I'm a Slave 4 U
"I'm a Slave 4 U" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Britney Spears | ||||
from the album Britney | ||||
B-side | "Intimidated" | |||
Released | September 25, 2001 | |||
Recorded | July 2001 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 3:24 | |||
Label | Jive | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | The Neptunes | |||
Britney Spears singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"I'm a Slave 4 U" on YouTube |
"I'm a Slave 4 U" is a song recorded by American singer
Heralding a new, provocative image for Spears, "I'm a Slave 4 U" garnered a mixed reception from
Since its release, "I'm a Slave 4 U" has become one of Spears' signature hits, as well as having been considered one of the defining songs of the early 2000s, the new millennium, and of the pop genre. The original dance choreography, from the music video and live performances, has also been widely praised and imitated, with Spears doing little to alter it for many years after the song’s release. Her 2001 MTV Video Music Awards performance of the song is considered amongst the greatest live performances in pop music history, as well as a career highlight for Spears, on-par with iconic past performances of artists such as Madonna and Janet and Michael Jackson. MTV summarized Spears' performance at the ceremony, saying, "draping herself in a python and slithering around a steamy garden setting – surrounded by dancers in zebra and tiger outfits – Spears created one of the most striking visuals in the 27-year history of the show."[2] In 2021, Billboard ranked "I'm a Slave 4 U" at number three in its list of "The 100 Greatest Songs of 2001".[3]
Background and composition
"I'm a Slave 4 U" was written and produced by
The dance-pop[10] and R&B[11][12] song is backed with breathy and moaning vocals and scratching. The soundscape of the song has been noted to be similar to Vanity 6's 1982 song "Nasty Girl".[13]
Critical reception
Ted Kessler from
"I'm a Slave 4 U" received several comparisons to
Chart performance
"I'm a Slave 4 U" peaked at number 27 on the
Music video
The accompanying music video for "I'm a Slave 4 U" was filmed on a soundstage in
In the video, Spears and her backup dancers employ the same choreography and sing while looking over a balcony at cars down in the distance. Spears is portrayed as a
Live performances
Spears first performed "I'm a Slave 4 U" at the
Spears performed the song on the 2001–02
"I'm a Slave 4 U" was performed as a shortened version on the 2007
According to rehearsal videos published at Spears's social media accounts in late 2018, "I'm a Slave 4 U" was set to be performed at her planned residency Britney: Domination prior to its cancellation.
Legacy and influence
This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2022) |
"I'm a Slave 4 U" was widely seen as being a departure from Spears'
"I'm a Slave 4 U" was seen as so controversial upon its release that Spears received immense backlash from The Parents Association of America (PAA), as well as several other conservative outlets. The PAA also urged people to boycott Spears and criticized her for "being an irresponsible and bad role model to young girls all over the country", with even the wife of governor Bob Ehrlich proclaiming at a live press conference, "If I had a chance, I would shoot Britney Spears." Spears responded to the backlash in a December 2001 Rolling Stone article, "I don't see the big deal and I don't see the need for an apology. I'm a 19-year-old girl about to be 20, I'm growing up and there's nothing wrong with that. Besides no matter what, I can never win, when I did '...Baby One More Time' they were saying I was too controversial, so you can never win."
"One of her historic power moves: belly dancing with a python at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards to the blingiest Neptunes beat. 'I'm a Slave 4 U' is the ultimate Britney song of dancing as liberation versus dancing as addiction. 'All you people look at me like I'm a little girl,' she sings, perhaps slightly misjudging her relationship with the American public. But she lets out her kitty-kitty yowls with a bad case of cat-scratch fever. And the Prince-style spelling makes sense, since the sugar-walls strut of 'I'm a Slave 4 U' splits the difference musically between Vanity 6's 'Nasty Girl' and Apollonia 6's 'Sex Shooter.'
-Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone on the legacy of "I'm a Slave 4 U".[56]
While then seen as controversial, in subsequent years "I'm a Slave 4 U" has since gone down in
Miley Cyrus has also cited "I'm a Slave 4 U" for influencing the song and video for her 2013 hit "
In 2021, Billboard named it the third best song of 2001, by noting its impact – "it also blazed a new path for pop stars of the future, letting the world know that how an artist chooses to express themselves is entirely up to them, whether or not you 'like that'."[57]
Track listings
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Charts
Weekly charts |
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[107] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Belgium (BEA)[108] | Gold | 25,000* |
France ( SNEP)[109]
|
Silver | 125,000* |
Norway (IFPI Norway)[110] | Gold | 5,000* |
Sweden (GLF)[111] | Gold | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[112] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[113] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | September 25, 2001 |
|
Jive | |
Australia | October 15, 2001 | Maxi CD | BMG | |
Germany | ||||
United Kingdom |
|
RCA | ||
Japan | October 17, 2001 | Maxi CD | Avex Trax | |
New Zealand | October 22, 2001 | CD | BMG | |
France | October 23, 2001 |
|
Virgin | |
United States | October 30, 2001 | 12-inch vinyl | Jive |
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...I'm A Slave 4 U's R&B gone wonky groove...
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