Toxic (song)

For other songs with similar names, see Toxic (disambiguation) § Music.

"Toxic"
Image of a blonde woman with a layer of light brown. She has her arms extended over her head. On the upper left side of the image, the words "Britney Spears" are written in white letters. Underneath, "Toxic" is written in big white letters.
Single by Britney Spears
from the album In the Zone
B-side"Me Against the Music"
ReleasedJanuary 12, 2004 (2004-01-12)
Recorded2003
Studio
Genre
Length3:19
LabelJive
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bloodshy & Avant
Britney Spears singles chronology
"Me Against the Music"
(2003) 		"Toxic"
(2004) 		"Everytime"
(2004)
Music video
"Toxic" on YouTube

"Toxic" is a song by American singer Britney Spears, released as the second single from her fourth studio album, In the Zone (2003). It was written and produced by Bloodshy & Avant, with additional writing from Cathy Dennis and Henrik Jonback. A dance-pop and techno-pop song with elements of South Asian music, "Toxic" features varied instrumentation, such as drums, synthesizers and surf guitar. It is played in the key of C minor with a tempo of 143 beats per minute. It is accompanied by breathy vocals and high-pitched strings, sampled from the 1981 Bollywood song "Tere Mere Beech Mein" by Laxmikant–Pyarelal. The lyrics of "Toxic" draw an extended metaphor of a lover as a dangerous and addictive drug.

"Toxic" received acclaim from critics, who praised its hook and chorus, with many deeming it among the highlights of the album. It won Best Dance Recording at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, marking the only Grammy win of Spears' career. The song topped the charts in 11 countries, including Australia, Canada, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, and reached the top five in 15 countries. In the United States, it became her fourth top-ten single, peaking at number nine. The music video was directed by Joseph Kahn and includes references to Blade Runner, The Seven Year Itch and John Woo films. It features Spears as a secret agent who poisons her boyfriend, and includes scenes of Spears naked with diamonds on her body. Following the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy, the video was deemed too racy for MTV and was moved to late-night programming.

Spears has performed "Toxic" in live appearances, including the 2004 NRJ Music Awards and three of her concert tours. It was the opening number of the Onyx Hotel Tour (2004), where she sang atop a bus wearing a black catsuit. Spears also performed remixed versions of "Toxic" at the Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009), the Femme Fatale Tour (2011) and Britney: Piece of Me (2013). "Toxic" has been covered by artists such as Local H, Mark Ronson, A Static Lullaby, Reece Mastin and Ingrid Michaelson, and in the TV series Glee. It has also featured in films such as Knocked Up, You Again, Pitch Perfect 3, and TV series Doctor Who and Chuck. "Toxic" has become one of Spears' signature songs and is widely cited as among the most influential and innovative songs in pop music. The song has been included in multiple all-time lists of best songs, including by Pitchfork, NME and, in 2021, was ranked among Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

  1. ^ Pitchfork Staff (August 21, 2009). "The 200 Best Songs of the 2000s". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022. ...the backing track remains deeply, enjoyably weird-but-catchy: a club-tempo stepping breakbeat colored by James Bond soundtrack outtakes.
  2. ^ Rolling Stone Staff (June 28, 2018). "The 100 Greatest Songs of the Century – So Far". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 31, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2023. They pile the track high with James Bond guitars, Bollywood strings and a dash of Daft Punk vocoder sparkle, cleverly building 20th-century references into a 21st-century disco gem.