The Next Cover of Rolling Stone: Britney Spears Returns

A year after her very public meltdown, Britney Spears is back to work and out of trouble. But what has the comeback cost her? Rolling Stone has Britney's full story in the issue of Rolling Stone that hits newsstands this week. "I feel like an old person now," Spears tells RS's Jenny Eliscu. "I do! I go to bed at, like, 9:30 every night, and I don't go out or anything, you know what I mean? I just feel like an old fart." Spears says she's considering lopping off the weave she's worn since shaving her head in 2007, and counts up her tattoos (they now number seven), giggling.

Click here for a first look at the cover story, and photos from the shoot — and stay tuned for much more:

• Cover Story: Britney Returns
• Britney Lets Loose for Rolling Stone's Cameras: Exclusive Photos
• Britney Spears: The Rolling Stone Covers and Cover Stories

Plus, read our review of Britney's new album and listen to it care/of Imeem:
• Album Review: Circus

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  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
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  MOVIES 'Great Gatsby' Is a Crushing Disappointment
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  TV Why You Should Watch 'Happy Endings'
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  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“The A Team”

Ed Sheeran | 2011

This debut track from the then-20-year-old British singer-songwriter has a dark story behind it. Sheeran says he culls songwriting inspiration from "viewing other people's situations," which, for the heroine in "The A Team," involves drug addiction and prostitution that began as a teen. Sheeran paints the woman's trials with haunting imagery such as "But lately her face seems/Slowly sinking, wasting/Crumbling like pastries." "I did a gig at a homeless shelter, [and the song] is about one of the women there. It's her story," he said.

More Song Stories entries »

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