Britney recently confessed to Mario Lopez that she's considering retiring after her Vegas run is up. I once read an article that began, "Britney is so famous that it's hard to imagine a world in which she doesn't exist." Well, in two years, we might find out what that world would look like. I'm guessing it probably won't look that great.
I was a freshman in college when I first heard ". . . Baby One More Time," Britney's first smash hit. I liked the song, but didn't immediately become enamored with the singer. I saw the video, and even though Britney looked amazing, I still didn't fall in love with her. Truthfully, I never bought either of her first two albums (I downloaded them illegally). In my defense, it was hard for a straight, college boy to go out and buy a Britney CD (remember, there was no iTunes back then).
By album three, her first self-titled album, I got up the courage to actually purchase it. At that point, like much of America, I had fallen in love with Britney. It wasn't the VMA snake or the "I'm A Slave 4 U" body. If I'm being honest, it was the whole package. She had the personality of someone you went to high school with: bubbly, but not annoying; sweet, but not boring.
The only thing that really changed over the past 10-plus years was that while America sorta gave up on her, her true fans never did. There's no doubt that on the road of life, she's seen her fair share of bumps. But, really, who hasn't? I know that I've had many ups and downs going from birth to where I am now. I've been the victim of some poor circumstances and I've caused my own pain.
Life is a learning experience that you never quite figure out until you're dead. I'm sure Britney will make more mistakes. You don't stop making mistakes just because you get older. I'm right there in the 30-club with Britney and I'm definitely not done screwing up.
I don't think Britney will really retire in two years. If she does, she'll leave behind quite the legacy. However, she'll also leave behind a lot of sad fans. I wonder if she truly knows the impact she's had on people's lives. She more than anyone else has encapsulated the phrase, "Be Yourself." Have you ever thought, even for a second, that Britney was ever being fake? Some artists you don't know about, but you always know with Britney.
When Britney retires, whether it's in two years or 20 years, she won't get a gold watch, she won't get a party, she won't even get a pat on the back and a "good job." She might get a thanks and a "don't let the door hit you on the way out." Many people have written her obituary for years; in fact, the AP wrote her actual obituary in 2007. Critics have been trying to get rid of her for years.
Here's the truth: we need Britney, warts and all. We need someone to look utterly bored during a boring interview instead of faking it, we need her quotes, we need the sexy videos, the songs, the choreography that everyone seems to think they can do better than Britney. But mostly we need a counterbalance to all the weird shit we see nowadays.
Yes, somehow Britney has become the most normal person in pop music. She keeps in tongue in her mouth and doesn't dress in meat.
I'm gonna miss Britney when she goes.
