They say a well-rounded education is the key to success, and if that truly is the case, the my schooling is woefully incomplete when it comes to the subject of pop. That's why we bring you "Popology," the guide to modern radio-friendly stars as seen through the eyes of a guy who grew up on punk and metal.
First up: Britney Spears' sexy, game-changing debut.
Welcome to the first installment of "Popology," where I will not only experience certain definitive pop records for the first time but also try to put some of the greats into context. For the purposes of this series, we'll be focusing mostly on the past 15 years or so of music, beginning with the sugar-pop reinvention that the Spice Girls ushered in around 1997 and taking us all the way up to today. Why this time frame? Not only does it put the focus on people who are (theoretically) still putting new songs on the radio, but it also because it represents the period of pop music that finally put to sleep the last big crossover rock trend (the rise of "Wannabe" correlates pretty evenly with the fall of alternative rock). Also, it's about the time I checked out on the mainstream and stuck to the fringes, so there is plenty that I missed.
A bit of background: I've been writing about pop music for years, but have rarely listened to genuine teen-baiting sugar as a fan. A few tracks have slipped into my headspace, and high-concept experiments like Lady Gaga will always grab my attention, but in general I tuned out most of the boy bands, R&B divas and streamlined rock of the past decade-and-a-half. I understand why a lot of this stuff is "important" (at least in an anthropological sense) and know where everything exists in context. But now it's time to embrace some of the greats, beginning with Britney Spears' watershed 1999 album ...Baby One More Time.
The world was first introduced to Ms. Spears via the video for the album's title track, which cast her as a rebellious, sexy-dancing Catholic schoolgirl and introduced us to her aesthetic: Keyboard-fueled midtempo dance workouts scrubbed clean and infused with soaring melodies courtesy of pop mastermind Max Martin. It was as effective as advertising gets: Here was a talented, attractive young girl who young men wanted and who young women wanted to be. Plus, these songs sounded great cranked up really loud in your car.
The album opens with the first single and title track, which surfs on a chunky, simplistic keyboard riff and features no fewer than two breakdowns. The lyrics remain confounding: Is it simply a plea from a heartbroken girl or a torrid ode to S&M? Read More...
It is a weird thing to me that the single most pursued, watched and written-about celebrity within the