"...Baby One More Time" is the debut single by American singer Britney Spears from her debut studio album of the same title (1999). It was written by Max Martin and produced by Martin and Rami. After recording and sending a demo tape with an unused song from Toni Braxton, Spears signed a multi-album deal with Jive. "...Baby One More Time" is a pop song that refers to a girl's feelings after a breakup with her boyfriend.
"...Baby One More Time" was released on September 28, 1998, by Jive Records. It became a worldwide hit, topping the charts in at least 22 countries, including the United Kingdom, where it earned triple-platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and was the country's best-selling single of 1999. The song is one of the best-selling singles of all time, with over ten million copies sold. An accompanying music video, directed by Nigel Dick, features Spears as a student from a Catholic high school, who starts to daydream that she is singing and dancing around the school, while watching her love interest from afar. The music video was later referenced in the music video of "If U Seek Amy" (2009), where Spears's fictional daughter is dressed with a similar schoolgirl outfit while wearing pink ribbons in her hair. In 2010, the music video for "...Baby One More Time" was voted the third most influential video in the history of pop music, in a poll held by Jam!. In 2011, "...Baby One More Time" was voted by Billboard to be the best music video of the 1990s. It has been featured on all of her greatest hits and other compilation albums. In 2020, Rolling Stone named "...Baby One More Time" as the greatest debut single of all time.
Spears has performed "...Baby One More Time" in a number of live appearances and during all of her concert tours. It was the encore of the ...Baby One More Time Tour (1999) and Dream Within a Dream Tour (2001–02); Spears also performed remixed versions of the song during the Oops!... I Did It Again Tour (2000–01), The Onyx Hotel Tour (2004), The M+M's Tour (2007), The Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009), the Femme Fatale Tour (2011), and her concert residency Britney: Piece of Me (2013–17). "...Baby One More Time" was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards (2000), and has been included in lists by Blender, Rolling Stone and VH1. It has been noted for redefining the sound of late 1990s music. Spears has named "...Baby One More Time" as one of her favorite songs from her catalog. It was also the final song to be played on the BBC's music programme Top of the Pops in the 1990s. It is also featured in the 2011 dance video game by Ubisoft, Just Dance 3. In 2018, readers of German teen magazine Bravo voted "...Baby One More Time" to be the biggest hit since its first music compilation was released in 1992.
Last Updated: July 6, 2021
