“Come on get me on the floor. DJ what you waiting for?” That in a nutshell is what “Till The World Ends,” the second single off Britney Spears’ upcoming Femme Fatale is all about. It doesn’t try to be anything more than a glossed-up dance anthem for parties and clubs; it’s this that makes it so damn enjoyable.
Much of the conversation surrounding this track is the fact that Ke$ha co-wrote it. We all know how terrible Ke$ha is, right? But at this point it should come as no shocker that Spears doesn’t write her own material (or hasn’t for a while now). And yes, I see the irony in the fact that this generations white trash pop star is writing for Spears who paved the way. But at the end of the day, the song should be judged on its own merit. I mean, how overanalytical can you get with a Britney Spears song?
What held back “Hold It Against Me” from being a complete club banger was the lack of a great chorus. While by no means original, the song showed Spears reaching into some new territory in her career. “Till The World Ends” delivers on the premise she set out before, taking the same house/dubstep influenced sound, and pumping it with an insanely catchy hook. It might just be “whoa oh oh ohs,” but it’s larger than life sound mixed with an infectious beat takes it to the heights of her other smash hit singles. The music isn’t too shabby either. The samples swirl around similar to Caribous “Odessa.” Of course electronic purist will scoff at what is generally generic and formulaic production. But this isn’t made for purist anyways. And for a mainstream pop hit, this really hits all the right notes.
Spears has never been political or socially conscious, so trying to take on Gaga from that point of view would be pointless. But it also highlights a problem I had with Gaga’s latest single “Born this Way.” It takes itself too seriously. Gaga at her very core makes pop music, and it isn’t rocket science. When the music itself starts taking a backseat to a theme or message, it doesn’t really make for a good single. Mainstream pop should be fun and disposable. Not that there is anything wrong with a mainstream pop artist trying to be serious, but there is a thin line to be walked.
Perhaps Spears wised up to the fact that she could never compete with Gaga when it comes to theatrics, and themes. But she’s making catchy music again. As far as I’m concerned, she has gone to bat two for two with this album, with the second being one of her catchiest singles since “Toxic.”
