Animated Britney Spears Breaks Something In Her New Video
We just aren’t sure what it is that’s broken.
For one thing, I’m not crazy about the animation. Yes, I know it’s supposed to be anime, which I don’t have a problem with. But this brings to mind comparisons with Aeon Flux, and that particular style just isn’t my thing. If they’re trying to make Brit sexy in this vid, I don’t think they succeeded. Anime Brit breaks into a building where a dual anime Brit is being held in some sort of cryogenic state, along the way kicking some anime butt. But I don’t get it…she kisses the glass holding back her twin self? She kills the baddie with what, her sex appeal? He self-destructs because she broke his…ice? Too confusing. In short, they made anime Brit do all the things real-life Brit can’t (or won’t) do any more in videos.
So let’s move on to the song. First, what is it with starting songs with spoken lyrics? She already tried that in “Gimme More”. Basically, the song is about, you guessed it, sex. She spends the song breathily panting about how ”You ain’t gotta be scared/We’re grown now” and “Can you rise to the occasion/I’m patiently waiting…I can’t get enough/So let me get it up.” It’s techno pop, the sort of thing clubs ought to eat up, but that will seem hopelessly dated in a few years (Rick Astley, anyone?). Then again, this album wasn’t made to stand the test of time, but to earn some bucks. In that, it’s probably succeeding.
It takes longer than a few weeks to animate a video, so maybe she just wasn’t capable, interested in, or together enough to make a video for this song. Jive has to make their money back on this CD some way, so an animated video was undoubtedly the next best thing.
The song is very much about Britney taking control of a sexual encounter, and I wonder if it is a metaphor for her wishing to take control of her life. I know the song was written, recorded, and produced a long time ago, but she also took steps a while back to cut herself off from everyone who had previously helped her and took “control” of her own life. Or it could just be another generic song about sex.
It’s not horrible…it’s just not all that great. Meh. However, if you like it, more power to ya.
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Great analysis. There’s got to be some kind of symbolism in this video, as you suggested, I wonder how much of that was influenced by Britney, or super-imposed by those creating the video.
It kind of goes along with her whole “Toxic” theme, which was pretty cool at the time.
Oh, and what do you mean “Rick Astley’s dated” Rick’s a fresh as a damn daisy.
Comment by D — March 13, 2008 @ 10:21 am
Yes, good analysis, and comment. This is definitley too strenuous of work for Brit at the moment, so anime will have to work for her for the time being.
Her singing style seems to be mimicking Janet Jackson’s lately. But this vid/song makes about as much sense to me as the one about the superspy/stewardess/planesex video. Yawn.
Comment by Capcom — March 13, 2008 @ 6:24 pm