Criminal (Britney Spears song)
"Criminal" is the fourth and final single from American singer Britney Spears' seventh studio album, Femme Fatale (2011). "Criminal" was written and produced by Max Martin and Shellback, with additional writing by Tiffany Amber. After Spears first listened to the song, she felt it was different and unlike anything she had heard before. She posted a snippet of it online on March 2, 2011, prior to the album's release. "Criminal" was chosen as a single by a poll on her Facebook page, as Spears explained it was a way to give back to her fans. The artwork for the single was released on September 14, 2011.
"Criminal"
"Criminal" is a guitar and synth-driven mid-tempo song which incorporates a folk-style flute melody. It is considered the only ballad on Femme Fatale, and is less aggressive than the other songs of the album. "Criminal" is influenced by the works of ABBA and Madonna. In the song, Spears sings about being in love with a bad boy and outlaw, and pleads to her mother to not worry about their relationship. "Criminal" received critical acclaim, with reviewers praising its organic and refreshing feel in comparison with the rest of the album. After the release of Femme Fatale, the song charted on the South Korean International chart. "Criminal" has also charted in major markets such as Canada, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Brazil and the United States.
The accompanying music video for the song was filmed at Dalston and Stoke Newington, London. It features Spears as a woman in upper society and follows her relationship with a criminal, played by her then real-life boyfriend Jason Trawick. Prior to its release, London officials criticized Spears for shooting scenes with a replica gun and glamorizing violence. The video received a positive response from critics, with some calling it the best music video from Femme Fatale. Reviewers also perceived parallels between the video and Spears's personal life.
A revival in interest for the song occurred when it went viral on TikTok, particularly with the "Mugshot Challenge". It has since become Spears' fourth most liked music video on YouTube; and in October 2020, the single reached a new peak of daily listeners on Spotify with 128,000 streams occurring on October 2.[1]
Background[edit]
"Criminal" was written in 2008 by Max Martin, Shellback and Tiffany Amber, and was produced by Martin and Shellback.[2][3] Spears told MTV News that after she first listened to the song, she felt it was different and unlike anything she had heard before.[4] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Spears spoke about Martin's productions on Femme Fatale, saying, "Max played a huge role on this album and he has been there since the beginning so there is such a huge level of trust. He gets exactly what I am saying when I tell him what I want and don't want musically".[5] Spears recorded her vocals at Maratone Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. The track was later mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia.[3] It was registered on Broadcast Music Incorporated under the legal title "In Love With a Criminal".[6] On March 2, 2011, Spears posted on her Twitter account a link to a 17-second clip of the song, describing it as "one of [her] favorites".[7]
On August 5, 2011, she launched a poll on her Facebook page asking fans whether her next single should be "Criminal", "Inside Out" or "(Drop Dead) Beautiful."[8] After the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, she revealed to MTV News that "Criminal" was chosen as the fourth single.[4] On the British talk show This Morning, Spears explained that the song "was chosen by the fans. It was just cool to give something back to them and see what they would appreciate."[9] The "Criminal (Radio Mix)", which was included on her second remix album, B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2,[10] was released as a single on September 30, 2011, and the song was added to the United States mainstream radio playlists on October 4, 2011.[11][12] The artwork for the single was released on September 14, 2011. It features Spears looking out into the distance, with her wavy hair falling on her bare back. A mysterious hooded man is also featured on the cover.[13] Robbie Daw of Idolator said that "it appears as if Camp Spears hired the best Photoshop expert $15 could buy when it came to designing the art. Oh, just kidding — we love red and blue! Makes us think of sex and, uh, ice-cold criminals. Or something."[14]
Composition[edit]
"Criminal" is a guitar-driven midtempo song which incorporates a folk-style flute melody.[15][16] Erin Thompson of the Seattle Weekly said the song "takes a breather from aggressive, wall-to-wall synths, driven instead by a steady guitar rhythm and an oddly Asian folky-sounding flute melody.".[17] The radio edit changes the drums to be louder, among various other instrumental changes. Billboard described it as the only ballad on the album.[18] Thompson compared it to her past work, saying it is not "sappy" like "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" (2002) and not "teary-sad" like "Everytime" (2004).[17] "Criminal" is reminiscent of the music of ABBA and Madonna, and the latter's albums Ray of Light (1998) and American Life (2003), according to David Buchanan of Consequence of Sound and Samesame.com.au, respectively.[15][19] The beat was compared by Keith Caufield of Billboard to Madonna's "Don't Tell Me" (2000).[18] Carl Wilson of the Los Angeles Times said "Criminal" is "awkwardly pitched between rock and ballad".[20] The use of the flute was compared by Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush to the sample of "The Lonely Goatherd" from The Sound of Music (1959) on Gwen Stefani's "Wind It Up" (2006).[21]
In the verses, Spears sings about being in love with a bad boy and outlaw, in lyrics such as "He is a hustler / He's no good at all / He is a loser, he's a bum, bum, bum, bum" and "He is a bad boy with a tainted heart / And even I know this ain't smart". During the chorus, she pleads to her mother not to worry in lines such as "But mama I'm in love with a criminal" and "Mama please don't cry / I will be alright."[22] Andrew Leahey of The Washington Times and Erin Thompson of the Seattle Weekly compared the lyrics to those of Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" (1986), while David Bunachan compared them to Coolio's "Mama I'm in Love Wit' a Gangsta" (1994).[17][19][23] The words in the chorus end in 'al's syllables, as evident in lyrics such as "And this type of love isn't rational / It's physical". Keith Caufield noted that they were an unintentional nod to Supertramp's "The Logical Song" (1979).[18] Thompson stated that Spears's vocals are less processed than on the rest of the album, while according to Amy Sciarretto they are "heavily Auto-Tuned and studio-treated, [...] she delivers her lines in a monotone, robotic fashion."[17][21]
Critical reception[edit]
"Criminal" received critical acclaim from music critics. Andy Gill of The Independent called it one of the highlights of Femme Fatale, along with "Till the World Ends". Gill also said that the album sounds more programmed than natural, commenting that "indeed, such is the shock when the final track, 'Criminal', opens with a little folksong-style flute and guitar figure that one's immediate reaction is that a Midlake soundfile has been accidentally appended to Britney's running-order."[16] Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush gave the song four stars, explaining that "Only Brit can make a flute sound sexy. Seriously, few pop stars can pull off a flute and Brit does it with ease."[21] Aaron-Spencer Charles of Metro said that "the verses, chorus and bridge all work perfectly for Ms. Spears, showing that she still has it from all those years ago."[24] Erin Thompson of the Seattle Weekly called it her best vocal performance of the album, and added that "it has a spark and a mischievous sass to it – and these days anytime Britney shows even just a bit of her old liveliness and independence, we like it."[17] Rudy Klapper of Sputnikmusic commented the song "isn't exactly the progressive stylings of a Janelle Monáe [sic], but damn if it's not catchy and interesting."[25] The A.V. Club's Genevieve Koski claimed that the album "[i]s not all dance-floor narcotics", adding that "Inside Out", "Till the World Ends" and "Criminal" "add texture to the wall-to-wall synth waves and booty bass."[26] Robert Copsey of Digital Spy said the production of Femme Fatale is "polished, intriguing and – best of all – fun", exemplifying "Inside Out", the piano breakdown in "Big Fat Bass" and the flute in "Criminal".[27]
No Ripcord's Gary McGinley stated that Femme Fatale "is so synth-led that hearing the simple guitar lines on Criminal and He's About To Lose Me (from the Deluxe Edition) is refreshing."[28] Natalie Shaw of the BBC Online commented that "Criminal" "with its teenage lyrics [...] on top of a fairytale flute melody and a rhythm so summery it manages to completely set itself free from the rest of the album."[29] David Buchanan of Consequence of Sound found that Femme Fatale "is entirely rescued by backtracking to Circus-style material, with Rihanna-esque 'Gasoline', and the Ray Of Light-era Madonna influence in closing song 'Criminal'.[19] Katherine St Asaph of Popdust said that as "a bad-boy track, it at least makes a bit more lyrical sense than 'Judas' and is more vulnerable than her past few singles, which is probably a good career move."[30] Keith Caufield of Billboard commented that "while some of the lyrics are a teensy clunky at times – [it] is a fitting closer to a nearly-completely excellent album."[18] Los Angeles Times writer Carl Wilson stated that the album's momentum "flags only on the closing 'Criminal', with its formless Renaissance fair flute line and a tempo [that is] joyless".[20] Thomas Conner of the Chicago Sun-Times considered "Criminal", along with "Inside Out", "weak mid-tempo fare" songs.[31] Eric R. Danton of the Hartford Courant deemed the song as "an eye-rolling homage to those oh-so-attractive bad boys that good girls lust for in spite of themselves."[32] Stephen Thomas Erlewine, senior editor of AllMusic, called it "a lousy song".[10]
Chart performance[edit]
Following the release of Femme Fatale, "Criminal" reached number fifty-one on South Korea's Gaon international chart, due to digital sales.[33] On September 26, 2011, the song debuted at number forty on the US Billboard Pop Songs.[34] On the chart issue of November 19, 2011, it peaked at number nineteen.[35] Promotion for the single release was minimal, with no live performances either on TV or on the Femme Fatale Tour. To date, the song has never been performed live. On October 5, 2011, "Criminal" entered on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at number twenty-one.[36] Two weeks later, it debuted on the Hot 100 at number ninety-two, due to sales of 12,000 digital units.[37] It then rose to a new peak of fifty-five.[38] According to Nielsen Soundscan, "Criminal" has sold over 279,000 digital units in the United States as of June 2012.[36] The song also entered Canadian Hot 100 at number eighty-three,[35] reaching a new peak of sixty-three a week later and eventually peaking at sixteen.[35] In Brazil, the song was a huge chart hit, peaking at number one on the Brasil Hot 100 Airplay and Brasil Hot Pop Songs charts.[39][40] "Criminal" also achieved moderate success in Europe, reaching the top-twenty in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Finland and France, and the top-forty in Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, and both regions of Belgium.[41]