Circus (Britney Spears Album) - Singles

Singles

"Womanizer" was released on September 26, 2008 as the album's lead single. The song was met with positive response from critics, who complimented its hook and empowering lyrics and deemed it as a return of form and a "comeback" single for Spears. Womanizer debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety-six before jumping the next week to number one. The song broke the record for the largest leap to any position. The record was later broken by Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You". The song is considered one of Spears's biggest hits and has been covered by several other artists. "Womanizer" has sold over 3,200,000 digital downloads in the US. The music video premiered on October 18, 2008 as a sequel to that of her 2004 hit single "Toxic". It portrays Spears as a woman who disguises herself in different costumes and follows her boyfriend through his daily activities to expose him in the end.

"Circus" was released on December 4, 2008 as the album's second single, a day earlier than planned due to unauthorized leaks. It debuted and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. "Circus" has sold over 2,763,000 digital downloads in the US. The accompanying music video portrays Spears as a ringleader of a circus accompanied by different performers, and features scenes of Spears in different circus settings. The video received positive reviews from critics, but was criticized for featuring "cruelly trained animals", however claims were dismissed. It won a Best Video award on Fuse TV.

"If U Seek Amy" was released on March 10, 2009 as the album's third single. Sharon Dastur of Z100 stated that Spears had recorded a new version of the song and the new edit would be provided by Jive Records. The Parents Television Council (PTC) threatened to file indecency complaints with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) against any station that played the song between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The song peaked at number nineteen on the Hot 100. The music video was released on March 12, 2009, and depicts Spears poking fun at American culture.

"Radar" was originally included on Blackout and to be released as its fourth single. However, its release was canceled when Spears began work on Circus, and was instead released as a promotional single in 2008. "Radar" was included as a bonus track on Circus and was released as the album's fourth and final single on June 23, 2009. The music video portrays Spears as an aristocrat at a polo mansion involved in a love triangle with two men who are polo players. "Radar" originally entered the Billboard Digital songs chart at number fifty-two due to digital downloads from Blackout and after being confirmed as a single entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety and then peaked the following week at number eighty-eight.