Speaking on video about Britney as an artist, Corte Ellis commented “A lot of people have a misconception about Britney, but she’s really great at what she does. She knows what it is that she wants, and she’s a professional. She goes in the booth and she’s not one of those people where she’s singin’ it and you go ‘Alright, let’s let Britney slide and we’ll fix it in the mix’. She’s not one of those people where you fix it in the mix. She likes to get it right and she works at it till she gets it right. I just wanted to say that.” Some cynics will sneer that producers always say nice things, but here Corte took time, trouble and initiative to make his point in defense of Britney.

Corte Ellis also provided the distinctive lecherous male vocals that make the track sound like such a drunkenly dysfunctional sexual encounter. Britney doesn’t do many duets but this could be considered as one of them, since Corte’s lines are louder and more prominent than Britney’s, are regularly repeated, and indeed provide the framework for the song. This is necessary because there is no conventional structure such as verse, chorus, middle-eight, bridge. Rather, there are numerous short verse sections and subsections, repeated phrases and chants, all built up around Corte’s lines, which serve as the nearest thing to a chorus. The program of events is as follows:

Intro (Lascivious grunting from Corte, Britney says “This sounds nice”) (Simple one-note synth and percussion)

I got a plan...” (4 lines from Corte, moans and gasps from Britney, against a rather stately single synth line which changes to double time at the 3rd line)

“My body is calling for you bad boy” (Britney) (Serves as Verse 1 Part 1) (Staccato synth, then double-time synth figure enters again)

“If ya like what ya see...” (Britney) (Serves as Verse 1 Part 2)

“What I gotta do to get you to want my body?” (Britney) (Serves as Verse 1 Part 3)

“I got a plan.... (Corte, repeat chorus) (Britney chants “What ya tryin’ to do, do, do”)

“Get naked, get naked, get naked, get naked, take it off, take it off, take it off, take it off” (X2) (Britney chants while Corte croaks) (Double-time synth replaced by dreamy, minor-key synth line with occasional “bubbles”)

“I’m not ashamed of my beauty...” (Britney) (Serves as Verse 2 Part 1)

“If I get on top...” (Britney) (Serves as Verse 2 Part 2)

“Whatever you want....” (Corte) (spoken) (Spacey, sci-fi synth takes over and murmurs gloomily, with interruptions by occasional comet-like swooshes from left to right)

“If ya like what ya see...” (x2) (Britney) (Reprise of Verse 1 Part 2)

“PLEASE!!! Ohhhh!!!” (Britney, pleading)

“Get naked, get naked, get naked, get naked, take it off, take it off, take it off, take it off” (Britney chants)

“Baybeee take it off!” (Unnamed backing singers) (Hammond organ sound replaces spacey synth)

“I just wanna take it off...”(X2) (Britney)

“Baybeee, take it off!” (Backing singers)

“I just wanna take it off...” (X2) (Britney)

“I got a plan...” (Corte, repeat chorus) (Return to the original double-time synth figure, while Britney chants “What ya tryin’ to do, do, do”)

Instrumental play-out. (Additional synth swirls and bubbles)

Taking the stereo placement of the various elements in relation to the listener’s head, there is nothing unusual to report. Like any top-class mixer, Ms Lago always ensures that each sound has its own space, and particularly the vocal tracks, but her style is to keep things as simple as possible and minimise the use of special effects. We therefore find that Corte is placed in the center, and Britney, in her dual roles as lead and backing vocalist, alternates between the center and a widely-spaced stereo pair as circumstances require. The instrumental tracks mostly hover within a narrow “V” around center.

As can be seen from the description above, the instrumentation of the track has plenty of changes but it’s all of a muchness. It’s all synthesizer, all concocted by the production team, and no additional instruments or musicians are involved. But this is in line with the consistency of concept of the track, which is overwhelmingly rhythmic rather than melodic.

This consistency is further consolidated by the hypnotic, almost unvarying rhythm track, which amounts to little more than synthesized one-note bass thumping and a snare that occasionally drops out for added dramatic effect. We’ve noted in other reviews that Ms Lago isn’t an enthusiast for big bass melodies and here there aren’t any. The only detectable bass intrusions are a subtle three-note sequence during the chorus and an echo of the “Baybee take it off” phrase during the play-out.

Clearly the main “hook” is Corte’s drunken chorus, but there’s a rhythmic hook too, namely Britney’s chanting of the phrase “What ya tryin’ to do, do, do” during that chorus. This seems to add a kind of churning urgency to the underlying quasi-march rhythm and makes it insanely addictive to dance to. This has always been a popular track with the fans.

It takes careful listening to appreciate the hundreds of tiny components assembled with such intricate skill that go to make up this track, and it would be unfair not to give enormous credit to the Danja/Lago team as usual. However, it would also be unfair to underestimate Britney’s contribution. Corte’s vocal lines may be louder and more prominent, but I would not be prepared to follow one reviewer’s opinion that “Get Naked" isn’t actually sung by Britney at all.

Britney has the difficult job of breathing life, steamy sexuality, coquettishness and sheer character into a whole load of short sentences, disjointed phrases and off-stage atmospherics. And she does it in a way that remains unmatched by any other artist. You can tell from her pleading “Please!!!” that she can apply power when she wants to. But she’s one of very few megastar singers who doesn’t seem to mind being a team player and lending her unique flavor in order to elevate a production rather than overwhelm it.

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