Genre Electropop Label Jive | Length 3:38 "Inside Out"
(3) "I Wanna Go"
(4) | |
Writer(s) Lukasz Gottwald
Jacob Kasher Hindlin
Mathieu Jomphe
Max Martin
Bonnie McKee Producer(s) Dr. Luke
Max Martin
Billboard | ||
"Inside Out" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, included on her seventh studio album Femme Fatale (2011). It was written by Lukasz Gottwald, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Mathieu Jomphe, Max Martin and Bonnie McKee whilst production was handled by Dr. Luke, Max Martin and Billboard. Musically, "Inside Out" is an electropop song that uses elements of dubstep and R&B, and has been compared to Spears' previous material on previous albums In the Zone and Circus, as well as the work of Madonna. Lyrically, the song has been described as a "sexy break-up song", while making references to her previous singles "...Baby One More Time" and "(You Drive Me) Crazy". The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended its production. Due to strong digital sales of the album, "Inside Out" peaked at number fifty-nine on South Korea's Gaon International Chart.
Contents
Background
"Inside Out" was written by Jacob Kasher Hindlin and Bonnie McKee, while additional writing and song production was done by Dr. Luke, Martin, and Billboard. A small teaser of the song was unveiled by the singer on February 19, 2011. On March 11, 2011, it leaked in full online, along with another Femme Fatale track, "(Drop Dead) Beautiful". The song was also rumored to be the second single of Femme Fatale; the information was later denied following the online leak of "Till the World Ends" on March 3, 2011, which was released instead in the next day. On August 5, 2011, Spears posted a poll on her Facebook page asking fans whether her next single should be "Criminal", "Inside Out" or "(Drop Dead) Beautiful." After the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, she revealed to MTV News that "Criminal" was chosen as the fourth single.
Composition
"Inside Out" is an electropop song that features themes of dubstep and R&B, complimented with "earth-shattering synths". Lyrically, the "sexy breakup song", as described by Jocelyn Vena of MTV, opens with Spears singing, "Said you're gonna be here in a minute/ Sitting in the mirror getting pretty/ Gotta look my best if we're gonna break up/ Gotta look my best if we're gonna break up/ I can hear you knocking at the front door/ And I know exactly what you came for/ Trying to say goodbye but it's hot and heavy/ Trying to say goodbye but it's hot and heavy." While the couple seems to be on the verge of a breakup, there's apparently still some sexual tension between them, which is perceived in lines such as "You ... touch me and it's breaking me down/ I'm telling you, let's just give it up and get down." Spears crescendos "So come on/Won't you give me something to remember/Baby shut your mouth and turn me inside out." during the chorus section, and then goes on to "Hit me one more time it's so amazing" and "You're the only one who's ever drove me crazy" referencing her first singles "...Baby One More Time" (1998) and "(You Drive Me) Crazy" (1999). The song was compared to her earlier work on albums In the Zone (2003) and Circus (2008) and it has been compared to that of Madonna's Ray of Light (1998) and Music (2000). The "futuristic-sounding, slow-grooving tune" was also considered reminiscent of Janet Jackson.
Reception
The song received generally favorable reviews from contemporary music critics. Digital Spy's Robert Copsey noted "Inside Out" is one of the "ten remaining tracks [of Femme Fatale that] continue the trend [of the album's first two singles]", considering the song's lyrics as "blatantly slutty" and praising "the much-welcomed piano breakdown". David Buchanan of Consequence of Sound also agreed that "the [first two] singles are extraordinarily infectious, as is "Inside Out", which slows the tempo, simultaneously sending Spears back to basics vocally, and into 2011 sonically." On her review of Femme Fatale, Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club commented that "songs like the dark, slinky "Inside Out", the hyper-Euro chant-along "Till The World Ends", and the strange, flute-assisted digression "Criminal" add texture to the wall-to-wall synth waves and booty bass." The Guardian's Alexis Petridis commented that the song "lurches along on [dubstep]'s patent half-speed rhythm." While Keith Caufield of Billboard considered "Inside Out" "easily a natural pick for 'Femme's' third single", Hannah Rishel of The Daily Collegian said that "in general the song failed to hold my attention. If I heard it on the radio, I probably would change the station." Thomas Conner of the Chicago Sun-Times also gave the song a negative review, considering it a "weak mid-tempo fare", along with "Criminal". Following the release of Femme Fatale, "Inside Out" reached number fifty-nine on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart, after selling 7,222 digital units of the song alone.
Credits and personnel
Credits for "Inside Out" adapted from Femme Fatale liner notes.