first video to NOT be featured on the Disney Channel due to its steamy content.

There are also some excellent non-singles in this era as well.  In fact, considering the success of this album, I'm a bit surprised there weren't more than four singles.  What U See (Is What U Get) seems like it was single-ready, and Can't Make You Love Me is an underappreciated gem.  Don't Go Knockin' On My Door seems like it could have fit in well on Destiny's Child's masterpiece The Writing's on the Wall, and Britney proved she could dabble in different sounds. She makes Satisfaction her own, but the definitive version was the live VMA cut.  I will say, my only (very minor) critique of the album is that it's pretty top-heavy.  Aside from Can't Make You Love Me, things slow down quite a bit after track 7.  The interludes are also cute, but a bit of a stark contrast to the imagery in her videos at the time.  They would have felt more at home in the Baby era, as would Dear Diary.  But kudos for Britney getting that writing credit on the album proper!  I'm So Curious deserved a spot on Baby!  It would be the next album where we'd finally see the Britney-penned masterpieces start to arrive!

I'll just close this thread by saying - popstars would die to have this many iconic moments come out of one album era.  Beyond the iconic singles and the unforgettable red catsuit moment, some other moments that are seared in pop history that occurred during this album era:

Anyway - I'm not sure how one human accomplished all of these things basically from Spring 2000 to Summer 2001.  A legend who put in more than her share of the work!

 

[princessmimi]

Agree!

Personally in my opinion,

I think this album is the best from her prime because the music/era/aesthetic is very cohesive,

the songs are very strong and a lot of them could've been singles and its just pure pop perfection!

 

I still to this day wish she released Where Are You Now as a single or at least sang it live.

I would've loved to hear her sing that high note during a live performance of the song 

[Jup1ter]

Love it that's where I started being a fan

but Britney era >