Maps of Music

Femme Fatale (2011)

Where the lyrics of Femme Fatale take you, and where it was really made.

Criticized for her limited role in writing and production, Femme Fatale still debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and gave Spears three top ten Hot 100 singles.

Key places

Conway Recording Studios (2011)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — Conway Recording Studios is listed as a studio where the album was recorded in Los Angeles. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Downtown Music Studios (2011)

Recording site Downtown Music Studios — Downtown Music Studios is listed as a studio where the album was recorded in New York City. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Germano Studios (2011)

Recording site Germano Studios — Germano is listed as a studio where the album was recorded in New York City. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Record Plant (2011)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — Record Plant is listed as a studio where the album was recorded in Los Angeles. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Westlake Recording Studios (2011)

Recording site Westlake Recording Studios — Westlake Recording Studios is listed as a studio where the album was recorded in Los Angeles. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Santa Monica College Planetarium (2nd floor) (2011)

Recording site Santa Monica College Planetarium (2nd floor) — The 2nd Floor studio in Los Angeles is listed as a recording location for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The Bunker (Paris) (2011)

Recording site Pathé Marconi studios — The Bunker is listed as a studio where the album was recorded in Paris, placed at city-center level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Maratone Studios (2011)

Recording site Master Plan — Maratone Studios is listed as a studio where the album was recorded in Stockholm, placed at city-center level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

MyAuditonic (2011)

Recording site Wild Bunch Studios (London) — MyAuditonic is listed as a studio where the album was recorded in London, placed at city-center level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Seventh studio album by American singer Britney Spears
• Released March 25, 2011 by Jive Records in Europe and Oceania, and four days later in the United States
• Spears's last album with Jive before the label dissolved in October 2011, after which she moved to RCA Records
• Musical styles include dance-pop, electropop, EDM and synth-pop, with dubstep, techno and electro elements
• Standard and deluxe editions were both released

Background

• Spears began working on the album during the second leg of The Circus Starring Britney Spears tour in 2009
• In July 2009, she began recording new material with Max Martin while in Stockholm during the European leg of the tour
• Her second greatest hits album The Singles Collection (2009) also drew on her work during this period
• In November 2010, Dr. Luke announced he would be executive producer alongside Max Martin
• On her 29th birthday in December 2010, Spears announced the album would come out in March
• On February 2, 2011, Spears announced the title through her Twitter account

Recording

• Spears worked with many producers, including Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Fraser T. Smith, Rodney Jerkins, Bloodshy, will.i.am, Stargate and Travis Barker
• Spears worked with will.i.am in February 2011
• Fraser T. Smith worked with Spears on three tracks
• Spears wrote the song "Scary", produced by Fraser T Smith, which appeared on the Japanese deluxe edition

Cover

• The cover was shot by Randee St. Nicholas
• It shows a close-up of Spears in a white dress with white fur on her shoulders

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Born December 2, 1981 in McComb, Mississippi; American singer known as the "Princess of Pop".
• Began in the early 1990s in the musical Ruthless! and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club.
• Signed with Jive Records in 1997; debut single "...Baby One More Time" topped the US Billboard Hot 100.
• Debut album ...Baby One More Time (1999) and Oops!... I Did It Again (2000) are among the world's best-selling albums.
• Credited with driving the late-1990s revival of teen pop.
• Sold an estimated 150 million+ records; one Grammy, six MTV VMAs, seven Billboard Music Awards.
• Placed under a conservatorship; it was terminated in 2021 after her testimony.
• Announced leaving the music industry in 2024; catalogue reportedly sold for about $200 million in 2026.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic average of 67 out of 100 from 25 mainstream critics, meaning generally favorable reviews
• Rolling Stone: Jody Rosen wrote that it may be Britney's best album and certainly her strangest
• AllMusic: Stephen Thomas Erlewine said Spears's presence was overshadowed by the high-class production
• The Globe and Mail: Robert Everett-Green gave three-and-a-half out of four stars and praised its electronic sound
• The Observer: Kitty Empire wrote that Spears delivered the fierce dance record she promised
• NME: Ailbhe Malone called it her best work
• MSN Music: Robert Christgau gave it a B+
• Independent: Andy Gill gave a mixed review, criticizing its single-minded focus on dancefloor utility
• New York Times: Jon Caramanica called much of the album flat and redundant
• Spin placed it at number 50 on its best albums of 2011 list and number 3 on its best pop albums list

Reappraisal

• Critics noted Spears's limited creative input and songwriting credits, though most reviews were favorable
• Ryan Tedder defended Spears, pointing to other artists who did not write their own hits

Records

• US Billboard 200: debuted at number one with 276,000 first-week copies
• Mexico, Australia, Canada, Russia and South Korea: number one
• UK Albums Chart: debuted at number eight with 31,650 copies
• Germany: debuted at number ten
• Certified platinum by the RIAA in April 2011; 805,000 copies sold in the US as of May 2020
• Sold 2.4 million copies worldwide as of February 2014

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album's lead single "Hold It Against Me" became Spears's fourth number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100.
• "Criminal", the fourth and final single, went viral on TikTok in 2020 and became one of her most streamed songs.
• Spears appeared in a remix of Rihanna's "S&M" in April 2011, after Rihanna asked fans on Twitter who they wanted her to collaborate with.
• Luke and Martin first wanted to give "Hold It Against Me" to Katy Perry, but later decided it was not the right fit for her.
• The cover artwork was shot by Randee St. Nicholas and features a close-up shot of Spears in a white dress with white fur on her shoulders.
• Spears's album title became a trending topic on Twitter after her February 2011 announcement.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact