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"My Prerogative" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. It served as the first single from her debut greatest hits album, Greatest Hits: My Prerogative. It was released in September 2004 by Jive Records. The song's original version is performed by R&B singer Bobby Brown.

This cover was never performed live but production directors of the cancelled Las Vegas residency 'Domination' Napoleon and Tabitha confirmed that was included on the setlist.[1]

Background[]

In 2004, Britney Spears recorded a cover of "My Prerogative" with Swedish production team Bloodshy & Avant, who also produced her single "Toxic" from her fourth studio album, In the Zone (2003). Bloodshy & Avant recorded the song at Murlyn Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, while Spears recorded her vocals at Teldex Studios in Berlin, Germany.

In August 2004, Spears's label Jive Records announced that she had covered the song and was planning to release it on her debut greatest hits compilation, titled Greatest Hits: My Prerogative. The song was set to premiere on radio stations on September 21, 2004. however, it leaked on The Real Tapemasters Inc.'s mixtape The Future of R&B on September 10, 2004. Spears' cover of "My Prerogative" is musically different from its original version, with the bass and new jack swing sound replaced with synthesizers and elements typical of Bloodshy & Avant productions, but retains an R&B influence throughout its verses. It was noted by Christy Lemire of msnbc.com that the cover also contains elements of Bollywood music.

At the beginning of the song, Spears says in a breathy voice the newly added lines "People can take everything away from you / But they can never take away your truth / But the question is, can you handle mine?". The rest of the lyrics do not deviate much from the original version, but instead are changed to fit a woman's perspective. Jennifer Vineyard of MTV commented that the cover could be interpreted as a statement on Spears' personal life and the media reaction to some of her decisions at the time, including her engagement to American dancer Kevin Federline.

Cover Art[]

A promotional photo of I Love Rock 'n' Roll was used as the single cover for the song.

Lyrics[]

[Intro]
People can take everything away from you
But they can never take away your truth
But the question is
Can you handle mine?

[Verse 1]
They say I'm crazy, I really don't care
That's my prerogative
They say I'm nasty, but I don't give a damn
Gettin' boys is how I live
Some ask me questions, why am I so real?
But they don't understand me
I really don't know the deal about my sister
Tryin' hard to make it right
Not long ago, before I won this fight

[Chorus]
Everybody's talkin' all this stuff about me
Why don't they just let me live? (Tell me why)
I don't need permission, make my own decisions (Oh!)
That's my prerogative (That's my prerogative)

[Post-Chorus]
It's my prerogative
It's the way that I wanna live (It's my prerogative)
You can’t tell me what to do

[Verse 2]
Don't get me wrong, I'm really not souped
Ego trips is not my thing
All these strange relationships really gets me down
I see nothing wrong spreadin' myself around

[Chorus]
Everybody's talkin' all this stuff about me
Why don't they just let me live? (Tell me why)
I don't need permission, make my own decisions (Oh!)
That's my prerogative (That's my prerogative)

[Chorus]
Everybody's talkin' all this stuff about me
Why don't they just let me live? (Tell me why)
I don't need permission, make my own decisions (Oh!)
That's my prerogative (That's my prerogative)

[Post-Chorus]
It's the way that I wanna live (It's my prerogative)
You can’t tell me what to do

[Bridge]
Why can't I live my life
Without all of the things that people say?
Oh, oh

[Chorus]
(Oh!) Everybody's talkin' all this stuff about me
Why don't they just let me live? (Tell me why)
I don't need permission, make my own decisions (Oh!)
That's my prerogative

[Chorus]
(They say I'm crazy)
Everybody's talkin' all this stuff about me
Why don't they just let me live? (Tell me why)
(They say I'm nasty)
I don't need permission, make my own decisions (Oh!)
That's my prerogative
It's my prerogative

  1. Overprotected and My Prerogative were added onto Britney's #Domination setlist! - Absolute Britney
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