10 Britney Spears bops about the pitfalls of fame, fortune & the unforgiving glare of the media

Britney is back, b*tch.

As competition for song of the summer continues to heat up, Britney Spears is fanning the flame with “Mind Your Business,” a sassy new bop with “Scream & Shout” collaborator Will.i.am that dropped on Friday.

It would be an understatement to say everyone in the world has been hanging on Britney’s every word, waiting to see if she would release any new music –– and what it would sound like.

After all, apart from a short and sweet contribution to Elton John‘s “Hold Me Closer” in 2022, the song marks Britney’s first major release since 2016’s Glory, a time period that has seen the rise of the #FreeBritney movement, the subsequent termination of her conservatorship, and a very public social media battle with her family.

From the opening lyric, it’s clear that she’s only got one thing to say: “Mind your business, b*tch.” Iconique!

10.24.23 https://t.co/TTW2sQKl5X pic.twitter.com/66yE7Zccr4

— Britney Spears ?? (@britneyspears) July 11, 2023

If you were expecting that Britney would just bite her tongue and ignore the public’s fascination with her life (and Instagram account), you don’t know the Princess of Pop. For nearly her entire career, Spears has never shied away from calling out the media and reminding us that fame on a global level doesn’t come free.

The explosive success of 1999’s “…Baby One More Time” set the stage for her meteoric career, though a year later, she was already reflecting on the loneliness of the limelight with “Lucky.” A need for space, love, and autonomy over her narrative were themes she continued to trace on tracks like “Overprotected,” “Gimme More,” and “Piece of Me.”

The tabloids always found something to pick at, and in a pre-social media era, Spears utilized her lyrics and larger-than-life music videos to give her two cents. The triumphant release of “Mind Your Business” –– which Brit described as a “fun, campy, and edgy” track in a recent interview with Vogue –– is merely the latest chapter in her journey to tell her own story, in her own words.

We expect her upcoming memoir, The Woman in Me, will also feature plenty of digs at the industry that nearly tore her apart. Thankfully, we’ve got her expansive discography to tide us over until its October release.

Scroll down for Britney’s 10 best songs addressing fame and striking back at the media.

1. “Lucky”

We ALL know the story about a girl named Lucky. This Max Martin-crafted tune was the second single from Britney’s sophomore album Oops!… I Did It Again, and though it arrived early in her discography, it was shockingly prophetic. Though Lucky is an award-winning “Hollywood girl” (can’t you just hear those lyrics?!), she “cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart, thinking / If there’s nothing missing in my life / Then why do these tears come at night?”

2. “Piece of Me”

“Piece of Me,” the second single from Blackout, is perhaps the singer’s most direct (and scathing) tune towards the media. That being said, Brit is certainly having fun between jabs. “Don’t matter if I step on the scene / Or sneak away to the Philippines / They’re still gon’ put pictures of my derriere in the magazine,” she sings, later getting sarcastic with a dig: “No wonder there’s panic in the industry / I mean, please.”

It’s a certifiable bop with a cinematic visual that poked fun at trashy headlines amidst a night out with decoy Britneys. Its 2008 win for Video of the Year at the VMAs was well deserved, and when that synthesized voice begs the question, “Do you want a piece of me,” it feels like both an invitation and threat.

3. “My Prerogative”

There are few images as seared into our gay lil’ brains as the 2004 album cover for Britney’s Greatest Hits: My Prerogative. The microscopic shorts! The navel piercing! That bikini top, furry jacket, and leather sleeve combo! The collection was named after her cover of Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative,” a theatrical and attitude-filled bop that served as her means of addressing backlash against her engagement to Kevin Federline. Though the video allowed her to maintain control of her sexy image, we had to sympathize as she asked: “Why don’t they just let me live?”

4. “Everytime”

Whew, this one still hurts! On the heels of pop mega hits “Toxic” and “Me Against the Music,” Britney released “Everytime” as the third single from In the Zone. The soft ballad not only showed off her vulnerable side, but its David LaChapelle-helmed video highlighted cracks beneath the exterior after a very public split from Justin Timberlake. Despite being at the top of her game, Britney’s character in the video feels alone in a toxic relationship, under the constant microscope of paparazzi. She sustains a head injury from a camera and drowns in the hotel bathtub, though as she’s pronounced dead, a baby girl is born next door. Not only did it symbolize reincarnation, but it hinted at what we now know to be true: Britney will always be an optimist, dreaming of something better.

5. “Circus”

If Britney is kicking off a music video with a shameless plug for her Curious perfume before donning some Bulgari earrings, you know you’re in for a wild ride. Unlike other songs on the list, “Circus” found Britney leaning into her superstar status, if only because she had no other choice. “All eyes on me in the center of the ring just like a circus / When I crack that whip, everybody gon’ trip just like a circus,” she sings in its irresistible chorus. The track hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, showing us that if fame was going to turn Britney’s personal life into a media circus, she was going to make damn sure she was at least the ringleader.

6. “Kill the Lights”

Although this cut from Circus was never released as an official single, it’s a quintessential Britney bop. Beginning with a booming voice warning us that the “Queen of Pop has a special announcement,” the R&B-flavored track finds Spears addressing the paparazzi directly: “Mr. Photographer / I think I’m ready for my close-up / Make sure you catch me from my good side.” Though her delivery is assured, the lyrics tell a darker story, as she admits: “All the flashin’, tryin’ to cash in / Hurts my eyes / All the poses, out of focus / I despise.”

7. “Alien”

This gem from Britney Jean might be a love song on the surface, but if you dig out the magnifying glass, you can see tinges of sadness in “Alien.” It’s not a total surprise considering Spears’ eighth album is one of her most personal; she has a co-writing credit on every track. Though she sings about a love of intergalactic proportions, it only comes after feeling “Lost in the world, out of me, myself, and I.” There seems to be a nod to the headlines as she admits, “I tried but I never figured it out / Why I always felt like a stranger in the crowd.”

8. “Why Should I Be Sad”

As far Britney breakup songs go, there are few tracks as biting as Blackout‘s “Why Should I Be Sad,” which featured candid lyrics allegedly calling out Kevin Federline following their split. In the chorus, she amps herself up to move on, with some help from The Neptunes quipping, “Britney, let’s go.” But she wasn’t afraid to call out the media’s role in the debacle either, mentioning exclusives with “People and Us magazines,” before assuring us that “things in the gossip section” won’t affect how she raises her family.

9. “Mona Lisa”

The power of Mona Lisa’s smile is that we can never tell whether she’s happy or sad, a phenomenon Britney takes on herself in “Mona Lisa.” The 2004 one-off track, which Spears premiered on KIIS-FM before the single (and its prospective album) were seemingly shelved by her label, is an often overlooked entry in her discography, though it speaks volumes to the alienation and lack of control she may have been feeling. The track starts with her describing the famous painting: “She’s the original / She’s unforgettable,” before revealing the world’s gaze on a beloved woman is crippling: “They want her to breakdown / And be a legend of a fall.” One thing is for sure –– the song remains a masterpiece.

10. “Mind Your Business”

And finally, we’ve arrived at “Mind Your Business,” which finds Britney in her full-on DGAF era. After a very public battle to dissolve her conservatorship, she’s looking for peace and her only comment? “Mind your business, b*tch.” Not only that, but she refuses to surrender to any tabloid’s narrative. “Paparazzi shot me / I am the economy,” she boldly states, before warning that, “If they don’t get up out my face / I’ll send the dogs.” Make no mistake –– she’s not to be played with, but we will be hitting replay on this bop.

Bonus: “Gimme More”

You didn’t think we’d skip this one, did you? “Gimme More,” the lead single from Blackout, arrived during the peak of paparazzi madness, as noted by lyrics like “Cameras are flashin’ / While we’re dirty dancin.'” Throughout the track’s rollout, it seemed like the media was determined to watch her fail, yet Britney somehow ended up on top: giving us an absolute bop that aged incredibly well (it even hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2007) and coined an iconic phrase she’s returned to: “It’s Britney, b*tch.”