Womanizer

Britney told New York radio station Z100 that "Womanizer" is basically saying, "We know what you're up to." Said Spears: "It's about guys cheating on girls. It's a girl anthem. That's why I like it. So hopefully the fans will see it that way too!"

"Womanizer" was a big comeback song for Spears, and her first US #1 since her debut single, "...Baby One More Time," in 1999. In 2004, Spears had to cut short her Onyx Hotel tour due to a knee injury. That year, just months after the tour ended, she married Kevin Federline, a dancer she met on the tour. They had their first child in 2005 and another in 2006, but Spears filed for divorce and started appearing rather unhinged in public, at one point taking a paparazzo's bait and attacking his car with an umbrella. She released the album Blackout in 2007, but was in no condition to promote it, which was clear when she lethargically performed the first single, "Gimme More," at the MTV Video Music Awards. After a hospital stay, Spears pulled her life together in 2008 and released her sixth album, Circus. She was still commanding a great deal of media attention, so all ears were on the first single, "Womanizer." It was just what she needed: a fun, uptempo hit with modern production and a sleek video. Britney was back.

This was written and produced by two members of the Atlanta crew The Outsyders: Nikesha Briscoe and Rafael Akinyemi. It was the first major writing and producing credit for The Outsyders; they later did arrangements on Kelly Rowland's track "Keep It Between Us."