Shattered Glass (Britney Spears song)
"Shattered Glass" is a song recorded by American recording artist Britney Spears. The song was written by Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, Claude Kelly, Benjamin "Benny Blanco" Levin, and produced by Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco for Spears' sixth studio album, Circus (2008). "Shattered Glass" is an uptempo pop song, while Spears' vocals have been auto-tuned on the track. Lyrically, the song is very emotional, with Spears singing of entrapment and self-loathing in her relationship with fame.[1][2][3]
"Shattered Glass" | |
---|---|
Song by Britney Spears | |
from the album Circus | |
Recorded | 2008 |
Genre | Pop |
Length | 2:52 |
Label | Jive |
Songwriter(s) |
|
Producer(s) |
Reception of the track from music critics was mixed, with some noting its dance and pop sound, while others called it "generic" and filler. Although the song was never released independently from Circus, it managed to peak on many of the Billboard component charts, including number seventy on the Billboard Hot 100, seventy-five on the Canadian Hot 100, and number fifty-seven on the Pop 100.
Background and composition
"Shattered Glass" is an uptempo pop song with guitar riffs, jagged and distorted vocals in the verses, and a melodic chorus.[4] Spears' "robotic electro-sound", Auto-Tuned vocals on the track have drawn comparisons to her 2007 album Blackout, though it has been noted by ABC News' Allan Raible that her vocals sound more "alive" than on the rest of Circus.[5] The song contains elements of teen pop, electronic, and dance music.[1] Lyrically, the song has varying emotions in its lyrics, speaking of flirting, betrayal, and a sense of entrapment as well as self-loathing in her relationship with fame.[1][2][3] The song was written and produced by Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, who also acted as co-executive producer on Femme Fatale, and Bejamin "Benny Blanco" Levin, with co-writing credits to Claude Kelly.[6] Background vocals were provided by Kelly and Windy Wagner.[6]
Critical reception
Entertainment Weekly's Chris William said that "Dr. Luke and Max Martin [were] bringing their B game" to the track.[7] The New York Times's John Pareles said the song and "Womanizer," the lead single from Circus, "use their pulsing electro arrangements for teen-pop tales of flirting and betrayal."[1] PopMatters, however, called the song part of the "mid-album slump", saying that "she reveals her proclivity for the same stomping, unsubtle beefiness of 'Womanizer', but there’s a notable lapse in quality."[8] Jim Farber from the Daily News said the song had "real bubblegum snap"[9] while Ben Noramn from About.com called it a "beautiful upbeat pop tune."[4] The National Post's Ben Kaplan called the song a "kiss-off guitar-laden hard disco."[2]
Commercial performance
Despite not being released as a single, the song managed to chart on many of the Billboard charts. Due to digital downloads from Circus, the song managed to peak at number seventy on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on the week of December 15, 2008 before dropping off the next week.[10] "Shattered Glass" charted at number fifty-seven on the Pop Songs and number twenty-nine on the Hot Digital Songs.[10] It received similar reception in Canada, debuting at number seventy-five on the Canadian Hot 100 and number thirty-six on the Hot Canadian Digital Singles in the same week.[10][11]
Credits and personnel
- Lukasz Gottwald – songwriter, producer
- Claude Kelly – songwriter, background vocals
- Benjamin Levin – songwriter
- Benny Blanco – producer
- Britney Spears – background vocals, lead vocals
- Windy Wagner – background vocals
Source:[6]
Charts
Chart (2008) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian Hot 100[11] | 75 |
UK Singles Chart[12] | 192 |
US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 70 |
US Pop 100[10] | 57 |
References
- Pareles, John (2008-11-30). "Critics' Choice - New CDs From - Britney Spears, Akon, Cynic, and John Escreet". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- Kaplan, Ben (2008-12-01). "CD Review: Circus, Britney Spears". National Post. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- "Britney Spears: Circus – pop CD review". Daily Global. 2011-11-25. Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- Norman, Ben. "Britney Spears - 'Circus'". About.com. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- Raible, Allan (2009-01-16). "Review: Britney Spears' "Circus"". ABC News. ABC News Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
- Circus (Liner notes). Britney Spears. Jive Records. 2008.CS1 maint: others (link)
- William, Chris (2008-11-29). "Circus". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- Newmark, Mike (2008-12-10). "Britney Spears: Circus". PopMatters. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- Farber, Jim (2008-12-02). "Britney Spears 'Circus' is a 3-ring hit". Daily News. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- "Britney Spears Billboard Charts". allmusic. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- "Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Rovi Corporation. 2008-12-20. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- Chart Log UK: DJ S - The System Of Life