http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/b...-revealed-2646/

 

10. Piece Of Me (2007)

 

When this track came out, Britney had been on the front page pretty much every day for a couple of years. Partying with Paris Hilton, getting her head shaved, criticised for balancing coffee cups in one hand and a baby in the other – Britney was big news. Rather than ignore this rather grim period in her tabloid life, Britney tackled it head-on with this brutal, sparse, bass-heavy track that is the best ‘mind your own business’ ticking-off the charts have ever seen.

 

PEAK POSITION: 2

SALES: 276,000

CHART FACT: The song was written and produced by Swedish production duo Bloodshy & Avant, who had previously worked with Britney on Toxic and three other Top 10 hits: Me Against The Music (2003), My Prerogative (2004) and Do Somethin’ (2004). All classics, we're sure you'll agree.

 

9. (You Drive Me) Crazy (1999)

 

A true Britney Pop Gem, (You Drive Me) Crazy was helped massively by a very ‘90s remix (STOP!) and a video featuring Sabrina star Melissa Joan Hart and that guy who would grow up to be quite good-looking (if you like that sort of thing) and star in Entourage.

 

PEAK POSITION:5

SALES: 286,000

CHART FACT: The week (You Drive Me) Crazy entered and peaked at Number 5 on the Official Singles Chart, the four songs ahead of it were: Lou Bega’s Mambo No. 5 (4), Shania Twain’s Man! I Feel Like A Woman (3), S Club 7’s S Club Party (2) and at Number 1? Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65. Amazing.

 

8. Born To Make You Happy (2000)

 

Britney really did like to get her lovelorn thing going on early in her career. This track, like a slightly more sophisticated big sister to her debut hit, showed off Britney’s new bob haircut for the first time, which was pretty big news in itself. She was due to trounce that a few years later with the most extreme haircut ever, but still… A worthy Number 1, even though it stayed there just a week.

 

PEAK POSITION: 1

SALES: 335,000

CHART FACT: Born To Make You Happy was Britney’s second chart-topper in the UK, but didn’t get a release in the US.

 

7. Everytime (2004)

 

Britney sure was on a roll at this point in her career. The video for Everytime is probably her most impressive story video, and would foreshadow some of the tabloid traumas Brit was to face just a year or so later. Hollwywood heart-throb Stephen Dorff co-stars, as the boyfriend who doesn’t truly appreciate what he’s got until he’s dragging her out of the bathtub with a serious case of concussion. Typical men, right?

 

PEAK POSITION:1

SALES: 335,400

CHART FACT: Second consecutive Number 1 from Britney’s In The Zone album. The last time she had a run of two chart-toppers had been from Born To Make You Happy to Oops!… I Did It Again, but they were from different albums. Everytime would be her last Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart for eight years.

 

6. Toxic (2004)

 

When you listen to Toxic, it's hard to believe it wasn't a lead single. Daringly different from most of the other tracks taking up valuable space in the Official Singles Chart at the time, Britney was going after a big hit with this one, and she certainly got it. With a slick yet superfun video to match – including a rare glimpse of Brit as a redhead – and a catchy chorus which lent itself to many a rude reimagining, Toxic was the real hero of the In The Zone album, following up that Madonna collaboration and doing what Me Against The Music could not – reaching Number 1.

 

PEAK POSITION:1

SALES: 408,000

CHART FACT: Toxic was originally offered to Kylie Minogue, who turned it down for reasons she probably can't even fathom right now. One of Toxic’s writers was Cathy Dennis, who had a hand in Kylie’s Can’t Get You Out Of My Head and had a few hits of her own in the ‘90s.

 

5. Womanizer (2008)

 

"Womanizer, Woman-Womanizer / You're a womanizer / Oh womanizer, oh you're a womanizer, baby / You, you, you are / You, you, you are / Womanizer, womanizer, womanizer" That's quite an energetic bit of pop right there, and we're not even at the chorus yet. Britney's 'proper' comeback after the Blackout album proved to be a bit like the secret Doctor in Doctor Who – the exciting one nobody talks about – was this confident dressing-down of one of those guys who Britney has no doubt given their marching orders many times. It was nice to have her walking right back onto that stage.

 

PEAK POSITION: 3

SALES: 440,000

CHART FACT: Womanizer was the lead single and only Top 10 hit from Britney’s Circus album.

 

4. Sometimes (1999)

 

Britney's second release was a much slower and cutesier number than her debut. Showing she still had a touch of the Disney princess about her, Britney was a vision of loveliness as she danced with her friends by the beach in that '90s staple – the white crop top. Apparently, Britney filmed the video while recovering from knee surgery. And very lovely knees they were too.

 

PEAK POSITION:3

SALES: 453,000

CHART FACT: This is Britney’s biggest selling non-Number 1 single. Only three more Britney singles would peak at Number 3: My Prerogative (2004), Gimme More (2007) and Womanizer from 2008.

 

3. Oops!… I Did It Again (2000)

 

It was the question one everybody's lips: could Britney come back with a hit as strong as …Baby One More Time? The answer? Yes! Oops!… had all the ingredients of a smash: ellipsis in the title, some "yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah"s and a video featuring Britney looking kinda sexy in a PVC catsuit in the ultimate 2000 style – it was bootcut. Despite a talky bit in the middle that only really makes sense of you've seen Titanic (which most people have, thank goodness), Oops!… was no accident – it very purposefully took the Official Singles Chart throne.

 

PEAK POSITION: 1

SALES: 470,000

CHART FACT: Oops… was Britney’s third Number 1, and the last time she’d hit the top of the Official Singles Chart for four years.

 

2. Scream & Shout (2012)

 

Are you a bit surprised to find this one sneaking in all the way up here? You shouldn’t be! Despite being one of the biggest popstars on the planet, Britney isn't known for her collaborations. But when pop's man-of-the-moment will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas came a-knocking, Britney was sure as heck going to answer the door. Scream & Shout sees Britney trying out that kinda British accent that she loves doing almost as much as we love listening to it. "All eyes on us" was right – it was Britney's first chart-topper in eight years.

 

PEAK POSITION: 1

SALES: 819,000

CHART FACT: This is Britney’s first hit as a featured artist. It’s in the Top 20 best sellers of 2013. Brit and Will got on so well, he's executive producer of her latest album Britney Jean.

 

 

1. …Baby One More Time (1999)

 

We end our journey through Britney's biggest sellers at the very beginning. …Baby One More Time was a cultural phenomenon – its iconic video, incessant hooks and influence on pop music burned into everyone's brain for years to come (Are you quite sure about this? – Historical Ed). Music TV couldn't get enough of it, and neither could we. …Baby was a bonafide monster hit, shifting over 463,000 copies in the week it debuted at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart. And the beat goes on – 11,000 of you bought …Baby One More Time just last year. Impressive!

 

PEAK POSITION: 1

SALES: 1.5 million

CHART FACT:This would be the first of seven consecutive Top10 hits for Britney. Spoilsport Don’t Let Me Be The Last To Know broke that chain. Awww.

 

The article also lists #11-20

 

Yes, very surprised at the No.2.

Impressive that 'Till The World Ends' has sold more than 'Hold It Against Me'.

I'd love to have seen the sales for 11 - 20.

 

Hold it Against me is one of her best songs ever and deserves to be a lot higher. Really thought Toxic would be in the top 3. I assumed Slave 4 You would be 5/6 - shocked with it being 15!

"Apparently, Britney filmed the video while recovering from knee surgery. And very lovely knees they were too."

 

Who writes these things? :lol:

 

Quite surprising that 'Womanizer' outsold 'Toxic' - well, more so that 'Toxic' only sold 400k despite being such an iconic song!

Sometimes is an absolute classic :wub:!

 

I wish she'd return to her earlier sound at least once more.

"Apparently, Britney filmed the video while recovering from knee surgery. And very lovely knees they were too."

 

Who writes these things? :lol:

 

Quite surprising that 'Womanizer' outsold 'Toxic' - well, more so that 'Toxic' only sold 400k despite being such an iconic song!

 

2004 was a very low sales period though.

 

What surprised me is that she's had so many no1s, but many of them were at a time when I wasn't following the charts.

Yes, very surprised at the No.2.

 

Scream & Shout was released when sales were at an all-time high, and Toxic and Everytime were released when sales were at an all-time low, so it's not surprising to me tbh.

Edited December 4, 201311 yr by Eric_Blob

'Toxic' selling 400k+ is really good tbh. If it was released today it would probably sell around 600-700k.

'Toxic' & 'Everytime' had only sold 260,000 & 197,000 copies respectively to the end of 2004, so I'm glad to see that they have much more deserving totals these days!

 

MTV originally posted a Britney Top 20 in early 2010, so if anyone is interested to see the sales increases, look here: http://www.mtv.co.uk/music/charts/official...official-top-20 - it also includes figures for what was then her 11-20 best sellers.

 

~

 

It's a bit annoying that they only gave a vague "1.5m" for '...Baby', which is exactly what it was said to be on 4 years ago. It'd be great to see a more specific total for that single.

Without "Lucky" :(

There's been some changes since that 2010 chart, starting with S&S debuting at #2, making Lucky drop out of the top10.

 

Also Born To Make You Happy falls from #6 to #8, which means Everytime has been selling more since then

Womanizer is awful beyond words.

There's been some changes since that 2010 chart, starting with S&S debuting at #2, making Lucky drop out of the top10.

 

Also Born To Make You Happy falls from #6 to #8, which means Everytime has been selling more since then

 

'Everytime' did get a boost in 2010 after Cher Lloyd performed it on the X Factor.

S&S "This is Britney’s first hit as a featured artist"

 

Wasn't she featured on Rihanna's single version of S&M before S&S?

S&S "This is Britney’s first hit as a featured artist"

 

Wasn't she featured on Rihanna's single version of S&M before S&S?

I don't think the Britney version was the official single version, it was billed as a remix featuring Britney.

Tbh for a 'big' name like Britney to only have 2 songs that have sold over 500k seems pretty poor. Yes there were times when single sales were low but Britney has been around since 1999.

Six songs over 400k and eight songs over 300k is still pretty good. Not everyone can sell like the Spice Girls. :P

Six songs over 400k and eight songs over 300k is still pretty good. Not everyone can sell like the Spice Girls. :P

 

True (Spice girls are obvs legends :wub: ) but 14 years and only 2 500k+ selling singles is kind of shocking.

Edited December 5, 201311 yr by sammy01

Tbh for a 'big' name like Britney to only have 2 songs that have sold over 500k seems pretty poor. Yes there were times when single sales were low but Britney has been around since 1999.

 

Madonna doesn't have a million selling single. Does that make her any less iconic?

 

Janet Jackson has been around since 1986 and only has one single that sold over 500K.

 

Lest we mention Mariah Carey too? I could go on...

Edited December 5, 201311 yr by Ne Plus Ultra