Britney Spears’ "…Baby One More Time" Joins YouTube Billion Views Club

One of Britney Spears‘ most iconic music videos — “…Baby One More Time” — has joined YouTube’s billion views club.

The achievement marks the pop star’s second to reach the milestone after “Scream & Shout” with Will.i.am.

First uploaded to the site in October 2009 — more than 10 years after Spears first released the Max Martin-produced single — the music video begins with the then-16-year-old star in braided pigtails and a revealing schoolgirl outfit, tapping her foot and pencil with boredom in class. 

After the bell rings, she embarks on one of pop music’s most legendary dance sequences in the school hallways, later performing choreography outdoors in a sports bra and sweatpants and serenading her love interest in a gymnasium.

“…Baby One More Time” was released in 1999 and served was as the Princess of Pop’s debut single.

It was also the title track of her first-ever LP.

Though slightly scandalous for its time, Spears revealed in her 2023 memoir, "The Woman in Me", that the video’s concept was her idea. 

“The mock-up I saw had me looking like a Power Ranger,” Spears wrote. “That image didn’t resonate with me, and I had a feeling my audience wouldn’t relate to it, either. I told the executives at the label that I thought people would want to see my friends and me sitting at school, bored, and then, as soon as the bell rang, boom — we’d start dancing.”

“I thought we should wear school uniforms to make it seem more exciting when we started dancing outside in our casual clothes,” she added. “Making that video was the most fun part of doing that first album.”