Oh baby, baby Britney Spears is back!
Oh baby, baby … Britney Spears is back!
Britney Spears' new single is out and her long-awaited album is released Nov. 13, which means I'm too excited to sit still.
MTV confirmed she would open the Video Music Awards in Las Vegas, adding a third element to this perfect storm of pop culture events.
Her new song "Gimme More" is more like her "In The Zone" songs than previous albums and complete with giggles and breathy vocals, it's clear Britney is giving us more of what we already love, rather than trying to reinvent, which is refreshing.
Many people are calling her new album and performance a "comeback." I disagree, calling her album new and her performance a return to the VMAs, which incidentally is probably the most exciting return of an entertainment phenomenon since "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace." Yes, I'm comparing Britney to "Star Wars." She's out of this world in my opinion.
A comeback implies one went away and Britney (I like to think we're on a first-name basis) never did. Even in 2002, when she announced she was taking some time off, the press wouldn't leave her alone. I will backtrack here and say if she really wanted to stay out of the public eye, she could avoid red carpets, but the point is, people never got bored with her.
No, she doesn't need to make a comeback at all. For many artists, a four-year hiatus between albums is nothing. The pop market is more demanding, so people are wondering where her new release is and it's been a while not because she's out of creative energy, but because of starting a family, something I admire her for prioritizing.
Leading to the news of her new album, Britney's antics and legal battles received most of the attention, but I became a fan before she was old enough to vote.
I remember the joy of watching the "Baby One More Time" video before high school each morning and waiting to get home in the afternoon to see it again. When I got the CD for Christmas it traveled with me wherever I went.
I recall where I was each time I purchased her subsequent albums, including an arrival just before 7 a.m. at a store the morning "Oops … I did it Again" came out, watching the night crew finish their shift as I anxiously awaited open doors. I still proudly tell people I got the first copy from that store.
My first Britney concert was in 1999, and around 20 rows back, my view was further enhanced by the fact I was taller than most of her much younger fans. Following the concert, I celebrated with a clubhouse sandwich at a restaurant I frequented and I have never since ordered that meal in an effort to preserve the memory of that night.
Britney's been there with me during many of life's changes including college. In 2000 my good friend Chris and I drove from Seattle to see her at the Gorge, one of the great experiences of my life. Two days later I left to attend school in Arizona, and things changed forever, but that concert lives on in my memory as a last celebration of youth before the world suddenly got much bigger.
Now I'm a four-time Britney concert attendee and I can't wait for my fifth.
Throughout college Britney had more albums, a movie, which of course, is in my collection, and continued to tour. She's remained a constant in lifting my moods with her irresistible pop sounds and brightening my TV set with her radiance. OK, she could use some style assistance when it comes to radiance.
I think Britney's been a constant in others' lives which attributes to her ubiquity on entertainment news programs and gossip magazines, not just her strange acts.
Oddly enough, her bizarre and erratic behavior makes her more endearing to me. Truly gifted people are often haunted and she's no exception. Hyperbole aside, my heart sometimes breaks for her when I think of the public pain she's endured. She's a serious performer, possibly with some serious issues and I find that fascinating. It's clear though, she's stronger than some think and she's going to show people she's as good as she ever was.
It's obvious by the amount of publicity surrounding her VMA performance, there are many looking forward to seeing her. Her VMA performances are landmarks on the show's great history and her latest is just the start of what she has to show.
Please, Britney. Gimme more!
Chaz Holmes is the Columbia Basin Herald news assistant. His favorable opinion on Britney Spears remains steadfast despite the tabloid stories and gentle teasing he receives from co-workers.
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