'Toxic'

Jive
Whatever went into “Toxic” proved to be a magic formula for pop princess Britney Spears -- she landed her one and only Grammy win for Best Dance Recording in 2004 and placed in the top five of Rolling Stone’s Best Songs of the Decade poll. But Britney Spears, already a seasoned veteran of showbiz at 22 years old, was already used to the accolades. She had been releasing one hit after another since she broke out in 1998.
 
Like another one of her megahits “…Baby One More Time,” “Toxic” wasn’t originally written for the star. It was offered to Kylie Minogue for her album Body Language, but she turned it down, which freed it up for Spears to include on her fourth album In the Zone.

The infectiously catchy song became her fourth single to hit the top 10 in the U.S. charts and topped the U.K. charts, eventually becoming number one on the European Hot 100 chart for two weeks. On top of winning her a Grammy, it also won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Single and, several years later, it was voted Greatest Track of the Decade by MTV UK and Most Important Recording of the Decade by NPR.

As with Britney’s music videos past, “Toxic” definitely did not disappoint. Like she did for “…Baby One More Time,” she ended up conceptualizing the video, a fast-paced, big budget, futuristic shoot, which had her playing several roles. She starts off as a flight attendant who seduces and steals a black key from a passenger before transforming into a red-haired superhero zipping around Paris on the back of a motorcycle driven by a topless Tyson Beckford. She steals a vial of green poison and changes again, donning a black wig and climbing up the side of a building to her boyfriend’s (played by Martin Henderson) apartment. She pours the poison into his mouth, killing him immediately and jumps out the window in time to land back into the plane as a stewardess.
 

It was becoming the norm by now that controversy courted her at every turn, but it wasn’t the murderous plot that had people all hot and bothered. The video is intercut with scenes of her wearing nothing but a silver G-string and encrusted in strategically placed diamonds. When she shot the scenes, she didn’t allow anyone on the set except the director Joseph Kahn. MTV refused to air the racy video during the daytime, banishing it to the 10PM to 6AM slot. They explained that they were simply being sensitive to the cultural climate following Janet Jackson’s infamous wardrobe malfunction at the 2004 Super Bowl.
 
Still, the track and the video remain a fan favorite and a favorite of Britney Spears herself. She said on her Twitter that it was her favorite song that she recorded.
 

“Toxic” Lyrics

Baby, can't you see?
I'm calling a guy like you
Should wear a warning
It's dangerous, I'm fallin'

There's no escape
I can't wait, I need a hit
Baby, give me it
You're dangerous, I'm lovin' it

Too high, can't come down
Losing my head
Spinning 'round and 'round
Do you feel me now?
 
[Chorus]
With a taste of your lips
I'm on a ride
You're toxic, I'm slipping under
With a taste of poison paradise
I'm addicted to you
Don't you know that you're toxic?
And I love what you do
Don't you know that you're toxic?

It's getting late
To give you up
I took a sip from my devil cup
Slowly, it's taking over me

Too high, can't come down
It's in the air
And it's all around
Can you feel me now?

(Chorus)

Don't you know that you're toxic?

(Chorus 2x)
 
Intoxicate me now
With your lovin' now
I think I'm ready now
I think I'm ready now
Intoxicate me now
With your lovin' now
I think I'm ready now
Filed under:  britney spears
Tags:   Britney Spears , Toxic , Music
Email This

MORE ABOUT Britney Spears

The latest stories, biography, photos, videos, and more. Read more about Britney Spears Li Latest News Debbie Gibson Defends Britney Against Moby Attack

Sites We Love