Everytime
Encyclopedia
"Everytime" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears
from her fourth album, In the Zone
. It was released on May 17, 2004, by Jive Records
as the third single from the album. After Spears ended her relationship with pop singer Justin Timberlake
, she made friends with her backing vocalist Annet Artani. They both started writing songs together at Spears's house in Los Angeles
, and then traveled to Lombardy, Italy, where "Everytime" was written. Spears composed the music on her piano, and she developed the lyrics with Artani. The song was written as a response to Timberlake's 2002 single "Cry Me a River
" as well as various radio interviews, according to Artani. However, Spears has neither confirmed nor denied these allegations.
"Everytime" is considered a pop ballad with breathy vocals. Its lyrics are a plea for forgiveness for inadvertently hurting a former lover. "Everytime" was positively received by critics, who complimented its simple lyrics and the organic feel of the song in comparison with most of the tracks of In the Zone. "Everytime" was a big success, peaking inside the top five in most countries, while reaching the top of the charts in Australia, Hungary, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Spears performed "Everytime" in a series of live appearances such as television shows Saturday Night Live
and Top of the Pops
. She has also performed the song on piano in a flowered-themed setting at The Onyx Hotel Tour
(2004) and while suspended on a giant umbrella at The Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009). "Everytime" has been covered by artists such as Glen Hansard
and Jackie Evancho
.
Inspired by the cinematography of Leaving Las Vegas
, the music video for "Everytime" portrays Spears as a star hounded by paparazzi, who drowns in her bathtub when she starts bleeding from a wound in her head. In the hospital, doctors fail to resuscitate her while a child is born in the next room, implying she reincarnated
. The original treatment would have had Spears killing herself from a drug overdose, but the plot was removed after it received criticism by organizations such as Kidscape
, who perceived it as a glamorization of suicide. Critics noted the video for its religious references to The Passion of the Christ
, Kaballah and stigmata
, and for predicting Spears's future struggles with fame.
Spears's relationship of three years with pop singer Justin Timberlake
ended in 2002 after months of speculation. In November 2002, Timberlake released the song "Cry Me a River
" as the second single from his solo debut album
. The music video featured a Spears look-alike and fueled the rumors that she had been unfaithful to him. "Cry Me a River" is often credited as being the song that propelled the album into the charts. In September 2001, Artani accepted to become a backing vocalist
for Spears's 2001-2002 Dream Within a Dream Tour
. Her interactions with Spears during most of the tour were limited to small conversations at the gym and vocal warm ups. Artani had begun a relationship with the show's musical director during 2002; however, it was not working out well by the end of the tour. Before the last date in Mexico City
, Spears called her and asked about the relationship. Artani told her they were going to break up, to which Spears responded, "Don't worry about it, you're going to hang out with me". Following the end of the tour, Spears and Artani began to forge a friendship. Spears invited Artani to her house in Los Angeles, California
. According to Artani, their relationship grew out of their shared romantic experiences at the time. She explained, "Basically, we commiserated because she, at that time, had broken up with Justin [Timberlake]. Maybe like nine months before, but of course it was really fresh in the media. I was just breaking up with this guy, so we kind of like—I think we kind of needed each other." Artani stayed at Spears's house for a few weeks, in which they started writing songs at the piano. Shortly after, they traveled to Lake Como
in Lombardy, Italy. Artani added, "It was me and her, her stylist and Felicia, and we had this humongous house to ourselves, and they had a piano there as well".
According to Artani, "Everytime" was written in large part as a response to "Cry Me a River" as well as various radio interviews. Artani explained, "He was getting personal. Here, she had a different type of image, and he was really exposing some stuff that she probably didn't want out there, and in front of her little sister
... I remember her sister being mortified and her being mortified. I'm sure that that really hurt her." "Everytime" was recorded at Conway Studios in Los Angeles and mixed at Frou Frou Central in London, England. During an interview with Hip Online, Spears commented about the recording sessions, saying,
"Everytime" was one of the first songs finished for In The Zone, previewed on May 30, 2003, to Quddus Philippe of MTV
at Battery Studios in New York City
. Spears named it the most personal song of the album along with "Touch of My Hand", explaining, "It's one of the songs that when you hear, it's like the kind of song when you go to heaven. It kind of takes you away. You know, it takes you in to a very cool consciousness I think."
ballad
. It begins with a piano introduction accompanying Spears's breathy vocals, which build from soft to strong through the song. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group
, "Everytime" is composed in the key of E♭ major, with a tempo of 110 beats per minute. Spears's vocal range spans from the low-tone of A♭3 to the high-tone of E♭5. "Everytime" lyrics are a plea for forgiveness for inadvertently hurting a former lover. In the song, the singer explains she feels unable to continue in lines such as "Everytime I try to fly I fall / Without my wings I feel so small". Jennifer Vineyard of MTV compared the song lyrically to another ballad from In the Zone, "Shadow", since they both speak "about how reminders of a lover can still linger after he's gone." During an interview with Jennifer Vineyard of MTV, Spears said about "Everytime", "It's about heartbreak, it's about your first love, your first true love. That's something all people can relate to, because you all have that first love that you think you're going to be with the rest of your life." When asked if "Everytime" was about Timberlake during an interview with Diane Sawyer
in PrimeTime
, she responded "I'll let the song speak for itself."
deemed "Everytime" as the best track of In the Zone, explaining "it is just a spare piano ballad, simple yet effectively fragile". Ali Fenwick of The Johns Hopkins News-Letter
complimented Spears's songwriting and added the song "shows a glimmer of the talent that hides behind the robotic, synthed-out vocals on the rest of the album." Christy Lemire of msnbc.com
called it "actually a pretty tune" and named it the best ballad in Greatest Hits: My Prerogative
. Jason Shawhan of About.com
said "Everytime" "screams Single!". Spence D. of IGN
said the song "continues to mine the Zone turf and unleashes what is ostensibly Britney's first mature ballad, at least in terms of being musically staid and stripped of any danceteria sweat and gloss." Linda McGee of RTÉ.ie
said that along with In the Zone' s "Brave New Girl", they were "individually impressive", but disrupted the direction of the album. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly
commented, "With its dainty piano, 'Everytime' plays like a forlorn postmortem on her Justin Timberlake era." Sterling Clover of The Village Voice
called it "a weeper in the best 'Time After Time
' (1984) tradition." William Shaw of Blender
said that while "Everytime" was not her greatest ballad, the lyrics were "certainly heartfelt". A reviewer from the Huddersfield Daily Examiner
stated, "[the] breathy ballad [has] got a stage musical feel to it, but Britney's no Elaine Paige
". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
named it along with "Shadow" "two sappy ballads".
, becoming the "Highest Debut" of the week. On July 3, 2004, it peaked at number fifteen and stayed in the position for four weeks. The song also peaked at number four on Billboard' s Pop Songs
and at number seventeen and number twenty-five on the Hot Dance Club Songs and Adult Pop Songs
charts, respectively. On November 18, 2004, "Everytime" was certified gold
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) selling 500,000 copies. As of July 2010, "Everytime" has sold 469,000 paid digital downloads
in the United States. The song also peaked at number two in the Canadian Singles Chart
.
In Australia, "Everytime" debuted at number one on the week of June 28, 2004, becoming the "Highest Debut". It received a gold certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) for shipments over 35,000 units. On June 20, 2004, the song debuted at number one in the UK Singles Chart
, becoming her second consecutive number one single from In the Zone. According to The Official Charts Company, the song has sold 270,000 copies there. "Everytime" was also successful worldwide, reaching the top of the charts in Hungary, peaking at number two in France, number three in Sweden and reaching top five positions in Austria, Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Norway and the Netherlands.
, Michele Elliott
, said, "This is absolutely outrageous, totally irresponsible, completely stupid. If even one child follows her lead she will surely be held responsible. What is she thinking of?". She also commented the release of the music video could cause an increase in suicide rates, comparing it to the death of actress Marilyn Monroe
in August 1962. MTV News
' "You Tell Us" also received numerous letters from upset viewers, who criticized Spears saying they perceived the ending was a glamorization of suicide. On March 12, 2004, Spears announced through Jive Records
she had removed the concept, "due to the potential for a fictional accidental occurrence to be misinterpreted as a suicide". She also clarified it was not her intent to present suicide in any sort of positive light.
The video was directed by David LaChapelle
and shot on March 13 and March 14, 2004, in Los Angeles. The lighting was described as "saturated, but low and naturalistic" to give the video a cinematic feel, referencing the 1995 film Leaving Las Vegas
. It premiered on TRL
on April 12, 2004. Spears called the show and explained the video explored reincarnation
. She added, "It's more like a movie. It's different than anything I've ever done. It's dark, and it shows me in a different light. Of course, I'm going to go back and do dance videos, but I wanted to be inspired and challenged." An alternate version of the video which features Spears singing in the white hallway scenes was released on the 2004 DVD Greatest Hits: My Prerogative.
, showing the Palms Casino Resort and continues with a shot of a marquee that reads "Britney Spears: Las Vegas", with a picture of Spears holding a leather strap. Christian author Eva Marie Everson compared the image to "Madonna
doing her own impersonation of Marilyn Monroe." Spears and her boyfriend (played by Stephen Dorff
) are arriving to the hotel inside a limousine. They sit apart from each other, staring out separate windows. Spears wears a Birmingham Barons
cap in these scenes. The boyfriend is talking on his cell phone, and when she attempts to touch him, he pushes her away. The entrance is full of fans and paparazzi
taking pictures. When they leave the car, fans and paparazzi alike act in an extreme way and fights break in the crowd. While her bodyguards try to protect her, her boyfriend throws magazines at the paparazzi. Stephanie Zacharek of The New York Times
compared the shots of the paparazzi with the Jews in the 2004 film The Passion of the Christ
. During this scene, she gets hit in the head with a camera, but keeps walking.
Inside their hotel room, Spears and her boyfriend begin to scream at each other. He throws a vase into the wall while Spears goes into the bathroom. She begins filling the bathtub and removing her clothes. After this, the video includes intercut scenes of a close-up of Spears singing in a white shirt in front of a bright white light. As she lies in the bathtub, a red string
, a custom associated with Kabbalah
is seen in her wrist. She touches her head and looks at her hand, realizing she is bleeding. According to Jennifer Vineyard of MTV, the blood in her hand is stigmata
. She loses consciousness in the bathtub and starts to drown. Shortly after, her boyfriend finds her and tries to resuscitate her. Meanwhile, it is revealed that in the close-up scenes Spears is actually inside a hospital hallway. The video continues with scenes of her being carried into an ambulance and surrounded by photographers, as well as scenes of her being resuscitated by doctors in a hospital bed. The ghost of Spears in a white shirt, watches herself in the bed and walks into the next room, where a baby girl is born. Spears is then seen running away from the camera into the light. The music video ends with her rising from under the water, resting her head and smiling.
", James Montgomery of MTV called "Everytime" "underrated". Rolling Stone
in their 2009 article "Britney Spears: The Complete Video Guide", called it "horribly prophetic and depressing" and added that the clip foreshadowed Spears's struggles with fame and mental instability during 2007 and 2008.
season of the American comedy show Saturday Night Live
. She also performed it at Britney Spears: In the Zone, a concert special that aired in ABC
on November 17, 2003. "Everytime" was also performed by Spears at 2004's The Onyx Hotel Tour
. Before the tour began, Spears said that it was one of the songs she was looking most forward to perform, explaining, "I really think I'm talking to everyone when I perform 'Everytime'". It was the first song of the third act, titled "Mystic Garden". It began with a video interlude in which Spears walked into a garden wearing a rainbow-colored dress and sat in a flower-covered piano. As the video ended, it was revealed that she was sitting onstage in a similar setting. She started the performance talking to the audience about the media coverage of her personal life. She played the piano and sang until the second verse, where she stood up and walked to the center of the stage to continue the performance. Neil Strauss of The New York Times commented, "It was the only song that she appeared to sing unaccompanied by backing tapes". Kelefa Sanneh of Blender called it the best performance of the show. "Everytime" was also performed by Spears at the British music chart show Top of the Pops
on August 5, 2004. Spears also performed the song at 2009's The Circus Starring Britney Spears. "Everytime" was the only song that was not included in the released setlist, and was added as a surprise. It was the sixth and last song of the second act, titled "House of Fun (Anything Goes)". After a Bollywood-inspired performance of "Me Against the Music
" from In the Zone, Spears sat on a giant umbrella in the middle of the stage and briefly talked to the audience. She performed "Everytime" while the umbrella was lifted into the air.
of Irish band The Frames
. It was recorded during a live show at Today FM
and released in the 2004 covers compilation, Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 2
. It was also covered in Mandarin by Taiwanese girl group S.H.E
and released on their studio album Encore
(2004). Their version was retitled "Bié Shuō Duìbùqǐ" ( "Don't Say Sorry"). American pop rock
singer Sally Maer also covered "Everytime" to release it on her studio album Bed of Roses (2008). Everytime is covered By Scottish post-hardcore band Yashin on their 2010 debut album Put Your Hands Where I Can See Them.
"Everytime" was used during the 2009 Irish production of the 1986 play The Seagull
. Jackie Evancho
covered the song for her debut album Prelude to a Dream
(2009). On August 19, 2010, her version debuted at number three on Billboards Classical Digital Songs chart.
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
from her fourth album, In the Zone
In the Zone
In the Zone is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Britney Spears, released on November 16, 2003, by Jive Records. Following the end of the Dream Within a Dream Tour in July 2002 and her break-up with Justin Timberlake, Spears announced she would take a six-month break from her...
. It was released on May 17, 2004, by Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
as the third single from the album. After Spears ended her relationship with pop singer Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
, she made friends with her backing vocalist Annet Artani. They both started writing songs together at Spears's house in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and then traveled to Lombardy, Italy, where "Everytime" was written. Spears composed the music on her piano, and she developed the lyrics with Artani. The song was written as a response to Timberlake's 2002 single "Cry Me a River
Cry Me a River (Justin Timberlake song)
"Cry Me a River" is the second single from Justin Timberlake's solo debut album Justified. Released on December 17, 2002, the single, which features guest vocals and production by Timbaland & Scott Storch, won Timberlake a Grammy Award for "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" in 2004.-Background...
" as well as various radio interviews, according to Artani. However, Spears has neither confirmed nor denied these allegations.
"Everytime" is considered a pop ballad with breathy vocals. Its lyrics are a plea for forgiveness for inadvertently hurting a former lover. "Everytime" was positively received by critics, who complimented its simple lyrics and the organic feel of the song in comparison with most of the tracks of In the Zone. "Everytime" was a big success, peaking inside the top five in most countries, while reaching the top of the charts in Australia, Hungary, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Spears performed "Everytime" in a series of live appearances such as television shows Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
and Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. She has also performed the song on piano in a flowered-themed setting at The Onyx Hotel Tour
The Onyx Hotel Tour
The Onyx Hotel Tour was the fourth concert tour by American recording artist Britney Spears. It supported her fourth studio album In the Zone and visited North America and Europe. A tour to promote the album was announced in December 2003...
(2004) and while suspended on a giant umbrella at The Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009). "Everytime" has been covered by artists such as Glen Hansard
Glen Hansard
Glen Hansard is the Academy Award–winning principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist for Irish group The Frames and one half of folk rock duo, The Swell Season...
and Jackie Evancho
Jackie Evancho
Jacqueline Marie "Jackie" Evancho is an American child singer described as a classical crossover artist. After entering some talent competitions, issuing an independent album, Prelude to a Dream, and attracting interest on YouTube, she gained wider popularity in 2010 with her performances in the...
.
Inspired by the cinematography of Leaving Las Vegas
Leaving Las Vegas
Leaving Las Vegas is a 1995 romantic drama film directed and written by Mike Figgis, based on a semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by John O'Brien. Nicolas Cage stars as a suicidal alcoholic who has ended his personal and professional life to drink himself to death in Las Vegas...
, the music video for "Everytime" portrays Spears as a star hounded by paparazzi, who drowns in her bathtub when she starts bleeding from a wound in her head. In the hospital, doctors fail to resuscitate her while a child is born in the next room, implying she reincarnated
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
. The original treatment would have had Spears killing herself from a drug overdose, but the plot was removed after it received criticism by organizations such as Kidscape
Kidscape
The London-based charity Kidscape was established in 1985 by child psychologist Michele Elliott. Its focus is on children’s safety, with an emphasis on the prevention of harm by equipping children with techniques and mindsets that help them stay safe....
, who perceived it as a glamorization of suicide. Critics noted the video for its religious references to The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 American drama film directed by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus. It depicts the Passion of Jesus largely according to the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John...
, Kaballah and stigmata
Stigmata
Stigmata are bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus, such as the hands and feet...
, and for predicting Spears's future struggles with fame.
Background and writing
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
ended in 2002 after months of speculation. In November 2002, Timberlake released the song "Cry Me a River
Cry Me a River (Justin Timberlake song)
"Cry Me a River" is the second single from Justin Timberlake's solo debut album Justified. Released on December 17, 2002, the single, which features guest vocals and production by Timbaland & Scott Storch, won Timberlake a Grammy Award for "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" in 2004.-Background...
" as the second single from his solo debut album
Justified (album)
Justified is the debut album by American pop singer Justin Timberlake. Released during the hiatus of the group *NSYNC, the album signaled Timberlake's desire to craft a more mature image than that of a "boy band member". The album features guest performances by Timbaland, Clipse, Bubba Sparxxx, and...
. The music video featured a Spears look-alike and fueled the rumors that she had been unfaithful to him. "Cry Me a River" is often credited as being the song that propelled the album into the charts. In September 2001, Artani accepted to become a backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
for Spears's 2001-2002 Dream Within a Dream Tour
Dream Within a Dream Tour
The Dream Within a Dream Tour was the third concert tour by American recording artist Britney Spears. It promoted her third studio album Britney in North America and Japan. The Dream Within a Dream Tour was promoted by Concerts West, marking the first time Spears did not tour with Clear Channel...
. Her interactions with Spears during most of the tour were limited to small conversations at the gym and vocal warm ups. Artani had begun a relationship with the show's musical director during 2002; however, it was not working out well by the end of the tour. Before the last date in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Spears called her and asked about the relationship. Artani told her they were going to break up, to which Spears responded, "Don't worry about it, you're going to hang out with me". Following the end of the tour, Spears and Artani began to forge a friendship. Spears invited Artani to her house in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. According to Artani, their relationship grew out of their shared romantic experiences at the time. She explained, "Basically, we commiserated because she, at that time, had broken up with Justin [Timberlake]. Maybe like nine months before, but of course it was really fresh in the media. I was just breaking up with this guy, so we kind of like—I think we kind of needed each other." Artani stayed at Spears's house for a few weeks, in which they started writing songs at the piano. Shortly after, they traveled to Lake Como
Lake Como
Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 km², making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore...
in Lombardy, Italy. Artani added, "It was me and her, her stylist and Felicia, and we had this humongous house to ourselves, and they had a piano there as well".
According to Artani, "Everytime" was written in large part as a response to "Cry Me a River" as well as various radio interviews. Artani explained, "He was getting personal. Here, she had a different type of image, and he was really exposing some stuff that she probably didn't want out there, and in front of her little sister
Jamie Lynn Spears
Jamie Lynn Marie Spears is an American actress and singer. The younger sister of pop star Britney Spears, she rose to prominence for her appearances on Nickelodeon shows All That and for playing Zoey Brooks on Zoey 101....
... I remember her sister being mortified and her being mortified. I'm sure that that really hurt her." "Everytime" was recorded at Conway Studios in Los Angeles and mixed at Frou Frou Central in London, England. During an interview with Hip Online, Spears commented about the recording sessions, saying,
"... Like with “Everytime” I wrote the whole thing from scratch on the piano. Musically there was no track or anything. I was just at my house and I did the whole thing by myself. And then I went and I played it for [Guy Sigsworth] and I just basically told him exactly how I wanted the song to sound. And he was so amazing because there's a lot of producers you tell them things and they don't get it. And you're like oh, that's not the right way. He got it just right. He was amazing. And so that song specifically, you know, I did everything."
"Everytime" was one of the first songs finished for In The Zone, previewed on May 30, 2003, to Quddus Philippe of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
at Battery Studios in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Spears named it the most personal song of the album along with "Touch of My Hand", explaining, "It's one of the songs that when you hear, it's like the kind of song when you go to heaven. It kind of takes you away. You know, it takes you in to a very cool consciousness I think."
Composition
"Everytime" is a popPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
. It begins with a piano introduction accompanying Spears's breathy vocals, which build from soft to strong through the song. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group
Universal Music Publishing Group
Universal Music Publishing Group is a music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group.UMPG owns or administers more than 1 million copyrights. They are one of the largest music publishing businesses in the world with more than 47 offices in 41 countries...
, "Everytime" is composed in the key of E♭ major, with a tempo of 110 beats per minute. Spears's vocal range spans from the low-tone of A♭3 to the high-tone of E♭5. "Everytime" lyrics are a plea for forgiveness for inadvertently hurting a former lover. In the song, the singer explains she feels unable to continue in lines such as "Everytime I try to fly I fall / Without my wings I feel so small". Jennifer Vineyard of MTV compared the song lyrically to another ballad from In the Zone, "Shadow", since they both speak "about how reminders of a lover can still linger after he's gone." During an interview with Jennifer Vineyard of MTV, Spears said about "Everytime", "It's about heartbreak, it's about your first love, your first true love. That's something all people can relate to, because you all have that first love that you think you're going to be with the rest of your life." When asked if "Everytime" was about Timberlake during an interview with Diane Sawyer
Diane Sawyer
Lila Diane Sawyer is the current anchor of ABC News' flagship program, ABC World News. Previously, Sawyer had been co-anchor of ABC Newss morning news program, Good Morning America ....
in PrimeTime
Primetime (TV series)
Primetime is an American news magazine show which debuted on ABC in 1989 with co-hosts Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer and originally had the title Primetime Live.-Early history:...
, she responded "I'll let the song speak for itself."
Reception
Critical response
Gavin Mueller of Stylus MagazineStylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
deemed "Everytime" as the best track of In the Zone, explaining "it is just a spare piano ballad, simple yet effectively fragile". Ali Fenwick of The Johns Hopkins News-Letter
The Johns Hopkins News-Letter
The Johns Hopkins News-Letter is the independent student newspaper of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. Published since 1896, it is one of the nation's oldest continuously published, weekly student-run college newspapers....
complimented Spears's songwriting and added the song "shows a glimmer of the talent that hides behind the robotic, synthed-out vocals on the rest of the album." Christy Lemire of msnbc.com
Msnbc.com
msnbc.com is a news website owned and operated as a joint venture by NBCUniversal and Microsoft.In addition to original content from its news staff, msnbc.com is the news website for the NBC News family, with content from the cable television news channel MSNBC, NBC shows such as Today, NBC Nightly...
called it "actually a pretty tune" and named it the best ballad in Greatest Hits: My Prerogative
Greatest Hits: My Prerogative
Greatest Hits: My Prerogative is the first greatest hits album from American singer Britney Spears, released on November 1, 2004 by Jive Records. The compilation was released in two different formats, a standard edition and a limited edition containing a bonus disc with remixes. A compilation DVD...
. Jason Shawhan of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
said "Everytime" "screams Single!". Spence D. of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said the song "continues to mine the Zone turf and unleashes what is ostensibly Britney's first mature ballad, at least in terms of being musically staid and stripped of any danceteria sweat and gloss." Linda McGee of RTÉ.ie
Rte.ie
RTÉ.ie is the brand name and home of RTÉ's online activities, located at the URL http://rte.ie. The site began publishing on 26 May 1996. According to RTÉ, it operates on an entirely commercial basis, receiving none of the licence fee which funds much of RTÉ's activity. The site, it says, is funded...
said that along with In the Zone
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
commented, "With its dainty piano, 'Everytime' plays like a forlorn postmortem on her Justin Timberlake era." Sterling Clover of The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
called it "a weeper in the best 'Time After Time
Time after Time (Cyndi Lauper song)
"Time After Time" is a song by American singer Cyndi Lauper, released as the second single from her album She's So Unusual. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on June 9, 1984, and remained there for two weeks...
' (1984) tradition." William Shaw of Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
said that while "Everytime" was not her greatest ballad, the lyrics were "certainly heartfelt". A reviewer from the Huddersfield Daily Examiner
Huddersfield Daily Examiner
The Huddersfield Daily Examiner is an English local daily evening newspaper covering Huddersfield and its surrounding areas. The first edition was published, as a weekly, on September 6, 1851, as the Huddersfield & Holmfirth Examiner and the newspaper has been published on a daily basis since...
stated, "[the] breathy ballad [has] got a stage musical feel to it, but Britney's no Elaine Paige
Elaine Paige
Elaine Paige OBE is an English singer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, North London, Paige attended the Aida Foster stage school, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964, at the age of 16...
". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
named it along with "Shadow" "two sappy ballads".
Chart performance
On May 22, 2004, "Everytime" debuted at number sixty-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, becoming the "Highest Debut" of the week. On July 3, 2004, it peaked at number fifteen and stayed in the position for four weeks. The song also peaked at number four on Billboard
Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs)
The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart...
and at number seventeen and number twenty-five on the Hot Dance Club Songs and Adult Pop Songs
Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks
Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts...
charts, respectively. On November 18, 2004, "Everytime" was certified gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) selling 500,000 copies. As of July 2010, "Everytime" has sold 469,000 paid digital downloads
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
in the United States. The song also peaked at number two in the Canadian Singles Chart
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....
.
In Australia, "Everytime" debuted at number one on the week of June 28, 2004, becoming the "Highest Debut". It received a gold certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) for shipments over 35,000 units. On June 20, 2004, the song debuted at number one in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, becoming her second consecutive number one single from In the Zone. According to The Official Charts Company, the song has sold 270,000 copies there. "Everytime" was also successful worldwide, reaching the top of the charts in Hungary, peaking at number two in France, number three in Sweden and reaching top five positions in Austria, Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Norway and the Netherlands.
Development and release
On March 9, 2004, the treatment of the music video for "Everytime" was released online. It portrayed Spears as a star hounded by photographers, who eventually kills herself by taking prescription drugs and drowning in a bathtub. The suicide scene was perceived to be Spears's response to the rumors that suggested she suffered from a mental disorder. After news of the concept broke, it was criticized by a number of organizations of the United Kingdom and the United States. Director of child protection charity KidscapeKidscape
The London-based charity Kidscape was established in 1985 by child psychologist Michele Elliott. Its focus is on children’s safety, with an emphasis on the prevention of harm by equipping children with techniques and mindsets that help them stay safe....
, Michele Elliott
Michele Elliott
Michele Elliott OBE is an author, psychologist, teacher and the founder and director of child protection charity Kidscape. She has chaired World Health Organisation and Home Office working groups and is a Winston Churchill fellow.-Early life:...
, said, "This is absolutely outrageous, totally irresponsible, completely stupid. If even one child follows her lead she will surely be held responsible. What is she thinking of?". She also commented the release of the music video could cause an increase in suicide rates, comparing it to the death of actress Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
in August 1962. MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
' "You Tell Us" also received numerous letters from upset viewers, who criticized Spears saying they perceived the ending was a glamorization of suicide. On March 12, 2004, Spears announced through Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
she had removed the concept, "due to the potential for a fictional accidental occurrence to be misinterpreted as a suicide". She also clarified it was not her intent to present suicide in any sort of positive light.
The video was directed by David LaChapelle
David LaChapelle
David LaChapelle is a photographer and director who works in the fields of fashion, advertising, and fine art photography, and is noted for his surreal, unique, sexualized, and often humorous style.-Early life:...
and shot on March 13 and March 14, 2004, in Los Angeles. The lighting was described as "saturated, but low and naturalistic" to give the video a cinematic feel, referencing the 1995 film Leaving Las Vegas
Leaving Las Vegas
Leaving Las Vegas is a 1995 romantic drama film directed and written by Mike Figgis, based on a semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by John O'Brien. Nicolas Cage stars as a suicidal alcoholic who has ended his personal and professional life to drink himself to death in Las Vegas...
. It premiered on TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
on April 12, 2004. Spears called the show and explained the video explored reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
. She added, "It's more like a movie. It's different than anything I've ever done. It's dark, and it shows me in a different light. Of course, I'm going to go back and do dance videos, but I wanted to be inspired and challenged." An alternate version of the video which features Spears singing in the white hallway scenes was released on the 2004 DVD Greatest Hits: My Prerogative.
Synopsis
The video begins with an aerial shot of Las Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, showing the Palms Casino Resort and continues with a shot of a marquee that reads "Britney Spears: Las Vegas", with a picture of Spears holding a leather strap. Christian author Eva Marie Everson compared the image to "Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
doing her own impersonation of Marilyn Monroe." Spears and her boyfriend (played by Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff is an American actor, best known for portraying Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat, Johnny Marco in Somewhere, and for his roles in Blade and Cecil B. DeMented.-Early life:...
) are arriving to the hotel inside a limousine. They sit apart from each other, staring out separate windows. Spears wears a Birmingham Barons
Birmingham Barons
The Birmingham Barons are a minor league baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox major-league club....
cap in these scenes. The boyfriend is talking on his cell phone, and when she attempts to touch him, he pushes her away. The entrance is full of fans and paparazzi
Paparazzi
Paparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
taking pictures. When they leave the car, fans and paparazzi alike act in an extreme way and fights break in the crowd. While her bodyguards try to protect her, her boyfriend throws magazines at the paparazzi. Stephanie Zacharek of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
compared the shots of the paparazzi with the Jews in the 2004 film The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 American drama film directed by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus. It depicts the Passion of Jesus largely according to the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John...
. During this scene, she gets hit in the head with a camera, but keeps walking.
Inside their hotel room, Spears and her boyfriend begin to scream at each other. He throws a vase into the wall while Spears goes into the bathroom. She begins filling the bathtub and removing her clothes. After this, the video includes intercut scenes of a close-up of Spears singing in a white shirt in front of a bright white light. As she lies in the bathtub, a red string
Red string (Kabbalah)
Wearing a thin red string is a custom, popularly thought to be associated with Judaism's Kabbalah, to ward off misfortune brought about by an "evil eye" . In Yiddish the red string is called a roite bindele....
, a custom associated with Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
is seen in her wrist. She touches her head and looks at her hand, realizing she is bleeding. According to Jennifer Vineyard of MTV, the blood in her hand is stigmata
Stigmata
Stigmata are bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus, such as the hands and feet...
. She loses consciousness in the bathtub and starts to drown. Shortly after, her boyfriend finds her and tries to resuscitate her. Meanwhile, it is revealed that in the close-up scenes Spears is actually inside a hospital hallway. The video continues with scenes of her being carried into an ambulance and surrounded by photographers, as well as scenes of her being resuscitated by doctors in a hospital bed. The ghost of Spears in a white shirt, watches herself in the bed and walks into the next room, where a baby girl is born. Spears is then seen running away from the camera into the light. The music video ends with her rising from under the water, resting her head and smiling.
Reception
Stephanie Zacharek of The New York Times called it "a teenage temper tantrum, a glossy 'you'll be sorry when I'm dead' melodrama." She also added that the video forced the audiences to imagine a world in which Spears did not exist, saying, "Could we [...] bear to go on without her? As much as she may enjoy fantasizing about that question, she probably doesn't want to know the answer". Eva Marie Everson wrote that the music video showed the reality "behind the glitz and the glamour". Dominic Fox commented, "Even in its bowdlerised form, the 'Everytime' video presents a moment of existential indecision, a fugue of suicidal ideation in which the singer fantasises about her own death". While reviewing the music video for her 2009 single "If U Seek AmyIf U Seek Amy
"If U Seek Amy" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on March 13, 2009 by Jive Records as the third single of the album, and was chosen by a poll on Spears's official website. "If U Seek Amy" was co-written and produced by Max...
", James Montgomery of MTV called "Everytime" "underrated". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
in their 2009 article "Britney Spears: The Complete Video Guide", called it "horribly prophetic and depressing" and added that the clip foreshadowed Spears's struggles with fame and mental instability during 2007 and 2008.
Live performances
On October 18, 2003, "Everytime" was performed by Spears during the twenty-ninthSaturday Night Live (Season 29)
Saturday Night Live aired its twenty-ninth season during the 2003–04 television season on NBC. The twenty-ninth season began on October 4, 2003 and ended on May 15, 2004 with 20 episodes in all....
season of the American comedy show Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. She also performed it at Britney Spears: In the Zone, a concert special that aired in ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
on November 17, 2003. "Everytime" was also performed by Spears at 2004's The Onyx Hotel Tour
The Onyx Hotel Tour
The Onyx Hotel Tour was the fourth concert tour by American recording artist Britney Spears. It supported her fourth studio album In the Zone and visited North America and Europe. A tour to promote the album was announced in December 2003...
. Before the tour began, Spears said that it was one of the songs she was looking most forward to perform, explaining, "I really think I'm talking to everyone when I perform 'Everytime'". It was the first song of the third act, titled "Mystic Garden". It began with a video interlude in which Spears walked into a garden wearing a rainbow-colored dress and sat in a flower-covered piano. As the video ended, it was revealed that she was sitting onstage in a similar setting. She started the performance talking to the audience about the media coverage of her personal life. She played the piano and sang until the second verse, where she stood up and walked to the center of the stage to continue the performance. Neil Strauss of The New York Times commented, "It was the only song that she appeared to sing unaccompanied by backing tapes". Kelefa Sanneh of Blender called it the best performance of the show. "Everytime" was also performed by Spears at the British music chart show Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
on August 5, 2004. Spears also performed the song at 2009's The Circus Starring Britney Spears. "Everytime" was the only song that was not included in the released setlist, and was added as a surprise. It was the sixth and last song of the second act, titled "House of Fun (Anything Goes)". After a Bollywood-inspired performance of "Me Against the Music
Me Against the Music
"Me Against the Music" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her fourth album, In the Zone, featuring American recording artist Madonna. It was released on October 20, 2003 as the lead single from the album by Jive Records. After bonding with Spears during a night in New York...
" from In the Zone, Spears sat on a giant umbrella in the middle of the stage and briefly talked to the audience. She performed "Everytime" while the umbrella was lifted into the air.
Cover versions
"Everytime" was covered by Glen HansardGlen Hansard
Glen Hansard is the Academy Award–winning principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist for Irish group The Frames and one half of folk rock duo, The Swell Season...
of Irish band The Frames
The Frames
The Frames are an Irish band based in Dublin. Founded in 1990 by Glen Hansard, the band has been influential in the Dublin rock music scene. The group has released six albums...
. It was recorded during a live show at Today FM
Today FM
Radio Ireland Ltd, trading as 100-102 Today FM is an Irish commercial FM radio station which is available nationally. The station, which commenced broadcasting on Saint Patrick's Day in 1997, can be received nationally and carries a mix of music and talk...
and released in the 2004 covers compilation, Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 2
Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 2
Even Better Than the Real Thing Vol. 2 is an Irish charity album featuring a variety of artists performing acoustic cover versions of popular songs. It was released in 2004 by RMG Chart Entertainment Ltd...
. It was also covered in Mandarin by Taiwanese girl group S.H.E
S.H.E
S.H.E is a Taiwanese girl group whose members are Selina Jen, Hebe Tien, and Ella Chen. The name of the group is an alphabetism derived from the first letter of each member's name. Since releasing their first album Girls Dorm , S.H.E has recorded 12 albums with sales totalling over 15 million, and...
and released on their studio album Encore
Encore (S.H.E album)
Encore is the sixth studio album by Taiwanese Mandopop girl group S.H.E. It was released on 12 November 2004 by HIM International Music. This is the first album that S.H.E released in the autumn, on account of Selina's graduation from university...
(2004). Their version was retitled "Bié Shuō Duìbùqǐ" ( "Don't Say Sorry"). American pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
singer Sally Maer also covered "Everytime" to release it on her studio album Bed of Roses (2008). Everytime is covered By Scottish post-hardcore band Yashin on their 2010 debut album Put Your Hands Where I Can See Them.
"Everytime" was used during the 2009 Irish production of the 1986 play The Seagull
The Seagull
The Seagull is the first of what are generally considered to be the four major plays by the Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov. The Seagull was written in 1895 and first produced in 1896...
. Jackie Evancho
Jackie Evancho
Jacqueline Marie "Jackie" Evancho is an American child singer described as a classical crossover artist. After entering some talent competitions, issuing an independent album, Prelude to a Dream, and attracting interest on YouTube, she gained wider popularity in 2010 with her performances in the...
covered the song for her debut album Prelude to a Dream
Prelude to a Dream
Prelude to a Dream is Jackie Evancho's debut album released on November 15, 2009. By early September 2010 it had been withdrawn from public sale...
(2009). On August 19, 2010, her version debuted at number three on Billboards Classical Digital Songs chart.
Track listing
- "Everytime" — 3:50
- "Everytime" (Hi-Bias Radio Remix) — 3:29
- "Everytime" (Above & Beyond Radio Mix) — 3:47
- "Everytime" (The Scumfrog Vocal Mix) — 9:53
- "Everytime" - 3:50
- "Everytime" (Hi-Bias Radio Remix) - 3:29
- "Everytime" (Above & Beyond Radio Mix) - 3:47
- "Don't Hang Up" - 4:02
- "Everytime" (Hi-Bias Radio Remix) — 3:29
- "Everytime" (Above & Beyond Radio Mix) — 3:47
- "Everytime" (The Scumfrog Vocal Mix) — 9:53
- "Everytime" (The Scumfrog Vocal Mix) — 9:53
- "Everytime" (Valentin Remix) — 3:28
- "Everytime" (Above & Beyond's Club Mix) — 8:46
- "Everytime" (Dr. Octavo's Transculent Mixhsow Edit) — 5:18
- The Singles Collection Boxset Single
- "Everytime" — 3:50
- "Everytime" (Above & Beyond Club Mix) — 8:46
Credits and personnel
- Britney Spears – vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, songwriting, co-productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Annet Artani – songwriting
- Guy Sigsworth – production, all instrumentsMulti-instrumentalistA multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
- Sean McGhee – mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, editing
Charts
| Charts (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
4 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
4 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization... (Wallonia) |
5 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
2 |
| Czech Airplay Chart | 6 |
| Danish Singles Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
5 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
4 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 18 |
| French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
2 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
4 |
| Greek Singles Chart IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
15 |
| Hungarian Singles Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
1 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
3 |
| Russia (Tophit Hot 100 Russian Music Charts The Russian Music Charts are Russian music industry standard popularity rankings compiled weekly by 2M and Tophit . Albums and tracks rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through retail data captured electronically each week from Russian music retailers... ) |
30 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
3 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
7 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
15 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 5 |
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 56 |
Certifications
| Country | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
Gold |
| Belgium Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
Gold |
| France Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
Silver |
| Norway IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
Platinum |
| Sweden Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
Gold |
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
Gold |
Year-end charts
| Charts (2004) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 72 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 12 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders) | 24 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia) | 21 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 18 |
| UK Singles Chart | 18 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 83 |