Exercise #1: "Lucky" by Britney Spears (Pt 1 of 2)

Lately, I've been listening to a lot of 90s/00s songs out of nostalgia. "Lucky" is special because it's the first pop song I fell in love with as a teeny-bopper.

Listen to “Lucky” with me here.

When I heard “Lucky” in 4th or 5th grade, I felt a bittersweet pang in my tummy that I still feel today. Why do I feel so sad for this fictional pop song as interpreted by Britney Spears, and why is it so catchy? Here’s my first attempt to figure out why…(after obsessively listening to it for half a week)

Form

Spoken Introduction — Verse 1 — Pre-Chorus — Chorus — Verse 2— Pre-Chorus — Chorus — Spoken Bridge — Bridge part 2 (some adapted version of Chorus) — Chorus x2

On the surface, “Lucky” seems to have a conventional pop song structure of verse 1 - chorus - verse 2 - chorus - bridge - chorus. What makes it memorable is its use of spoken narration to weave a story together; just in case it wasn’t already obvious that this is TOTALLY NOT ABOUT BRITNEY SPEARS, the song starts with a dramatic introduction with Britney’s sweet voice saying, “This is a story about a girl named Lucky…”

The bridge section includes audio clips of a newscaster excitedly announcing Lucky’s arrival —"Oh, my God...here she comes!" etc etc. I used to think this spoken part was cheesy, but I do think that it adds to the cinematic, narrative feel of the song.

The emphasis on narrating a story also differentiates it from most pop songs—the song is sung in 3rd person rather than 1st or 2nd person (the POV of most pop songs). Singing in 3rd person increases the distance from the listener to the song’s subject, which makes Lucky feel all the more distant and lonely from the rest of us. I think it’s deliberately creating sympathy, not empathy, for the song’s protagonist.

Rhythm

Conventional 4/4 meter, 95 beats per minute. In classical music terms they call this tempo Andante Moderato, or in between a walking pace (Andante) and a just-so-slightly faster, moderate speed (Moderato). I find this middle-limbo-realm fascinating. 95 bpm is slower than average for a pop song of its decade (110+ bpm), but faster than a traditional ballad. It’s not exactly a happy up-tempo dance song, but it’s not a sad, slow tear-jerker either. Lucky wants to be as carefree and upbeat as she looks out the outside, but she seems pretty depressed when she’s back home alone, and the rhythm mirrors this uncertain middle ground. Maybe that’s partly where the bittersweet feeling comes from.

(Incidentally, pop songs have gotten much slower over the past 5 years, to 90 bpm on average, reflecting the tempo of the vibin’, introspective, bleak, Weeknd-listening generation. Britney Spears was just ahead of the times.)

In traditional pop song fashion, the drum track emphasizes the 3rd beat out of the 4 beats per measure. This creates a driving, straightforward rhythm, but the real rhythm you feel in your bones when you listen to the song is the rhythm of the bassline (I’m not sure what instrument that is though, strings?)—it’s much louder and takes up much more space than the drums. The “DUN - DUN - DUN DUN” riff that follows a descending bass-line is a 3-3-2 rhythm that you find in many classic pop songs such as those by Coldplay (good explainer here), and it propels you forward on to the next bar, ad infinitum, much like Lucky is propelled against her will into another new day as a lonely pop icon.

The only deviations to the persistent 4/4 rhythms happen when the rhythm starts to literally interpret the lyrics. For example, right after Britney sings “Knock, Knock, Knock on the door,” the regular drumbeats are replaced by 3 knocks on a deeper bass drum. In another incident, the rhythm (and all forms of sound) suddenly comes to a halt after Britney pleads, “But tell me, what happens when it stops?”

This seems very on-the-nose, but then again, this is a song called “Lucky” about a pop star called Lucky whose first line is “This is a song about a girl named Lucky.” I do appreciate its commitment to be painfully obvious, as opposed to pop songs that can’t decide whether they want to appeal to your intellect or lust or heartstrings and end up half-assing all.

In fact, “Lucky’s” very literal musical choices is probably why this song seems raw and innocent despite being a very well-produced pop song, and heartbreakingly earnest, genuine, and honest.

Why is there even a Part 2? What more can you possibly say about this song?

In Part 2, join me as I listen to Lucky’s harmony, melody, and other soundscapes. JUST LET ME BE!! #itsbritneybitch