Sometimes (Britney Spears song)
| "Sometimes" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by Britney Spears | ||
| From the album ...Baby One More Time | ||
| Single Released | June 1999 | |
| Single Format | Airplay only | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Song Length | 4:05 | |
| Record Label | Jive | |
| Writer | Jorgen Elofsson | |
| Producers | Jorgen Elofsson P. Magnusson D. Kreuger | |
| Director | Nigel Dick | |
| Chart Positions | #21 US #3 UK #2 AU | |
| Britney Spears single chronology | ||
| "...Baby One More Time" (1998) |
"Sometimes" (1999) |
"(You Drive Me) Crazy (The Stop Remix)" (1999) |
"Sometimes" is the second single from pop music singer Britney Spears, released from her debut album ...Baby One More Time in June 1999. It became her 2nd top forty hit in the US and her 2nd top five hit in the UK.
"Sometimes" was written by Jorgen Elofsson and produced by him, among others. Elofsson would go on to win a BMI Pop Award in 2000 for Song of the Year for composing the single. Unlike its up-beat predecessor "...Baby One More Time", "Sometimes" is a more emotional ballad about love and its symptoms as Spears declares "sometimes I run, sometimes I hide, sometimes I'm scared of you". The music video for the song helped set her public image to that of a virginal, 'girl-next-door' type. This would be altered to that of a powerful and very sexual woman in the not-so-distant future.
Music video
As with "...Baby One More Time", "Sometimes" was also directed by Nigel Dick. Shot at Paradise Cove in Malibu, CA, the video was relatively low-key in comparison with its predecessor. Still, it became her second of many videos to retire on MTV's TRL. The summer beach setting aligned nicely with the time it was released.
The video basically shows Spears in various places on the beach, watching her love interest from afar. As he plays with his dog on the sand, Britney is seen on a lookout, by the pier or on a picnic blanket wishing she was there with him. The video also includes scenes of dance with Spears and several others on the beach pier adorned entirely in white.
Controversy
In Spring 2005, Spears and her management were sued because of the writing credits on "Sometimes". Indiana native Steve Wallace pushed a $150,000 lawsuit, claiming he was the one who wrote the song.
Chart performance
Though not nearly as huge a success as "...Baby One More Time" (perhaps due to to its airplay-only release), "Sometimes" still proved to fare well on the charts, peaking just outside the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100 at #21 due to its top twenty peak on the Hot 100 Airplay. Despite spending a very average twenty weeks on the chart (with twelve of these within the top forty), the song was still ranked at #86 on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End chart for 1999.
The song also proved to be a success on Top 40 radio, going top ten on both the Top 40 Tracks and Top 40 Mainstream, as well as top twenty on the Rhythmic Top 40 and Adult Contemporary chart.
Internationally, the song proved to be an even bigger hit, peaking at #2 in Australia and #3 in the UK.
Charts
US
| Year | Single | Chart | Position | Number of Chart-Topper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | Billboard Hot 100 | #21 | — |
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | #14 | — |
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | Top 40 Tracks | #9 | — |
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | Top 40 Mainstream | #4 | — |
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | Rhythmic Top 40 | #12 | — |
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | Adult Top 40 | #29 | — |
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | Adult Contemporary | #11 | — |
Chart trajectory
| Billboard Hot 100 chart trajectory—"Sometimes" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | ||||||||||
| Chart position | 81 | 57 | 48 | 36 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 25 | 33 | 40 | 54 | 61 | 69 | 81 | 86 | ||||||||||
International
| Year | Single | Chart | Position | Number of Chart-Topper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | World Chart Show | #1 (2 weeks) | 2nd |
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | Global Hot 100.com Singles | #8 | — |
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | Eurochart Hot 100 Singles | #3 | — |
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | UK Singles Chart | #3 | — |
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | ARIA Singles Chart | #2 | — |
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | Germany Top 100 Singles | #6 | — |
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | France Top 100 Singles | #13 | — |
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | Sweden Top 60 Singles | #4 | — |
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | Switzerland Top 100 Singles | #7 | — |
| 1999 | "Sometimes" | Netherlands Mega Top 100 Singles | #1 (2 weeks) | 2nd |