I'm a Slave 4 U

by

Britney Spears

Edit

"I'm a Slave 4 U" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. The song was written and produced by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, for Spears' third studio album, Britney (2001). It was released on September 24, 2001 by Jive Records, as the first single from the album. The urban song, has a similar soundscape to Vanity 6's 1982's song "Nasty Girl", while its lyrics talks about being a slave to the music.

The song garnered mixed reception from music critics. Some critics argued it was the singer's most mature sound at the time compared to her previous singles, while other noticed the song's attempt to leave behind Spears' girl next door image and said her vocals were unnatural. "I'm a Slave 4 U" achieved commercial success, peaking inside the top-ten in almost every country that it charted on. However, the song peaked at number twenty-seven in Hot 100 and at number eighty-five in Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, both being the lowest chart positions of the single worldwide.

A music video for the single, which was directed by Francis Lawrence, was released along with the single released. It features Spears dancing in a sauna, and it was recreated by television series Glee. Spears' performance of the song at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City was highly criticized by animal rights group PETA for the inclusion of exotic animals. Spears performed the song on every tour since its release, including the promotional The M+M's Tour.