Gather ’round beneath the giant Piece Of Me “Toxic” tree, for it is that blessed time of year once again…
It’s Britmas, bitch.
Songwriter Michelle Bell is one of the few connections we have to the sessions recorded and released in between 2003’s In The Zone and the ever-mysterious, unrealized Original Doll era. She wrote several songs with Britney at the time, including “Chaotic” and “I’ve Just Begun (Having My Fun).”
But they also wrote a bunch of songs that didn’t make the cut, which Bell’s been kind enough to leak over the years, from “Money, Love & Happiness” to “Peep Show” to “Ouch.”
And Oops!…She did it again.
“Conscious” (which is how it’s spelled on Bell’s #TBT Tumblr post, although Britney’s talking about her “conscience” the entire time) is a demo that drifts along a fiery guitar riff (just like “Peep Show”), with some ambient strings make the whole thing a bit more vibe-y, as B would say. The song’s a sex jam all about fingertips, lips and hips, but like the rest of her scrapped Original Doll work, it’s a bit more left-lane than your average B-Girl smash: “You are my conscience, forsake you I won’t, I won’t/You are my promise, don’t break me, I’ll fall.”
Although this is a pretty rough demo, it’s yet another intriguing glimpse behind-the-scenes from a time when The Holy Spearit was really starting to explore her inner Rebellionney.
You got me feelin’ lovely tonight…
