Please follow me on an exploration of music you can’t listen to on Spotify.
To keep this intro short and sweet: I’m ranking every unreleased, full (or near full) Britney Spears track that has leaked that I could find. No exceptions. They have to be actually unreleased, and not just obscure. So…nothing on the Chaotic EP.
And they need to really be her song – so that means no Myah Marie demos that liars on the internet claimed were from Britney.
Let’s begin!
The Bad Stuff
This is probably not the worst song Britney Spears has every recorded. Maybe. But in that brief moment the full song was available to stream on YouTube before the copyright gods rightfully sent it to hell, it was the most vacant version of her I had ever seen. It lands at the bottom of the list because it has no redeeming qualities. This track is bland party pop without the sense of fun that usually pulls the worst of Britney’s worst stuff out of the gutter. She barely sounds like herself. You’d play it in a DJ set to give people a chance to go to the bathroom.
It’s a demo Saweetie should probably pick up.
This 2010 demo, produced by the man behind Big Time Rush’s ‘Show Me’, is itself a bit of pile of nothing. Actually, it just sucks. But that period between ‘Circus’ and ‘Femme Fatale’ is such an odd one that this gets bonus points for curiosity. It isn’t bad in any significant sense, just not good. I can hear the threads of something much more aggressive and ultimately more interesting than what we got. Unfortunately, like in real life, you don’t get points for unfulfilled potential.
50. I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (cover)
It takes balls to do a cover like this. Unfortunately, the result isn’t great. In many ways, it feels like a compliment to the cover of ‘The Beat Goes On’ from earlier in her career, but without the youthful energy that held that one up. Britney Spears has one of the most interesting voices in pop music, but not necessarily one that was flexible enough to handle an Otis Redding song. Her falsetto sounds lovely here, but it often sounds like she’s swallowing her words in an attempt to growl something out. The original is one of the greatest songs of all time. This is an unfinished and rightfully scrapped karaoke track.
The Mediocre Stuff
It’s just generic, like a Bebe Rexha song. An EDM banger with a tepid sense of fun. But unlike ‘Dem Chicks Be Like’, I can at least appreciate the vibe here. This feels mostly Britney, just not particularly essential. The breakdown is especially dated, with a David Guetta aftertaste. The few songs recorded in the 2010s that have leaked all suffer from the same sense of anonymity, but most after this at least have real energy behind them. But this? It’s one step away from AI Britney.
48. Luv The Hurt Away (ft. Full Force)
This 1998 ballad is an attempt at turning Britney into a Mariah/Whitney/Toni type. That isn’t to say it’s successful, she sounds lovely but immature here, but it is pleasant to the ears. It’s also both too juvenile and too adult for the album that would become her debut. There’s something in here that has gone untapped for most of her career. Britney’s balladry is an oft unexplored part of her talents, but this pleading to “love the hurt away” just doesn’t hit where it needs to.
47. Take Off
I’m sure the final mix of this would sit much higher, but the unfortunately the harmonies needs some tweaking. Which makes sense – this is a demo!
Here is where we get a shift into music that feels like it could actually be released in an official capacity. It’s an oddly political track for a mostly unpolitical artist (at least, in terms of her catalogue) that’s a bit too clumsy to really hit right. But you get a real sense of ambition here that stands behind the best of her discography. She’s crooning about revolution a bit unconvincingly, but at least she was trying.
46. Unbroken
I cannot emphasise to you how much nostalgia I have for this one leak, even if it’s not particularly unique or interesting. It leaked out right as I was getting into the Britney Spears phenomenon, it offered a whole new perspective at the recording process for me, and ultimately, the song is good. It’s not any higher for a reason, but the chorus is catchy, the message is clear, and it’s got a sweet undercurrent to it that sits well against the more hectic production. It wouldn’t have fit on ‘Femme Fatale’, but then again, neither did the worst tracks on the album. I’ll take this over ‘I Wanna Go’ any day of the week.
45. Exaholic
I don’t get this one. It’s not a bad song, but it’s not a Britney song. In fact, the track feels like a demo for a much different type of pop star.
One of the tracks that gets thrown around as one of the alleged tracks from the ‘Original Doll’ album, this feels like proto-Gaga in many ways. The music is definitely the next step from the instrumentals heard on ‘In The Zone’, but the chorus is kind of…terrible. It’s this strange and unsettling chant about what she needs in lieu of public support that feels…prescient in light of future events. But the song itself is no ‘Lucky’. Thus it sits at the bottom half of the list.
43. Get It
It’s a cute dance track that reminds me of her more Janet leading stuff. Fun, vibrant, in need of a final mix. I’m half convinced it’s completely adlibbed.
The Good Stuff
Christina Aguilera did it better – but you can’t really go wrong with something this catchy. Every version is a solid 6.5/10!
I prefer when Britney gets a little rougher with her delivery, and this is a great piece of sneering bravado. She only got better at this type of stuff later, but 2003 was a great time for her musically. In a world where she followed up ‘In The Zone’ with a deluxe version, this could have fit very comfortably. Instead, it ended up in the hands of Korean popstar BoA, who’s smoother vocal performance gave it a more seductive, accessible quality.
The best of the debut demos we have our hands on, this is probably the most like Jessica Simpson she ever sounded.
2006-2008 was Britney’s peak creatively, and even the worst of the unreleased from this era still sound like hits. This demo’s chorus is catchy enough that I could see it being polished up and handed to any pop star with an ounce of personality – and some without! But unlike later tracks, I can completely understand dropping this of the tracklist. She sounds like a snake with all the weird extended ‘s’s.
38. Red Hot Lipstick
I like the beat!
37. I Can Bang
I’m usually fond of Rock Mafia’s production, and this is no exception. But yet again, we get something from the 2010s that could easily sit with any other pop star and lose nothing. Don’t believe me – the Selena Gomez version is of equal quality, and the fan-made duet is surprisingly fun. It’s actually very odd that this easy hit was dropped from the ‘Glory’ track list.
36. Sucker For Pain
It’s very funny in theory, but in practise this weirdly works. If Britney can sell one thing, it’s a slow, dark, and sexy record. That being said, I’d rather she lose a hit than be tied to ‘Suicide Squad’ (2016). It’s classier this way.
35. Dramatic
I love pop songs with a circus edge. This song is forever linked to clowns in my head – including the remix from pop’s middle tier jester, Heidi Montag. No, that wasn’t done with Britney’s permission. That doesn’t matter because it’s hilarious.
34. When I Say So
This is better than any song from ‘Crossroads’ that made it onto the ‘Britney’ album, and I’ll remain mad about it. The chorus is absolutely killer, and it’s maybe the best use of that early 2000s guitar you sometimes hear in pop production. I just know the dance break would have been killer.
33. Pleasure You (ft. Don Philip)
Don Philip deserves to have eggs thrown at him for putting his voice on the only version of this demo that exists. It would easily be top 10 if he didn’t pop up in the second verse. He even pushes himself into the chorus – so I’m just left wanting the pure Britney version. I will almost forgive the crimes of AI if it can fix this.
32. Love 2 Love U
‘La Isla Bonita’ is maybe one of my top 10 Madonna songs, and this is a fun sample of a song it probably has no right pulling from. It would have ranked higher without the random zapping songs every few beats. But without them, it probably sounded way too much like the original track.
Love the random belt in the second chorus.
31. Hey Ma (ft. Pitbull & Romeo Santos)
I mean, it’s better than the Camilla Cabello version. Not that that’s difficult. I liked Britney trend-hopping to Latin pop. She’s surprisingly good at it.
30. Abroad
It’s very cute but the track does kind of sound like Britney covering a Rina Sawayama song.
29. Conscious
I think this would be an amazing song if it was finished. Unfortunately, that vocal mix is only barely held together, and in desperate need of something to fill the middle. Like ‘Take Off’, the foundations are great, but there’s something clearly missing. It’s weirdly hollow in a way that frustrates me. The reason it sits so high is that the pre-chorus is undeniable. The line “I don't really wanna be pushy but you got me feelin' lovely tonight” stands out as one that I’ve come back to over and over again.
The Great Stuff
This should have been released, and it should have been a single. While I adore the ‘Britney’ album for what it is, the stuff that went unreleased or pushed onto the deluxe edition makes me murderous. How is it that this didn’t make the cut, but ‘Bombastic Love’ did?
27. Guilty (sometimes titled ‘Guilty Kiss’)
I get why this wasn’t released. The Prince sample would have been difficult to get, and maybe not worth it. There’s a reason why this is split from the remix. But this is one of the best choruses she put on scratch, and in a just world, this would have been the song released post ‘Cry Me A River’.
26. This Kiss
It’s perfect pop. The chorus sounds like cotton candy. You just need to ignore the confusing amounts of vibrato that she keeps using.
25. Telephone
It’s fine. Great even. But like all of Gaga’s music for Britney, it feels too distinctly in her voice to work for someone else.
24. Little Me (Just Yesterday)
This song is incredibly sad to listen to in light of the conservatorship. Maybe the track most effected by the truths that came out during those years where she publicly was fighting for freedom. But outside of its personal context, it’s also a very sweet and sad ballad performed well. Britney has a gift for soft, aching emotions, and this is one of her greatest moments in that regard. She isn’t cloying or sappy, but incredibly wistful in a way that only she can sell.
23. Mad Love
“Nothing tastes sweeter than mad love” is very true, because this song is astounding. It’s slow and groovy in a way that nods to artists like Sade and Janet, but the end result feels distinctly Britney in delivery and tone. It’s so unlike the rest of her catalogue that it actually makes me a little angry. I want an entire album with this vibe.
22. Rockstar
This song is a giant middle finger to Justin Timberlake, and I agree.
Fuck that man.
I need the full version of this song, because the parts that we do have are fantastic. But unfortunately, it isn’t a complete track, which means it can’t sit much higher. The versions of the song that mix it into a facsimile of a full track are good enough to touch the top 20, but not enough to break through.
And this is where we get to the best of the best.
The God Tier
20. 911
Britney’s best club track didn’t even make it onto ‘Blackout’, which is an absolute travesty. The beat is hot, the chorus is sticky, and that bridge! Most white girl rapping is obnoxious, but Britney very clearly isn’t trying to do anything that competes with actual hip hop. It’s just about adding some energy that feeds into the final third of the song. It’s a talk singing style that she does better than anyone, and if you can’t appreciate that..I don’t know – shut up!
19. Guilty (Remix)
The remix just works better for me. The chorus isn’t as immediately catchy, but the overall vibe isn’t competing with the Prince sample. Instead, it’s forced to stand on its own, and does very easily. The whole vibe is darker and more intense, and for Britney, I prefer that.
18. Welcome To Me
Her best introductory track, and it didn’t even make it on an album. The whole vibe is very Janet, and I can imagine it situated in a tour or a performance set. In a just world, this would have begun ‘In The Zone’.
17. Strangest Love
My big hot take is that this track would sound right at home on any Mariah Carey record, but particularly on ‘Charmbracelet’. It’s ethereal and light in a way that Britney rarely leans towards, and just universal enough to sit with that instinct of Mariah’s song writing. This isn’t to say it’s a rip off, but there’s something unique about this track for Britney that reminds me of Mariah more than anything. She was always listed as an influence, but rarely can I hear it more clearly than here.
16. Pull Out
Shit is catchy.
“You got my legs and my head in the same direction!”
15. Everyday
While this is clearly an attempt to do what Christina Aguilera did with ‘Beautiful’, I really do like how sweet this sounds. With the exception of ‘Everytime’, Britney does not tap into piano balladry as a skill very often. The subtle strings and surprisingly hearty vocals are effective and sweet. Plus, I can believe her performance here. Some pop stars don’t sound real switching it up and slowing it down, but this is just lovely.
14. Burning Up
I prefer it to Madonna’s version. It helps that Britney is a better singer than her, but the real truth is, the updated production is nostalgic for me in the same way the original must be for people now exiting middle age and waiting for grandchildren. I remember seeing clips of her performing this on the Femme Fatale Tour and being envious that I couldn’t go. But the biggest thing for me is that it’s just fun. It’s a great cover that, if we weren’t adverse to those in 2012, would have made a great single to fill the void.
I feel dirty listening to this track. It’s built around poetry Britney shared on her website and an Ace of Base sample, but the end result feels naked and raw. I cannot imagine this being allowed out for public use, but here we are. It really is fantastic, and in context of her life, is heartbreaking. The verse about her father, all before the conservatorship went into place, really cements how much pain was there from the start. Heartbreaking stuff.
12. I Feel So Free With You (ft. Pitbull & Marc Antony)
It’s good fun! I really have nothing to add. You either get it, or you don’t.
Cheating can be sexy.
It is actually upsetting how much material of this quality was left on the cutting room floor in 2001. I don’t think this could have been a hit, because she just wasn’t in a hit-making place post-Justin breakup. But it would at least have made a banger addition to a more adult tour.
The Top Ten
10. To Love Let Go
Her more experimental stuff during this era feel so special, because she never had this creative freedom again. This is a jazzy ballad that sits uniquely in her discography. ‘Blackout’ really couldn’t have handled this sudden vibe switch, so I get why it’s not on the album, but I mourn what was lost.
This is a Kylie Minogue song. It’s a Paula Abdul song. It should have been her biggest hit in the UK. The natural follow up to ‘Anticipating’!
8. Sippin’ On
There’s something special about this track. The subtle things that bring it into a class above the rest of the list thus far. My personal favourite moment is during the chorus, when the chorus of ‘Early Mornin’ is chanted as the counterpoint to the hook. The harmonies are perfect, the little oohs and aahs are perfectly placed, and it’s intricate without being overproduced. I cannot think of a song from Britney Spears that feels more like summer. Warm and languid and easy.
If ‘Outta This World’ could make it on some versions of ‘Blackout’, this should have easily made the cut. It’s an immersive experience that sounds like love feels. So much of what was lost from the 2005-2008 recording sessions feels like trials, but this feels like the answer to whatever question she was asking about her musicality. Britney has often spoken about wanting to make her own ‘Ray of Light’, and this is the closest she probably will ever get. In many ways, I think it’s better than what Madonna was doing during that time. This is a precious song, and the world probably doesn’t deserve it - but I do.
Fuck Kevin Federline.
I strongly considered dropping this off the list, but the truth is that the subtle changes from demo to final version completely change the quality of this track. The final mix of Mona Lisa is fine, but it doesn’t bite. It’s incomplete and edgeless in a way that goes against the very premise of the song.
Everything from the final mix to the lyric changes are for the worse. The song is as sarcastic as Britney could theoretically get on wax, and the loss of “she’s been cloned” as the refrain ruins everything. This is maybe the only track I can think of where Britney isn’t addressing the paparazzi or the industry as a concept for what frustrates her – it’s an attack on the audience. She’s telling us exactly what she’s seeing happen to her legacy and placing the blame at the consumers feet.
It was probably smart not to release it as is. But this sneering piece of history is something we don’t see very often from someone of her stature. A woman who was already being shafted out of music in her early 20s, looking out at her fans, and making it clear she despises them for what they’ve done to her.
It might not be fair, but as time as gone on, it’s only become more real.
4. Dangerous
I might regret ranking this so high, but this demo from 2008 has always struck me as so much better than anything else that surrounded it - including the singles. It’s hooky and fun and unique in it’s influences. The surf vibe of it all feels like a breath of fresh air. Britney does rock very well, but this isn’t just her with a guitar. It’s such a vibrant moment of silly fun that I can’t help but love it.
On one hand, the fact this snippet isn’t sitting in the top spot is treasonous, because no other unreleased Britney track holds so much weight. This is literal rebellion against everything that exists in the industry, the answer to ‘Mona Lisa’ in many ways. But while that’s all true, it’s also only half available. We can only take so much from an incomplete track, and I cannot rank an unreleased, unreleased demo number one in good faith.
It's also, while good, not my favourite thing. The mystery and intensity have kept this alive much more than the actual quality. Maybe it would all come together in the final mix, and it’s ranked so high because I want to believe it’s hiding something greater, but I can’t in good conscience bump it above the top two songs here. I nearly scrapped it all together, but if I included ‘Peep Show’, this has to join the ranks, and both songs have earned their space here.
Britney shines with R’n’B tracks, and The Neptunes have produced some of the best stuff in the genre, so this team up should not surprise. But it does surprise you at points, because it really does tap into something exciting. It’s slinky in a way that nothing else on this list is, speaking to a couple that can’t stop fucking and fucking around, but she’s fine with it.
But what actually stands out is just how good everything sounds. Even before the final mix leaked, it felt full and kind of perfect in its own right. Britney sounds rawer than many of her singles allow her to be, but in a way that still smooths out the sharper edges to her voice. A lot of the worst stuff on this list is clearly early recordings, where she’s figuring out where the Britney-isms can slot in comfortably. But both the demo and the final mix here manage to balance her vocal quirks and the necessity of a clean pop vocal without sacrificing the texture that so often gets sanded off by producers.
If I had a preference, I actually enjoy the original leak more than the final mix. Pharrell’s vocals are a little too heavy in the finished version, and the guitars sit too high for my liking. But both are stunning, and this spot could only be overshadowed by one song.
1. Ouch
This is my favourite Britney song. Not my favourite demo, but just my favourite thing she ever recorded. By a significant margin too.
It marries everything I want out of a Britney track. The instrumental is this elegant piece of production that pulls in jazz and trip hop production in a way that feels like it’s signalling where pop would be going with the arrival of stars like Amy Winehouse. It’s in line with her Janet inspired output, but this is distinctive to Britney in many ways. Without getting too affected, it’s just a little rougher, a little bouncier, than most people would pull from the same foundation.
More than that, it’s one of her best vocal performances. It’s almost completely in her upper register but lacks the baby vocals, so often mimicked, but never duplicated. She sounds lovely, but without attempting to transcend her limits. A few years later, she’d be attempting to run up and down her range for the Otis Redding tribute, but this is her at a level of control that she never had again.
It's just as personal as many of the other songs on here, considering it’s a breakup song written in the wake of the Justin split, but it’s more than that. It’s a sexy invitation to a former lover, but also a judgement on him for coming to her. The entirety of the condemnation of Britney post-breakup was about her allegedly cheating, but if he was doing the same thing with her, how does that reflect on Justin?
Allegedly.
But in the end, what we’re left with is a perfect song. Many great songs. And a few bad ones. All fun!