I'm a Slave 4 U

Background and composition

"I'm a Slave 4 U" was written and produced by both Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, also known as The Neptunes, who also collaborated with Spears on another track from Britney, "Boys" (2002). Both recordings were originally intended for American singer Janet Jackson's seventh studio album, All for You (2001), with her recording an unreleased demo version of the latter before handing the track to Spears. "I'm a Slave 4 U" was recorded by Andrew Cleman at Master Sound Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia and by Brian Garten at Right Track Studios in New York City, being later mixed by Serban Ghenea in New York City. Audio engineering was done by Ryan Smith and Tim Roberts. After reading the lyrics for the first time, Spears stated it talks "about me just wanting to go out and forget who I am and dance and have a good time. That's kinda where I am now right now. I love working, but at the same time, I love having a good time."

The urban song is backed with breathy and moaning vocals and scratching. The soundscape of the song has been noted to be similar to Vanity 6's 1982's song "Nasty Girl."

Critical reception

The song was met with mixed reviews by critics. A review from NME magazine stated that "the song is funk the way God intended —hypnotic, insistent, mysterious, suggestive— and if Prince was a nineteen-year-old former Disney Club host and virgin, he'd be proud to create such a record". Another review from and Allmusic agreed that "I'm a Slave 4 U" was a step towards a more mature sound. Bill Lamb from About.com listed at number nine, on her Top 10 Songs, saying: "By the time of this single off her third album, it was obvious Britney Spears was becoming an adult. This song is a radical shift from the "not quite innocent" 16-year-old schoolgirl of Britney's first album. Slinky and sexy have crept into the Britney Spears style".

"I'm a Slave 4 U" received several comparisons to Janet Jackson, with one critic noting "Spears’ main musical and visual influence has not been Madonna but Janet Jackson". "But Jackson’s not the only influence to appear on “Slave:” the Neptunes’ minimal, electronic production and Spears’ breathy, cooing delivery create a track that smacks of Prince." "Spears, on the other hand, became more and more interesting – and enjoyable – as she continued to explore elements of Janet Jackson and Prince throughout her career." Lyndsey Parker of Yahoo! Music wrote "'Slave,' written and produced by the Neptunes and originally intended for OG pop bombshell Janet Jackson, evoked the old-school sexcapades of Prince and his protégés Vanity 6—and in many ways, it was a real artistic leap."

Chart performance

"I'm a Slave 4 U" peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the issue date of December 1, 2001, becoming Spears' first lead single from an album not to crack the U.S. top ten. The track also became a top 30 hit on the Hot 100 Airplay, but just barely made into the Hot 100 Singles Sales peaking at number 73. The low sales points are due mostly because of the song's 12-inch single release instead of a competitive regular CD single. Despite the little sales, "I'm a Slave 4 U" became Spears' first dance hit, reaching number four on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. It is also her first and, so far, only song to appear on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at number 85. In Europe "I'm a Slave 4 U" was more successful, becoming a top ten hit in nearly every country that it charted in, including big markets such as Germany and France, where it was certified Silver by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique for selling over 125,000 copies. The track spent two weeks at number-five on the European Hot 100 Singles chart provided by magazine Music and Media at the time. "I'm a Slave 4 U" peaked at number-four on the official UK Singles Chart and spent a total of 14 weeks within the top 75 and sold over 150,000 copies. In the Pacific, the track was somewhat successful, debuting at number seven on the Australian Singles Chart. Despite spending a very short period on the chart, eight weeks, it was certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipments of over 35,000 units. In New Zealand, "I'm a Slave 4 U" debuted at number 46 on November 4, 2001 and missed the top ten, peaking at number 13 in its third week. The song spent just six weeks on the chart.

Music video

The music video was shot on a soundstage in Universal City, California, over Labor Day weekend (Sep. 1–2), under the direction of Francis Lawrence, and is one of Britney's most risqué videos ever. It made its world premiere on MTV's Making the Video on September 24 at 5 p.m. EST, the same day the song officially hit the American radio stations, and debuted at number one on Total Request Live two days later. The video also made its world premiere on BET's 106 & Park on October 16, 2001, making Spears the only white artist to get rotation on an African-American show. It was choreographed by Wade Robson and Crystal Chewning, though some of the dancing was choreographed by Puerto-Rican dancer and Prince's ex-wife Mayte Garcia, who taught Spears bellydancing for the video.

In the video, Spears and fifteen dancers employ the same choreography seen in her with Spears looking over a balcony whilst singing with cars down in the distance. Spears is portrayed as a slave to the music who dances all day until she and the other dancers are sweaty and near dehydration, forcing them to search for water, Spears is standing by a mirror at the sink. Two alternative versions of the video clip can be found on the Greatest Hits: My Prerogative DVD released on November 9, 2004. The music video was nominated in three categories at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Female Video, Best Dance Video, and Best Choreography. The video clip for "I'm a Slave 4 U" was noted for its influence from Janet Jackson, with one review saying "Spears’ main musical and visual influence has not been Madonna but Janet Jackson, particularly in her visual element. The Jackson influence can be seen in the video for 'I’m A Slave 4 U', and it continues through 'Me Against the Music,' 'Boys,' and 'My Prerogative,' as well as her live performances in general." The video ranked #1 in the list of the "50 Sexiest Music Videos of All-Time" published by Canadian music channel MuchMusic in 2007. An official remix video used the "Miguel Migs Petalpusher Vocal Mix" was also released. There are another 2 unreleased remix videos using the Thunderpuss Club Mix and the Thunderpuss Dark Mix. Nearly 10 years later in 2011, the video would be compared to her "Till The World Ends" music video. Several references from the "I'm a Slave 4 U" video were made in the video for "Till The World Ends", such as the dancers crowding around her and the sweaty dancers scene.

Live performances and covers versions

Spears first performed "I'm a Slave 4 U" at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City on September 6, 2001. The performance featured a number of exotic animals, including a white tiger and a live albino Burmese Python on her shoulders. The inclusion of the animals in the performance brought a great deal of criticism from animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). In August 2008, MTV named the performance the most memorable moment in VMA history. Other performances include several television appearances to promote her third album, Britney. She performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on October 11, The Rosie O'Donnell Show on November 5 and the Late Show with David Letterman on November 6. A special named Total Britney was made by MTV on November 3, where the singer performed the song with "Stronger" and "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman". A month later, Spears opened the 2001 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on December 4 with a performance of the track on a stage inside the fountains of the Bellagio Hotel. 15 years later, at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, the song was once again performed at the award show as part of a medley, on May 22, 2016. The song was also included in Spears's setlist for the iHeartRadio Music Festival on September 24th, 2016. She also performed the song as part of her Apple Music Festival performance in London on September 27, 2016.

Notably, the song was performed at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to kick off the 2003 National Football League season. Spears performed the track on her latest five tours, Dream Within a Dream (2001-2002), The Onyx Hotel (2004), The M+M's Tour (2007), The Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009), The Femme Fatale Tour (2011), and on her residency concert Britney: Piece of Me (2013-2017).

"I'm a Slave 4 U" was covered by the musical television show Glee in the episode "Britney/Brittany" sung by Heather Morris in her singing debut. In a dream sequence, Morris's character Brittany S. Pierce sings the number, while recreating several iconic looks from Spears's videos: the red catsuit from "Oops!... I Did It Again", the outfit with a snake from Spears's "I'm a Slave 4 U" performance at the VMA's, and the white diamond bodysuit from "Toxic". Morris also performed the song during the live 2011 Glee Tour.