Circus (Britney Spears song)

song by Britney Spears

"Circus" is a pop single from Britney Spears. It is about putting on shows and being an entertainer. The song was released from her album of the same name. It was released on December 2, 2008. The song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on American pop radio and is her second best-selling digital song in the United States, having sold over 3.2 million downloads as of July 2016.[1] On a global scale, "Circus" was one of the top 10 best selling songs of 2009 with 5.5 million digital copies sold that year across the world, according to the IFPI.[2]

"Circus"
Single by Britney Spears
from the album Circus
ReleasedDecember 2, 2008 (2008-12-02)
RecordedSummer 2008
Genre
Length3:12
LabelJive
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Britney Spears singles chronology
"Womanizer"
(2008)
"Circus"
(2008)
"If U Seek Amy"
(2009)
Music video
"Circus" on YouTube

Background

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"Circus" was written by Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco and Claude Kelly, while produced by Luke and Blanco.[3] Background vocals were provided by Cathy Dennis, Kelly and Myah Marie. Main instrumentation was done by Luke and Blanco. The song was mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia.[3] "Circus" was announced on October 31, 2008, as the second single from the album, and was officially serviced to American radio stations on December 2, 2008.[4][5]

Music and lyrics

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"Circus" is an up beat electropop and dance-pop song, with a stomp box beat and elements of pop rock.[6] The song opens with the sound of a drum and builds until Spears starts singing,[7]

References

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  1. Trust, Gary (July 17, 2016). "Ask Billboard: Britney Spears' Career Sales & How Big a Hit Will 'Make Me' Be?". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  2. "Digital Music Sales Around The World" (PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. January 21, 2010. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Circus liner notes. Jive Records (2008)
  4. Reporter, Jennifer (October 31, 2008). "Britney's Next Single: 'Circus'". BritneySpears.com. Brandcasting Unlimited. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  5. "Available for Airplay". FMQB. Archived from the original on October 31, 2005. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  6. Kelly, Claude; Gottwald, Lukasz; Blanco, Benny (2008). "Digital Sheet Music – Britney Spears – TCircus". Musicnotes.com. Kobalt Music Publishing Inc.
  7. Reporter, Pop Justice (November 11, 2008). "It's some Britney bits". Popjustice. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2010.