Background and Composition
In 1999 Spears began work on her second studio album Oops!...I Did It Again (2000), in Sweden and Switzerland. After meeting with Max Martin and Rami Yacoub in Sweden, Spears recorded several songs for the album, including "Stronger", which was co-written and co-produced by Martin and Rami. Upon returning to the United States, the singer revealed in an interview with MTV News that: "I just got back from Sweden, and did half the material over there. I was really, really happy with the material, but we had limited time to get so much done. So I've just really been in the studio nonstop, which is cool, though." Spears recorded her vocals for the song from November 1999 to January 2000 at Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. "Stronger" was released on November 13, 2000 as the third single from the album.
"Stronger" is a teen pop and dance-pop song that features a heavy dance beat, and lasts 3 minutes and 23 seconds. According to the digital music sheet published at Musicnotes.com, the song is composed in the key of B major and is set in time signature of common time with a tempo of 108 beats per minute, while Spears vocal range spans from C to C. Music critics noticed the song as Spears' declaration of independence, which is perceived in self-empowerment lines such as "I'm not your property" and "I don't need nobody". Its lyrics also quote Spears' iconic debut hit "...Baby One More Time", which was also co-written and produced for Spears by Martin and Yacoub and released two years earlier; the latter's famous chorus, "My loneliness is killing me", is answered in "Stronger" with the lyric, "My loneliness ain't killin' me no more". Despite not being written by the singer, it was speculated that the song is directed to the singer's record label and her management. In a review for the album, David Browne of Entertainment Weekly noted that "Stronger" together with "Don't Go Knockin' on My Door" is reminiscent of Rolling Stones' "The Last Time" (1965).
Read more about this topic: Stronger (Britney Spears Song)
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