For a good week it will be all about Britney (B**ch!) on A Bit of Pop Music. Her debut single ‘…Baby One More Time’ turns 20 this month, so we decided to look back at the highlights of her career so far. Of course we could not do this without our beloved Fan Panel! We asked them to share their three all-time favourite Britney tracks with us!

Tim, 28, Amsterdam, NL

First up it’s Tim van Erp, 28, from The Netherlands! He had a harder time than expected choosing just three favourites, but this is his selection:

03. Piece of Me (Blackout, 2007)
“Ok, it took me a very long time to decide which song would close my top 3. I was equally divided between ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll’ and ‘My Prerogative’, but since they are both covers – covers I very much love – I decided not to go with either one. Instead, I pick ‘Piece Of Me’. Britney has said about a whole lot of songs that they were personal, but this one actually sounds like it. It offers a reflection of her daily battle with the paparazzi and her consequential breakdown because of it. And although the song might sound a bit dated in 2018, let’s not forget that on release in 2007 this one was way ahead of its time. This was before electro pop (in mainstream music) was even a thing, and Britney was one of the first pop stars to embrace that genre.”

02. Sometimes (…Baby One More Time, 1999)
“When I was a kid, this song never really impressed me after the huge hype that was ‘…Baby One More Time’. It was only a few years ago that I recalled it being a #1 hit (in The Netherlands, that is) and decided to listen to it for the first time in forever, to see why it became that popular – since, in my mind, it wasn’t that special. It was then that I discovered that it was. Goddamn, this is one glorious song. The intro is beautiful by itself, but the chorus is even more flawless and at the very end, that’s the best singing I’ve ever heard Britney do.”

01. Everytime (In The Zone, 2003)
“I love love love this one. It’s so different from anything else Britney has ever done (and definitely from what she released as a single), it’s so moving and the lyrics are actually quite brilliant. (Really – listen to ‘em.) Also, the video was not only epic, it created the perfect media storm and – in hindsight – it’s an odd prevision of the struggle Britney would later go through personally.”

Jenny, 30, UK

Jenny Worth, 30, from the United Kingdom grew up with Britney albums and once sneaked to another floor of her office to catch a glimpse of Britney who was doing a radio interview there. Let us have a look at the three favourites of this Britney expert:

…Baby One More Time (…Baby One More Time, 1998)
“From those instantly classic first three chords, this song had 10 year old me completely obsessed with Britney from the beginning. I also think it hugely changed the direction of pop music for the start of the new millennium, and brought our attention back from the boy and girl bands of the 90s to the re-emergence of the solo female pop star. This set Britney up for her future legendary Pop Queen status.”

Stronger (Oops!… I Did It Again)
“From her second album which much like the first was full of pop classics. ‘Stronger’ felt like she was trying to slightly shake off the ‘sweet and innocent’ label while still appealing to her millions of teen fans. It made me (now 12) feel liberated from my non existent ex boyfriends and realised I too could be a powerful independent woman(child). Thanks Britney!”

Toxic (In The Zone, 2003)
“Is there such thing as a perfect pop song? If so then ‘Toxic’ must come pretty close. I dare anyone to listen to this banger and try and get it out of their head for the next two weeks. The riff! The video! Pure Britney and pure genius. I love this song so much it makes me want to wear a diamanté nude bodysuit and yell it like a maniac from a rooftop.”

Zuheir, 27, UK

Jenny was not the only one who felt liberated by Britney’s anthems. Zuheir Zaidon, 27, from Malaysia but currently living in the UK, has a taste for her declarations of independence too!

“I am a sucker for early 2000 Britney, ie when she shed her innocent pop queen image to a more adult image. Which is why all my top 3 Britney Spears’s tracks came from her 2001 album Britney. I cannot even explain how much I love the album. I encourage you to go to Spotify and give this little gem another listen. I adore both ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Bombastic Love’. They did not become singles, but they ooze that early noughties vibe that will bring you back to when denim on denim was a thing, and Pepsi was legit cooler than Coke. With that being said, my all-time favourite jam from the queen is definitely ‘Overprotected’. I mean come on! Who didn’t go through their early-teen rebel phase with this tune in their head? Also, can I just shoutout to ‘Stronger’ and ‘What U See (Is What U Get)’ from Oops!…I Did it Again for being the prelude to Britney, of what I consider hands down, the best image she had throughout the years!”

Marjolein, 23, The Netherlands

Last but not least we have Marjolein Vos, 23, from The Netherlands telling us all about her Britney memories and favourite tunes!

“Britney and I go way back and that is the reason that it took a while to make my top 3. With so many great pop songs that bring back the memories, it is hard to pick just three.

3. Radar (Circus, 2008)
“There are so many song that also deserved to take the third place. ‘Till The World Ends’, ‘Hold It Against Me’ and ‘Toxic’ for example, but ‘Radar’ is for me the perfect number 3. It is just so addictive! The lyrics settle in your mind immediately, because it is so catchy!”

2. Everytime (In The Zone, 2003)
“This song gives me goosebumps every single time I hear it, from the first notes on. Her breathy vocals work perfectly and the lyrics are so beautiful. This comes close to being a perfect pop ballad and definitely Britney’s best!”

1. Oops… I did it again (Oops!… I Did It Again, 2000)
“This one of my very first pop music memories. I will never forget that iconic music video; The red suit and that choreography will stick with me for eternity. This is one of those songs that makes me happy every single time I hear it!”