Essay Sample on Analyzing the Song 'Womanizer' by Britney Spears

American singer Britney Spears recorded the song ‘Womanizer’ in 2008 for her sixth studio album called ‘Circus.’ The song was released on the 3rd of October, 2008, by Jive Records as the leading single of the album (Spears, 2008). Written and co-produced by Rafael Akinyemi and Nikesha Briscoe of the production group, The Outsiders, the song got re-recorded after a piece got leaked onto the internet. The song remains a dance-pop and an up-tempo electropop song. The song’s lyrics recall a womanizing man, while the song’s central character creates an impression of knowing the philanderer.

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Joseph Khan directed the music video that Spears created to develop the melody video ‘Toxic’ (Spears, 2008). The video depicts Spears as a lady who disguises herself in various outfits and trails her boyfriend through his everyday routine to expose him finally. The song became a commercial success across the globe, topping in several charts in most countries. This paper’s purpose entails an examination of the song by Spears regarding its theme, plot, imagery, form, and rhyme schemes.

Plot and Theme of the Song

The theme of the song revolves around adulterers men. Spears described the song as a girl’s anthem. Spears warns her cheating man in the song ‘You say I am crazy/ I got your crazy’. The singer’s vocal exhibits a saturated auto-tune. The central theme, therefore, reflects women's empowerment. The plot of the video song begins at home, with the singer and her man, the role taken by Brandon Stoughton (Spears, 2008).

The filming of the music video happened in Los Angeles, California, between the 24th and 25th of September, 2008 (Spears, 2008). Spears plays four different roles in the music video. She appears as a blonde escorting her boyfriend to work. Then as a secretary in his office, a waitress in a cafe, and a chauffeur in a limousine. The man of the leading character in the video flirts with all the ladies, portraying him as a womanizer (Spears, 2008). When the singer returns home, she discloses to her boyfriend the one in all the scenes, and takes revenge on him. The video plot where the singer plays a waitress role was shot at Elevate Lounge in Los Angeles, a club within Takami Sushi & Robata restaurant.

Imagery and Rhyme Scheme in the Song

One of the metaphors in the ‘womanizer’ song by Spears involves feminine similes that metaphors love as war. She sings: ‘boy, do not try to front’ (Spears, 2008). The song itself, critics claim, metaphorically represents Spear’s experiences with her husband. The song by Spears, ‘womanizer’, and the poem by Edgar Allan, ‘The Raven’, both engage in the same unique, poetic rhythm. Trochaic Octometer refers to a metrical beat containing eight trochaic musical bases per line.

Each base consists of one emphasized syllable proceeded by a relaxed syllable just like in ‘The Raven’: ‘once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary’. Britney’s chorus follows this metrical rhythm: ‘womanizer, woman-womanizer/ you are a womanizer, oh/ womanizer, oh/ you are a womanizer, baby’ (Spears, 2008). In the chorus, the unsung pauses proceed from the ‘oh’ stand-in for the relaxed syllables, and the tempo gets sustained in light of the song’s refrain: ‘boy do not try to front, uh/ I know just, just, what you are’ (Spears, 2008). The repeated words of ‘I’, ‘just’, and ‘are’ hold the place to maintain the meter.

Conclusion

The song by Spears, ‘Womanizer,’ received praise for its melody, female-empowering lyrics, and rhythm. Besides, people observed that the song stood out as a comeback single for the superstar. The video of the song also performed well in commercial markets, getting nominated, and winning various awards. The song partially reflected the life of Spear and her turbulent marriage life, warning men against womanizing.

Reference

Spears, B. (2008). Womanizer. Zomba Recording. www.lyrics.com/lyric/15179633/Britney+Spears/WomanizerAppendix A: Womanizer Lyrics

Superstar

Where you from, how’s it going?

I know you

Got a clue, what you doing?

You can play brand new to

All the other chicks out here

But I know what you are

What you are, baby

Look at you

Getting’ more than just a re-up

Baby you

Got all the puppets with their strings up

Fakin’ like a good one

But I call ‘em like I see ‘emI know what you are

What you are, baby

Womanizer, woman-womanizer

You’re a womanizer

Oh, womanizer, oh

You’re a womanizer, baby

You, you, you are

You, you, you are

Womanizer, womanizer

Womanizer

Boy don’t try to front, uh, I

Know just, just, what you are, ah, ah

Boy don’t try to front, uh, I

Know just, just, what you are, ah, ah

You got me going

You’re so charming

But I can’t do it

You womanizer

Boy don’t try to front, uh, I

Know just, just, what you are, ah, ah

Boy don’t try to front, uh, I

Know just, just, what you are, ah, ah

You say I’m crazy

I got you crazy

You’re nothing but a

Womanizer

Maybe if

We both live in a

Different world

(Womanizer, womanizer, womanizer

Womanizer)

It would be all good

And maybe I could be your girl

But I can’t

‘Cause we don’t