Britney Spears vs. Richard Thompson | Head 2 Head 🗣️

In the 40^th edition of Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️ (2023), Britney Spears and Richard Thompson contend for the best rendition of “Oops! I Did It Again.”

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  In the 40^th edition of head 🗣️2 head 🗣️ (2023), 🎙 Britney Spears and 🎙 Richard Thompson contend for the best rendition of 🎵 “Oops!… I Did It Again”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

1. Britney Spears, “Oops!… I Did It Again”  

💿 Oops!… I Did It Again • 🏷 Zomba • 📅 2000  

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!” 🎙 Britney Spears has plenty of hits, but few are more beloved or iconic than 🎵 “Oops!… I Did It Again.” “Oops!” is the title track – the main attraction on her 2000 album, 💿 Oops!… I Did It Again.  Furthermore, the song was nominated for a 🏆 Grammy, losing to one-hit-wonder, 🎙 Macy Gray (🎵 “I Try”). Unsurprisingly, it was one of 14 top 10 hits for Spears.  Perhaps more surprising that “Oops!” didn’t peak higher than no. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The production by 🎛 Max Martin and Rami Yacoub is on-point. The lyrics (Martin and Yacoub as well) are catchy AF. “I think I did it again / I made you believe, we’re more than just friends,” she sings in the first verse, adding, “Oh, baby, it might seem like a crush / But it doesn’t mean that I’m serious.” Even though Spears isn’t a powerhouse vocalist, she sounds great here – it’s giving #ICONIC! The centerpiece, the crème de la crème, is none other than the catchy, tuneful, and totally unforgettable chorus.  

“Oops, I did it again  

I played with your heart  

Got lost in the game  

Oh, baby, baby  

Oops, you think I’m in love  

That I’m sent from above  

I’m not that innocent.”     

PERIOD! 

Appears in 🔻:  

• 13 Oops, Sorry, and Other Mistake Songs (2018) 
• 13 O Songs Selected with No Rhyme or Reason (2021) 
• Eye 👁 This List of Must-Hear “I” Songs (2021) 
• Incredible Songs: 2000s, Vol. 2 (2023)

2. Richard Thompson, “Oops! I Did It Again”

💿 1000 Years of Popular Music • 🏷 Beeswing • 📅 2006

Cutting straight to the chase, English singer/songwriter 🎙 Richard Thompson seemed like an unlikely candidate to cover a 🎙 Britney Spears record – any Britney Spears record. Could he and Spears be any more different? Thompson shocked the world and shook us by covering 🎵 “Oops! I Did It Again” on his 2006 live album, 💿 1000 Years of Popular Music 🤯.  In his hands, “Oops! I Did It Again” gets a more folky makeover, yet still retains its pop vibes.

Thompson sings “Oops! I Did It Again” sensationally.  Richard possesses a distinct, expressive voice. Accompanied by guitar, with that fine and potent voice, he puts in work, making this live performance truly his own. The rhythmic guitar playing ups the ante, providing a total contrast to the heavily produced original from six years prior. The guitar solo is sweet, with colorful notes outside of the key thrown in (gotta love a raised 6^th 😉). This pop song, which appealed to millennials, finds an entirely different audience and somehow, manages not to sound nearly as cheesy or schmaltzy as the bubblegum pop original.  Maybe, just maybe “Oops! I Did It Again” has more substance than we gave it credit for in the first place? 

Appears in 🔻:

• Richard Thompson, Oops! I Did It Again: Covers No. 37 (2023)

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️ 

Ah, the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Does 🎵 “Oops!… I Did It Again” forever belong to 🎙 Britney Spears or is 🎵 “Oops! I Did It Again” by 🎙 Richard Thompson the version to beat?  Thompson is the better vocalist of both artists.  He sounds utterly sublime on his stripped take on Britney.  That said, Spears’ version was a top-10 hit, nominated for a 🏆 Grammy, and no disrespect, but only a select few have probably heard Thompson’s live cover… just saying! So, when it’s all said and done, those six “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah(s)” belong to Spears, PERIOD. 

Britney Spears vs. Richard Thompson: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 40 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Beeswing, Zomba; Hernán Toro, Los Muertos Crew, RDNE Stock project, Thomas Ronveaux from Pexels]