My Journey with Britney Spears Part 10: Glory
And so we come to the end of our journey with Britney. By 2016 I was happily married for over 2 years, still holding down the same job and my husband and I had moved to a much nicer apartment. Britney meanwhile was still holding down her Vegas Residency which continued to be a major success. Still as noted last time the residency and the success of Work Bitch had both effectively overshadowed the fact that Britney Jean was the worst album Britney had ever put out. It must have been obvious to Britney and her team that they needed to do better next time.
My hubby and me getting ready to walk in the pride parade in D.C. for Marriott!
The recording of Glory took 2 and half years total with Spears herself saying she wanted to take her time to make sure the album was as good as it could possibly be. It was clear Britney was taking a more hands on approach this time then she had for a long time. In order the promote the album Britney performed at the 2016 VMAs which was her first performance since the infamous Gimme More performance in 2007 which most critics claimed was a debacle. Luckily this performance went over much more smoothly.
As had become a ritual for the last 10 years I went to Best Buy the day the album dropped and purchased the deluxe edition. That said that marked the last time I will buy a new Britney Spears CDs. You see a few months after I bought Highly Suspect's The Boy Who Died Wolf on CD and that is the last CD I will ever buy for myself because shortly after that I finally upgraded to Spotify premium. Ever since upgrading to Spotify premium my days of buying CDs are finally over. I also don't listen to radio anymore either. It really was the end of an era for me as I had been a faithful radio listener and CD collector for a solid 2 decades. In a lot of ways it was nice to have Britney Spears be one of the last CDs I ever bought.
Hanging out with my friend Sam in Annapolis Maryland around the time of Glory.
From the moment Glory begins with Invitation you know this is already going to be a much more satisfying listening experience than Britney Jean. Invitation is honestly the most intimate and sensual song Britney has ever released. As great as Britney's music typically is, sometimes she can get lost behind all the production but not here. For once the production is there to serve Britney who is front and center. It has a much more RnB vibe to it as well. I can't really think of another Britney song like it until we get to the lead single Make Me.
Make Me follows a similar path as well and is just as sensual and appealing as Invitation. With these 2 songs Britney proved what an underrated singer she is. I had mentioned for the past several albums Britney has had a ballad problem starting with Blackout. Her albums have been chalk full of great bops and some solid mid-tempo jams but the ballads just have not been satisfying. Well Invitation and Make Me have finally solved her ballad problem.
Don't worry though the bops that we come to Britney for are present and accounted for. In fact 2 of her best bops ever are on Glory and both songs should have been singles instead of Slumber Party. Slumber Party is not a bad song but it was not single material. First we have Do You Wanna Come Over? which has many of the Britney's trademarks we have come to expect from her. We've got the opening where she says "Uh-Huh", the whisper talk sets, the panting though more subtle here than on Break the Ice, and those little inflections where she sounds so horny she needs to be satisfied this minute. It's classic Britney through and through.
Still as much as I love Do You Wanna Come Over I now love Hard to Forget You even more. I liked it when I first heard it in 2016 but recently it's really become one of my favorite songs by her ever. It's just so good and when Britney moans at the 3:18 mark it's iconic. Little moments like that are why we love Britney.
What You Need meanwhile might be the most passionate and soulful vocal delivery from Britney ever! Again this record delivers on the bops but goes the extra mile by giving us the best vocals of Britney's entire career. There is also If I'm Dancing which is another favorite of mine. The production is a mix of carnival and circus music that shouldn't work at all but does under Britney proving she is one of the only singers who can pull off songs like this. It should be ridiculous but instead it's ridiculous and fun as hell.
And speaking of ridiculous there is Clumsy which has Britney saying Opps in her best betty boop imitation and it's as cute as it is funny. Only Britney can walk this line between sexy and ridiculous and pull it off with aplomb.
My good friend Liz who I met at college around taking a pic in DC around the time of Glory’s release.
While Glory didn't set the charts on fire like Circus and Femme Fatal did, it was seen as a triumphant return to form by both fans and critics. Britney then wrapped up her Piece of Me Vegas Residency after 5 years and went on her first world tour since Femme Fatal. Again it was a smashing success. She also delivered a killer performance at the Billboard Awards where did a medley of hits and yet she put Breathe On Me in there again. As I have been saying Breathe On Me is flat out one of her best songs and she knows it should have been a single so she just performs it live every chance she gets to keep it in the public conscious.
2019 was poised to be another big year for Britney Spears with the announcement of her new Vegas Residency Domination. Yet the big announcement felt awkward at best. Then not long after the announcement Britney posted she was cancelling Domination due to her father's failing health and everyone respected Britney's wishes. Then not long after Britney said she was entering a mental health facility which again people respected much more so than 2007. Then things got weird...
A podcast dedicated to Britney's Instagram account received a message from a paralegal who was once part of the law firm involved in Britney's conservatorship. He said Britney not only checked into the facility back in January but was being held against her will. He went to explain that Britney stopped taking her meds which forced her father to cancel the new Vegas Residency Domination. Before you knew it her fans were in an uproar creating #FreeBritney on social media and even holding a protest in L.A. Eventually Britney released a video saying all was fine but many were not convinced. Britney was released and seems to be doing well including showing off her impressive flexibility and upper body strength on a video she posted to social media. What happens next is anyone's guess but over 20 years later the public and media are still just as fascinated and obsessed with Britney as they have ever been.
For myself I look back at 20 years of Britney Spears and realize that more than any other artist her music has soundtracked and reflected my life as a gay man and music junkie more than any other. Her music brings up a lot of memories and it continues to bring me joy to this day. What else is there to say besides "It's Britney Bitch!"
