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Why Blackout by Britney Spears is one of the most influential pop albums in history (a thread):
13 years ago today, Britney Spears released “Blackout” as her fifth studio album, to celebrate its thirteenth anniversary I’ll show you why blackout is one of the most influential pop albums ever.
In February 2007, Britney Spears walked into a California beauty salon and shaved her head in full view of the snapping paparazzi. After the infamous breakdown, Spears checked into rehab.
In July 2007, she finalized her divorce from her husband, Kevin F*derline. In September 2007, Britney performed “Gimme More” at the VMAs, the performance received heavy criticism by the general public, regardless, it’s known as one of the most iconic moments in pop culture.
Soon after, she temporally lost custody of her children.
And yet on October 25, Britney released her most influential and critically acclaimed album to date “Blackout”. The producers were told not to write about Spears' personal struggles, and yet it feels like her most personal album.
The album opens with the most iconic 3 words in history “It’s Britney Bitch.” Gimme More pretends to be about s*x, but the lyrics are actually about the public’s addiction with Britney’s personal life.
Radar,” “Get Naked (I Got a Plan),” and “Freakshow” depict Spears as having the voracious sexual appetite the public had been projecting onto her since she was a teenager.
“Piece Of Me” is a response to the media scrutiny and sensationalism of Britney’s private life.
Blackout was the first album that brought EDM elements into mainstream, where they still permeate today. In 2012, it became her first and only album to join the archives of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
At the time the album dropped, it sounded like it came from the future.
Pop radio had remained steeped in the pop-R&B influences that had also driven Spears’ music until then.
Pop radio had remained steeped in the pop-R&B influences that had also driven Spears’ music until then.
Rolling Stone defined blackout as an avant-disco concept album about that is about getting famous, not giving a fuck, getting divorced, getting publicly mocked and despised and humiliated. But mostly is an album about not giving a fuck.
Nobody has ever been able to explain how Blackout happened, how a star in mid-meltdown managed to document it all so vividly.
Also Blackout is the first (and so far, only) album to have Spears herself as executive producer.
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