“Womanizer” by Britney Spears
We all know what a womanizer is. On this song Britney Spears is addressing one who is trying to kick it to her. In the process of pursuing women, some individuals who practice this lifestyle have the tendency to conceal their true nature, which is the case at hand.
But the singer is enlightening him, in a very frank manner, to the fact that she knows how he truly is. Or as repeated in the pre-chorus (and 41 times throughout the entire song), the addressee is in fact a “womanizer”.
Meanwhile dude is ‘trying to front’ like he isn’t. But simply put, Britney ain’t falling for it. Well, in actuality it isn’t that cut-and-dried. She does in fact find him “oh so charming”, and he also has that special, shall we say amorous effect on her. But conclusively, she is not allowing herself to fall for it.
And at the end of the day she rather considers his somewhat-intrusive insistence to rather be indicative of his stronger desire for her.
Indeed by the time the second verse rolls around, her feelings for him begin to turn from admiration to pity. She feels sorry that he is unable to find that special someone to settle down with. Under her estimation, in that particular regard he has ruined himself by sleeping with too many women. So perhaps we can say she is starting to feel insulted that he thinks she would fall for his wiles in the first place.
Conclusion
Conclusively, we can say that this song is actually based on an individual, the singer, who is attracted to another but will not give in to those feelings due to his womanizing ways. This is made clear in the bridge, when she even fantasizes about “a different world” where the two of them would be compatible.
So the bottom line, considering that Britney considers this to be “a girl anthem” and all, is that from a personal standpoint the singer definitely does not support the practice of dating playboys.
When did “Womanizer” come out?
This track is from Britney Spears’ sixth-studio album, “Circus” (2008). Having been in the game for a minute already, she was 26 years old when that album dropped. And this particular song, which was its lead single, was released by Jive Records and Zomba Recording Corporation on 3 October 2008.
Its first teasing came on 19 September of that same year, via a snippet posted onto the website of a radio station called 107.5 The River (which is based in Tennessee). More specifically it was an unauthorized leak which was eventually removed from the site.
Meanwhile the first time Britney Spears rendered “Womanizer” live was during the Bambi Awards, an event held in Germany, on the date of 27 November 2008. And throughout the years it has held a regular place on her live setlists.
Did Britney Spears write “Womanizer”?
No, she didn’t. The producers of this track were a crew from the A-T-L known as The Outsyders. And one member of the clique, Rafael Akinyemi, also co-wrote the song, with the other co-writer being Nikesha Briscoe.
Recording Process
Britney Spears laid down her vocals for this song in both California (Glenwood Place Studios) and New York City (Legacy Studios). And the final mixing took place at a venue in Virginia known as MixStar Studios.
In creating this song, Britney wanted something “a little bit lighter” than what her music and indeed life had reflected the years just prior.
In fact Spears’ wellbeing had been so challenged prior to the release of this track that Joseph Kahn, the director of the music video, stated that the execs behind the clip didn’t want to properly fund it. And when he inquired why, they, in reference to Britney, responded “why would give more money to a crazy person”?
Music Video
The music video to this track acted as a sequel to the visual of another Spears’ song entitled “Toxic” (2003). The “Womanizer” clip, in which the songstress appears nude (though concealed), proved successful as it earned Britney a 2009 MTV VMA in the category of Best Pop Video.
The year prior, it was the most-streamed video on MTV.
Britney Spears conceptualized the aforementioned video herself. And part of it was filmed in L.A. at a venue called Takami Sushi & Robata, where the Princess of Pop portrays the role of a waitress.
The clip proved so popular that it even yielded a director’s cut, featuring more nudity, in 2009. And that particular edit momentarily went rival as late as early 2020.
The music video to “Womanizer” is also noted for featuring product placement for a device called the Nokia 5800 Tube.
Success of “Womanizer”
The track was nominated for a 2010 Grammy, which eventually went to Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” (for Best Dance Recording).
Meanwhile the song itself experienced its own monumental success even outside of the Grammy nomination. For instance, it topped the Billboard Hot 100, marking the first time Brit had done so since “…Baby One More Time” (1998), her very first single. And even outside of the US it reached number 1 in about 10 other countries.
“Womanizer” also had an impressive showing on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number three. And overall it charted in 30 different nations.
Moreover in terms of its certifications, it has achieved platinum status in the UK, Australia and Denmark.
More Facts about “Womanizer”
Additionally as of 2015, out of Spears’ entire catalog “Womanizer” has sold more digitally, at 3,500,000 copies, than any other of her tunes.
The track has also been covered by the likes of Fall Out Boy and the cast of Glee. And of course Weird Al got his hands on it, parodying the tune on his 2011 project Alpocalypse. Additionally a cover of the track, as rendered by The Gym All Stars, made its way onto 2009’s Just Dance videogame.
Furthermore there exists an infamous cover by English singer Lily Allen. Or rather Allen got into hot water when super-producer Mark Ronson carelessly played a cover of “Womanizer” that she recorded on the radio, with said cover then going kinda viral.
This resulted in the lawyers from her own record label, EMI, attempting to scrub the internet of the rendition.
Britney Spears utilized auto-tune on this track.
In 2008 a video of a little girl dancing to the song went viral.
