Blackout (Britney Spears Album) - Composition

Composition

"Circus is a little bit lighter than Blackout. I think a lot of the songs I did at that time, I was going through a really dark phase in my life, so a lot of the songs reflect that. But they're two totally different vibes. Blackout is a little bit more darker and edgier, and a little bit more urban."

Danja stated that Spears' objective was to make a fun, danceable album with uptempo, high-energy music, saying, "She wanted to stay away from being personal. It's fun, it's basic and there's nothing wrong with that. It's about feeling good, celebrating womanhood." The album opens with the first single "Gimme More", an upbeat dance-pop song with influences of electro and funk. The song opens with a spoken intro in which Spears says the line "It's Britney, bitch". The lyrics appears to be about dance and sex, although they are actually about the media's fascination with her private life, as noted in the lines "Cameras are flashin' while we're dirty dancin' / They keep watchin', keep watchin'". The next song and second single, "Piece of Me" runs through a down-tempo dance beat and consists of over-the-top vocal distortions, causing a split sound effect and making it difficult to discern which voice is Spears'. It talks about fame and is written like a biography retelling her mishaps, while she sings in a nearly spoken manner. The third track of the album, "Radar", is an electro and Euro disco song which features distorted synthesizers emulating sonar pulses, that received comparisons to those of Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" (1981). In the lyrics, Spears lets the subject know he is on her radar, while she lists the qualities the man has.

The fourth song and third single "Break the Ice" opens with Spears singing the lines "It's been a while / I know I shouldn't keep you waiting / But I'm here now". The song features a choir and Keri Hilson singing background vocals sounding almost like a duet. Hilson explained the song is about "two people, a girl and a guy, and the girl is saying, 'You're a little cold. Let me warm things up and break the ice.'" After the chorus, the bridge begins with Spears saying "I like this part" mimicking Janet Jackson in "Nasty" (1986). The album's fifth track, "Heaven on Earth", is a Euro disco love song with New Wave influences. It is inspired by Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" (1977), with three vocal lines taking place over the beat. Nicole Morier commented that the song was written from a very dark place, saying, "I was thinking of someone and thinking they were so perfect and that I have all these imperfections. I think what's touching about it is that it's from the perspective of someone who feels like they really need this person just to feel safe and feel good." Spears named the song her favorite from Blackout. The sixth track, "Get Naked (I Got a Plan)" is an uptempo dance song about sex. It is constructed as a duet between Spears and Danja, who sings the chorus with his voice distorted to sound like a decaying moan. Spears contributes a series of gasps, sighs and chants and her voice is also distorted. The seventh track, "Freakshow", is built around the 'wobbler' effect of dubstep. Spears sings about dancing and being in the spotlight in lyrics such as "Make them other chicks so mad / I'm 'bout to shake my ass / Watch that boy". During the bridge, her vocals are pitched down low, making her sound masculine.

After "Freakshow" is Blackout's eight track, "Toy Soldier", an R&B/pop song reminiscent of Destiny's Child that showcases a military drumroll and Spears singing about needing a new lover. In "Hot as Ice", an R&B/pop song featuring background vocals by T-Pain, she sings in a higher register, "I'm just a girl with the ability to drive a man crazy / Make him call me 'mama,' make him my new baby." Blackout's tenth track "Ooh Ooh Baby" contains a flamenco guitar and blends the beat from Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll" (1972) and the melody of The Turtles' "Happy Together" (1967). In the lyrics, she sings to a lover "Touch me and I come alive / I can feel you on my lips / I can feel you deep inside". Kara DioGuardi said she was inspired by the relationship between Spears and her first son in the studio, saying, "I would look at the two of them, the way they looked at each other and the way she would hold the baby. It kind of struck me as interesting. At times it'd be about a kid at times about a lover." "Perfect Lover" an R&B song, has a propulsive, clattery belly-dance beat in which Spears sings lyrics such as "Tick-tock / Tick-tock / Come and get me while I'm hot". The twelfth track is "Why Should I Be Sad", a midtempo R&B song directed to her ex-husband Kevin Federline. One of the bonus tracks, "Everybody", samples Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (1983). It features Spears singing about the dancefloor in a breathy lower register.