Britney Spears' seminal hit "I'm a Slave 4 U" would have a different title if it was written today, Pharrell Williams, the track's writer and producer, has said.
Released in September 2001, the song marked a shift in tone for Spears from the bubble-gum pop that had made her famous to a more adult sound. The lyrics saw the star plea for liberation and to live a more independent life.
Williams, who wrote and produced the track alongside Chad Hugo as The Neptunes, now has second thoughts about using the word "slave" in the title.
"Well, that's not a word to play with these days," he told The Hollywood Reporter in a recent interview when asked if he would use the same wording today. "And there's many different angles, right?"
"Obviously, what my people and my DNA and my ancestors had to endure and overcome, but then there's also all the atrocity that happens in human trafficking every day," he said.
"So, no, that's not something I would say. There are a lot of songs that, as the era changes from one day to the next, what was contextually acceptable at one time is no longer acceptable. But I think that's for the better."
"I think there are a lot of songs where I wouldn't say half the things that I said before," Williams added. "As the time changes, so does mentality and hopefully it evolves to a better place. And it's not about being politically correct, it's about being universally aware.
Newsweek has contacted a representative of Spears via email for comment.
"I'm a Slave 4 U," which was the lead single from Spears' third studio album, Britney, was introduced to the world with a splash, when the star performed the track at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) back in 2001.
She took the stage at New York City's Metropolitan Opera House with an albino Burmese python draped across her shoulders. The look continues to be emulated by fans to this day, on occasions such as Halloween.
On the anniversary of her VMA performance, Spears posted video footage of the moment on X, formerly Twitter, as she shared some behind-the-scenes insight.
"One of my favorite performances was with an albino python," she wrote. "I still remember how scared I felt when I was handed this snake and took the stage!!!"
Recalling working with Spears on the track, Williams said that it came about because the pop star expressed a desire to embark on a new musical journey.
"She was eager and ready to transition," he told the Reporter. "And I put a fire under that notion. I was like, 'Oh, that's how you feeling? OK, let's put this fire under that. Let's go.'"
During an appearance on the Drink Champs podcast in 2020, Williams said that the track had originally been intended for Janet Jackson, who turned it down.
Over the years, social media users have discussed the hit's title and sentiment. One X user wrote in December 2020 that "the title is problematic, but the song is a CLASSIC and Neptunes and Britney did what needed to be done."
The hit also made it onto an X list of "problematic songs and videos that artists got away with" back in August 2020. "The song in its entirety isn't problematic, but the chorus definitely gets a side eye," wrote the X user who posted the thread. "The fact that the song was offered to Janet Jackson first doesn't make it any better."
While a number of X users agreed, others defended the song, with one commenting: "Not y'all doing Britney's best song. The song clearly implies she's a sex slave, nothing more or less."
"[I don't care] this is a classic," another hit back. "Put some respect on Britney's name."
Elsewhere in his interview with the Reporter, Williams revealed that he was introduced to Spears by her then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake, with whom the producer had worked on the former NSYNC star's solo projects. However, he said, he and Spears had since lost touch.
"Man, I ain't spoke to Britney in maybe 10-plus years," Williams said. "I think I've seen her in the elevator one time. I think we were all going into the same place or something. I can remember exactly where it was, and she had her sunglasses on, and I was like, 'I know that's Britney. Maybe she doesn't remember me. That's fine.'"
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