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Originally written January 13, 2006.
Eric Foster White has a reputation for extracting fine performances from female singers, and the tracks Britney made with him were some of the finest of her early career. And from among those, FTBOMBH is probably the finest. It’s a beautiful song for a start, with a lovely melody and touching lyrics:
"Never look back," we said
How was I to know I´d miss you so?
Loneliness up ahead, emptiness behind
Where do I go?
And you didn't hear
All my joy through my tears
All my hopes through my fears
Did you know?
Still I miss you somehow
From the bottom of my broken heart
There´s just a thing or two I´d like you to know
You were my first love, you were my true love
From the first kisses to the very last rose
From the bottom of my broken heart
Even though time may find me somebody new
You were my real love, I never knew love
´Til there was you
From the bottom of my broken heart
"Baby," I said, "Please stay,
Give our love a chance for one more day"
We could have worked things out
Taking time is what love´s all about
But you put a dart
Through my dreams, through my heart
And I´m back where I started again
Never thought it would end
From the bottom of my broken heart
There´s just a thing or two I´d like you to know
You were my first love, you were my true love
From the first kisses to the very last rose
From the bottom of my broken heart
Even though time may find me somebody new
You were my real love, I never knew love
´Til there was you
From the bottom of my broken heart
You promised yourself
But to somebody else
And you made it so perfectly clear
Still I wish you were here
From the bottom of my broken heart
There´s just a thing or two I´d like you to know
You were my first love, you were my true love
From the first kisses to the very last rose
From the bottom of my broken heart
Even though time may find me somebody new
You were my real love, I never knew love
´Til there was you
From the bottom of my broken heart
"Never look back" we said
How was I to know I´d miss you so?
The production is extremely graceful, and rejects all fashionable conceits in favour of pure, timeless quality. Apart from the backing vocals, most of the accompaniment is provided by acoustic guitar, while ethereal synth strings provide attractive and melodic support. The bass track is minimal but sympathetic and the drum track creates its own little story with subtle changes of emphasis.
The vocal tracks are laid out in quite a complex fashion. Britney’s lead vocal is always present at center, sometimes in a kind of duet with her own backing vocals which are split evenly between left and right channels, and sometimes carrying the main melody while she improvises over it on a separate track. The backing vocals are reinforced by additional female voices at 2.16 and by a male voice at from 2.20 to 2.25. However, since everything takes place on a narrow soundstage the vocal presentation is cohesive and its construction unobtrusive.
Britney’s vocal is beautifully controlled and subtly varied. She begins by gently crooning over acoustic guitar and synth strings then begins the song in a high register, introducing falsetto from 1.00. Her attack on opening vowels contains her characteristic croak, but it’s used very sparingly and carefully. In the first chorus she begins to introduce some subdued power, which she increases slightly in the second chorus. From 3.40 she improvises over the melody, using her mid-range power to emote convincingly and at 2.00, 3.35, 3.55, 4.25 and especially 4.45 she displays some of the range of her imaginative vocal technique through her use of a variety of different trills. Overall, her performance is not about power but about delicacy, lightness and nimbleness and is utterly charming.
The accompanying video (by the discredited Gregory Dark) is bittersweet and heartbreaking. It shows Britney looking at her childhood possessions and deciding which to bring with her as she prepares to leave home. We see her in flashback, enjoying good times with her boyfriend before he reveals that he has something to confess and they split, leaving Britney looking numb and shellshocked. Finally we see her catching the bus out of town as her distraught boyfriend turns up in his Jeep just minutes too late. Britney looks luminously beautiful and intensely loveable throughout, and her eyes speak volumes of emotion.
FTBOMBH is a beautiful song, beautifully sung and the video shows that she could be the most stunningly natural screen actress if given a proper opportunity. This was one of the absolute high points of Britney’s early career. Looking back, I am lost in wonder that such a young and relatively inexperienced girl could work on such a high creative level, and it helps me understand why she is a major artist and why I admire her so much.
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