Britney Spears is... Good Music?

The songwriter should not be punished for the banal inanity of the singer who sings their song.  This is why I always enjoy when a talented artist brings some emotional depth to a Top 40 cover (Idols, take heed… it can be done!)  A perfect example is the Britney Spears catalogue.  Good musicians love to take notorious Britney singles and reinvent them---probably because they usually sound better by comparison. Here for your consideration are three great Britney Spears covers.

Frankly, we all need a break from 60s, 70s, and 80s theme weeks.  

“Toxic” (written by Bloodshy & Avant, Cathy Dennis, and Henrik Jonback)

as performed by Yael Naïm: 

You’ve heard Yael from those Macbook Air commercials: “I’m a new soul, I came to this strange world… la-la-la-la…”  That’s her.  Born in Paris, Yael spent the better part of her childhood in Israel.  Now she’s back in Paris and recording breathy, hum-able pop songs in English, French and Hebrew.  Her music is perfect for an early morning café au lait (Starbucks… put her on your shelf next to Sia Furler).  Because Yael has been featured in a Mac commercial, you just know she’s going to go all Feist and become HUGE in about a minute. So beat the crowd and check out her self-titled sophomore album.   

Yael’s simple, poetic cover of “Toxic” transforms what was a screechy, intolerable dance single into an evocative ode to an addictive relationship.  Stripped guitars and flutes with echoing Middle Eastern influences create an atmospheric ballad.  Who knew Britney’s vapid track could sound so achingly sensuous (the French-Israeli accent sure does help).

* Close second: Nickel Creek’s “Toxic,” which I first heard when they performed it for an approving crowd at Lollapalooza 2006.  Definitely check it out. 

“Baby One More Time” (written by Max Martin)

as performed by Travis:  

There might never have been a Coldplay, Keane, or Snow Patrol if this renowned Scottish quartet hadn’t paved the way for their fellow folk pop-rockers.  Travis has had huge success with singles like "Why Does It Always Rain On Me" and "Sing," and The Invisible Band was named Top of the Pops’ Album of the Year.  The guys love doing B-side covers (Queen, Radiohead, David Bowie, the Band, Bob Dylan... the list goes on).  One such B-side was “Baby One More Time.”

It is the quintessential Spears cover.  After all, Britney’s debut is one of the most successful pop songs of all-time, and Travis was the first in a long line of artists to cover it.  I first listened to Travis’s version on their Driftwood single (I believe it also appeared on the Turn single) back in 1999, right around the time Britney’s original was jet setting her path to superstardom.  The cover is so deliciously coffee shop, and Fran Healy’s vocals are intense and heart breaking.  The live audience begins the song laughing at the joke (Travis is singing Britney Spears… ha ha!), but by the end chorus, they’re silent, rapt, and bursting into spontaneous applause.  

“Oops! I Did It Again” (written by Max Martin)

as performed by Richard Thompson:  

Richard Thompson is a world-renowned guitarist, an award-winning songwriter, has over forty albums in his repertoire, and his career has spanned four decades.  Despite all of this, I admit (abashedly) I’d never heard of him until 2004, when he composed the haunting score of Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man.  Since discovering Richard and his Kangol cap, I join the throngs who believe he should be a household name among the likes of John Denver or Neil Young. 

Richard’s cover of Britney’s single came about when Playboy asked him to contribute a list of the ten greatest songs of the millennium.  Like any self-respecting musical connoisseur, he took the “millennium” part quite literally and turned in an all-inclusive list that consisted of medieval dirges, operatic arias, and 19th century folk.  Playboy was really just looking for songs from the last fifty years and turned down his suggestions.  On the upside, the idea spawned Richard’s live concert series and the accompanying album, 1000 Years of Popular Music, which he concludes with Britney’s “Oops!”   In the second half of the cover is a lovely guitar bridge that showcases Richard’s “pick and fingers” playing technique, as well as his proclivity for traditional music. 

You know Richard’s fans aren’t that familiar with Britney when the crowd attempts to sing along and gets the words wrong.  

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