https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYM3rBbiDTM
Another day, another drama – and another unreleased demo.
A new (old) song from the Spearitual discography has suddenly surfaced as of Tuesday (March 13): it’s called “Red Hot Lipstick,” and it’s objectively not good. But that’s not the point: it’s what Doug Elkins, the song’s producer and co-writer, had to say about it that speaks volumes.
In his now-deleted Bandcamp post, Doug revealed how the song was made, what he really thought of Britney as she “went bat sh*t CRAZY,” and provides his not-so-humble insight into what became of the next chapter in her career.
“I produced and co-wrote this song for/with Britney Spears. I could write a few chapters about my professional life with Britney Spears, but since I have always chosen to be pretty discreet on the subject, I’m just going to say a couple of things here,” he wrote in the description.
“Britney can sing. I often would beg her to stop chewing gum in the vocal booth (to no avail), but she really can sing well when she puts her heart into it. It totally bums me out when I see her lip-syncing (which is almost always),” he said.
Lord knows, we’ve all seen and heard that she has her ways: she will excuse herself to the bathroom and secretly bounce if she doesn’t like how a session’s going, and she will never take the gum out of her mouth. The lip-syncing thing is more boring than the people who point out that MTV doesn’t play music videos anymore. We been knew.
“I know it is ridiculous to feel bad for someone as wealthy and beloved as Britney, but when I see that medicated Francis Farmer-esque look in ward Britney’s eyes and her less than passionate performances of late, I really do feel like she is really not all there,” he continued.
Wait. What? “It is ridiculous to feel bad for someone as wealthy and beloved as Britney” is a statement shockingly devoid of compassion. But then, it’s the same sentiment that gave rise to 2007-era paparazzi culture. She’s rich! She’s famous! What could she possibly have to complain about? Why should she be sad, right?
Anyway. This is where Doug really starts to flaunt his boundless sympathy for someone who might be struggling with mental illness in the spotlight:
“One of the most exciting moments of my professional career was the day Britney handed in this song as part of her finished record to her label Jive Records. As I waited over the course of several months to find out the fate of the song, I watched along with the world in horror as her marriage imploded and she went bat sh*t CRAZY. Blackout, the album that came out after her hair had finally grown back (at least enough to put in extensions anyway) included none of the songs she had turned in to the label originally. I have to admit Blackout was pretty good…of course, minus one glaring omission.”
Oh wow. Basically: she “went CRAZY” and didn’t pick his song. The petty jab at her hair! The sheer bitterness of it all! Did the royalties from Kevin Federline‘s Playing With Fire, which Doug apparently helped to engineer, finally stop coming in?
Sweetie, first of all: this track doesn’t hold a candle to the worst song on Blackout. (There is no worst song.)
Also, given that this was handed in before her divorce, that wouldn’t make this a Blackout demo, but rather one of the many songs that she recorded for what would have been her In The Zone follow-up: Original Doll, which was recorded between the time of The Onyx Hotel Tour up until her divorce. The sessions – including “Mona Lisa,” “Ouch,” “Money, Love & Happiness” and the handful of other tracks that have leaked over the years – were all scrapped before the Blackout project started.
“Red Hot Lipstick” sounds like it was recorded using a free preprogrammed MIDI ringtone called “Funky,” salvaged only by Britney’s signature voice. But that’s hardly the point!
Really, the rude ass description did nothing but illustrate how people perceived her situation at the time and, evidently, still do.
Enjoy it, I guess!
Photo credit: David LaChapelle