I looked in her eyes and saw a kid willing to give 150% ...she was no puppet & her ideas made video iconic
20YRS ON FROM ‘HIT ME’, WHAT DRIVES BRITNEY
WHEN Britney Spears released the video for Baby One More Time in 1998, she made one of pop’s most memorable entrances to the world stage.
The video catapulted the 16-year-old into overnight superstardom, with a look and attitude so iconic you can guarantee that come Halloween, the fancy dress will include plenty of schoolgirls.
With its slick dance moves, school setting and daydream plot, Baby One More Time looked like a masterclass in how record firm PRs create an image for a performer that ticks all the right boxes.
But as the video turns 20 this week, we can reveal it was actually the result of the young star schooling her label, which had very different plans for the shoot.
Today, choreographer Randy Connor finally tells all on the story of the shoot – and insists what you see in those three minutes and 56 seconds is all Britney.
While it is hard to imagine it any other way now, the video was planned to be half-cartoon and have nothing to do with school. And even the tied-up shirt flashing Britney’s midriff was her idea.
“Britney was no record label’s puppet,” said Randy. “She had a key voice in the production and her creative touches made the video iconic. The school class was her idea, which she convinced the management would be better than their idea. Britney wanted the video to relate to her fans and their experiences, so felt a school was more natural and realistic to them and her personality.
“The idea was they are daydreaming about getting out and having fun, remembering a guy she broke up with.”
Britney talked Randy and director Nigel Dick around on the school theme at the 11th hour and they grabbed the outfit from a department store.
“It was kinda last minute but Nigel and I thought it was a fantastic idea,” said Randy.
“All the uniforms were picked up from K-Mart for about £19 with costumiers working fast to get them fitted.
“After a couple of takes, Britney felt that the tails of the shirt were getting in the way of her hand movements. So before another take she tied a knot in the shirt. It happened naturally. She was in fantastic shape so her midriff was toned.
“I heard she kept that outfit. It has become an iconic look. It is now one of people’s go-to costumes for Halloween.”
When the video was released, its impact on pop culture was seismic.
“It was innocent in its conception but the integration of the styling and choreography created that edge,” said Randy. Of course, with the internet in its infancy in 1998, Britney’s overnight success did not come by chance. Her transformation from a child star on the Mickey Mouse Club, performing alongside the likes of Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling and Christina Aguilera, to being a pop solo act took a year of work. Bosses at Jive Records teamed Randy with Britney in late 1997 after signing her to be “the next big thing”. Preparations included her learning acrobatics, having six-hour rehearsal sessions, five days a week, before writing and recording sessions.
Randy said: “Jive saw Britney as their next big project. And their plan was not simply to knock out a quick song and video but to grow and build her as an entertainer. We wanted to create moves that would have people hooked.
“She learned acrobatics and practised for hours. She is a natural athlete and fast learner, who just relished every rehearsal.
“When I looked into her eyes, I saw a genuine, sincere kid, a young girl, who was driven and willing to work 150 per B cent. She never complained.” aby One More Time was filmed over two days at Venice House School in LA – the site used to film Grease in 1978. Randy, 47, said: “It was relentless but there were no complaints because this was her passion.
“I lost count of how many backflips she did. It was groundbreaking, too, with the casting, because we had a diverse cast of dancers – which represented the truth about American schools.”
Britney even did a Dirty Dancing lift but it was cut from the final edit. “It was
an incredible moment where Britney ran and jumped into the arms of our lead dancer,” said Randy. “It was beautiful.” Randy revealed that when Britney was shown the finished video, she almost broke her bed jumping around at her hotel. “She knew it was special and proud her idea came good,” he said. “Her look and sound were different. Straight after, everyone knew the words, kids were doing the choreography and it was all over radio. After its release it took a life of its own.” Now 36, you have to wonder if Britney would have reached such heights if the record company had insisted on doing things their own way – and the Baby One More Time we know had never been. She is believed to be worth £150million after selling 150million albums and is thrilling crowds on a European tour. She has also bagged a Las Vegas residency worth £388,000 a night – making her the highest paid resident on the Strip. But for all of her highs, her journey has
had some very well-documented lows. Her 55-hour marriage to childhood pal Jason Alexander in 2004 was followed by a tumultuous two-year marriage to dancer Kevin Federline, with whom she has kids Sean, 13, and Jayden James, 12.
Then came a very public breakdown in February 2007, in which Britney was pictured shaving her head amid mental health and addiction issues.
Other astonishing images showed her attacking photographers with an umbrella and she was eventually committed to a psychiatric hospital.
But from those depths, she has clawed her way back to health and on to the stage – and is happy in her relationship with personal trainer Sam Asghari, 24.
And Randy said, while she owes so much to Baby One More Time, Britney also got where she is because of the work ethic, determination, resilience and creativity she showed him in those two days in LA – and she still has 20 years on.
“She had hunger and drive to be an artist, not just a star, and a real pro,” he said. “The fact she is still where she is now tells the story.” ●Visit Randy’s site at randyconnor.com