“…Baby One More Time” Turns 20

There have been many significant and powerful entries into the music industry. The first offering from a teen from Kentwood, Louisiana, named Britney Spears, the song began with three piano chords and an uncanny voice: “Oh baby, baby…”

“…Baby One More Time”, a plaintive lament on loneliness and longing, was a phenomenon. It reached the number one spot in every country in which it charted. It sold nearly 500,000 copies in its first week in Britain in February 1999 and went on to become the biggest single there that year, shifting 1.4m copies in total. After a decade of rap, rave and alternative rock, here was something that cut straight to the heart and emotional angst of teenagers, offered by an approachable young singer.

Pop music is renowned as fickle and always in search of the next big thing, but “…Baby One More Time” has endured. It remains catchy and captivating 20 years later; to date, the song has sold more than 10m copies worldwide.

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Photo Credit: Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com