3 Famous Pop Songs With Spoken Parts That Steal the Show

Pop songs don’t typically have spoken word moments in them. They typically have no space for anything other than a hit-making formula. But when a pop artist breaks that mold, it can be wildly entertaining. The three pop hits below all feature iconic spoken word sections. They are all made that much better with the help of a little more talking and a little less singing.  

Videos by American Songwriter

[RELATED: 3 One-Hit Wonders From the 2000s That Found Success More Than a Year After They Were Released]

“Oops!…I Did It Again” — Britney Spears

In the bridge of the Britney Spears pop song classic, “Oops!… I Did It Again,” there is a random Titanic interlude that, when we really get down to it, doesn’t make much sense. “But I thought the old lady dropped it into the ocean in the end / Well, baby, I went down and got it for ya,” the spoken word section reads. It doesn’t really match the rest of the song, but it’s iconic nonetheless.  

Moreover, it’s the most beloved part of this song. It plays well into the music video, with the writers conceptualizing the visual as they were crafting. It might not be the natural choice, but this bridge stuck in listeners’ minds, and that’s all that matters.

“Thriller” — Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is all about the spoken word haunting tale towards the end. Legendary horror actor Vincent Price sets the scene for the listener in this pop song: Darkness falls across the land / The midnight hour is close at hand. While Jackson’s vocals are what made this song a hit, it’s the Price-led scary story that made it iconic.

Throughout the back quarter of “Thriller,” Price talks about all manner of creepy crawlies and scream-inducing characters. “And whosoever shall be found / Without the soul for getting down / Must stand and face the hounds of hell,” he warns.

“Fighter” — Christina Aguilera

“After all you put me through / You’d think I’d despise you / But in the end, I wanna thank you / ‘Cause you made me that much stronger,” Christina Aguilera says in the spoken word intro to “Fighter.” This intro orients the listener to the song’s crux, adding a layer of drama to this breakup track.

Aguilera follows this spoken word section with her incomparable vocals, but it’s the intro that sticks in the listener’s mind. It’s very 2000s, iconic, and singular thanks to Aguilera’s bold choice.

(Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)