"Anticipating" is a song by American singer

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

from her eponymous third studio album (2001). It was written by Spears alongside the song's producers Brian Kierulf and Josh Schwartz. The song was released on June 25, 2002, by

Jive Records Jive Records (later stylized as JIVE Records) was a British-American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary of the Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chic ...

, as the sixth and final single from the album, exclusive to France. "Anticipating" is a

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

and

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

song, influenced by R&B. Lyrically, the song is about friendship and camaraderie between women. It was met with critical praise, with reviewers complimenting its lyrics and comparing it to the 1980s compositions of

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

Rick Astley Richard Paul Astley (born 6 February 1966) is an English singer, radio DJ and podcaster. He gained fame through his association with the production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, releasing the 1987 album ''Whenever You Need Somebody'', which sol ...

and

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

's " All for You". "Anticipating" achieved minor commercial success, peaking at number 38 on the

French Singles Chart SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...

. The song was promoted with a performance in the

Dream Within a Dream Tour The Dream Within a Dream Tour was the fourth concert tour by American singer Britney Spears. It was launched in support of her third studio album, ''Britney (album), Britney'' (2001). The tour was promoted by AEG Live, Concerts West, marking th ...

(2001–2002), where Spears wore a patched denim skirt and danced in front of giant crayon drawings. An accompanying music video, directed by

Marty Callner Martin Henry Callner (August 25, 1946 – March 17, 2025) was an American director who made music videos, comedy specials, concert specials and television shows. He was the creator of HBO's '' Hard Knocks'', and was nominated for numerous Prim ...

, consisted of the performance from ''

Britney Spears Live from Las Vegas ''Britney Spears Live from Las Vegas'' is the fourth video album by American recording artist Britney Spears. It was released on January 22, 2002 through Jive Records. Recorded during Spears' concert during the Dream Within a Dream Tour (2001–0 ...

''. "Anticipating" was also promoted in a commercial Spears filmed for

Toyota Vios The Toyota Vios is a nameplate used for subcompact cars produced by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota, primarily for markets in Southeast Asia, China and Taiwan since 2002. Slotted below the compact Corolla, the Vios serves as the replacement ...

Background

During the Oops!... I Did It Again Tour (2000), Spears revealed she felt inspired by

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

artists such as

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

and

the Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...

and wanted to create a record with a funkier sound. In February 2001, Spears signed a $7–8 million promotional deal with

Pepsi Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...

, and released another book co-written with her mother, entitled '' A Mother's Gift''. On the same month, Spears started to record material for her third studio album,''

Britney Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. An influential figur ...

'' liner notes.

(2001) with "Anticipating" being recorded at Rusk Sound Studios in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, the DOJO in

Jackson, New Jersey Jackson Township is a township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A portion of the township is located within the Pinelands National Reserve. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 58,544, an increas ...

, Sound on Sound Studios and Battery Studios in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The song was written by Spears, Brian Kierulf and Josh Schwartz while produced by Kierulf and Schwartz. It was also mixed at Battery Studios by Stephen George.

Audio engineering Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound *Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound * Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum *Digital audio, representation of soun ...

was done by Aaron Kaplan, Rich Tapper, Jill Tengan and Charles McCrorey.

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. The co-founder of Chic, he has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 750 million albums and 1 ...

played the

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

Bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

and

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

was done by Kierulf.

Background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

were provided by Spears and Jennifer Karr. Her third studio album, ''

'', was released in November 2001. In an interview with the '' Daily Record'', Spears commented on the track, saying, "It's just a fun song that I wrote. It's just like being with your girlfriends and just dancing. I think this track also has a very Seventies' feel to it." It was released as the fourth single from the album on June 25, 2002, in France only. In other European countries, Spears' cover of "

I Love Rock 'n' Roll "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is a rock song written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker (musician), Jake Hooker and first recorded by the Arrows (British band), Arrows, a British rock band, in 1975. A 1981 cover version by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, ...

" was released as the fourth single.

Composition

"Anticipating" is a

song that lasts for three minutes and 16 seconds. Corey Moss of

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

noted the song also has a 1970s disco sound, while Joan Anderman of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' compared it to early

tracks such as "

Holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

" (1983). Glenn Gamboa of ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'' compared the song to

's " All for You", calling it "pleasant, shimmering R&B-styled pop". According to the sheet music published at musicnotes.com by

Universal Music Publishing Group Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) is a global music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group. Universal Music Publishing has been ranked the #1 music publisher in market share by Billboard for multiple consecutive quart ...

, the song is composed in the key of

F major F major is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat.Music Theory'. (1950). United States: Standards and Curriculum Division, Training, Bureau of Naval Personnel. 28. Its relati ...

and is set in

time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...

of common time with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of 112

beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...

. Spears vocal range spans from the low-key of F₃ to the high-note of A₄. The song has a basic sequence of B(9)–C–Dm7–B(9) as its

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...

. Lyrically, it talks about

friendship Friendship is a Interpersonal relationship, relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. Althoug ...

and camaraderie between women. During the bridge, Spears sings, "Gotta really let me know if you want me / You gotta turn me on and make me feel sexy". During the time of the album's release, her official site stated that "the girl-power anthem 'Anticipating' proves that Britney is, now more than ever, a force to be reckoned with."

Reception

"Anticipating" received general acclaim from music critics. Jane Stevenson of

Jam! Jam! was a Canadian website which covered entertainment news. It was part of the Canoe.com online portal, formerly owned and operated by Quebecor through its Sun Media division, and now owned by Postmedia Network. Jam! was the only media outl ...

called "Anticipating" the strongest track in the album. ''

Yale Daily News The ''Yale Daily News'' is an independent student newspaper published by Yale University students in New Haven, Connecticut, since January 28, 1878. Description Financially and editorially independent of Yale University since its founding, th ...

'' writer Catherine Halaby called it a "fun, cutesy disco ballad". Nikki Tranker of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' said it "offers Britney's fans something a little different with a simple tune beautifully underlined by a well-executed '70s disco sound". Jim Farber of the New York ''Daily News'' while reviewing the

named it along with " Stronger", " wo girl-power anthems". Katie Perone of the ''Loyola Greyhound'' said " tis a fun, bubbly song that probably would have had great success on ''

Oops! Oops or Oopsie is an interjection made in response to a minor mistake. It may also refer to: Television and film * "Oops" (Frasier episode), an episode of the TV sitcom ''Frasier'' * "Oops" (Family Ties episode), an episode of the TV sitcom '' ...

''". Barry Walters of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' stated the song is "a euphoric

flashback,

here Here may refer to: Music * ''Here'' (Adrian Belew album), 1994 * ''Here'' (Alicia Keys album), 2016 * ''Here'' (Cal Tjader album), 1979 * ''Here'' (Edward Sharpe album), 2012 * ''Here'' (Idina Menzel album), 2004 * ''Here'' (Merzbow album), ...

she emotes without framing her vocals in

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

-schooled theatricality". In a list compiled by Sam Lanksy of ''

PopCrush Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

'', "Anticipating" was ranked eight in a list of Spears' best songs. In the album review, David Browne of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' criticized "Anticipating" along with "Bombastic Love" for " elyingon enervated formulas". On July 26, 2002, the song entered at number 46 in the

. The following week, it peaked at number 38. "Anticipating" spent a total of 13 weeks on the chart.

Promotion

The song was performed at the

. The performance began with a video interlude of Spears talking to her dancers. She then appeared onstage, wearing a patched

denim skirt A denim skirt, sometimes referred to as a 'jean skirt' or 'jeans skirt', is a skirt made of denim, the same material as blue jeans. Denim skirts come in a variety of styles and lengths to suit different populations and occasions. For example, f ...

. The set was made of giant

coloring book A coloring book (British English: colouring-in book, colouring book, or colouring page) is a type of book containing line art to which people are intended to add color using crayons, colored pencils, marker pens, paint or other artistic media. ...

drawings of houses and cars. After the second chorus, she invited the audience to sing along with her. At the end of the song, she briefly talked to the audience before taking off the skirt and top to perform "

I'm a Slave 4 U "I'm a Slave 4 U" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears for her third studio album, ''Britney (album), Britney'' (2001). Written and produced by Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes, it was released on September 25, 2001 ...

". Shaheem Reid of

noted that during the opening night of the tour in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, "Britney must've forgotten that the disco-era throwback cut was brand spanking new, because she kept encouraging everyone to sing along to the chorus ..Although the crowd clapped and bobbed to the beat, Britney had to go this one alone vocally". The music video, directed by

, consisted of footage of the tour performance from ''

''. Several effects were added, including a glittering ball and the name of the song appearing on the screen. The song was also promoted in a commercial Spears filmed for

Track listings

*CD maxi single #"Anticipating" – 3:16 #" I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" (Metro remix) – 5:25 #"

Overprotected "Overprotected" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her third studio album, '' Britney'' (2001). It was written and produced by Max Martin and Rami. The song was released on December 10, 2001, by Jive Records as the second interna ...

" (Darkchild remix) – 3:20 *12" vinyl (the French remixes) #"Anticipating" (remix by Alan Braxe) – 4:07 #"Anticipating" (remix by Alan Braxe) – 1:27 #"Anticipating" (Antoine Clamaran club mix) – 6:25 #"Anticipating" (Antoine Clamaran instru mix) – 6:25 #"Anticipating" (PK'Chu & RLS' sweet & sour mix) – 5:58 #"Anticipating" (PK'Chu & RLS' hard & sexy mix) – 5:43 #"Anticipating" (PK'Chy & RLS' hard & sexy dub mix) – 5:43

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from ''Britney''s liner notes. Technical *Recorded at Rusk Sound Studios in

, the DOJO in

, Sound on Sound Studios and Battery Studios in

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

. *Mixed at Battery Studios in New York City, New York. Personnel *

–

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

songwriting A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

*Brian Kierulf – songwriting, producer,

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

*Josh Schwartz – songwriting, producer *Jennifer Karr –

* Stephen George – mixing *

–

*James Biondolillo – string arrangement *Aaron Kaplan –

audio engineering Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound *Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound * Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum *Digital audio, representation of soun ...

*Rich Tapper – audio engineering *Jill Tengan – audio engineering *Charles McCrorey – audio engineering

Charts

Sales

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anticipating 2001 songs 2002 singles Britney Spears songs American disco songs Jive Records singles Music videos directed by Marty Callner Song recordings produced by Brian Kierulf Song recordings produced by Josh Schwartz Songs written by Brian Kierulf Songs written by Britney Spears Songs written by Josh Schwartz