"Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her second studio album, Oops!... I Did It Again (2000). It was released on January 17, 2001, by Jive Records as the fourth single of the album. After meeting with producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange in Switzerland, Spears recorded several songs for the album, including "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know", which she considered one of her favorites on the album. Additional lyrics were written by guitar player Keith Scott and country pop singer Shania Twain. The teen-pop ballad speaks of a woman wanting to hear her boyfriend say that he needs loves her, and features a sound similar to David Bowie and Iggy Pop's song "China Girl" (1983).
"Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who considered it a good break from the album's genre and praised Spears vocals, comparing them to those of Twain and Stevie Wonder. The song attained moderate commercial success, reaching number one in Romania, and peaking inside the top ten in Austria, Europe and Switzerland, while reaching top twenty positions in many European countries. "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" was only released for mainstream radio in the United States; therefore, it failed to chart on any major music chart in the United States.
An accompanying music video, directed by Herb Ritts, portrays Spears in love scenes with her fictional boyfriend, played by French model Brice Durand. The singer's real-life boyfriend at the time Justin Timberlake, however, was said to be annoyed at the kissing scenes, while the original video was considered too racy at the time by Spears mother, Lynne, because it contained sexually explicit material. Parts of the video were edited before its release to the public on March 2, 2001. As part of promotion for the song, Spears performed it at TRL, Saturday Night Live, and The View. It has also been included on four of her concert tours. "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" was nominated at Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in the category of "Best Song" in 2002.
Read more about Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know: Background, Composition, Music Video, Live Performances, Track Listings, Credits and Personnel, Release History
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