| "Outrageous" | ||||
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| Single byBritney Spears | ||||
| from the albumIn the Zone | ||||
| Released | July 13, 2004 (2004-07-13) | |||
| Recorded | 2003 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:22 | |||
| Label | Jive | |||
| Songwriter | Robert Kelly | |||
| Producers |
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| Britney Spears singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio video | ||||
| "Outrageous" onYouTube | ||||
"Outrageous" is a song by American singerBritney Spears from her fourth studio album,In the Zone (2003). It was written and produced byR. Kelly, with vocal production provided byTrixster and Penelope Magnet. The song was released on July 13, 2004, byJive Records, as the fourth and final single fromIn the Zone. "Outrageous" was the record label's choice for first or second single, but Spears pushed for "Me Against the Music" and "Toxic" respectively, to be released instead. It was finally announced as a single after it was selected as the theme song for the 2004 filmCatwoman. "Outrageous" is ahip hop andR&B song with an exotic feel. Lyrically, it talks aboutmaterialism and entertainment. "Outrageous" received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised its funky sound, while others deemed it "forgettable".
"Outrageous" only charted in Japan, Romania, Russia and in the United States, entering many ofBillboard's component charts and peaking at number 79 on theBillboard Hot 100. Spears only performed the song on 2004'sThe Onyx Hotel Tour. The music video was being shot in New York City in June 2004, when Spears hurt her knee and had to undergoarthroscopic surgery. The video was canceled, as well as remainder of The Onyx Hotel Tour and the feature in theCatwoman soundtrack. A composite of different scenes was released in the DVDGreatest Hits: My Prerogative (2004).
"Outrageous" was written and produced byR. Kelly, and was recorded at The Chocolate Factory, in Chicago, Illinois.[1] Penelope Magnet andChristopher "Tricky" Stewart of production team RedZone were enlisted to produce Spears's vocals.[2] She recorded them at Battery Studios in New York City. The song was later mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios inVirginia Beach, Virginia.[1] On September 11, 2003, "Outrageous" was confirmed as one of the tracks fromIn the Zone.[3]Jive Records hoped the song would be released as the first single from the album, but Spears convinced them to release her collaboration withMadonna, "Me Against the Music".[4] The track was also one of the choices for second single along with "(I Got That) Boom Boom", but Spears selected "Toxic" instead.[5] On June 1, 2004, it was announced that "Outrageous" would be released as the fourth single from the album and would be sent to radio stations on June 29, 2004. It was also announced that the track would be thetheme song from the 2004 filmCatwoman.[6] "Outrageous" was sent to mainstream radio in the United States on July 20, 2004.[7]
"Outrageous" is ahip hop andR&B song.[8] Thebeat was compared by Gavin Mueller ofStylus Magazine to R. Kelly's 2003 single "Snake".[9] Jennifer Vineyard ofMTV noted that "she whispers and moans [...] with asnake charmer melody giving the song an exotic feel".[10] Nick Southall ofStylus Magazine compared thebackground vocals to those of Punjabi musicianNusrat Fateh Ali Khan.[11] According to the sheetmusic published at Musicnotes.com byUniversal Music Publishing Group, "Outrageous" is composed in the key ofD major, with atempo of 105beats per minute.[12] The song's lyrics talk aboutmaterialism and amusement, with Spears referencing in the chorus a number of things that give herpleasure, such as "my world tour" and "my sex drive". Vineyard noted, "the cumulative effect seems like it's designed to put the listener in the lover's shoes—taking full advantage of the aural male gaze".[10] Sal Cinquemani ofSlant Magazine said the track "includes a telling parallel that reveals a lot about one of music's biggest—asAlanis Morissette would put it—treadmill capitalists: she sings "my sex drive" and "my shopping spree" with the same dripping gusto".[13]
"Outrageous" received mixed reviews from music critics. Mim Udovitch ofBlender called the song an "R. Kelly club number, [that] has a hot, odd compulsion and lyrics that are practically big-pimpin', Spears-style".[14] William Shaw ofBlender selected it as the ninth best Spears song, highlighting "the nonsense chants" at 1:10.[15] While reviewingGreatest Hits: My Prerogative, Ann Powers commented, "'Outrageous' is R. Kelly's dirty little take on the idealJanet Jackson song".[16] Spence D. ofIGN said of the song that "it's a somewhat derivative Egyptian lover groove number. Yet for all it's [sic] repetitiveness, it's still kind of funky and pervasive".[17] Kelefa Sanneh ofThe New York Times called it "[a] composition that cruises along onautopilot for two minutes and then suddenly switches gears with a delectableMichael Jackson-inspired bridge".[18] Annabel Leathes of theBBC stated that "R. Kelly transform[s] Britney into a grubbyBeyoncé".[19] Caryn Ganz ofSpin called "Outrageous" a "go-nowhere homage to living fabulously".[20] Dave de Sylvia of Sputnikmusic called it "a forgettable but nonetheless catchy single".[21]David Browne ofEntertainment Weekly said that along with "(I Got That) Boom Boom", "[they] are little more than wobbly, rhythm-based contraptions intended to advance Spears' sex-princess-on-the-loose image".[22] Jamie Gill ofYahoo! Music Radio commented that, "with its cheap, tinny production – it would take a rather senile and unworldly old lady inTonbridge Wells [sic] to find this even diverting, let alone shocking".[23]
On August 14, 2004, "Outrageous" debuted at number 85 on the U.S.Billboard Hot 100.[24] On August 28, 2004, it peaked at number 79. The same week, the song peaked at number twenty-three onBillboard'sPop Songs. It also reached number 27 onBillboard'sHot Dance Club Songs on September 11, 2004.[25] "Outrageous" also reached number 14 on theHot Dance Singles Sales chart.[26] In Japan, "Outrageous" charted on theOricon Albums Chart for eight weeks and peaked at number 31.[27]
The music video for "Outrageous" was directed byDave Meyers, who previously worked in the music videos for "Lucky" and "Boys", as well as theCurious commercials.[28] It was shot in outdoors locations inQueens andManhattan, New York City. The music video was set to premiere on MTV on June 28, 2004.[6] After completion of the scenes with guest starSnoop Dogg, Spears was shooting dance scenes in Manhattan when around 11:30 pm, she fell and injured her left knee.[29][30] She was taken immediately to a local hospital, where doctors performed an MRI scan and found floating cartilage. The following day, Spears underwentarthroscopic surgery. Spears was forced to remain six weeks with a thigh brace, followed by eight to twelve weeks of rehabilitation, which caused the rest of the shoot as well as the remainder of The Onyx Hotel Tour to be canceled.[30] "Outrageous" was also scrapped as the theme song fromCatwoman.[31] A 45-second music video composed of the scenes that were shot was released in the 2004 DVDGreatest Hits: My Prerogative. The video begins with Snoop Dogg and a group of men playingbasketball in an outdoors court, until Spears appears wearing blue baggy shorts.[32] She starts to flirt with him, before jumping into his arms and licking his beard. In the next scene, she performs with her dancers on a street at night.[33]
Spears has only performed the song duringThe Onyx Hotel Tour in 2004. It was the last song of the fifth act of the show, titled "Security Cameras". She performed "Breathe on Me" wearing pink lingerie while emulating differentsexual practices with her dancers.[34] After it ended, she put on a white trench coat while her dancers wore them in black and performed "Outrageous".[35] The act ended with a skit that segued into the finale performance of "(I Got That) Boom Boom".[36]
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Credits adapted from the liner notes ofIn the Zone.[37]
Recording
Personnel
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Weekly charts[edit]
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| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | July 13, 2004 | 12-inch vinyl | Jive | [46][47] |
| July 20, 2004 | [7][48] | |||
| Japan | August 25, 2004 | Maxi CD | Sony BMG | [49] |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
