“Selfish,” by Britney Spears, was released in 2011 and even surpassed “Selfish,” by Justin Timberlake, on iTunes, released last week; despite the clash between fans, the singer herself praised her ex’s music
Justin Timberlake has released the first song of his career in six years. Trace Selfish It debuted very well on ITunes, reaching number one in the charts. Those who did not appreciate this at all were some fans of Britney Spears, who recalled that the singer released a song of the same name in 2011, on the album Fatal fame. An attempt was therefore made to dispel the idea of the pop diva’s ex-boyfriend and, on Friday 25th, Selfish – by Britney Spears – beats brand new Selfish of Justin.
Britney Spears’ “Selfish” reaches #1 on iTunes in the US. pic.twitter.com/QWiqSimYNk
—PopCrave (@PopCrave) January 26, 2024
But what is each one talking about? “Selfish”, in English, means “selfish”, but none of the songs treat the partner as a selfish person, as might happen in a suffering lyric. The selfish person, in both cases, is the narrator himself, who wants to take control of the situation.
“Selfish”
In Britney’s lyrics, she embodies an emancipated woman, at the height of her album, Femme fatale – announcing that he will be “a little selfish” and that he will be in control of the situation. He invites his partner to “go for a ride in his Mercedes” and tells him what he wants and what he doesn’t want him to do. “Tonight you’ll be my man,” he sings. The song is danceable electropop, similar to the hits that were in the charts in 2010. It was produced by the duo StarGate and DJ Sandy Vee.
Justin Timberlake’s song shows a lyrical self facing a crisis of jealousy. “I can’t help it” – he sings – “if I want every little piece of you. It seems I’m selfish.” Throughout the song he extols the beauty of his beloved and sings “it’s a good thing your mother made you, you must be an angel”. The ballad references Justin’s best pop hits, with an up-tempo, danceable feel and R&B beats. It was produced by Timberlake in collaboration with Louis Bell and Cirkut.
Past crises
The clash between the “egoists” of the iTunes chart is a response from Britney’s fans to Justin Timberlake.
It all starts in 2023, when Britney publishes her autobiography, The woman in mein which she reveals her relationship with Justin Timberlake between 1999 and 2002. Although the romance was idealized by many teenagers at the time, Britney says she felt boycotted after the breakup, as part of the media seemed to have taken over the boyfriend — Justin became the “betrayed good guy” and Britney was left with the “cheating vixen” stereotype.
In her book, Britney also reveals that he cheated on her more than once, and also mentions an abortion the singer had because her then-boyfriend didn’t want the baby, which sparked fury from fans.
Despite the efforts of the fandom, so selfish by Britney Spears as Selfish by Justin Timberlake lost the top spot on iTunes in the USA this Monday 29th.
The one who did not want to fall into this fight was Britney Spears herself who, in a post on her Instagram this Monday 29th, praises her ex’s music and even apologizes for what she wrote in her autobiography: “I want to apologize for some of the things I wrote in my book. If I have offended any of the people I really care about, I am deeply sorry… I also wanted to say that I am in love with Justin Timberlake’s new song, Selfish.”
Although he did not apologize by name, it is not difficult to understand that it is a message aimed at the singer.
Britney Spears praised Justin Timberlake’s two new songs and apologized for the things she wrote in her book.
“I want to apologize for some of the things I wrote in my book. If I have offended any of the people I really care about, I am deeply sorry…” pic.twitter.com/4mHsu5SyKs
— Justin Timberlake Brazil (@JTBRportal) January 29, 2024
Justin had already made a mea culpa in 2021, when he apologized to his ex in an Instagram post. The request came after the release of the documentary Framing Britney Spears: Life of a Starwhich exposed the singer’s mental health issues and controversies over her conservatorship.
It seems that a friendly atmosphere has been created between the former couple – it remains to be seen whether fans will agree with this.
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
