...A user and a loser

The greatest feat of Britney Spears' umpteenth "comeback single" is its title. "Womanizer" isn't a particularly nice-sounding word and at four syllables, it runs the risk of overstaying the average pop listener's attention span. I say bravo to a song that creates a chant out of a term that has barely any linguistic relevance in 2008 (at least to me -- the word conjures up images in my head of gold chains against chest hair, specifically that of Larry on Three's Company).

But my accolades stop there, because a title does not make a song. This thing stinks worse than Cheeto dust and is just as tenacious. "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 womanizer." There isn't a wet wipe strong enough to scrub my brain of those four syllables that see-saw between a scant two notes. It's in my head indefinitely, and though my fingers are spared, I fear that my soul is turning neon orange.

I loved Blackout for its adherence to its title -- it cheerfully kept moving in a decontextualized frenzy, as if Brit were so fucked up that she couldn't possibly reference the disaster her life had become. Though "Womanizer" comes from a seemingly Stepfordized Brit, it's a quiet mess that doesn't even require her to pretend she's carrying a tune. She just kind of hum-mumbles (humbles?) the verses until she gets to that two-note chorus, which requires just slightly more humming. The most work she puts in is to block off her nasal passages, so as to sound like she has a cold. But sniffles are no substitute for singing, and she's just getting her faux-germs on the mouthpiece as she phones this shit in. Her glaring lack of effort is on par with her VMAs performance last year, but it's missing the thrill of watching her dismantle her career live.

Not that I'd ever expect a virtuoso performance from her. The biggest letdown is the track itself, which uses feedback-y synths to remind us that guitars are edgy (which is as stupid as winning MTV Video Music Awards to remind us that you're still relevant) and a punishing 4/4 beat that tops out at 139 BPM and sounds passe enough to conjure Rihanna's 2006 hit "S.O.S." Here, melody is much less important than how rapidly it's intoned, and as a track that's excessively fast and incessant until it isn't, "Womanizer" is musical FiOS. Perhaps as a commodity, that's ideal, but it's also nothing to be proud of.

Comments

[RD]

I still think "Womanizer" is more tolerable than Christina Aguilera's Goldfrapp-ish "Keeps Getting Better," however. (Although the chorus is more than repeating 'Womanizer.' And not like those two have a rivalry or anything anymore.)

[DLCS]

So out of curiosity I tracked down and listened to "Womanizer."

I need to lie down and listen to Afro-Celt Sound System/Tom Waits/ANYTHING!!! now to get that whatever-it-was out of my head.

Can we go back to hating on ClarkFoot?

[Christine]

It's kind of funny to see everyone so worked up about this single, which really just feels like a track left off Blackout (for good reason). This crap ain't no "come back".

I'd give it an E for effort, but it's hardly even worth that.

[LindsayC]

All I can think of when I hear the chorus is the "Picture Pages" theme song.

[I'm just sayin'...]

I'd still rather listen to 'Womanizer' than Christina's single or Katy Perry's 'Hot Then Cold' (or whatever it's called).

[Janelle]

haha, that song is horrid.

bull, the song is hot.

[KeLL]

I thought I was the only person who thought this song was horrible! Glad to know there are other people who have taste.

So why is this song her "comeback"? Because she's skinny now? or because her father is babysitting her 26yr old ass? I hate to admit, but "Gimme More" was just a tinsy bit better than this song. And we know the mindset she was in... But my main question is why, this song, is her "comeback"?

[rachel]

seems to me that the first song that got "leaked" off of Blackout was Hot As Ice. That song sounded like it was being played over the loud speaker of an ice cream truck with backup vocals by the Lollipop Gang.
i'm not saying Blackout was art; it was fun. here's to hoping Womanizer is the shit track on the new album.

oh, and no more songs vaguely about kfed. sweet jesus. no more!

[Miss]

That song is so bad that can make an entire specie disappear.

I cant believe I miss fucked-up Britney that asked if you wanted a piece of her. Now I just dont. Do you?

[C]

I absolutely prefer the Blackout singles to this! Gimme More was my jam. Haha not really, but you know. I usually abhor most pop music of this genre (soul-less, sung by white girls) but Britney Spears has a place in my heart that requires me to listen to her songs when they're on the radio. HOWEVER, this one sucks. It makes me really unhappy, in fact, that the chorus is so terrible. It's not quite repetitive enough to sound like some bad(??) eurodance and it's way too embarrassing to actually listen to. Ugh Britney!

[Christopher]

Oh Rich. So seldom we disagree.

Is it Britter's best? Of course not...that distinction goes to "Gimme More," "Breathe On Me," "Before The Goodbye," "And Then We Kiss," "Slave 4 U," "or "Hit Me Baby One More Time."

But it is bad? Hardly! While the production is sparse and the backing track far too powerful in the mix, the song itself is much better than that for which people have been giving it credit.

'Womanizer' has now re-entered our lexicon, it's true; far more importantly, Britney has brought back 'daddy-o.' And I'm tired of hearing criticism for the repetition of "Womanizer" in the pre-chorus; hardly a pop song of the last 18 months is innocent of that offense ("Umbrella," "Apologize," "Bleeding Love," "Forever," etc. etc. etc.). I wonder if perhaps she had sung a more commonplace word 8 times in a row, people would be more forgiving; it would seem less noticeable.

While there is a lot repetition going on in this tune, the structure is switched up enough that it takes more than one listen to be able to repeat back her stuttered utterings perfectly.

Is it as good a comeback single as "Gimme More?" Of course not. Do I hope there are far better tracks on Circus? Undoubtedly. But am I disappointed?

N-n-n-no, n-n-n-no, WomanizerwomanizerwomanizerWOMANIZER!!!

[Melanie]

It reminds me of one of the songs on her previous album called "Radar".

Also, I dig the Brad Walsh Remix of this song. Check it out!

[Charles]

Rich, what are your favorite songs on Blackout?

[HouseofJules]

If it were possible to have a seizure due to sound (like it is with strobe light), this is the song that would send people into fits. It's terrible. REALLY terrible. But damnit all if it doesn't get stuck in my head whenever I hear it.
Jules
House of Jules

[Goodtimesgreta]

I hate this song. Loathe it. Every time I hear it, I wonder if there's something I'm not hearing that makes all the Britney megafans go batshit crazy with glee while I sit back, cross my arms and mumble "meh." But then I think to myself that those people would profess their love for the track just as passionately even if it was a recording of Britbrit farting into a microphone. So needless to say, I couldn't be more thrilled that you, Rich, and many other commenters on this board think the song is awful as well and expect better from Britney, Miss Spears if you're nasty.

My issues with the song aren't the repetition, and as someone said earlier in this thread, repetition has been all the rage for some time now. And my issues with the song don't stem from Britney's inability to "sing" anything convincingly anymore. I just think the song sounds like death. Then again, I probably haven't really ADORED anything she's put out since the ultra groovy "Slave 4 U."

But that's not to say she doesn't have a good tune, or two, in her. I was thoroughly surprised at how much I love the song she dances to in that rehearsal video that everyone thought was preparation for the VMAs. Why the hell wasn't that the lead single? Sure the beat is much lazier than frenzy of "Womanizer" but still, it's a damn good jam.

I just wish we could all leave this synth-pop to the people who are actually good at it (unfortunately most of them aren't widely known) and stop the pop princesses from reinventing themselves as the poor man's Lady GaGa. *cough*Christina Aguilera*cough*

[MobPrincess]

i luv the song.

[millie]

I loved Blackout a lot, to the point where it kind of pissed me off that Britney was too messed up to promote it properly. There were so many songs on it that could have been hits with a typical "hot Britney" video; what a waste. Anyway, what annoys me about Womanizer, besides its shittiness, is how similar it sounds to Ooh Ooh Baby and Radar. Why bother?

[ticklesdaddy]

Yep, "Blackout" was some kinda small miracle. Danja really hit it home for Brit. I loved the album too (primarily for the Danja-produced tracks), and I kinda hate to see it be over now. There were at least a couple more highly fierce songs that coulda been pulled as singles. But at least those songs will be preserved in time and stay hot, as opposed to all the others that get overplayed into oblivion.

"Womanizer" has actually grown on me, cuz it was immediately poo-poo'd and dismissed at first. My biggest impression of it was the 38 times she repeated the title. But after hearing it in a club setting, it does kinda pump. Very anxious to see the video.

[Cheryl]

They play it every 10th song on the radio station here...and I'm not sick of it yet. Its the beginning that I like so much, kinda sounds like a video game. It speaks to the dork in me =)

[Laura H.]

meanie! :P

Blackout was awesome, too bad she was too effed up to milk that shit properly!

[Jay]

I think it's totally hot. It's sleazy, schizo, and stupid, therefore it's Britney. I hear more human in this track than in any of Blackout.

[gee_gee]

I don't love it. But then the only Brit song I have ever liked was "Toxic". This song sound like it could be anybody. At least Britney's old stuff sounded like Britney. You could take this song and give it to Danity Kane or somebody completely random and it would make no diff.

[Anna]

I'm not getting the appeal of Britney's songs. Why do people like them? Surely she didn't arrange the musical element of the songs... so what DID she do? Provide vocals? Write the lyrics? Neither prove that she has any talent at all. These people should be fans of whoever put the tracks together instead of the 'artist' who clearly has no real musical talent, but entertains well. (Or used to, anyways.)

[Paul]

Hahah- wait, so your saying you DONT LIKE IT?