Single Review: Britney Spears, 'Till The World Ends'

Chris White puts his hands in the air for 'Till the World Ends'; the second single from Britney's seventh studio album Femme Fatale.

Jayne Robinson

Date published: 4th Mar 2011

UK Release Date: March 2011

Skiddle Rating: 4/5

Reviewed by: Chris White

Six weeks since the release of her dubstep-infused comeback smash ‘Hold It Against Me’. Two weeks since the premiere of possibly the most hyped and widely anticipated music video of recent times. Are we all ready for Britney’s next move?

Coming a lot sooner than everyone expected, ‘Till The World Ends’ is the lead single for Spears’s seventh studio album Femme Fatale, due at the end of March. Leaving the dubstep (or as fans have affectionately named it, brit-step) behind, this single is pure electro-pop. The opening beat is punchy; imagine a Guetta anthem slowed down a notch. Britney quite literally purrs her way through the verses, no one but no one does sexy quite like her. ‘I notice that you want it, you notice that I got it, you know I’m gonna take it, to the next level baby’. It’s electro Britney by numbers in a way, until we get to the chorus....

‘WOAH OH-OH-OH-OH- AHHHH’ – doesn’t look too great on paper, but add a few vocal layers, a splash of autotune, and a thumping bass line, and we have a genuine pop anthem. Listen to it once, just once, and try not humming it instantly. I dare you! It will come as no surprise to learn the track was penned by Ke$ha, who despite what many people seem to feel, has achieved massive commercial success in the past month and proven to be the polar opposite of what people expected; a one hit wonder. You can quite easily imagine Ke$ha singing ‘Till The World Ends’, even the production would sit comfortably next to her recent singles, but as always it’s Britney’s greatest yet most reviled asset which clinches the deal – her voice.

By the end of the song we’re in full on hands-in-the-air mode, ‘dancing ‘till the world ends’. What starts off a sexy, seductive ditty ends up being a pretty full on slice of power-pop. All in all a top quality tune, and as is tradition with Miss Spears, a cracking second single.