Since Britney Spears launched her mega-successful music career in 1998, she has been singing empowering lyrics about fame, love, heartbreak, family and coming into her own. Her songs have inspired countless members of the Britney Army through the years, in addition to giving fans a rare glimpse into the ups and downs of the Grammy winner’s personal life.
In 2000, Spears, now 37, announced to the world that she was “stronger than yesterday,” but that same year, she also showed a more vulnerable side. “She’s so lucky, she’s a star / But she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart, thinking / ‘If there’s nothing missing in my life / Then why do these tears come at night?’” she pondered on “Lucky,” another single from her album Oops!… I Did It Again.
A year later, the Crossroads actress explained that because she was “not a girl, not yet a woman,” she struggled with the fact that her life had “been so overprotected.”
That all changed in 2004 when Spears recorded a fierce cover of Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative,” adding an extra punch to ever-so-relatable lyrics including, “Everybody’s talking all this stuff about me / Why don’t they just let me live? / I don’t need permission, make my own decisions / That’s my prerogative.”
Much to the world’s surprise, a highly publicized breakdown ensued in 2007 and 2008, but it only made the Princess of Pop a force to be reckoned with. In the midst of everything, she transformed into “Mrs. Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” and took aim at her many critics on “Piece of Me.”
In light of Spears’ recent decision to check into a mental health facility for a tune-up amid her father Jamie Spears’ health crisis, watch the video above for more lyrics that remind Us how strong she really is.
