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Hold It Against Me

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"Hold It Against Me"
Song

"Hold It Against Me" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her untitled seventh studio album. It was released on January 11, 2011 as the lead single by Jive Records as the lead single of the album. Produced and co-written by long-time collaborator Max Martin and Dr. Luke, "Hold It Against Me" is an uptempo with electropop song with areas of dubstep and grime influences.

"Hold It Against Me" was well-received by contemporary critics, some of whom felt the song deserved a place amongst Spears' signature songs.

Background

The song was co-written and produced by Max Martin, who crafted Spears' earlier hits "...Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did It Again" and more recently "3", in collaboration with Dr. Luke, who produced Spears' 2008 single "Circus". The song was also co-written by singer-songwriter Bonnie McKee. The song was recorded at a Los Angeles studio in November 2010. A demo version of "Hold It Against Me" sung by McKee leaked on January 6, 2011.[1] Dr. Luke and McKee both commented on the demo's leak on Twitter, while Spears commented, "Heard an early demo of my new single leaked. If u think that's good, wait til you hear the real one Tuesday [sic]" and revealed the single's artwork.[1][2] The single aired on January 10, a day ahead of its intended premiere and release date.[3] In the United States, the song was released exclusively on the iTunes Store on January 11, available promptly at midnight.[4]

Composition

"Hold It Against Me" is written in verse-chorus form and includes a breakdown. According to Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone, the song is "packed with aggressive electro jitters, a Euro-cheese riff that's strangely close to AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," and a weird breakdown where Brit moans, blows kisses, and snaps her gum."[5] It was also compared to Spears' 2007 album Blackout and its lead single "Gimme More", as well as Spears' 2003 single "I'm a Slave 4 U".[5][6] Jim Cantiello of MTV Newsroom commented that it "combines the electro-house craze currently fueling Top 40 radio with a sing-songy chorus that nods to Britney's bubblegum past."[7] The breakdown has dubstep and grime influences.[8][9][10][11]

Critical reception

"Hold It Against Me" was well-received by contemporary music critics. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone noted that it "promises great things for her album," awarding the song four stars out of five.[5]Rick Florino awarded the song four-and-a-half stars out of five and stated that the song "heats up the dance floor like never before with [...] one of Britney's catchiest club bangers yet."[12] Florino continued, "The song proudly stands alongside Britney classics like "Womanizer," "Gimme More," and "Toxic," but there's a refined ethereal elegance to it that sees Britney stepping into new territory and pushing the boundaries of dance pop once more."[12] Brad Wete of Entertainment Weekly described the song as "classic Britney — that is to say the vocal performance is far from stellar, but it serves as a nice accessory to the duo’s thumping Euro techno groove."[13] Jim Cantiello of MTV Newsroom apologetically said, "sorry haters, it's a home run [...] To put it simply, "Hold It Against Me" rules."[7] Popjustice writer Peter Robinson called the song a "a harder, more urgent, extremely epic statement track that sounds like the work of a superstar. "[10] Bradley Stern of MuuMuse was relentless in his praise, stating that the song combines a "disgustingly filthy" beat with "amazing, cool moments" in the verses, "a really gorgeous, genius moment" for a chorus, and a "series of grinding dubstep/grime beats."[8]

Melinda Newman of HitFix praised the breakdown. "There’s a sweet chorus that attempts to interject some of Spears’ school-girl vulnerability, but the most interesting part is the breakdown [...] It’s controlled chaos, full of angsty breaks and stutters. It's as if the ecstasy just kicked in at that exact point."[14] Robinson of Popjustice also lauded the breakdown.[10] Michael Cragg of The Guardian. Cragg wrote, "It trundles along nicely, [...] before the whole thing has a meltdown around the two-minute mark, first throwing in some grimey, dubstep beats [...] and then a smattering of rave chords before the chorus roars up again."[11] Edna Gundersen of USA Today commented, "Though built on one of the dumbest pickup lines in bar-hopping history, Britney Spears' new single delivers enough dizzying dance-pop ecstasy to ensure another chart-topping ride and to get fans amped for the March arrival of her seventh studio album."[15] Jim Farber of New York Daily News critiqued, "The star [...] isn't the pop tart herself. It's a burning, pulsing swath of synthesizer that oscillates throughout the track and pulls you into the chorus."[16] However, Farber added that it "offers a promising hint of Britney's better past hits. It's got the requisite, double-entendre lyric, clever arrangement and careful usage of the star as an ornament rather than a driving force."[16]

"Hold It Against Me" did receive poorer reviews from other critics. Willa Paskin of New York magazine wrote, "Spears isn't really going to be in top form until she can prevail on Dr. Luke and Max Martin to sell her the higher-quality stuff they're currently dealing to Katy and Avril."[17] Paskin disapproved of the song's dubstep breakdown.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b Cline, Georgette (January 6, 2011). "Britney Spears 'Hold It Against Me' Demo Leaks, Star Says Official Song Coming Soon". AOL Music. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  2. ^ Spears, Britney (January 6, 2011). "@BritneySpears: Heard an early demo of my..." Twitter. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  3. ^ Jill Serjeant (January 10, 2011). "Britney Spears' new single an early hit with fans". Reuters. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  4. ^ "Britney Spears announces 'Hold It Against Me' single details". NME. January 10, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c Sheffield, Rob (January 10, 2011). "Hold it Against Me by Britney Spears". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  6. ^ Chris White (January 10, 2011). "Single Review: Britney Spears, Hold It Against Me". Skiddle. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  7. ^ a b Contiello, Jim (January 10, 2011). "Britney Spears Defies Pop Music Rule Book: Don't Hold It Against Her". MTV Newsroom. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  8. ^ a b Stern, Bradley (January 10, 2011). "Daily B: "Hold It Against Me" (Single Review)". MuuMuse. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  9. ^ Powers, Ann (January 10, 2011). "Snap Judgment: "Hold It Against Me" by Britney Spears". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  10. ^ a b c Robinson, Peter (January 10, 2011). "So, the new Britney single..." Popjustice. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  11. ^ a b Cragg, Michael (January 10, 2011). "New music: Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me". The Guardian. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  12. ^ a b Florino, Rick (January 10, 2011). "Britney Spears "Hold It Against Me" Single Review — 4.5 out of 5 Stars". Artistdirect. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  13. ^ Wete, Brad (January 10, 2011). "Britney Spears' 'Hold It Against Me' leaks early: What do you think?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  14. ^ Newman, Melinda (January 10, 2011). "Listen: Britney Spears' new single, 'Hold It Against Me' debuts early". HitFix. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  15. ^ Gundersen, Edna (January 10, 2011). "Britney Spears' 'Hold It Against Me' is an easy pickup". USA Today. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  16. ^ a b Farber, Jim (January 10, 2011). "Britney Spears' 'Hold It Against Me' review: First single off seventh album suggests comeback". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  17. ^ a b Paskin, Willa (January 10, 2011). "Britney's Back: Will You 'Hold It Against' Her?". New York. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
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