There's no point trying to pretend that any song captured the world's attention this week like Britney Spears' comeback single "Hold It Against Me". In the five days since it was release, it has broken the one-day debut spin record on US radio and has topped the download charts in 19 countries. It is virtually guaranteed to debut at #1 in America, which would make her the first artist since Mariah Carey in 1996 to have two #1 debuts (Mariah had three, her last being '97's "Honey").
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| Don't hold Britney's pop domination against her |
But Britney's success is more than just smashing chart records; she does that effortlessly. What is particularly significant about "Hold It Against Me" is the music itself, and how she might just be the catalyst for a whole new mainstream music movement.
While she's not the first artist to feature dubstep elements in her music, she is definitely the first of considerable pop success to do so. Produced by pop's dynamic duo Max Martin and Dr. Luke, "Hold It Against me" sounds like it was bred directly out of a gritty London club.
"Hold It Against Me"'s impact hits the second you hear that electrifying, pulsating beat that opens and bases the song. Considering Britney's previous work, even her last #1 hit "3", I was expecting some melodic energy, but the beat alone is enough to power Buckingham Palace. The song really picks up in the second half, starting with the epic dubstep middle eight breakdown, featuring some iconic Britney come-hither adlibs. This leads to second middle-eight before busting into a full-blown chorus that would wake the dead into dancing. It's sort of a rollercoaster ride of a track, but that it's beat that keeps everyone safely holstered into the song.
More than ten years into the business, Britney has more than proven her ability to set trends in mainstream music. "Hold It Against Me" is no different, and just like Blackout ushered in the era of Europop stateside in 2007, don't be surprised if dubstep becomes of the sound of 2011.
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