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If U Seek Amy

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"If U Seek Amy"
Song

"If U Seek Amy" is a song by American pop singer Britney Spears and the third single released from her sixth studio album Circus. The song was announced as a single by Spears's official website on January 7, 2009.[2] The track was co-written and produced by Max Martin, who also wrote previous hits for Spears, including "...Baby One More Time" "Oops!... I Did It Again" and "Stronger".

Background

The single was chosen after a poll on britneyspears.com,[3] involving ten other songs from Circus. The track "If U Seek Amy" won, receiving 26% of the total votes.[2]

Reception

Billboard's review called it a "slice of indisputable pop mojo" and "a stomping dance floor beat with building synths prodding the song along."[4]

Rolling Stone called the song "a saucy, swinging standout."[5] Allmusic said the song is:

. . . a Katy Perry-styled exercise in crass commercial carnality that is at once the best and worst song here. Best because Max Martin once again works his undeniable pop magic, turning this into a trashy stomper that feels inevitable and eternal, working against any sense of taste or decorum, something that the lyrics work overtime to undercut as they insist that all the boys and all the girls still want to F, U . . . well, spell it and you'll get the picture, and if you don't, Britney's elocution will paint it for you. This sexy strut doesn't work because Britney's sexiness never was this explicit; she teased and hinted, at least in her music, and it feels wrong to have her be so nakedly vulgar here. Still, it was a necessary move, a way to stir up headlines and perhaps snatch the tabloid tiara from Katy's head.[6]

Entertainment Weekly called it "puerile" and that "it'll be a middle-school sensation."[7] The Guardian said "If U Seek Amy" is a better pun than it is a song, but there's a relish about her delivery of the chorus — "all the boys and all the girls are begging to F-U-C-K me" — that's noticeably lacking elsewhere."[8] USA Today said "If U Seek Amy" mocks onlookers' morbid fascination with the downward spiral of celebrities.[9] The Independent gave the song a negative review, writing: "If You Seek Amy is crass: the entire song is simply an excuse for Spears to sing 'All of the boys and all of the girls want to F-U-C-K me,' about as cheap as sensationalist outrage gets."[10]

Lyrical content and edited single

"If U Seek Amy" has caused controversy in some regions due to its use of a double entendre in the chorus, which can be interpreted as "all the boys and all the girls are begging to F-U-C-K me."[8] Australian music site Undercover.com.au quoted parents as saying, "I was astonished and totally taken aback when I heard my 5 and 7 year old kids walking around the house singing 'F-U-C-K' ... When I asked them what it was, they told me it was Britney Spears. I was horrified."[11] Rolling Stone defended Spears, arguing that parents should have been aware of the singer's musical themes.[12] The private non-governmental self-appointed media watchdog group, the Parents Television Council, cautioned radio stations and cable music channels about broadcasting the music video for this song for the same reason.[13]

Due to this reaction, a new radio edit was created titled "If U See Amy."[14] This edit takes out the 'k' in 'seek' and speeds up the chorus, therefore running thirteen seconds shorter than the original version. The "If U See Amy" version will initially be released to US radio. The amended version will be released in the UK in May.[14] While the song has not officially been renamed or released in Australia, some radio stations, such as those belonging to the Austereo Radio Network, play the censored version, while others continue to play the uncensored.[15] Both the music video and the international radio single remain "If U Seek Amy."[16]

Chart performance

According to Nielsen SoundScan, "If U Seek Amy" sold over 107,000 digital copies within two weeks of the album being released,[17] which propelled the song to enter the Hot 100 at eighty-six on the release week of the album. The song re-entered the chart at number ninety-four on the chart week of March 7, 2009, climbed up to 21 and stayed for 2 weeks before dropping down one spot to 22 and then climbed up to number nineteen due to high airplay[18], reaching its highest peak position to date.

In Australia, the song debuted on the chart at number forty-nine on February 16, 2009,[19] and moved to a peak position of eleven.[20]

In New Zealand, "If U Seek Amy" debuted at number thirty-eight on March 16, 2009, jumping to number twenty-eight the following week. The song peaked at number seventeen and spent just six weeks on the chart.[21]

"If U Seek Amy" entered the UK Singles Chart at number forty-five on April 6, 2009 due to its rising digital sales, it has since peaked at number twenty-three.[22]

In Canada the song debuted at eighty-eight on December 20, 2008,[23] that being the week of release of the album. It returned on February 14, 2009 at eighty-six before getting to thirteen, where it finally peaked on April 4, 2009.[24][25]

Music video

Spears standing with a pie in the '50s inspired scene of the music video of "If U Seek Amy".

The music video was originally planned to begin shooting on February 10, 2009, but instead began filming on February 7, 2009.[26] It was directed by Jake Nava, who previously worked with Spears for her 2004 music video "My Prerogative". The "If U Seek Amy" video also contains references to other Spears videos.[27] The music video premiered on March 12, 2009 on both Virgin Mobile (USA)'s official website and Spears's official websites.[27][28]

The video starts off with a news anchor saying the title of the song above a newsbanner that reads "Britney Spears song lyrics spell out obscenity in disguise," a parody of an America's Newsroom report by Megyn Kelly. It then skips to a house, in which a party is coming to an end. Spears gets up from the bed to sing the first verse. After looking out the window, she dances with other party goers as the chorus starts. She is looking around for Amy while she is singing and begins to dance with four other female dancers dressed in cheerleading outfits. In this alter ego she is wearing a pair of bespoke red petal Christian Louboutin pumps and a black sleeveless top.

All the guys are watching them dance until the screen fades to white and Britney begins to change into a conservative '50s-style outfit including a Lacoste polo shirt, white skirt, and white heels. As the chorus begins again, she comes out of her bedroom. She walks down the stairs where a woman gives her a potholder, which she uses to pick up a pie. She then takes the pie outside to be joined by her children and her husband. As they go down the walkway, they are surrounded by paparazzi who have no idea what goes on behind closed doors. While the kids and husband wave, Spears smiles for the camera and blows a kiss. The video then ends with the anchor, who says "It doesn't make any sense, does it?".

Track listing

Promo CD

  1. "If U See Amy" - 3:37
  2. "If U Seek Amy" - 3:30
  3. "If U Seek Amy" (Instrumental) - 3:30
UK/Australian CD Single[29]
  1. "If U Seek Amy" - 3:37
  2. "Circus" (Joe Bermudez Radio Remix) - 3:43

US Promo CD

  1. "If U See Amy" (US Radio Edit) - 3:20

Charts

Charts Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[20] 11
Canadian Hot 100[30] 13
Danish Singles Chart[31] 28
Dutch Mega Single Top 100[32] 63
French Singles Chart[33] 10
Irish Singles Chart[34] 11
New Zealand Singles Chart[35] 17
Swedish Singles Chart[36] 13
Turkey Top 20 Chart[37] 6
UK Singles Chart[38] 23
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[18] 19
U.S. Billboard Pop 100 [39] 11

Certifications

Country Certification Sales
Australia Gold[40] 35,000+

Release history

Region Date Label Format
United States March 10, 2009 Jive Records/Zomba Radio[1]
Australia March 16, 2009 Sony BMG CD single[29]
Italy Digital Download[41]
United Kingdom May 4, 2009 CD single,[42] Digital Download[43]

Credits

  • Written by Max Martin, Shellback, Savan Kotecha, Alexander Kronlund
  • Produced by Max Martin
  • Lead & Background Vocals by Britney Spears
  • Additional Background Vocals by Max Martin, Kinnda
  • All Programming by Shellback & Max Martin
  • Recorded by Seth Waldmann at Conway Studios & Sunset Studios, Los Angeles, CA
  • Additional Recording at Maratone Studios, Stockholm, Sweden. Assisted by Eric Eylands
  • Mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach, VA
  • Additional Pro-Tools Engineering by John Hanes. Assisted by Tim Roberts

References

  1. ^ a b "CHR - Available for Airplay". FMBQ.com. 2008-02-28. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
  2. ^ a b "Britney Spears Announces Controversial Third Single". Access Hollywood. 2009-01-07. Retrieved 2008-01-08. Cite error: The named reference "Britney Spears Announces Controversial Third Single" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ Poll: What Should Be Britney's Third Single
  4. ^ "Circus Album Reviews". Billboard (magazine). 2008-12-12. Retrieved April 04, 2009 ET. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. ^ "Circus Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. 2008-12-12. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
  6. ^ Allmusic.com review of If U Seek Amy
  7. ^ Entertainment Weekly review
  8. ^ a b Britney Spears: Circus review
  9. ^ USA Today review of Circus
  10. ^ The Independent review of Circus
  11. ^ Cashmere, Paul (2008-12-05). "Parents Outraged by Britney Spears Song". Undercover.com.au. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  12. ^ "Britney News : Song Title Angers Parents, First Husband goes to Jail". Rolling Stone. 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
  13. ^ Eggerton, John (2009-01-21). "PTC Cautions Media About Britney Spears Song". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  14. ^ a b Adams, Guy (2009-01-21). "Britney forced to rerecord 'sexually offensive' song". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  15. ^ "Explicit Britney Spears, Lily Allen songs leave Oz parents livid". Asian News International. 2009-04-05. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  16. ^ Britney Spears renames 'If U Seek Amy'
  17. ^ Parents TV Council protests Britney songBillboard.com
  18. ^ a b http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?f=The+Billboard+Hot+100&pageNumber=Top+11-50&g=Singles
  19. ^ "The Fray hold on to the top". Australian Recording Industry Association. acharts.us. February 16, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
  20. ^ a b http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display.asp?chart=1U50
  21. ^ http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Britney+Spears&titel=If+U+Seek+Amy&cat=s
  22. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/singles.shtml
  23. ^ "Poker Face continues to rule the charts". Billboard. acharts.us. December 20, 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
  24. ^ "Lady Gaga moves to the top again". Billboard. acharts.us. February 14, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
  25. ^ "Karl Wolf rises with Afrika". Billboard. acharts.us. March 21, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
  26. ^ http://www.britney.com/us/blog/earlier-filming-date-scheduled-britney-if-u-seek-amy-music-video-shoot
  27. ^ a b James Montgomery (2009-03-12). "Is Britney Spears' 'If U Seek Amy' Her Best Video Ever?". MTV News. MTV. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
  28. ^ "Virgin Mobile USA to Debut Britney Spears' New Music Video". Virgin Mobile. MSNBC. March 10, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
  29. ^ a b http://www.bigwentertainment.com.au/product/if_u_seek_amy_3371346_8571.html
  30. ^ [1]
  31. ^ [2]
  32. ^ http://dutchcharts.nl/weekchart.asp?cat=s
  33. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=800&cfgn=Singles&cfn=France&ci=3107775&cdi=10185790&cid=05%2F02%2F2009
  34. ^ Irish Singles Chart
  35. ^ http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Britney+Spears&titel=If+U+Seek+Amy&cat=s
  36. ^ [3]
  37. ^ Turkey Top 20 Chart Retrieved on 2009-04-20
  38. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/singles.shtml
  39. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?f=Pop+100&pageNumber=Top+11-50&g=Singles
  40. ^ [4]
  41. ^ http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=308182976&s=143450
  42. ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/If-Seek-Amy-Britney-Spears/dp/B001U3N3U0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1238882681&sr=8-2
  43. ^ http://www.radio1.gr/music/forthcoming_uk_singles.htm
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