"Hit Me Baby One More Time" Was Rejected By These Stars Before It Made Britney Spears Famous
Highlights
- Britney Spears' debut single 'Baby One More Time' was originally offered to The Backstreet Boys and TLC.
- Despite being rejected, 'Baby One More Time' became Britney's best-selling single.
- The song's success contributed to Britney Spears' immense net worth.
It has been 25 years since Britney Spears released her smash hit 'Baby One More Time', but did you know that several other music artists turned down the opportunity to record this song? This was her debut single which catapulted her to international superstardom, yet she's very lucky to have had the chance to sing it at all.
It's interesting to wonder how Britney Spears' career might have turned out if this insanely popular song wasn't used as her introduction to the world. 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' remains her best-selling single, even though it was rejected by several artists before she recorded it.
Who Turned Down 'Baby One More Time'?
The song 'Baby One More Time' was written by Max Martin in 1998, and the Swedish singer/songwriter already had an artist in mind when penning the lyrics. That wasn't Britney Spears. It was The Backstreet Boys.
The American boy band were already international heartthrobs at this point and Martin believed that 'Baby One More Time' would be a worthy addition to their back catalog of pop bangers. However, the group turned the song down. It would appear that the guys have never commented on this well-documented rejection, although it's not as if their careers took a huge downturn afterward. Their success continued for many decades and they're still in the public eye today.
The song was also reportedly offered to TLC, but the R&B girl group also rejected the chance to record it. It would have been interesting to hear how this song would sound with the smooth urban vocals of Tionne, Rozanna and Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopez. But we can now only imagine.
In an interview published by NME, Tionne said the band has no regrets about turning the track down.
She said: "I like the song but do I think it's a hit? Do I think it's TLC? I'm not saying 'hit me baby'. No disrespect to Britney. It's good for her. But was I going to say 'hit me baby one more time'? Hell no!"
Simon Cowell also supposedly caught wind of the song before it was released and begged Max Martin to give it to British boy band Five, who he was managing. However, that deal never came to pass either. Five was an incredibly popular act in the UK at the time. Could this have been the song that allowed them to break the international market?
Either way, the song eventually made its way to Britney Spears' team who made it the lead single for her debut album. The album was titled 'Baby One More Time' as well.
'Baby One More Time' Is Still Britney Spears' Most Successful Song
Britney Spears released 'Baby One More Time' on October 23, 1998. She was just 16 years old. The single was so popular that Spears became one of the world's most famous and beloved pop stars overnight.
The iconic music video certainly played its role in the song's success too. It featured Spears dancing inside a high school with pigtails and a sexy schoolgirl outfit. This risqué and novel idea came from the mind of Spears herself. Not bad for a teenager who had barely dipped her toes in the world of pop music.
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The image of Britney Spears in her school uniform remains the most instantly recognizable version of the pop star today. The single sold over 10 million copies worldwide and remains her best-selling single over 25 years later.
It's her second-most streamed song on Spotify behind 2003 hit 'Toxic'. It's currently the 5th best-selling song by a female artist in the United States. It's fair to say that the song certainly played a huge role in Spears' staggering $70 million net worth today.
RelatedHow Britney Spears Is Adding To Her Current $70 Million Net Worth
After "Baby One More Time" and "Oops! I Did It Again" came out, Britney was becoming a huge star, and she started making serious cash.
Spears has since revealed that she had never dreamed that the song would become so popular.
In an interview with the Guardian, Spears said : "It was different and I loved it, [but] I don't think you can anticipate how a song is going to be received."
The Success Of 'Baby One More Time' | |
|---|---|
Record Sales | 10,000,000+ |
Spotify Streams | 695,000,000+ |
Awards | 2x MTV Europe Music Awards (Best Single, Best Pop), 1x Teen Choice Award (Best Single) |
Britney Spears Became One Of The Most Successful Female Artists Of All Time
The release of 'Baby One More Time' launched a music career for Britney Spears that would last decades. She has released nine studio albums and countless hit singles. She won an American Music Award for Best New Pop/Rock Artist in 2000 and was awarded a Grammy for Best Dance Recording for 'Toxic' in 2005. Her 'Piece Of Me' Las Vegas residency won the Best Of Las Vegas award in 2015 and 2017.
Britney Spears' influence on the world of pop music is undeniable. Several of her live performances remain legendary moments in pop culture history. Despite not releasing a studio album since 2016, she has maintained a loyal fan base who remain intrigued by all her professional and personal projects.
A Broadway musical featuring her biggest hits is set to arrive in the near future. Her memoir "The Woman In Me" was released earlier this month and is destined to be incredibly popular too.
Which Artists Rejected Britney Spears Songs?
Throughout her career, Britney Spears had a habit of creating smash hits out of songs that other famous artists had rejected. For example, did you know that her most-streamed hit "Toxic" had previously been snubbed by Kylie Minogue? Also, her sultry and infectious track "I'm a Slave 4 U" was originally penned for Janet Jackson, but she didn't want it.
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After "Baby One More Time" and "Oops! I Did It Again" came out, Britney was becoming a huge star, and she started making serious cash.
Spears has also reportedly turned down songs that went on to be huge hits for other artists. These include 'Telephone' by Lady Gaga & Beyoncé and 'Umbrella' by Rihanna.
Who Has Covered 'Baby One More Time' By Britney Spears?
If you were curious to hear what "Baby One More Time" might have sounded like covered by different artists, it's not too difficult to find out.
When a song becomes as famous as Britney Spears' first hit, it inevitably gets covered by a wide range of artists over time. Travis, Bowling For Soup, Fountains of Wayne and The Van Jets are among the artists to have covered it.
'Baby One More Time' credits | |
|---|---|
Written by | Max Martin |
Produced by | Max Martin |
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