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"Work Bitch"
Song

"Work Bitch" (alternatively stylized as "Work B**ch!") is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears for her forthcoming eighth studio album. It made its premiere on September 15, 2013 on iHeartRadio and select Clear Channel radio stations and was released to digital retailers on September 16, 2013 by RCA Records as the lead single from the record.[3][4][5] An accompanying music video directed by Ben Mor was filmed in Malibu, California. Work Bitch has received universal positive reviews for Spears innovating the music scene with heavy-EDM musical style. Also, the music video has generated extremely well reviews from critics and fans for the visual cinematography, and Spears' first complex dance choreographed music video in a while.The song was produced by will.i.am.

Background and release

Previously, in 2012, Spears and will.i.am collaborated on the song "Scream & Shout"; will.i.am was later announced in March 2013 as the executive producer for Spears' eighth studio album.[6] In preparation for the single and album, Spears began working with a vocal coach and choreography collaboratively.[7] "Work Bitch" was confirmed by Spears on September 7, 2013, during the video's filming.[8][9][10] On August 20, 2013, Spears' official website launched a countdown titled "All Eyes On Me" counting down to September 17 which lead fans to speculate that this was in fact the single title. In response, Spears told fans that new music was coming "much sooner than you think".[11][12][13]

On September 10, 2013; Spears confirmed "Work Bitch"'s worldwide radio premiere for September 16, 2013, at 6 pm ET on her official Twitter account, following up with a second tweet, "Work Bitch will be available on ‪@iTunesMusic‬ that night at 12:01am ET, Sept 17th... are u ready?! ‪#YouBettaWorkB‬ ‪#1Week‬".[3] On September 11, Spears revealed the writers of the song. On September 12, Spears revealed the official single cover. The artwork features Spears posing in front of a vanity mirror, wearing a bedazzled leotard complete with feathered shoulders. A small sign can be seen behind her reading "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas", referencing her upcoming Las Vegas residency. The song leaked in full on September 15, 2013, one day before it was due for release on iHeartRadio[14][15] and was therefore premiered a day earlier than scheduled. A clean version of the song, titled "Work Work" has also been released for radio.

Composition

"Work Bitch"
A 24-second sample of the song, where Spears sings over an EDM-influenced strong club beat.[15][16] Critics noted that it "features mostly spoken lyrics, [which] serves as a testament to the fine things a strong work ethic can bring about."[17]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Work Bitch" is an EDM-influenced dance song, where Spears repeatedly encourages listeners to "get to work, bitch."[16] It starts with a strong club beat, before she sings, "You want a hot body? / You want a Bugatti? / You want a Maserati? / You better work bitch!"[15][16] The singer continues to tease the lifestyle that can be achieved by getting to work, as she continues, "You want a Lamborghini? / Sip martinis? / Look hot in a bikini? / You better work bitch!"[16] The song was written by Spears with will.i.am and Anthony Preston, and features a beat from DJ Otto Knows.[16] Knows is managed by Swedish House Mafia member Sebastian Ingrosso, who also received a songwriting credit; however, Ingrosso revealed he did not write the song.[18] According to Miriam Coleman of Rolling Stone, it "features mostly spoken lyrics, [which] serves as a testament to the fine things a strong work ethic can bring about."[17] Idolator contributor Christina Lee thought that the song "sounds like the lights-out after-party" to RuPaul's 1993 debut single "Supermodel (You Better Work)".[19]

Critical response

Upon its release, "Work Bitch" received generally positive response from music critics. A writer for Billboard described the track as a "full-on club banger with Spears giving fans the secret to her success".[15] Writing for MuuMuse, Bradley Stern complimented the song as a "thrilling, thunderously bold slice of forward-thinking dance-pop".[20] A reviewer for PopJustice called the track "amazing", and suggested that the lyrical content "has the right attitude for a Blackout 2.0 sort of album".[21] Michael Cragg from The Guardian felt that "Work Bitch" is a "pretty relentless onslaught that reflects pop's current love for chucking in everything up to and including the kitchen sink", but felt that Spears' personality "[made] sure she hasn't been fully obliterated by will.i.am's production sledgehammer".[22] Chris Eggertsen from HitFix called that it was a "perfect club track", but questioned how it would perform on mainstream radio.[23] However, Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine gave a negative review for the song, opining that it "follows the current EDM model of painfully aggressive, treble-heavy beats, harsh synths, and tuneless hooks, but makes even "Scream & Shout" sound like a melodic feast".[24] Caryb Ganz of Rolling Stone noted that "Will.i.am draws up the perfect nü-Britney blueprint: a squelchy thumper that's light on singing and heavy on hilarious directives barked in an English accent... Blasts of clubby synths do most of the work, while Britney winks at the world".[25]

Commercial performance

The song debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number 12, making Spears' 31st song in the chart. It also entered the top ten on the Hot Digital Songs chart at number six. "Work Bitch" has sold 174,000 copies in its first week,[26] marking Spears' highest first-week sales since her 2011 number-one hit "Hold It Against Me".[27] With its debut on the Pop Songs at number 25, the song marks Spears' 32nd chart entry, pushing her past Mariah Carey (30) for the second-most entries to the chart's October 3, 1992, launch.[28]

Music video

Development

"A lot of sex goes into what I do. But sometimes I would like to bring it back to the old days when there was like one outfit through the whole video, and you're dancing the whole video, and there's like not that much sex stuff going on. It's about the dance and it'’s about being old school, it's like keeping it real and just making it about the dance. I’d love to do a video like that"

—Spears discussing her creative control over the music video.[29]

The music video for "Work Bitch" was shot by Ben Mor, who had previously worked on the video for Spears and Adams' 2012 single, "Scream & Shout".[30] Spears revealed she was rehearsing for something "top secret next week", on August 29.[31] Filming took place in Malibu, California, on September 7, 8, 9, and 10.[32] On the first day, Spears tweeted, "Hot day on set... ;) A little dirty, little flirty, danced my ASS off. Stoked for tomorrow!" following the tweet up with a still of herself in a yellow and black bra with long, black gloves.[9] The singer revealed that the video was supposed to have more sexual scenes; however, she edited many scenes out "because I am a mother and because, you know, I have children, and it's just hard to play sexy mom while you're being a pop star as well. I just have to be true to myself and you know, feel it out when I do stuff."[29] Spears released a sneak peek of the video on September 26, 2013 through her Instagram account.[33] The full version of the music video premiered on October 1 on The CW Television Network, during the second day broadcast of the iHeartRadio Music Festival.[34] The original airing of the premiere in the United States was viewed by 1.09 million viewers and received a Nielsen rating of 0.4/1 in the key adults 18–49 demographic, up 33 percent from the previous night.[35]

Synopsis

A scene of the video where Spears portrays a dominatrix, and channels the erotic romance novel Fifty Shades of Grey.[36][37] The video was banned from airing on television before 10 PM in the United Kingdom, for displaying bondage-esque scenes.[38]

Mor said the video is not story-based as Spears' previous videos, but it has "more of a theme ... rather than a narrative. This one is basically [saying] 'The queen is back and she's about to show all these bitches how it's done.' It's her being really fierce and taking back her throne in a way."[30] The video opens with several intercalated shots of the singer, who portrays a dominatrix,[36] and her dancers in front of a pool, and a car, and in the middle of the desert.[39] After singing "Party in France? You better work bitch," we see Spears at the top of Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino dancing.[40] According to Bruna Nessif of E! Online, we also see Spears channeling the erotic romance novel Fifty Shades of Grey throughout the video, with the singer "whipping some woman ... and using a riding crop".[37] Product placement for Spears' fragrance Fantasy and Beats by Dre's Pill wireless speakers can also be seen.[40]

Reception

Upon its release, the video received critical acclaim from critics and fans alike, with some describing it as Spears' best video in nearly a decade.[41] Bruna Nessif of E! Online praised the singer's figure, saying the video is "everything Britney Spears fans could want and more," adding, "There is just so much going on, we don’t even know where to start! But how about Brit's bangin' body? Yes, let's start there."[37] Mike Wass of Idolator compared the desert scenes to the ones of Ciara's "Got Me Good" (2012), and wrote, "not only does [Spears] look absolutely gorgeous in an array of skimpy outfits, there’s some life in her eyes and, dare I say it, a spring in her step."[42] The Hollywood Reporter contributor Sophie Schillaci thought the video was a return to Spears' early 2000s, comparing it to "I'm a Slave 4 U" (2001) and "My Prerogative" (2004).[40] A reviewer for Fuse called the video a "sleek and sexy" return to form, while Ryan Roschke of Popsugar commented that "even though the premise of the video is a little unclear, we're going to go ahead and give Brit an 'A' for 'Abs.'"[41] Similarly, Sharnaz Shahid of Entertainment Wise thought "the pop princess oozes sex appeal" and "is back to her old provocative ways."[41]

Jocelyn Vena of MTV felt Mor "wasn't lying" when he said the video would show a more adult side of Spears, and argued the clip proves the singer is "ready for her next era to launch."[36] A mixed review came from HitFix's Melinda Newman, who wasn't too impressed with the production, noting, however, that Spears' "dancing has certainly improved" and that "it's clear that she’s definitely doing so much better than she was just a few years ago."[43] In the United Kingdom, the music video was banned from airing on television before 10 PM, for displaying "a number of risqué scenes featuring bondage gear and Spears whipping her dancers."[38] Music channels such as MTV and The Box requested a clean edit of the video to air through the day, as a heavily censored version of the song titled 'Work' is also available.[38]

Track listings

  1. "Work Bitch" – 4:07
  2. "Work Bitch" (Instrumental) – 4:07
  • Digital download[45]
  1. "Work Bitch" – 4:07

Charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[46] 22
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[47] 37
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[48] 14
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[49] 11
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[50] 5
ERROR: MUST PROVIDE year FOR Czech CHART 33
Denmark (Tracklisten)[51] 17
Finland (The Official Finnish Download Chart)[52] 9
France (SNEP)[53] 6
songid field is MANDATORY FOR GERMAN CHARTS 37
Greece Digital Songs (Billboard)[54] 3
Ireland (IRMA)[55] 13
Italy (FIMI)[56] 6
Mexican Anglo Chart (Monitor Latino)[57] 11
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[58] 45
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[59] 28
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[60] 40
South Korea (International Chart) (GAON)[61] 3
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[62] 8
Sweden (DigiListan)[63] 3
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[64] 45
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[65] 26
US Billboard Hot 100[66] 12
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[67] 22
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[68] 4

Radio premiere and release history

Country Date Format Label
United States September 15, 2013[69] Radio premiere RCA
September 16, 2013[45] Digital download
France[70] September 17, 2013 Sony
Germany[71]
Italy[72]
Spain[73]
United States[74] September 24, 2013 Contemporary hit radio RCA
Rhythmic radio
Germany[44] October 18, 2013 CD single Sony
United Kingdom[75] November 3, 2013 Digital download RCA

References

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