An ode to pre-crazy Britney

Lately Britney Spears has followed Tom Cruise into the world of kookville. But, as with Michael Jackson, when we're talking about singers, one mustn’t let their eccentricities overshadow the music itself. Especially in the case of someone like Britney, who doesn’t get enough respect as it is.

No, she’s not a great singer, and she doesn’t write her own songs… hmmm, what was my point? Well, she has been one of the most influential artists of the past 10 years, for better or worse. And mindless pop music is not a bad thing. Sometimes you just want to dance...

So with that in mind, let's flashback to the days when she was America's sweetheart, claiming to be a virgin and sneaking cigarettes when the paparazzi weren't looking. Before she met K-Fed, went crazy, and shaved her head. Here they are, the top 5 Britney songs of all-time (I was going to make this a top 10 before I realized I couldn't come up with ten worthy tracks...)

5. Lucky, 2000
A cute, simple pop song. It’s done in the third-person narrative style, but manages to overcome that tired format. It featured a catchy chorus – “she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart” – that was easy enough for the TRL kids to sing along to, and a video that allowed her to explore her emerging diva side.




4. (You Drive Me) Crazy, 1999
The other big dance hit from Brit’s debut album. How ironic is this song title now? She’s crazy, but she feels alright. Words to live by.




3. …Baby One More Time, 1998
This will almost certainly go down as Brit’s signature song, the one that introduced her to the world, the one that conjured up countless Lolita fantasies with the Catholic school outfit (I use the word Lolita in a shameless attempt to get more hits from the search engines…) I just discovered it was originally offered to TLC first, but they turned it down, which is a good thing. You wouldn't want T-Boz singing these silly lyrics. This song was tailor-made for Miss Spears.




2. Overprotected, 2002
Not as well known as her other big dance songs (it peaked at #85), this one hits harder than all the rest. If there’s one Britney song you want to crank up the speakers and blast out your windows, this is it. The lyrics offer a sense of rebellion, which is always a winning theme in pop music. And it has that killer chorus that I’m always a sucker for. I love when there are multiple vocal tracks layered together into one, all-powerful voice.





1. Everytime, 2004
A gorgeous, sweet ballad with toy piano as a prominent instrument. How can you not love a song that features toy piano? It probably took Brit 100 takes to record it, but no matter - the end result is great. Look, I even found video of her singing it live instead of lip synching!



Honorable mention: Sometimes, I'm a Slave 4 U, I Love Rock N Roll