Britney Spears’ debut album in the 1990s was a big deal. But nothing would prepare the pop world (or Spears, for that matter) for the insane success and culture-changing power of her sophomore record, Oops!… I Did It Again, in the year 2000.
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This album was a harbinger of the new millennium. Few pop stars have even gotten close to producing something as successful and culturally relevant as this particular pop album. Oops!… I Did It Again was released on May 16, 2000. And it sold a whopping 1.3 million copies in its first week alone.
It radically changed Spears’ image, too. Her first single, “…Baby One More Time”, sounded very similar to the title track from Oops!… I Did It Again, but Spears’ image had become much more grown-up and explicit. Remember that red catsuit? Iconic.
While Oops!… I Did It Again didn’t quite match the sales power of her debut album, the record did go on to sell over 10 million records in America alone. Spears became the first female musician to reach that particular goalpost with her first two records.
The Legacy of ‘Oops!… I Did It Again’
The four singles released on this record-breaking album are still in rotation today. That’s the kind of pop staying power that other musicians could hope for. From the sweet ballad “Lucky” to the synthy “Stronger”, Spears set a new standard for what a pop star would be in the new century.
Spears would go on to promote the album with various television and award show performances, one of which was her controversial MTV Video Music Awards show in 2000. She would go on to host Saturday Night Live and kick off her third massive concert tour that year. Spears would also go on to win several Billboard music awards for the record, as well as nominations for a Grammy, Juno, and American Music Award. She would later break a Guinness World Record for the fastest-selling album by a teen solo musician.
Today, Spears released the 25th anniversary edition of the record, and it’s a real throwback to an era where pop music was taboo, exciting, and fearlessly creative. I have to say, I might just give this album another listen to celebrate the golden era of pop in the 21st century.
Photo by RUSSEIL christophe/Sygma via Getty Images
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