In the Zone original tracklist + Girls and Boys being Britney's favourite song off the album

[PlayboyMommy]

I've been meaning to make this thread for a long time now and while I don't expect anyone here to have any real insight, I'm sure at least someone will find this interesting

Basically, I was going through old magazine scans one day and I found this interview where she mentions Girls and Boys being the song she's most excited about on In the Zone which at this point was at least a month ahead of its release

Quote

What song are you most excited about so far?

I really like the song called "Girls and Boys." It's a Linda Perry song--she wrote it. It's really rock influenced and it's very, very cool, so it's probably the song that I like the most

I thought it was interesting she mentioned a track that was only ever released as a B-side in Europe so I decided to search all the times the song had been mentioned around the time of the album's release date and I found two different reviews which mention Girls and Boys being part of the album

Perhaps more interesting of all, is this NYT piece written during the filming of the ABC special which reveal which other songs did and didn't make the cut amongst other things

Quote

Though there is a bawdy party anthem with the Atlanta rappers the Ying Yang Twins, ''(I Got That) Boom Boom'' and a sizzling proclamation of skin-deep girl power written and produced by R. Kelly, ''Outrageous,'' ''In the Zone'' is generally not a CD that would sound appropriate on an urban or R & B radio station

For ''In The Zone,'' a new collaboration with the Neptunes fell through, and songs from P. Diddy and Rodney Jerkins were not used. Ms. Spears did end up using songs by Linda Perry, Moby, the Matrix and RedZone

Taking all that into account, as well as this Billboard article published in September which mentions her co-writing 7 instead of the final 8 track on the album, the working tracklist most likely included the following songs

• Boom Boom
  Brave New Girl
  Breathe on Me 
  Early Mornin'
  Everytime
  Girls and Boys
  Me Against the Music
  Outrageous
  Shadow
  Touch of My Hand

Considering how she fought for Toxic to be released as a single and has since referred to The Hook Up as one of her favourite songs, it's entirely possible Showdown wasn't originally part of the tracklist and was only added once Girls and Boys was cut

While this is all very nice, something about this whole story doesn't really make sense. You see, the way albums were released back then, the tracklist had to be decided on months ahead of the album's release date so the album could be mastered, pressed and shipped to every country to meet its release window, (There were rumours around this time Jennifer Lopez angered her label when she decided to change the name off one of the songs on her album once it had already been sent to be pressed) so the fact that the album had a totally different tracklist less than a month before it was released doesn't add up

To add further confusion, Linda Perry actually knew ahead of the time the song wasn't going to make to the cut. so what's going on here exactly?

Honestly I have no idea 

The way I see it, Jive gave the press either an outdated tracklist or a promo disc featuring said tracklist and forgot to tell them it had been changed

[LordofTheMoodRing]

Ohhhhh 
I just assumed Girls and Boys was shortened to Boys. Oops my B lol 😝 ✌️ Intrigue 

[Neydelinska Spearsi]

1 minute ago, LordofTheMoodRing said:

Ohhhhh 
I just assumed Girls and Boys was shortened to Boys. Oops my B lol 😝 ✌️ Intrigue 

 

 

Huh?

 

 

[LordofTheMoodRing]

where been I? Ill give it a listen when Im home

[Cqleb]

It deserves the same Justice treatment that mood ring got in 2020 but hey maybe for ITZ’s trillionth anniversary if we ever get there 

[trip to my touch]

(unironically)

[PokemonSpears]

the only explanation that makes sense is that these interviews, I mean Britney's interview and the review that talks about Girls and Boys were done months in advance.

The Linda Perry interview that states that the song didn't make the cut was closer to the release date, so it's most likely the author already knew the final soundtrack by then.

 

[studlygeorge]

It’s funny Britney said that song is her favorite cus I believe Linda Perry stated Britney never finished recording the song, thus the lack of chorus vocals 

[descg]

1 hour ago, PlayboyMommy said:

While this is all very nice, something about this whole story doesn't really make sense. You see, the way albums were released back then, the tracklist had to be decided on months ahead of the album's release date so the album could be mastered, pressed and shipped to every country to meet its release window, (There were rumours around this time Jennifer Lopez angered her label when she decided to change the name off one of the songs on her album once it had already been sent to be pressed) so the fact that the album had a totally different tracklist less than a month before it was released doesn't add up

Usually they have like 18 songs mastered and then selected 12 and the others for the bonus tracks and b-sides. 

The cover was the one from that magazine. For example this is a promo send to Poland, maybe in one moth you can pressed and shipped:

Just a moment...

WWW.DISCOGS.COM

 

The tracklist is the same in this promo cd.

[descg]

By the way doesn't sound "rock" genre to me, is not like dance/trance?

Edited March 14 by descg

[BraveNewSeth]

It reminds me of Bring Me Home, which Britney talked about in multiple interviews before the Britney album was released saying it’s her favorite song on the album… only for the song to not make it onto the album. And recently we got confirmation that Britney may not have even laid down vocals on that track 💀 

[BBjammin]

somehow I have never heard this song, so thanks for this thread : )

[SJK]

I remember the name of the song and her talking about it for some reason but never heard it before.
Thanks for this  

[Jup1ter]

I used to listen that song a lot, now I do t like it much too many voices 

[MissSpearsSaysSo]

This stuff is so Nerdy Cool and fun to me, I’m the type of guy who enjoys reading linear notes and wiki articles about album singles and album statistics. Thanks to OP@PlayboyMommy I appreciate these kinda posts, they’re why I’m still a Britney Stan.  
 

Girls & Boys is a great song, it’s a shame that it never made it onto the standard track listing. Britney clearly loved the song, it’s a shame that Jive didn’t always believe in Britney’s vision, her music/Legacy would have been so different if they had. Jive/RCA.. seriously judging you right now..  
 

if I remember correctly, was the song not included on the international track list of the DVD/CD In The Zone EP? I so wish it got more exposure, cuz it’s so different than any sound Britney had experimented with up to that point. It may have even done good on radio.. What a good song, I was so obsessed with it back in ‘06 when I first discovered it on Limewire. Limewire, OMG…  

[descg]

Im reading the Linda interview.

""Girls and Boys," a sinuous electroclash tune. Britney Spears is singing about mas******g while her lover sleeps beside her. The song -- inspired by Perry's impression that Spears wanted something edgier in her repertoire".

This are her ***ual era for sure. This, Breathe On Me, Touch Of My Hand, Over To You Know and And Then We Kiss are similar. 

[Fab britney]

Wait this is my 1st time listening I feel like it fits the album really well and it’s a bop !

[CowrlosMc]

There's a demo by Linda Perry that I preferred that Britney had recorded it.
 

 

[trip to my touch]

4 minutes ago, CowrlosMc said:

There's a demo by Linda Perry that I preferred that Britney had recorded it.
 

 

oh wow. wasnt aware of this existence

[trip to my touch]

26 minutes ago, MissSpearsSaysSo said:

This stuff is so Nerdy Cool and fun to me, I’m the type of guy who enjoys reading linear notes and wiki articles about album singles and album statistics. Thanks to OP@PlayboyMommy I appreciate these kinda posts, they’re why I’m still a Britney Stan.  
 

Girls & Boys is a great song, it’s a shame that it never made it onto the standard track listing. Britney clearly loved the song, it’s a shame that Jive didn’t always believe in Britney’s vision, her music/Legacy would have been so different if they had. Jive/RCA.. seriously judging you right now..  
 

if I remember correctly, was the song not included on the international track list of the DVD/CD In The Zone EP? I so wish it got more exposure, cuz it’s so different than any sound Britney had experimented with up to that point. It may have even done good on radio.. What a good song, I was so obsessed with it back in ‘06 when I first discovered it on Limewire. Limewire, OMG…  

yeah it is part of the bonus cd of the itz dvd that was available in europe