Keeps Gettin' Better
Encyclopedia
"Keeps Gettin' Better" is a song by American recording artist Christina Aguilera
, taken from her compilation album, Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits
(2008). The song was written by Aguilera, while additional writing and song production was done by Linda Perry
. It was released as the first and only single from the album on September 5, 2008. "Keeps Gettin' Better" is a teen pop
and dance-pop
song that draws influences from rhythm and blues
, and according to Aguilera, refers to what females are capable of. The song received positive reviews from contemporary critics, who considered it a bouncy dance-pop anthem.
"Keeps Gettin' Better" achieved moderate success, reaching number four in Canada and seven on the Billboard Hot 100
. The song also reached top twenty positions in several European countries. An accompanying music video, directed by Peter Berg
, portrays Aguilera as a heroine in a comic book. The music video was listed at number seventeen on VH1
's Top 40 Videos of 2008. "Keeps Gettin' Better" was performed for the first time at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards
, in a similar concept to the one of the music video. The performance received positive reviews.
n leg of the Back to Basics Tour
, Aguilera said that her upcoming album would be "short, sweet and completely different" from her previous long play Back to Basics
(2006). Following the birth of her first son, Aguilera stated in an interview with Ryan Seacrest
that, due to the pregnancy, her forthcoming album would include a totally new aspect of herself as an artist. In 2008, Aguilera confirmed she would be releasing her first greatest hits album named Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits, stating about the album title "I'm looking forward to the next 10 years, which is partly why I named the album, Keeps Gettin' Better, 'cause it does". Aguilera stated the compilation album was an introduction to future recordings saying "Once you hear the new material you'll have a very clear idea what the direction of it is". The album features revisions of her previous singles with Aguilera calling them "reinventions".
The new additions featured named; "Genie 2.0", is a revised version of the song "Genie in a Bottle
" and "You Are What You Are (Beautiful)", is a revised version of her single "Beautiful
". The compilation album also features new original songs; "Keeps Gettin' Better" and "Dynamite". The new album additions and remixes were produced by Linda Perry
. Aguilera said about the new additions "This time around, I'm playing with this superhero element based on the fact that fans have grown up with me since I was 17 and have continually supported my changes throughout the years." Aguilera discussed the content of the album saying "I can't believe it's been a decade already [...] but it's very exciting. All the old, the biggest hits I've come out with [are on the album]. I don't even know how to describe what a journey it's been but it's been amazing." "Keeps Gettin' Better" was digitally released on September 5, 2008, and officially sent to radio stations on September 22, 2008, as the first and only single from the album.
and dance-pop
song that draws influences from rhythm and blues
, lasts for three minutes and two seconds. The song is composed in the key
of F minor
and is set in time signature
of common time
with a driving shuffle tempo
of 130 beats per minute. Aguilera's vocal range spans from F3 to C5. In the song, Aguilera refers herself as both a "super-girl" and a "super-bitch" and in an interview with MSN
she said following "After having my own child, it's pretty amazing what females are capable of. We're Supergirl, we do it all: we give the love, we give the milk. On the other hand, I'm running a business. I'm running my career. That comes with being labeled a bitch. If that's what I'm gonna be called by being assertive and knowing who I am and what I want out of life, then so be it. I will wear that label proudly. For me it's about turning that word into a positive."
noted, "while it wouldn't make for an interesting album's worth of material, Aguilera's exciting performance of the song at MTV's Video Music Awards shows an artist that knows when it's time to change it up. Teamed again with the incomparable Linda Perry, 'Better' should have no problem keeping company with Tina's rich catalog of hits." Music editor Nick Levine from British entertainment and media website Digital Spy
welcomed the single writing, commenting that "it isn't one of Christina's boldest singles, but it's a welcome change from what she was up to on 'Back to Basics' and will more than hold its own on her greatest hits album." Entertainment Weekly
listed "Keeps Gettin' Better" under "16 Fall Music Essentials", saying, "Xtina isn't quite ready to release a follow-up to's 2006's Back To Basics yet, but in the meantime, she's keeping fans happy with this bouncy dance-pop anthem." Newspaper The Times
listed the song as one of the hottest downloads of the first November week.
at number twenty-six. The song has performed well on the Canadian Hot 100
chart; it first debuted at number sixteen, and a week later the song became the "Greatest Airplay, Sales Gainer", moving up and peaking number four. However, the track only spent one week within the top ten. On the dated week of September 30, 2008, "Keeps Gettin' Better" sold 143,895 legal downloads in its first week, debuting at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100
a few weeks later. This has become Aguilera's highest debut on the chart and her first top ten hit since "Ain't No Other Man
" in 2006. It debuted and peaked at number twenty-one in Swedish Singles Chart
, and reached number fourteen in the United Kingdom.
(Friday Night Lights) will feature Aguilera as Catwoman
, but the video's a riot of costume changes, makeovers, multiple 'scenarios' and Christina even seems to look like she's having fun". People
reported, "I really enjoyed making the video. Being an artist who likes to play around with different looks, it was a lot of fun to portray various characters within the same shoot." The video was listed at number seventeen on VH1
's Top 40 Videos of 2008.
The Target commercial showed Aguilera again portraying a heroine in a comic book. She is driving a plane "out of control" and crashes it. She continues singing and looks into a mirror of her comic reflection, censoring the "damn" in "I don't give a damn" to an "aahhhh". She flashes her hands toward the screen, breaking it like glass, her comic equivalent crashing through the screen and landing as the actual Aguilera, both versions dressed in red instead of black. To censor "I'm a super bitch", a sound effect of Aguilera crossing her arms (both having the Target logo on them) was used. She kicks (making the word 'POW' appear) at the air and continues singing with a matching red mask. "But it won't" are displayed in a thought bubble for Aguilera to go with the lyrics, and "Oh nooo..." is displayed as a speech of Aguilera's. She throws a fireball into the air, just Aguilera speaks about her album as it appears in another panel, with 'AVAILABLE NOW!' seen nearby. The fireball explodes into the Target logo, finishing with Aguilera standing on a building with the Target logo as a moon, with the 'THE END.' displayed in the panel.
on September 7, 2008. According to Gil Kaufman of MTV
, Aguilera "was poured into a second-skin leather catsuit accessorized with silver armbands, a black-leather cat mask, black gauzy cape and platinum-blond hair. Standing in a tower of neon-lit boxes, Christina gave a taste of the future-shock version of her first hit, 'Genie in a Bottle
', before slinking over to a glowing set to perform her new Goldfrapp-like techno dance tune 'Keep Gettin' Better'." The song has been used for a promo for both the Gossip Girl
TV series, and the sale of Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits at Target
.
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, taken from her compilation album, Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits
Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits
Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits is the first greatest hits album from American recording artist Christina Aguilera. The album was released on November 7, 2008 with the confirmation that a lead single named "Keeps Gettin' Better was released in September 9th 2008...
(2008). The song was written by Aguilera, while additional writing and song production was done by Linda Perry
Linda Perry
Linda Perry is an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer. Once best known as the lead singer and primary songwriter of 4 Non Blondes, Perry has founded two record labels and has become a major songwriter and producer...
. It was released as the first and only single from the album on September 5, 2008. "Keeps Gettin' Better" is a teen pop
Teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
and dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
song that draws influences from rhythm and blues
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
, and according to Aguilera, refers to what females are capable of. The song received positive reviews from contemporary critics, who considered it a bouncy dance-pop anthem.
"Keeps Gettin' Better" achieved moderate success, reaching number four in Canada and seven on the 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...
. The song also reached top twenty positions in several European countries. An accompanying music video, directed by Peter Berg
Peter Berg
Peter Berg is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is known for directing films such as Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, The Rundown, Hancock and Battleship. He also developed the television series Friday Night Lights, which was adapted from the film he directed. As an actor...
, portrays Aguilera as a heroine in a comic book. The music video was listed at number seventeen on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Top 40 Videos of 2008. "Keeps Gettin' Better" was performed for the first time at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards
2008 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 7, 2008 live from Paramount Pictures Studios , honoring the best music videos from the previous year. Nominations for a majority of the categories were announced on the MTV program FNMTV after being selected through viewer online voting at...
, in a similar concept to the one of the music video. The performance received positive reviews.
Background
During the summer of 2007, on the AsiaAsia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n leg of the Back to Basics Tour
Back to Basics Tour
The Back to Basics Tour was the fourth concert tour by American recording artist Christina Aguilera. The tour supported her third studio album Back to Basics. It grossed over $90 million worldwide with 82 shows...
, Aguilera said that her upcoming album would be "short, sweet and completely different" from her previous long play Back to Basics
Back to Basics (Christina Aguilera album)
Back to Basics is the third studio album by American recording artist Christina Aguilera, first released on August 10, 2006 by RCA Records...
(2006). Following the birth of her first son, Aguilera stated in an interview with Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
that, due to the pregnancy, her forthcoming album would include a totally new aspect of herself as an artist. In 2008, Aguilera confirmed she would be releasing her first greatest hits album named Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits, stating about the album title "I'm looking forward to the next 10 years, which is partly why I named the album, Keeps Gettin' Better, 'cause it does". Aguilera stated the compilation album was an introduction to future recordings saying "Once you hear the new material you'll have a very clear idea what the direction of it is". The album features revisions of her previous singles with Aguilera calling them "reinventions".
The new additions featured named; "Genie 2.0", is a revised version of the song "Genie in a Bottle
Genie in a Bottle
"Genie in a Bottle" is the second single by American pop recording artist, Christina Aguilera, taken from her self-titled debut album. It was co-written by David Frank, Steve Kipner, and Pamela Sheyne, and produced by Frank and Kipner respectively...
" and "You Are What You Are (Beautiful)", is a revised version of her single "Beautiful
Beautiful (Christina Aguilera song)
"Beautiful" is a song written by Linda Perry and recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped...
". The compilation album also features new original songs; "Keeps Gettin' Better" and "Dynamite". The new album additions and remixes were produced by Linda Perry
Linda Perry
Linda Perry is an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer. Once best known as the lead singer and primary songwriter of 4 Non Blondes, Perry has founded two record labels and has become a major songwriter and producer...
. Aguilera said about the new additions "This time around, I'm playing with this superhero element based on the fact that fans have grown up with me since I was 17 and have continually supported my changes throughout the years." Aguilera discussed the content of the album saying "I can't believe it's been a decade already [...] but it's very exciting. All the old, the biggest hits I've come out with [are on the album]. I don't even know how to describe what a journey it's been but it's been amazing." "Keeps Gettin' Better" was digitally released on September 5, 2008, and officially sent to radio stations on September 22, 2008, as the first and only single from the album.
Composition
"Keeps Gettin' Better" is a teen popTeen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
and dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
song that draws influences from rhythm and blues
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
, lasts for three minutes and two seconds. The song is composed in the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of F minor
F minor
F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. The harmonic minor raises the E to E. Its key signature has four flats ....
and is set in time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
of common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
with a driving shuffle tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
of 130 beats per minute. Aguilera's vocal range spans from F3 to C5. In the song, Aguilera refers herself as both a "super-girl" and a "super-bitch" and in an interview with MSN
MSN
MSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...
she said following "After having my own child, it's pretty amazing what females are capable of. We're Supergirl, we do it all: we give the love, we give the milk. On the other hand, I'm running a business. I'm running my career. That comes with being labeled a bitch. If that's what I'm gonna be called by being assertive and knowing who I am and what I want out of life, then so be it. I will wear that label proudly. For me it's about turning that word into a positive."
Critical response
"Keeps Gettin' Better" received positive reviews from contemporary critics. Chris Williams of BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
noted, "while it wouldn't make for an interesting album's worth of material, Aguilera's exciting performance of the song at MTV's Video Music Awards shows an artist that knows when it's time to change it up. Teamed again with the incomparable Linda Perry, 'Better' should have no problem keeping company with Tina's rich catalog of hits." Music editor Nick Levine from British entertainment and media website Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
welcomed the single writing, commenting that "it isn't one of Christina's boldest singles, but it's a welcome change from what she was up to on 'Back to Basics' and will more than hold its own on her greatest hits album." Entertainment Weekly
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...
listed "Keeps Gettin' Better" under "16 Fall Music Essentials", saying, "Xtina isn't quite ready to release a follow-up to's 2006's Back To Basics yet, but in the meantime, she's keeping fans happy with this bouncy dance-pop anthem." Newspaper The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
listed the song as one of the hottest downloads of the first November week.
Chart performance
On September 21, 2008, the song debuted and peaked on the Australian ARIA ChartsARIA 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...
at number twenty-six. The song has performed well on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
chart; it first debuted at number sixteen, and a week later the song became the "Greatest Airplay, Sales Gainer", moving up and peaking number four. However, the track only spent one week within the top ten. On the dated week of September 30, 2008, "Keeps Gettin' Better" sold 143,895 legal downloads in its first week, debuting at number seven on the 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...
a few weeks later. This has become Aguilera's highest debut on the chart and her first top ten hit since "Ain't No Other Man
Ain't No Other Man
"Ain't No Other Man" is a song written by Christina Aguilera, Charles Roane, DJ Premier, Harold Beatty, and Kara DioGuardi for Aguilera's third studio album Back to Basics...
" in 2006. It debuted and peaked at number twenty-one in 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 ....
, and reached number fourteen in the United Kingdom.
Music video
Beginning with October 24, iLike started premiering behind-the-scenes teaser a day, which featured interviews with Christina Aguilera. The music video was released in iLike on October 27. Popjustice said, "The video, which was filmed by Peter BergPeter Berg
Peter Berg is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is known for directing films such as Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, The Rundown, Hancock and Battleship. He also developed the television series Friday Night Lights, which was adapted from the film he directed. As an actor...
(Friday Night Lights) will feature Aguilera as Catwoman
Catwoman
Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...
, but the video's a riot of costume changes, makeovers, multiple 'scenarios' and Christina even seems to look like she's having fun". People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
reported, "I really enjoyed making the video. Being an artist who likes to play around with different looks, it was a lot of fun to portray various characters within the same shoot." The video was listed at number seventeen on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Top 40 Videos of 2008.
The Target commercial showed Aguilera again portraying a heroine in a comic book. She is driving a plane "out of control" and crashes it. She continues singing and looks into a mirror of her comic reflection, censoring the "damn" in "I don't give a damn" to an "aahhhh". She flashes her hands toward the screen, breaking it like glass, her comic equivalent crashing through the screen and landing as the actual Aguilera, both versions dressed in red instead of black. To censor "I'm a super bitch", a sound effect of Aguilera crossing her arms (both having the Target logo on them) was used. She kicks (making the word 'POW' appear) at the air and continues singing with a matching red mask. "But it won't" are displayed in a thought bubble for Aguilera to go with the lyrics, and "Oh nooo..." is displayed as a speech of Aguilera's. She throws a fireball into the air, just Aguilera speaks about her album as it appears in another panel, with 'AVAILABLE NOW!' seen nearby. The fireball explodes into the Target logo, finishing with Aguilera standing on a building with the Target logo as a moon, with the 'THE END.' displayed in the panel.
Promotion
Its first television performance was at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards2008 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 7, 2008 live from Paramount Pictures Studios , honoring the best music videos from the previous year. Nominations for a majority of the categories were announced on the MTV program FNMTV after being selected through viewer online voting at...
on September 7, 2008. According to Gil Kaufman 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....
, Aguilera "was poured into a second-skin leather catsuit accessorized with silver armbands, a black-leather cat mask, black gauzy cape and platinum-blond hair. Standing in a tower of neon-lit boxes, Christina gave a taste of the future-shock version of her first hit, 'Genie in a Bottle
Genie in a Bottle
"Genie in a Bottle" is the second single by American pop recording artist, Christina Aguilera, taken from her self-titled debut album. It was co-written by David Frank, Steve Kipner, and Pamela Sheyne, and produced by Frank and Kipner respectively...
', before slinking over to a glowing set to perform her new Goldfrapp-like techno dance tune 'Keep Gettin' Better'." The song has been used for a promo for both the Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
TV series, and the sale of Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits at Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
.
Track listings
- Digital download
- "Keeps Gettin' Better" – 3:02
- Australian CD single
- "Keeps Gettin' Better" – 3:02
- "Keeps Gettin' Better" [Instrumental] – 3:02
- German CD single
- "Keeps Gettin' Better" – 3:02
- "Keeps Gettin' Better" [Tom Neville's Worse For Wear Remix] – 7:25
- Mexican CD single
- "WomanizerWomanizer (song)"Womanizer" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on September 26, 2008 by Jive Records as the lead single of the album. Produced and co-written by Nikesha Briscoe and Rafael Akinyemi of The Outsyders, the song had to be...
" – 3:43 - "Keeps Gettin' Better" – 3:02
Credits and personnel
Credits for "Keeps Gettin' Better" adapted from the single liner notes.- Christina Aguilera — lead vocals, background vocals, songwritingSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
- Linda Perry — songwriting, producerRecord 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...
, all instruments, programming, engineering - Marc Jameson — drum programming
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|