Outrageous (song)

"Outrageous" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears for her fourth studio album, In the Zone (2003). It was written and produced by R. Kelly, with vocal production provided by Trixster and Penelope Magnet. The song was released on July 20, 2004, by Jive Records, as the fourth and final single from In the Zone. "Outrageous" was the record label's choice for first and second single, but Spears pushed for "Me Against the Music" and "Toxic" respectively, to be released instead. It was finally announced as a single after it was selected as the theme song for the 2004 film Catwoman. "Outrageous" is a hip hop and R&B song with an exotic feel. Lyrically, it talks about materialism and entertainment. "Outrageous" received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised its funky sound, while others deemed it as "forgettable".

"Outrageous"
Single by Britney Spears
from the album In the Zone
ReleasedJuly 20, 2004 (2004-07-20)
Recorded2003
Genre
Length3:22
LabelJive
Songwriter(s)Robert Kelly
Producer(s)
Britney Spears singles chronology
"Everytime"
(2004)		 "Outrageous"
(2004)		 "My Prerogative"
(2004)

"Outrageous" only charted in Japan and in the United States, entering many of Billboard's component charts and peaking at number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100. Spears only performed the song on 2004's The Onyx Hotel Tour. The music video was being shot in New York City in June 2004, when Spears hurt her knee and had to undergo arthroscopic surgery. The video was canceled, as well as The Onyx Hotel Tour and the feature in the Catwoman soundtrack. A composite of different scenes was released in the DVD Greatest Hits: My Prerogative (2004).

Background

"Outrageous" was written and produced by R. Kelly, and was recorded at The Chocolate Factory, in Chicago, Illinois.[1] Penelope Magnet and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart of production team RedZone were enlisted to produce Spears's vocals.[2] She recorded them at Battery Studios in New York City. The song was later mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia.[1] On September 11, 2003, "Outrageous" was confirmed as one of the tracks from In the Zone.[3] Jive Records hoped the song would be released as the first single from the album, but Spears convinced them to release her collaboration with Madonna, "Me Against the Music".[4] The track was also one of the choices for second single along with "(I Got That) Boom Boom", but Spears selected "Toxic" instead.[5] On June 1, 2004, it was announced that "Outrageous" would be released as the fourth single from the album and would be sent to radio stations on June 29, 2004. It was also announced that the track would be the theme song from the 2004 film Catwoman.[6] "Outrageous" was sent to mainstream radio in the United States on July 20, 2004.[7]

Composition

"Outrageous" is a hip hop and R&B song.[8] The beat was compared by Gavin Mueller of Stylus Magazine to R. Kelly's 2003 single "Snake".[9] Jennifer Vineyard of MTV noted that "she whispers and moans [...] with a snake charmer melody giving the song an exotic feel".[10] Nick Southall of Stylus Magazine compared the background vocals to those of Punjabi musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.[11] According to the sheetmusic published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, "Outrageous" is composed in the key of D major, with a tempo of 105 beats per minute.[12] The song's lyrics talk about materialism and amusement, with Spears referencing in the chorus a number of things that give her pleasure, such as "my world tour" and "my sex drive". Vineyard noted, "the cumulative effect seems like it's designed to put the listener in the lover's shoes—taking full advantage of the aural male gaze".[10] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine said the track "includes a telling parallel that reveals a lot about one of music's biggest—as Alanis Morissette would put it—treadmill capitalists: she sings "my sex drive" and "my shopping spree" with the same dripping gusto".[13]

Reception

Critical response
R. Kelly was the writer and producer of "Outrageous".

"Outrageous" received mixed reviews from music critics. Mim Udovitch of Blender called the song an "R. Kelly club number, [that] has a hot, odd compulsion and lyrics that are practically big-pimpin', Spears-style".[14] William Shaw of Blender selected it as the ninth best Spears song, highlighting "the nonsense chants" at 1:10.[15] While reviewing Greatest Hits: My Prerogative, Ann Powers commented, "'Outrageous' is R. Kelly's dirty little take on the ideal Janet Jackson song".[16] Spence D. of IGN said of the song that "it's a somewhat derivative Egyptian lover groove number. Yet for all it's [sic] repetitiveness, it's still kind of funky and pervasive".[17] Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times called it "[a] composition that cruises along on autopilot for two minutes and then suddenly switches gears with a delectable Michael Jackson-inspired bridge".[18] Annabel Leathes of BBC Online stated that "R. Kelly transform[s] Britney into a grubby Beyoncé".[19] Caryn Ganz of Spin called "Outrageous" a "go-nowhere homage to living fabulously".[20] Dave de Sylvia of Sputnikmusic called it "a forgettable but nonetheless catchy single".[21] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly said that along with "(I Got That) Boom Boom", "[they] are little more than wobbly, rhythm-based contraptions intended to advance Spears' sex-princess-on-the-loose image".[22] Jamie Gill of Yahoo! Music Radio commented that, "with its cheap, tinny production – it would take a rather senile and unworldly old lady in Tonbridge Wells [sic] to find this even diverting, let alone shocking".[23]

Chart performance

On August 14, 2004, "Outrageous" debuted at number 85 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.[24] On August 28, 2004, it peaked at number 79. The same week, the song peaked at number twenty-three on Billboard's Pop Songs. It also reached number 27 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs on September 11, 2004.[25] "Outrageous" also reached number 14 on the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart.[26] In Japan, "Outrageous" charted on the Oricon Albums Chart for eight weeks and peaked at number 31.[27]

Promotion
One of the scenes shot for the clip of "Outrageous", featuring guest star Snoop Dogg, before Spears suffered injury in her left knee.

The music video for "Outrageous" was directed by Dave Meyers, who previously worked in the music videos for "Lucky" and "Boys", as well as the Curious commercials.[28] It was shot in outdoors locations in Queens and Manhattan, New York City. The music video was set to premiere on MTV on June 28, 2004.[6] After completion of the scenes with guest star Snoop Dogg, Spears was shooting dance scenes in Manhattan when around 11:30 pm, she fell and injured her left knee.[29][30] She was taken immediately to a local hospital, where doctors performed an MRI scan and found floating cartilage. The following day, Spears underwent arthroscopic surgery. Spears was forced to remain six weeks with a thigh brace, followed by eight to twelve weeks of rehabilitation, which caused the rest of the shoot as well as the remainder of The Onyx Hotel Tour to be canceled.[30] "Outrageous" was also scrapped as the theme song from Catwoman.[31] A 45-second music video composed of the scenes that were shot was released in the 2004 DVD Greatest Hits: My Prerogative. The video begins with Snoop Dogg and a group of men playing basketball in an outdoors court, until Spears appears wearing blue baggy shorts.[32] She starts to flirt with him, before jumping into his arms and licking his beard. In the next scene, she performs with her dancers on a street at night.[33]

Spears has only performed the song during The Onyx Hotel Tour in 2004. It was the last song of the fifth act of the show, titled "Security Cameras". She performed "Breathe on Me" wearing pink lingerie while emulating different sexual practices with her dancers.[34] After it ended, she put on a white trench coat while her dancers wore them in black and performed "Outrageous".[35] The act ended with a skit that segued into the finale performance of "(I Got That) Boom Boom".[36]

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of In the Zone.[37]

Recording
  • Recorded at The Chocolate Factory, Chicago, Illinois
  • Vocals recorded at Battery Studios Studios, New York City
  • Mixed at MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Personnel

Charts
Chart (2004) Peak
position
Japan (Oricon)[27] 31
Romania (Romanian Top 100)[38] 71
Russia (Top Radio Hits)[39] 74
US Billboard Hot 100[40] 79
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[41] 27
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[42] 23

Release history
Country Date Format Label Ref.
United States July 20, 2004 Contemporary hit radio Jive [7]
Rhythmic radio [43]
July 27, 2004 12" [44]
Japan August 25, 2004 CD single Sony BMG [45]

References
  1. In the Zone liner notes. Jive Records (2003)
  2. Moss, Corey (October 15, 2003). "Getting Aggressive With Britney Pays Off For RedZone". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  3. Staff report, MTV News (September 11, 2003). "For The Record: Quick News On Britney Spears, Metallica, 3 Doors Down, R.E.M., Black Sabbath, Adam Ant & More". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  4. Strauss, Neil (November 2, 2003). "Growing Up – Britney Did It Again". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  5. MTV News Staff (December 8, 2003). "For The Record: Quick News On Britney Spears, Jay-Z, Gwyneth And Chris, Weezer, 3 Doors Down & More". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  6. Vineyard, Jennifer (June 1, 2004). "Britney's Catsuit May Come in Handy For Next Single, But Not For China". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  7. "CHR/Top 40". R&R. July 20, 2004. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  8. Shawhan, Jason (2003). "Kylie Minogue – Body Language and Britney Spears – In the Zone". About.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  9. Mueller, Gavin (November 18, 2003). "Britney Spears – In the Zone – Review". Stylus Magazine. Todd Burns. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  10. Vineyard, Jennifer (October 22, 2003). "Britney Album Preview: Sex, Sex And More Sex". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  11. Southall, Nick (November 18, 2003). "Britney Spears – In the Zone – Review". Stylus Magazine. Todd Burns. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  12. "Digital Sheet Music – Britney Spears Outrageous". musicnotes.com. Universal Music Publishing Group. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. Cinquemani, Sal (November 12, 2003). "Britney Spears : In the Zone | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Keith Uhlich. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  14. Udovitch, Mim (2003). "In the Zone". Blender. ISSN 1534-0554.
  15. Shaw, William (2003). "Britney Busts Loose!". Blender. ISSN 1534-0554.
  16. Powers, Ann (2003). "Greatest Hits: My Prerogative". Blender. ISSN 1534-0554.
  17. D., Spence (November 16, 2004). "Britney Spears Greatest Hits: My Prerogative". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  18. Sanneh, Kelefa (November 17, 2003). "Oops! It's Album Time Again, Britney". The New York Times. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  19. Leathes, Annabel (September 5, 2003). "Britney Spears Greatest Hits: My Prerogative Review". BBC Online. BBC. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  20. Ganz, Caryn (November 18, 2003). "Britney Spears 'In the Zone'". Spin. Spin Media LLC. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  21. De Sylvia, Dave (November 11, 2005). "In the Zone Review". Sputnikmusic. Jeremy Ferwerda. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  22. Browne, David (November 21, 2003). "In the Zone |EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  23. Gill, Jamie (November 20, 2003). "Britney Spears – 'In The Zone'". Yahoo! Music Radio. Yahoo! Inc. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  24. "US Singles Top 100 – Music Charts". Billboard. acharts.us. 2004. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
  25. "Outrageous – Britney Spears | Billboard charts". Billboard. Nielsen Company. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
  26. "allmusic ((( Britney Spears > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
  27. "ブリトニー・スピアーズのCDアルバムランキング、ブリトニー・-ORICON STYLE" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  28. Vena, Jocelyn (July 14, 2009). "Britney Spears Shows 'Classy Side' In 'Radar' Video, Director Says". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
  29. Vineyard, Jennifer (June 9, 2004). "Britney Busts Knee, Complicating Video Shoot And Tour". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
  30. Silverman, Stephen M. (June 16, 2004). "Britney Cancels Tour Due to Bad Knee". People. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  31. "Catwoman (2004) soundtracks". IMDb. Amazon.com. 2004. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  32. Reporter, Rolling Stone (2009). "The Complete Video Guide: "Outrageous"". Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X.
  33. Vineyard, Jennifer (October 27, 2004). "Britney DVD Has Alternate Takes of Her Videos, Plus More Skin". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved March 19, 2010.
  34. Wallace, Brian (March 4, 2004). "Britney Strips, Gyrates, Sweats, Flirts at Tour Kickoff". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  35. Sitt, Pamela (March 13, 2004). "Concert Review: Britney's all flash, no substance". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  36. Stout, Gene (March 13, 2004). "Britney ready for Vegas in a show rated 'R' for racy". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  37. In the Zone (Media notes). Britney Spears. RCA Records. 2003.CS1 maint: others (link)
  38. "Romanian Top 100: archive" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on October 13, 2004.
  39. "Britney Spears - OutrageousNight". Tophit. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  40. "Britney Spears Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  41. "Britney Spears Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  42. "Britney Spears Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  43. "Rhythmic". R&R. July 20, 2014. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  44. "Outrageous [Vinyl] Single". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  45. "Amazon | ヒット・シングルス2004-アウトレイジャス- | ブリトニー・スピアーズ | ポップス | 音楽" (in Japanese). Amazon.

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