Gimme More

Album: Blackout (2007)
Charted: 3 3
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Songfacts®:

  • In this sensual number, Britney Spears is greedy for love, and willing to do it right on the dance floor. She doesn't care who sees it:

    Cameras are flashin' while we're dirty dancin'

    Understandably, the song became very popular in strip clubs.
  • After marrying Kevin Federline in 2004, Spears musical output dried up, but she remained very much in the public eye. She and Federline had a short-lived reality series in 2005, the same year they had their first child together. The following year, they had their second child, but a few months later, Spears filed for divorce. In 2007, she managed to record the album Blackout, but was clearly coming undone, with an eager paparazzi documenting her shaving her head, and later, beating up a car with an umbrella. In the midst of these personal struggles, "Gimme More" was released as the first single from the album. Spears was in no condition to promote it, but the song still managed to debut at #3 in the US, a solid showing. That was a rare bright spot for Spears, who around this time lost custody of her children. She started getting her life back in order after entering a treatment facility in January 2008.
  • A large cast of songwriters and producers contributed to the songs on Blackout. "Gimme More" was written and produced by:

    James "Jim Beanz" Washington - A Timbaland protégé, he has credits on tracks by Fergie, Ashanti and Craig David.

    Nate "Danja" Hills - Also aligned with Timbaland, he built beats for Britney's ex Justin Timberlake on his hit "SexyBack."

    Keri Hilson - A solo artist who also does lots of production work, especially as a vocal producer. She and Beanz also did backup vocals on "Gimme More."

    Marcella Araica, who worked on engineering and programming for the track, is also credited as a songwriter.
  • Spears performed this to open the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. As soon as she turned to look at the audience, she seemed to freeze up and struggled through a very stiff performance that was mocked by a number of media outlets. It soon became clear that Spears was genuinely troubled and should never have been on stage. MTV atoned the following year by giving her next single, "Piece Of Me," the Moonman for Video of the Year.
  • This opens with Spears saying, "It's Britney Bitch." MTV had the exclusive rights to sell the ringtone of this phrase.

    Co-writer Jim Beanz came up with the expression. He told MTV UK: "She was amazing to work with, she is a very hard worker. Just as hard as she works on her dance steps she is the exact same in the booth. She was basically open to any and everything that I mentioned. The phrase came last minute right at the end of the session. We recorded that while she was pregnant with her second child. It was really difficult to try to make her sound really sexy an at the same time she was pregnant. We knew that as soon as she had the baby she was the one to be able to push that song. We needed that one catch phrase to really bring her back and put her stamp on the industry and that stamp was 'It's Britney Bitch.'"
  • This was only the second Top 3 US hit for Spears. Her first was her debut single "Baby One More Time." >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bertrand - Paris, France
  • Keri Hilson, who contributed to this and three other songs on Blackout, developed a nickname for Britney: "One-Take Jake." She explained to Rolling Stone magazine: "With Britney, I need to get as much of any song done as I can [before she enters the studio]. She likes to record quickly, partly because she doesn't like to stand up for too long."
  • The song's music video was filmed over a two-day period in July 2007 at a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles. It was directed by Jake Sarfaty, who was handpicked by Spears. According to makeup artist Mikal Sky, who worked personally with Spears on the clip, the singer refused to follow the agreed script. "She had just shaved her head and was getting nothing but bad press," Sky told Money Making Makeup Artist. "She sabotaged the director by refusing to perform and follow the script. So, what we got was her dancing on a stripper pole with her friends."

Comments: 6

  • David from Reading, United KingdomA band called "Machinae Supremacy" did a much more lively version of this song. Has a lot more energy and fits the lyrics better.
  • Rock Lee from Hidden Leaves Village, JapanGreat song, and that's coming from a Britney hater.
  • Aya from NswI really like the song! Video could have been so much better.
  • Amanda from Evergreen, CoLEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!!!!!
    LOL that video of that kid under his covers is hilarious!!!!!!
  • Rusty from Raleigh, NcThe video was in a strip club.
  • Craig from Melbourne, AustraliaA rather dull song. Dated computer music. The film clip is so boring. Britney is not barefoot in the clip either.
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