If U Seek Amy
"If U Seek Amy" (also broadcast on radio as "If U See Amy" or simply "Amy") is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus (2008). It was released on March 10, 2009, by Jive Records as the third single of the album, chosen by a poll on Spears's official website. "If U Seek Amy" was written and produced by Swedish producer Max Martin, who also wrote previous hits for her first three albums. In the song, Spears is looking for a woman named Amy in a club, and although it appears to be about sex, it is actually about how society perceives her life. Musically, "If U Seek Amy" makes use of instruments such as keyboards and timpani.
Not to be confused with "If You See Kay", a song by The Script from their self-titled debut album."If U Seek Amy"
March 10, 2009
2008
3:36
- Max Martin
"If U Seek Amy" was generally well-received by critics. After its release, the song caused some controversy in various countries because "If U Seek Amy" sounds like "F-U-C-K me". This led to the Parents Television Council (PTC) threatening to file indecency complaints against any radio station that played the song during daytime. An edited version of the song titled "If U See Amy" was released in some regions, including in stations owned by Clear Channel Radio and Austereo. "If U Seek Amy" was successful, reaching the top 10 or the top 20 in various countries around the world. It was also Spears' third single from the album Circus to reach the top 20 in the US.
The music video for "If U Seek Amy" begins with a parody of an America's Newsroom report by Megyn Kelly and portrays Spears at a sex party that takes place at her house. Towards the end, she changes into conservative housewife clothes and opens the front door with her family while paparazzi take pictures of them. It references some of her previous music videos such as "...Baby One More Time" and "Piece of Me". Critics noted the similarities with her past work and also compared it to the film Eyes Wide Shut. "If U Seek Amy" was performed at the Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009) and the Femme Fatale Tour (2011). It was also performed as part of the revamped setlist of Spears' Las Vegas residency show, Britney: Piece of Me (2013–17). Most recently, "If U Seek Amy" was performed on Spears' Piece of Me Tour in 2018.
Background[edit]
The song was co-written and produced by Max Martin, who wrote hits for Spears' first albums, including "...Baby One More Time" (1998) and "Oops!... I Did It Again" (2000). This marked the first time they worked together since her third studio album, Britney (2001).[1] Recording sessions took place at Conway Recording Studios and Sunset Studios in Hollywood, California.[2] Background vocals by Kinnda and Martin were recorded at Maratone Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. The recordings were mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia.[2] On December 5, 2008, a poll was added to Spears' official website to choose the third single, involving ten other songs from Circus.[3] On January 7, 2009, it was announced that "If U Seek Amy" had won, receiving 26% of the total votes.[4]
Music and lyrics[edit]
"If U Seek Amy" runs through a dance-oriented beat and features many instruments, including keyboards, snare, bass drums, electric guitars and timpani.[5] According to the sheet music published at musicnotes.com by Hal Leonard Corporation, the song has a beat of 130 beats per minute and is written in the key of A minor. Spears's vocal range spans from G3-C5.[6] In the song, Spears seems to be looking for a woman named Amy in a club.[7] It has been suggested that Amy is either Amy Winehouse or an alter ego of Spears herself.[8] The verses end with the hookline "Hahahehehahaho".[9] The chorus begins with the lines "Love me, hate me / Say what you want about me", a reference to the public's perception and fascination with Spears' life.[7] This presents Spears both as "an object of desire and a punching bag".[5] According to Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph, this line also alludes to the public image of Amy Winehouse.[9]
The title, "If U Seek Amy", is a pun, meaning to sound like "F-U-C-K me" when heard in the chorus, "All of the boys and all of the girls are begging to, if you seek Amy."[10] This wordplay was compared to passages of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and James Joyce's Ulysses where characters covertly spell out profanities, songs by Memphis Slim, R. Stevie Moore, April Wine, Poster Children and The Script entitled "If You See Kay,"[11] and the title of Van Halen's 1991 album, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.[12]
Critical reception[edit]
The song received generally favorable reviews. Chris Williams of Billboard said the song is "Max Martin and Spears at their best: a stomping dance floor beat with building synths prodding the song along and the singer sounding like she's having a blast being the bad girl".[13] Rolling Stone writer Caryn Ganz called the song one of the standout tracks of the album.[14] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian commented that her stronger and confident delivery in the chorus was noticeably lacking in the rest of the album.[15] Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle also said that the "more aggressive, pointed persona" Spears adopts in the song is one of the high points of the album.[16] The Emory Wheel's writer Julia Cox called it "the album's strongest and most unorthodox song".[8] Ricardo Baca of The Denver Post named the song the most fascinating track of the album and commented on the euphemism, saying "It's trashy and clever, and it's also quite fun. And fun is exactly what Spears should be aiming for".[17] However, there were also some negative reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said the song is "a Katy Perry-styled exercise in crass commercial carnality that is at once the best and worst song here".[18] Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly called it "puerile" and added that "it'll be a middle-school sensation".[19] NME named it one of the filthiest songs of all time.[20]
Commercial performance[edit]
According to Nielsen SoundScan, "If U Seek Amy" sold over 107,000 digital copies in the United States within two weeks of the album's release.[26] On April 11, 2009, the song peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs.[32] On May 9, 2009, the song peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Circus the first Spears album to have three top 20 hits since her 1999 debut, ...Baby One More Time.[32] As of March 2015, "If U Seek Amy" has sold 1.3 million digital downloads in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.[33] It is her 10th best-selling digital single in the country.[33] In Canada, the song debuted at 88 on December 20, 2008.[34] It returned on February 14, 2009, at 86 before reaching the 13th position, where it finally peaked on April 4, 2009.[35][36]
"If U Seek Amy" debuted at number 49 on the ARIA Singles Chart on February 16, 2009,[37] and moved to a peak position of 11 on March 30, 2009, also becoming the chart's "greatest gainer".[38] It has since been certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) with sales of over 35,000 copies.[39] "If U Seek Amy" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 45 on April 6, 2009, due to its rising digital sales.[40] After its physical release, it peaked at number 20 on May 10, 2009.[41] According to the Official Charts Company, the song has sold 105,000 copies there.[42] "If U Seek Amy" also achieved success worldwide, reaching the top 10 in Belgium (Wallonia), France and Turkey, and the top 20 in Belgium (Flanders), Ireland, New Zealand and Sweden.[43]
Music video[edit]
Development[edit]
The music video for "If U Seek Amy" was filmed on February 7, 2009, at Pacific Palisades, California, and was directed by Jake Nava, who previously worked with Spears for her "My Prerogative" music video.[44][45] Spears was styled by David Thomas for the video.[46] During the scenes at the party, she wears American Apparel wet-looking leggings and a black corset from London lingerie designer Bordelle with diamond-shaped holes.[46] She also wears a pair of red high-heeled Louboutins with rouced petals, that were not available for sale until a month after the video was released.[46][47] When she is dressed as a housewife, Spears has a blonde wig, wears a pale pink sweater, a white skirt from Derek Lam and a Lacoste polo shirt.[44][46] The music video premiered on March 12, 2009, on both Virgin Mobile's official website and Spears's official websites.[48]