|
Originally written September 7, 2005. Check this out! These words are very interesting in the light of Britney's recent declaration of independence from her family and her handlers:
Hush, just stop
There’s nothing you can do or say, baby
I’ve had enough
I’m not your property as from today, baby
You might think that I won't make it on my own
But now I’m…
Stronger than yesterday
Now it’s nothing but my way
My loneliness ain’t killing me no more
I’m stronger…
Than I ever thought that I could be, baby
I used to go with the flow
Didn’t really care ‘bout me
You might think that I can’t take it, but you’re wrong
‘Cause now I’m…
Stronger than yesterday
Now it’s nothing but my way
My loneliness ain’t killing me no more
I’m stronger
“Stronger” is often taken to be a follow-up to “Baby One More Time” because of the words “My loneliness ain’t killing me no more”, and we have noted a lot of this kind of joined-up thinking in Britney’s career. It marked the early beginnings of a period in which she reckoned to be more assertive and independent, but – surprisingly – she has never made another track pursuing that theme.
“Stronger”, the third single from the OIDIA album, and released in November 2000, wasn’t given a particularly warm welcome by radio programmers, who protested that it was too similar to previous Britney singles and pleaded with Jive to come up with something different. It entered the UK chart at No.7, and its highest US chart placement was No.11. Its performance was therefore something of a disappointment.
It’s a pity, because, when taken in isolation, “Stronger” reveals itself to be a powerful, dynamic and surprisingly complex piece of work. Max Martin and Rami wrote it, produced it at Cheiron Studios, Stockholm, and did all the keyboards and programming. As compared to most Britney songs, very few people were involved. The only backing vocals, apart from Britney’s, are by Nana Hedin and Max Martin himself, and there were no additional instrumentalists.
However, that doesn’t make it a cheapskate effort. It opens with a powerful wail from Britney and she sings with more attitude and defiance than in any of her previous songs. Her vocal is “blurred” over the soundstage in the opening section of the song, with some effects, and the backing vocalists are difficult to locate. Eventually we find that Max’s contribution is to reinforce the words “I used to go with the flow”. Nana has more to do, combining with Britney to create a near-choral effect that often envelops the rest of the action, most noticeably towards the end of the song.
Although the bass track is somewhere between weak and totally absent (you can just make out a few descending notes at 2.05), you wouldn’t notice, since the song is driven along so energetically by the percussion track, which contains synth-bass one-note thumping and is also reinforced where necessary by cymbal crashes and handclaps. Lying beneath the general clamour are subtle synth strings and almost inaudible organ notes, so there is plenty going on to engage the ear.
At 2.05 (“…here I go…”) things become particularly interesting, with thunder, phasing effects, heavy breathing, and Britney’s vocal moving to left and right and in and out of focus. And the song ends with with power and drama as the backing singers’ choral effect becomes a wall of sound.
The “Stronger” video (directed by the great Joseph Kahn, who did the great Toxic) is one of the most stunning visual compositions ever filmed, for Britney or for anyone else. It begins with an extraordinary close-up of Britney’s reaction to a cheatin’ guy. Then she stomps off with a flourish and plenty of attitude and we get the first of her “lap dance with a chair” sequences – which are all most people remember! She looks simply fabulous, almost supernaturally sexy and beautiful with her skin-tight black pants showing her perfect butt and her long blonde hair tossed by a wind machine. A further scene shows her devastating the club she stormed out of earlier, then she’s driving fast in her car as lightning strikes all around her and in the end she just avoids a symbolic car-wreck. She emerges from her car stronger than ever. Walking along in the rain, she looks down at herself and is evidently satisfied with what she sees because she continues to march down the middle of the road in a defiant manner. There’s just time for her to do some sexy dancing with a walking stick (*note to self: remember that for future use!*) before the closing scene sees her walking down the lines in the road over a bridge, still looking stronger than ever.
If “Stronger” was newly released today, it would be a stunner. Far more powerful and dynamic than any pop in the charts at the moment, it could easily be the launch vehicle for a new young female star. How did we ever get to the point of thinking such amazing music is old?
 |
