A quarter of a century has passed since the release of Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time," yet it continues to be one of the most well-known songs in history.
Having been nominated for a Grammy and included on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, it has also had covers from singers such as Ed Sheeran and Fountains of Wayne.
However, its greatest effect was experienced by Britney Spears - following its success, she quickly rose to fame as one of the most iconic pop stars of her generation.
The Rejected Demo
Realizing the potential of his new song, "Hit Me Baby One More Time," Swedish music producer Maxim Martin got to work selling it.
He had already gained some renown in the mid-90s thanks to his previous work on the Backstreet Boys' "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)."
First, it was off to TLC for consideration; the trio behind hits like "Waterfalls" and "Creep" were putting the finishing touches on their first studio album in over half a decade.
T-Boz response to the track's initial offering? A resounding no.
As she told MTV News, "Hit me, baby, one more time? Hell no!"
So, Martin had to come up with a new plan. He tried out the song on Robyn and the Backstreet Boys, but unfortunately, they weren't interested either.
Enter a 16-Year-Old Pop Star In The Making
Britney Spears had already made a name for herself.
A talented vocalist from Louisiana, she was featured on "The All-New Mickey Mouse Club" as a child and recently signed with Jive Records - the same label home to the renowned Backstreet Boys.
Impressing Jive's A&R with her cover of Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing," Britney was transported to Sweden for a week, where she would start recording her debut album alongside Martin.
Once considered the least desirable dessert, "Hit Me Baby One More Time" had suddenly become a hot commodity.
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Soon after Martin gave Britney the song, English record executive Simon Cowell heard of it.
During a conversation on the "Howie Mandel Does Stuff" podcast earlier this year, Simon Cowell shared how he tried to acquire a song for British boy band Five. He recalled phoning Max and asking him: "Max, please, please give me this song." Max responded: "No, it has been promised to someone else."
Despite this, however, Simon strongly cautioned the producer that he was wrong in his decision.
He expressed this thought clearly, "Max, let me give you some advice: No one is going to have a hit with a name [like] Britney Spears."
Martin was delighted when he presented the completed version of "Baby" - which they had recorded during Britney Spears' week-long stay in Stockholm - to Jive.
Barry Weiss, president of the label, remembered how strange it sounded with Britney's ad-libs added in.
"It did not sound like Max originally wrote," he told Entertainment Weekly. That moment marked the start of a series of 6 songs Britney and Martin collaborated on.
"But it worked! We thought it could be a perfect opening salvo for her."
After careful consideration, Jive Records chose to alter the title of their new single; this came after TLC noted it could have been misinterpreted as a reference to domestic violence.
"I was concerned about going to US radio with a song called 'Hit Me Baby One More Time,'" Barry said. "I came up with the '...Baby One More Time.'"
On October 23, 1998, an instant sensation was unleashed upon society.
This three-and-a-half-minute track quickly rose to fame and eventually landed number 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart on January 30, 1999.
"I knew it was a great song," Britney revealed to The Guardian in 2018. "It was different, and I loved it, [but] I don't think you can anticipate how a song will be received."
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