Britney Spears is an undeniable pop icon. From the hits that defined a generation like “Baby One More Time” to “Toxic,” Spears has long been a force in music. Though she’s known as a superstar performer, Spears is also a songwriter, co-penning several deep cuts on her albums over the years, along with a pair of songs that were cut by other artists. Check them out below.
Videos by American Songwriter
1. “Whiplash” by Selena Gomez
Written by Britney Spears, Greg Kurstin, and Nicole Morier
Selena Gomez has been a longtime Britney superfan ever since Spears was the first concert she saw as a child. Gomez got to experience a full circle moment when Spears co-wrote “Whiplash,” a deep cut off Selena Gomez & the Scene’s 2011 album When the Sun Goes Down. The catchy song features lyrics that compare being in love to the feeling of whiplash as she sings When I look into your eyes/I’m so in love / I think I’m gonna crash / And get whiplash, whiplash.
“It was co-written by Britney Spears, which was a huge honor to me because I love her and I think she’s the princess of pop,” Gomez raved at the time. “So it’s really fun…it’s one of my favorites.”
2. “Follow Me” by Jamie Lynn Spears
Written by Britney Spears, Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg and Henrik Jonback
Britney Spears, the hit pop production duo known as Bloodshy & Avant, and Swedish songwriter Henrik Jonback are credited for writing the theme song to Zoey 101, the Nickelodeon show that starred Spears’ younger sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, in the title role. The theme song is sung by the younger Spears, with her superstar older sister, not only, helping to write the song, but giving her sister the encouragement to sing it.
“The Zoey theme song was something me and my sister were a part of creating,” Jamie Lynn Spears told Entertainment Tonight in 2020 when recording a reimagined version. “I was like 12. I was nervous to go into the studio. Of course, [my] big sis is like, ‘Get in here and do it!’ She cheered me on and she was a big part of that song in the original version.”
Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images
