u/jus-checkin

Truly hypnotic. I know she’s often knocked for not having a stronger voice, but she is highly underrated as a studio vocalist, especially her ability to layer vocals. I really think few could have made this song what it became. She has something special. Happy 25th to Slave! Enjoying the remixes released today.

Brits may better remember Sandie Shaw’s version. Americans may be more familiar with the Naked Eyes version. Some may even associate this song with Burt Bacharach’s favorite muse Dionne Warwick. There was also an RB Greaves version somewhere in there. But this was the original. And the best imho.

So her performance of “Stronger” at the 2001 American Music Awards (which she co-hosted with LL Cool J) is one of my all time favorite performances! That dance break!Her look (love those jeans!)

But I actually think there’s a lot of symbology, and I would love to get others’ takes. Forgive me while I read way too much into the performance but:

1. This is mere months after her famous 2000 VMA performance of Satisfaction/Oops I Did It Again (perhaps my absolute favorite), when she tore off her MJ-like suit to reveal a skin colored body suit. In that performance, all of her backup dancers are male. Here they are all female and I love the contrast. One of the few major performances where I think that is the case. Somehow it feels like a statement unto itself.

2. Not only are all the dancers female, they are (initially) all adorned with platinum blonde wigs. I’ve seen this dozens of times over the years but only recently realized that when Britney kneels down on the turntable toward the end of the song, all of the dancers shed their wigs and they are all brunette, leaving Britney as the only blonde! Britney is so captivating it’s easy to miss what is happening around her! I’m not sure what the message is - there can only be one blonde popstar? Or that Britney would like to shed her blonde locks but is the only one who can’t? That everyone is their own person and no one needs to try to be anyone else?

It’s kind of remarkable to see the dancers at the end of the song coming downstage and hopping over the blonde wigs on the floor. If you watch closely, the dancer to her left actually loses her wig during the dance break (the emphatic hair flips) and spends part of the performance just holding it to her head!

Anyway - such a great early performance and so much great imagery. I’m wondering if others have any theories as to the takeaway for the wig bit.