What can we say about Britney Spears’s music video catalog to sufficiently do it justice? Every one is memorable as hell; it was tough even picking which to feature here. But, after the jump, we found the videos that we think best define her decades-long career journey, from America’s girl next door to legendary superstar.
“...Baby One More Time” (1998)
POV: It’s 1998. You just got home from school, turned on MTV, and watched 16-year-old Britney change pop forever.
“Oops!...I Did It Again” (2000)
The three creative risks that made this video iconic: that red latex jumpsuit, the entire outer space plot, and the (hilarious?) inclusion of the Titanic necklace.
“Lucky” (2000)
It feels like the message of this quietly devastating song and video has only become more relevant over the years.
“I’m A Slave 4 U” (2001)
If you told me Britney Spears started the entire dance movie genre with this music video, I’d believe you.
“Me Against The Music” ft. Madonna (2003)
Everyone remembers when Britney kissed Madonna, but not enough can recall this underrated video where they gyrated on a wire bed frame together.
“Toxic” (2004)
Britney Spears gave us everything we needed with this “Toxic”: action, drama, PG-13 scandal, and incredible ‘fits all around.
“Everytime” (2004)
It doesn’t feel like an understatement to say that this intense and heartbreaking video is one of the most salient pieces on celebrity and fame in recent memory.
“Gimme More” (2007)
Satirizing the greed of paparazzi at the time, “Gimme More” and its dark visual (maybe Britney’s grimiest) continue to feel subversive in 2021.
“Piece Of Me” (2007)
Blackout, which arrived during Britney’s toughest time, brought about some of her best videos, including “Piece Of Me”’s meta-commentary on her tabloid scandals.
“Break The Ice” (2008)
It might’ve been an illustrated video but that doesn’t mean it was any less outstanding. She gave us narrative and a pretty fleshed-out universe in under four minutes. TV series, now!
“Womanizer” (2008)
YouTube’s parody era flourished thanks to this instantly meme-able video. The gold-standard for comebacks.
“Work B**ch” (2013)
The 2010’s brought excess, glamour, flashiness... and no plot at all. But getting to watch Britney crack a whip feels important.
“Pretty Girls” ft. Iggy Azalea (2015)
“Pretty Girls” was basically panned upon release, but revisiting it years later finds a goofy and not-that-deep video that is, well, kind of iconic.
“Slumber Party” ft. Tinashe (2016)
It’s two hot women in a mansion in gowns! The only letdown is that we never got more smooth-brained videos like this from Britney.