Blackout (Britney Spears album)
Blackout is the fifth studio album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on October 25, 2007, by Jive Records. Its production and release occurred as Spears' personal struggles were highly publicized and overshadowed her professional projects. She executive-produced the album, working with producers Danja, Bloodshy & Avant, Sean Garrett, and the Neptunes, among others; it is the only album on which Spears is credited as the executive producer. The final result was primarily a dance-pop and electropop record with Euro disco and dubstep influences, with lyrical themes revolving around love, fame, media scrutiny, sex, and clubbing.
Blackout
October 25, 2007
March 2006 – June 2007
- Sony[a] (New York City)
- Silent Sound[b] (Atlanta)
- South Beach[c] (Miami)
- Studio at the Palms[d] (Las Vegas)
- Chalice[e]
- Conway[f]
- Record Plant[g] (Los Angeles)
- Bloodshy & Avant[h] (Stockholm)
43:37
Blackout was originally slated for November 13, 2007, but was rush-released after leaking online. Contemporary reviews were polarized: some critics described it as Spears' most progressive and consistent album to date, while others dismissed it due to Spears' controversial public image. Although it was expected to debut atop the US Billboard 200, it entered at number two due to a last-minute change in Billboard's rules, with first-week sales of 290,000 copies; it became Spears' first studio effort not to debut at the summit. The album was later certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It won Best Album at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards. By the end of 2008, it had sold 3.1 million copies worldwide, but was deemed commercially disappointing compared to its predecessors.
Blackout produced three singles. "Gimme More" peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming her highest-peaking single on the chart since "...Baby One More Time" (1998), and reached the top ten in additional 16 countries. "Piece of Me" peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, but replicated the international commercial success of its predecessor. Its accompanying music video won Spears her first MTV Video Music Award, winning Video of the Year, Best Female Video and Best Pop Video in 2008. "Break the Ice" did not fare as well as its predecessors, peaking at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100. Originally intended as the fourth single, "Radar" was later included on Spears' following studio album Circus and was released as its fourth and final single in June 2009.
Unlike her previous albums, Spears did not heavily promote Blackout; her only televised appearance for the album was a universally panned performance of "Gimme More" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. However, a number of its songs were performed on her subsequent tour the Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009) and later on her concert residency Britney: Piece of Me (2013–2017). In retrospect, the album has been cited as a career highlight for Spears and has been praised for its significant impact on the ensuing 2010s decade of pop music, being credited for bringing the electropop and avant-disco genres to mainstream prominence. Blackout has been listed among the best albums of all time by multiple publications.
Title and packaging[edit]
In June 2007, Spears posted a message on her official website asking for assistance with a title for her fifth studio album. Among the options were OMG Is Like Lindsay Lohan Like Okay Like, What If the Joke Is on You, Down Boy, Integrity and Dignity.[60] On October 6, Jive Records announced through a press release that the album would be titled Blackout, referring to "blocking out negativity and embracing life fully."[61] Its album cover and booklet images were photographed by Ellen von Unwerth.[62] Jive revealed the cover alongside the album's track listing on October 12. It features Spears sporting black hair and wearing a pink dress, and a white fedora;[63] the rear cover of the physical CD pressings shows the dress in blue.[30] The cover received negative critical response.[57][64] The album's booklet contains photographs of empty chairs with ripped tabloid pages and still images from the music video for "Gimme More". It does not include a thank-you list, unlike her previous albums' booklets.[42]
The centerfold photographs for Blackout feature Spears and a priest posing suggestively inside a confessional. The first image shows Spears, who wears a cross and fishnet stockings, sitting on the priest's lap, while in the second one she leans suggestively against the confessional with the priest sitting on the other side of the partition. After the album was released, the Catholic League's director of communications Kiera McCaffrey stated that the group considered the photos a "cheap publicity stunt" to promote the album and condemned Spears for "mocking a Catholic sacrament". McCaffrey added: "All we see is how troubled this girl is now, especially with her family, losing her kids, with her career on a downward slide. And now she's put out this album and this is her tactic to promote it?" Gil Kaufman of MTV said that the images were reminiscent of Madonna's music video for "Like a Prayer" (1989).[62]