Britney Spears Courts Controversy as Sexy New Single "3 " Hits Radio

Britney Spears' new single "3" — the sole fresh song off her upcoming best-of compilation The Singles Collection — debuted this morning on New York Top 40 station Z100, and yes, in the spirit of Jane's Addiction's "Three Days," the song is about having a threesome. Spears has never been shy about courting controversy, and this song will likely receive plenty of it. "3" is yet another product of producer Max Martin, the Swedish pop savant who also gave the world Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" and Spears' "If U Seek Amy," so a track about menage a  trois would be the feasible next step in his repertoire.

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The music itself seems to borrow from the Flo Rida playbook, as "3" is more of a surefire dance-floor stomper than anything Brit loaded onto Blackout or Circus. "Merrier the more, triple fun that way," Spears sings in one of the many, many innuendo-packed lyrics that seem like they were spawned from Prince's Dirty Mind-era brain. There's also "Three is a charm, two is not the same. I don't see the harm, so are you game?" and "If you don't like the company, let's just do it you and me. You and me/Or three/Or four" The song also boasts the strangest Peter, Paul and Mary reference we've ever heard.

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As Rolling Stone previously reported, The Singles Collection is due out November 24th, just in time for Black Friday. Singles will be Brit's third greatest hits compilation in four years, following 2005's My Prerogative and 2006's B in the Mix: The Remixes.

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Song Stories

“Youth Knows No Pain”

Lykke Li | 2011

“Like on 'Youth Knows No Pain' — we are the ones that should demonstrate, because we can take it,” Likke Li said. “We can pierce ourselves, take Ecstasy, dance all night and still go to work at our McDonald's jobs.” Despite the hedonistic sentiment in the song, the Swedish singer also admitted in hindsight her youth had repercussions. “I remember when I was 18-19 and feeling that I know it all,” Li said. “I always feel that I know it all. But that song is about realizing you don’t, and reflecting, ‘Boy, if I only knew what would follow.’”

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