Britney Spears videography

Spears performing during The Circus Starring Britney Spears tour, 2009

American entertainer Britney Spears has released 47 music videos and ten video albums. She has appeared in several films, television shows, and commercials. Spears made her acting debut at age 11 in the television show The All-New Mickey Mouse Club (1993–1994), playing various roles. She then made her feature film debut in Longshot (2001) as a cameo, portraying a flight attendant. In 2002, she starred as Lucy Wagner in Crossroads. The film grossed $61 million worldwide and earned her a nomination for Best Female Breakthrough Performance at the 2002 MTV Movie Awards.[1][2] The same year, she gave her voice to the character Donner in the American dubbing of Robbie the Reindeer's television specials Hooves of Fire (1999) and Legend of the Lost Tribe (2002). In television series, she portrayed the guest roles of Amber-Louise and Abby in Will & Grace (2006) and How I Met Your Mother (2008), respectively. Spears also has released a few television documentaries, including Britney: For the Record (2008).

In 1998, Spears's first music video "...Baby One More Time", in which she chose to dress as a Catholic schoolgirl, propelled her to superstardom.[3] It ranked number one on TRL's Final Countdown of the most iconic music videos.[4] The music video for the lead single from Spears's second studio album, "Oops!... I Did It Again" (2000), was similarly successful. Set on Mars, Spears dons a tight-fitting red jumpsuit. The "Stronger" music video had a more sophisticated and adult feel to it.[5] 2001's "I'm a Slave 4 U", from her eponymous third studio album Britney, let Spears move further into a more mature territory, performing a complicated dance routine in a risqué outfit.[6]

"Me Against the Music", which featured Madonna, was released in 2003 from Spears's fourth studio release In the Zone. She came up with the storyline for "Toxic", directed by Joseph Kahn.[7] Spears plays three different incarnations of herself and poisons her unfaithful lover. Throughout the video, there are scenes of her naked covered in diamonds.[7] The music video for "Everytime", directed by famed photographer David LaChapelle, was darker than Spears's previous videos.[8] Featuring religious references such as reincarnation, the music video was noted by contemporary critics for predicting her future struggles with fame.[9][10][11] Spears made her directional debut with the music video for "Do Somethin'" (2005), credited as her alter ego "Mona Lisa". She co-directed it with Bille Woodruff, who previously worked with her in "Born to Make You Happy" (1999) and the original version of "Overprotected" (2002).[12] The music video for the 2007 lead single "Gimme More", from her fifth studio album Blackout, displayed Spears as a stripper and featured a break from her highly choreographed music videos.[13] "Piece of Me" referenced Spears's life at the time, while "Break the Ice" was accompanied by an animated music video showing Spears as a superheroine.[14]

2008's "Womanizer", from her sixth studio album Circus, was seen as a return to form for Spears.[15][16][17] Described as a sequel to "Toxic", the concept was again pitched to director Kahn by Spears.[18] The video for "Circus" portrayed Spears as the ringmaster of a circus accompanied by different performers, and it is interspersed with scenes of Spears in different circus settings. "If U Seek Amy" saw Spears at a sex party that takes place at her house, before she transforms into a typical American housewife,[10] while "Radar" pays tribute to Madonna's "Take a Bow" (1994).[19] The music video for "3" (2009) was described as "simple" and "very, very minimal."[20] The music videos from Spears's seventh and eighth studio albums, Femme Fatale (2011) and Britney Jean (2013), respectively, have all received acclaim from critics and fans alike.[21][22][23] She also got credit from critics and fans for her video for "Slumber Party", from her ninth studio album Glory, both released in 2016. It was favourably compared to the videos of "I'm a Slave 4 U" and "Boys" (2002).[24][25][26][27]

Over the years, various music videos of Spears have been hailed for their major impact on pop culture and are deemed amongst the most influential music videos of all time. At the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, she was honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, presented to her by Lady Gaga, who said "the industry would not be the same without her". Spears ranked at four on VH1's 50 Greatest Women of the Video Era list, ahead of most of her contemporaries and behind only veterans such as Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Whitney Houston.[28] In 2020, Billboard ranked her eight on its 100 Greatest Music Video Artists of All Time list.[29]

  1. ^ "Crossroads". Box Office Mojo.
  2. ^ Snetiker, Marc (February 15, 2002). "Crossroads Tenth Anniversary". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Hughes 2005, p. 147
  4. ^ Lloyd, Robert (November 17, 2008). "Show Tracker". Los Angeles Times.
  5. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (October 18, 2009). "How Britney Spears' 'Stronger' Video Made Her A Diva". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 15, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  6. ^ D'Angelo, Joe (September 20, 2001). "Britney Works Double-Time On Music Videos". MTV News. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Kaufman, Gil (August 25, 2004). "Yes, Britney Really Is Naked In The 'Toxic' Video". MTV News. Archived from the original on August 31, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  8. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (April 12, 2004). "Britney Says Controversial New Video Is About Reincarnation". MTV News. Archived from the original on February 14, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  9. ^ Fox 2009, p. 47
  10. ^ a b Montgomery, James (March 12, 2009). "Is Britney Spears' 'If U Seek Amy' Her Best Video Ever?". MTV News. Archived from the original on May 20, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  11. ^ "The Complete Video Guide: "Everytime"". Rolling Stone. 2009. ISSN 0035-791X.
  12. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (January 4, 2005). "Britney Clarifies: I'm Taking A Break From Being Told What To Do". MTV. Archived from the original on November 10, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  13. ^ Leeds, Jeff (September 13, 2007). "Spears's Awards Fiasco Stirs Speculation About Her Future". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
  14. ^ Hansen, Gretchen (March 13, 2008). "Snap judgment: Britney Spears' 'Break The Ice' video". Entertainment Weekly.
  15. ^ Lamb, Bill (2009). "Top 10 Britney Spears Songs". About.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
  16. ^ Watson, Margeaux (October 17, 2008). "Britney Spears' new music video". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  17. ^ "Spears' "Womanizer" Video Premieres: Is Britney Back For Real?". Rolling Stone. October 11, 2008. ISSN 0035-791X.
  18. ^ Vena, Jocelyn; Elias, Matt (November 24, 2009). "Britney Spears' 'Womanizer' Clip Proved She Still Had It". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  19. ^ Jocelyn Vena (November 25, 2009). "Britney Spears Channeled 'Classy' Madonna In 'Radar' Video". MTV News. Archived from the original on September 1, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  20. ^ "Life & Style exclusive: Britney's video director speaks". Life & Style. October 20, 2009. Archived from the original on November 24, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  21. ^ "Britney Spears' "Work Bitch" Music Video: Review Revue". Idolator. October 2, 2013.
  22. ^ "Britney Spears: I Wanna Go (Video Review)". MuuMuse. June 22, 2011.
  23. ^ "Britney Spears, "Work Bitch": A Comprehensive Video Analysis". MuuMuse. October 2, 2013.
  24. ^ "Britney Spears Celebrates the Anniversary of the 'Slumber Party' Video on Instagram". www.mtv.co.uk.
  25. ^ Armstrong, Megan (October 17, 2017). "Britney Spears Dances, Shares Serious Poolside PDA With Boyfriend In Instagram Video: Watch". Billboard.
  26. ^ "Watch Britney Spears and Tinashe's raunchy 'Slumber Party' video". NME. November 18, 2016.
  27. ^ Billboard Staff (November 16, 2016). "Britney Spears and Tinashe Invite You to 'Slumber Party'". Billboard.
  28. ^ "The Greatest: 50 Greatest Women of the Video Era". VH1. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  29. ^ "The 100 Greatest Music Video Artists of All Time: Staff List". Billboard. August 27, 2020. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2022.