| "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byBritney Spears | ||||
| from the albumOops!... I Did It Again | ||||
| Released | March 12, 2001 (2001-03-12) | |||
| Recorded | December 1999 | |||
| Studio | La Tour-de-Peilz (Switzerland) | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:50 | |||
| Label | Jive | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Robert John "Mutt" Lange | |||
| Britney Spears singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Don't Let Me Be The Last to Know" onYouTube | ||||
"Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" is a song by American singerBritney Spears from her second studio album,Oops!... I Did It Again (2000). It was released on March 12, 2001, byJive Records as the fourth and final single from the album. After meeting with producerRobert John "Mutt" Lange in Switzerland, Spears recorded several songs for the album, including "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know", which she considered one of her favorites on the album. Additional lyrics were written by guitar playerKeith Scott andcountry pop singerShania Twain. Thepopballad speaks of a woman wanting to hear her boyfriend say that he loves her, and is sonically similar toDavid Bowie andIggy Pop's song "China Girl" (1983).
"Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who considered it a good break from the album's genre and praised Spears' vocals, comparing them to those of Twain andStevie Wonder. The song attained moderate commercial success, reaching number one in Romania, and peaking inside the top ten in Austria, Europe and Switzerland, while reaching top twenty positions in many European countries. "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" was only released formainstream radio in the United States; therefore, it failed to appear on most major music charts in the country.
An accompanying music video, directed byHerb Ritts, portrays Spears in love scenes with her on-screen boyfriend, played by French model Brice Durand. The singer's real-life boyfriend at the timeJustin Timberlake, however, was said to be annoyed at the kissing scenes, while Spears' mother,Lynne, objected to the explicit sexuality of the original cut of the video. Parts of the video were edited before its release to the public on March 2, 2001. As part of promotion for the song, Spears performed it onTotal Request Live,Saturday Night Live, andThe View. It has also been included on four of her concert tours. "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" was nominated at2002 Kids' Choice Awards forFavorite Song. Spears has named "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" one of her favorite songs from her career.[1]
In 1999, Britney Spears began work on her second studio album,Oops!... I Did It Again (2000), in Sweden and Switzerland.[2][3] After meeting withRobert Lange in Switzerland, the singer started to record several songs for the album, including "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know". After finishing the track, Spears revealed in an interview withBillboard that "with thefirst album, I didn't get to show my voice off. The songs were great, but they weren't very challenging. This song is incredible. It's going to surprise people in the best way."[3] "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" was written and produced by Robert Lange, while additional lyrics were written by his then-wife andcountry-pop titanShania Twain andKeith Scott.[4] Spears recorded her vocals for the song between November and December 1999 at Robert Lange's and Shania Twain's chateau inLa Tour-de Peilz, Switzerland, and it was later mixed by Nigel Green andprogrammed by Cory Churko, Kevin Churko and Richard Meyer.[4] During a live concert atHawaii, included on her second home video releaseLive and More! (2000), Spears said the song was one of her favorites onOops!... I Did It Again.[5] "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" was released on January 17, 2001 as the final single from the album.[6][7]
"Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" is apopballad that lasts for three minutes and 51 seconds.[4][10] The song is composed in thekey ofE major[11] and is set in thetime signature ofcommon time with atempo of 76beats per minute, and Spears' vocal range spans from the low note of F♯3 to the high key of D♯5.[10] ANME staff reviewer said that the song takes theriff ofDavid Bowie andIggy Pop's "China Girl" (1983) and "puts it over schmaltzy cocktail-hour bass and love film strings".[8] Tom Terrell ofMTV, however, compared the riff to the one ofA Taste of Honey's cover of "Sukiyaki" (1981). Terrell further commented that the "Eagles-esque chorus" features "an '80s hair band power ballad groove" where "Britney soul-maxes with a vocal that channels both Stevie Wonder (via "Knocks Me Off My Feet") and Shania herself."[12]
Stephanie McGrath ofJam! said the song is "a nice break from the 'baby babys', 'yeah yeahs' and insistent drum beats that pepper the other songs" ofOops! [sic].[9] David Veitch of theCalgary Sun compared the backing vocals to "nicely old-fashioned shoo-be-doo-doos".[13] Lyrically, "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" alludes to how Spears wants to hear her boyfriend say he needs her all the way and that he loves her.[12] Spears considered it a "pure and delicate" song. "It's just one of those songs that pull you in. That's why I like it, and I like singing it as well", she continued. "I think they wrote it 'specially for me, because the lyrics of the song, if you really listen... they're more of what I can relate to, 'cause they're kind of young lyrics, I think. I don't think Shania would probably sing some of the words that I'm saying."[14]
"Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" received mostly positive reviews from contemporary critics.Stephen Thomas Erlewine fromAllMusic deemed it "sweetly sentimental" and akin to the other ballads onOops!... I Did It Again,[15] while aRhapsody review considered them "perfectly constructed ballads".[16] Stephanie McGrath of Jam! called the song "the best showcase of Spears' talents".[9] ANME staff reviewer considered the track "absolutely frightening",[8] with Tracy E. Hopkins ofBarnes & Noble deeming "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" a "polished ballad", and praising Shania Twain for the songwriting.[17]Billboard journalist Michael Paoletta, in his review forOops!... I Did It Again, noted that Spears may not have the vocal range of "colleaguesJessica Simpson andChristina Aguilera, but she does have an instantly recognizable style-andOops!... indicates that she's developing a soulful edge and emotional depth that can't be conjured with a glass-shattering note", further commenting that this can be confirmed "on the hitworthy, Shania Twain-penned ballad 'Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know'".[18] Paoletta's colleagueChuck Taylor, in his single review for the song, named it Spears' "first serious bid for credibility" and that she offered a vocal performance "that's relaxed and downright sensuous compared with that of her up-tempo ditties."[19]
While reviewing 2011'sFemme Fatale Tour, Jocelyn Vena of MTV considered the song, along with "Toxic", "old-school jams".[20]Bustle's Alex Kristelis highlighted its "epic" chorus while the staff fromEntertainment Weekly called it "a pretty mid tempo melody", and placed it at number 84 on their ranking of Spears' songs.[21][22] ForPink News' Mayer Nissim, "it's not that Britney can't do slow tracks, but her vocals don't always have the energy to push them", citing "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" as an example.[23] Nicholas Hautman, fromUs Weekly, concluded that "Spears showcases her soulful, unwavering vocals on this well-executed ballad".[24] "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" was nominated at the2002 Kids' Choice Awards forFavorite Song in 2002.[25]
"Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" was not commercially available in the United States and was released exclusively tomainstream radio on April 2, 2001.[26] Therefore, the track received very minor success and failed to enter anyBillboard charts; it did however reach number 36 on theRadio & Records pop chart. However, "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" was successful in Europe, debuting and peaking at number nine on theEuropean Hot 100 Singles on the chart issue dated April 14, 2001.[27] The song was also able to reach the top ten inAustria andSwitzerland, while attaining top 20 positions in Belgium (Flanders), Finland, Ireland, Norway and Sweden.[6] In the United Kingdom, it debuted and peaked at number 12 on April 7, 2001 (her first single not to reach the top 10), exiting theUK Singles Chart after eight weeks. "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" achieved commercial success in Romania, where it reached number one and was the third best-selling single of 2001.[28] Despite reaching number 14 in Denmark,[6] the song was later certified gold byInternational Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), for shipping over 4,000 units of the single in the country.[29] The single was not released in Australia; instead, it was included as a bonus second disc of the limited edition ofOops!... I Did It Again released in the country.[30]
The music video for "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" was directed by American photographerHerb Ritts, and shot atKey Biscayne inMiami,Florida in the last week of January 2001.[33] Spears revealed she was inspired byJanet Jackson's video for "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" (1990) to select Ritts as the video's director.[34] According to Ritts, the singer "wanted to do something fresh. There was one outfit, no dancing, and that meant that it boiled down to her. She really had to act the song, and she was very impressive."[33] He also revealed that the video was set at "a funky beach shack" similar to the videos forMadonna's "Cherish" andChris Isaak's "Wicked Game" (both from 1989).[33] "The story is, pretty much, Britney longing for him to tell her the words", said Ritts,[33] who was impressed with the chemistry between the singer and her on-screen boyfriend, played by French model Brice Durand.[33] Spears' real-life boyfriend at the timeJustin Timberlake, however, "was said to be miffed at Spears' kissing scenes with French model", according to Jennifer Vineyard of MTV.[31] Spears' mother,Lynne, also considered the original music video too racy at the time because it contained sexual material.[32] Parts of the video were edited before its release to the public.[35]
The music video premiered on MTV'sTotal Request Live on March 2, 2001 and peaked at number one on the countdown.[26][36] The video begins with Spears and her boyfriend in a hammock. Cuts of her cuddling with her love interest beside a fire are also included. Inside a tiki hut, Spears exclaims the words she wants her boyfriend to know. In the second half of the video, she is seen on a tree where her boyfriend reaches for her. There are also scenes where she is running on the beach and her boyfriend is chasing after her. Spears wears only abikini top and a pair ofcutoff shorts during the whole video, going barefoot throughout.[36] The music video was considered by Spears to be "the funnest [sic] video I've ever done."[33] An alternate footage of the video can be found on the DVD of Spears' first compilation albumGreatest Hits: My Prerogative (2004).[37] Vineyard described the footage as the one that "makes the most use of Britney's body of work, with the spaceman from "Oops!... I Did It Again", an opening door from "My Prerogative" and one love interest from "Toxic" all making cameos".[37] The track received a nomination at the 2001Billboard Music Video Awards for Best Adult Contemporary Clip of the Year.[38]
.jpg)
The first performance of "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" was on March 8, 2000, during theCrazy 2k Tour inPensacola, Florida, where Spears appeared onstage sitting on a magic carpet and flew over the audience while singing the song.[39][40] After releasing her second studio album,Oops!... I Did It Again, Spears performed the song on the American music showTRL,[41] onSaturday Night Live[5] and onThe View.[42] She also performed the song live on theOops!... I Did It Again Tour. After performing "Sometimes", she climbed the staircase and briefly spoke to the audience before moving into the performance of the song, for which she wore a long white dress trimmed with boa feathers.[40][43] "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" was performed also on theDream Within a Dream Tour in 2001 and 2002. The performance consisted of Spears singing the song on an elevated platform wearing an evening gown with artificial snow falling from the ceiling, while two of her dancers performed a routine.[44][45]
Almost ten years later, "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" was performed by Spears at select dates of theFemme Fatale Tour, in 2011.[46] The performance consists of Spears sitting on a swing singing the song, whilst a male dancer dances beneath her, at one point attaching himself by his feet to the swing whilst midair.[47] Shirley Halperin ofThe Hollywood Reporter named it one of the best performances of the show along with "Piece of Me" and "3", stating that "ironically enough, [they] were the ones with fewest frills."[48] In a review ofBritney Spears Live: The Femme Fatale Tour, a special broadcast by Americanpremium television channelEpix of the tour, Jocelyn Vena of MTV summarized her thoughts about the performance saying, "It's rare these days to see Britney Spears show her soft side, but she takes a break from the nonstop, fist-pumping music during the spectacle that is the Femme Fatale Tour and kicks it old-school, showing us she still has the heart and soul to bust out a power ballad."[49]
|
|
|
Credits for "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" are adapted fromOops!... I Did It Again liner notes.[4]
Technical
Personnel
|
|
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium (BRMA)[78] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[29] | Gold | 4,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | March 12, 2001 | Maxi CD | Rough Trade | |
| United Kingdom | March 26, 2001 | Jive | ||
| France | March 27, 2001 | CD | ||
| United States | April 3, 2001 | Contemporary hit radio | ||
| Japan | April 4, 2001 | Maxi CD | Zomba |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
