The 10 Best Britney Unreleased Tracks

Out of all the pop artists that I've become obsessed with in the past ten years, Britney Spears is perhaps the one singer who has a surprisingly impressive back catalogue of unreleased hits. Most songs are usually kept back by the label for a reason but in Britney's case, its often because the style of the tracks didn't fit with her image of the time. As a result, many of the unreleased songs from later in her career are actually quite dark and experimental so combined with her best remixes, there's a huge selection of quality material to check out once you become bored of the album releases. It was hard to be selective but here are my 10 favourite unreleased Britney tracks and B-sides.


Rebellion 

First up is a track from the 'Blackout' sessions, recorded at an infamously difficult time in Britney's life and both the lyrics and production reflect the problems she faced at the time. It's a shame that 'Rebellion' was never officially released but I think it's because the song doesn't fit in with the electro feel of the album. This leaked demo loops the first verse and chorus, which should be annoying but actually adds to the strange atmosphere of the track.  

Telephone

Britney is renowned for letting some huge hits pass her by, including Rihanna's monster smash 'Umbrella', but to let 'Telephone' go was unforgivable. Lady Gaga originally wrote the track for Britney but as Ms Spears was unable to fit it into her recording schedule, Gaga went and released the song with Beyonce. Since then, a (very) rough demo has been leaked which gives us an idea of what the final track could have sounded like. I really like this version although I would have liked it even more if the track had been officially released with Gaga and Britney, instead of Beyonce.

She'll Never Be Me

It's great to hear a darker side to Britney but we can't forget the sweet youthful teenybopper who first took over the world more than a decade ago. 'She'll Never Be Me' is classic old school Britney, which has a Max Martin feel to the production but was apparently co-written by her lover at the time, Justin Timberlake. This would have made a great addition to the 'Britney' album and it's a shame more people haven't heard it.   

Strangest Love

'Strangest Love' was originally recorded for 'In The Zone' and I have no idea why it wasn't officially released. The production fits in perfectly with the chilled trip-hop vibe of the album and Britney sounds brilliant on the song. I love this track as it shows another side to Britney that's not just uptempo party chick or cute next-door girl. 

The Joy Of Pepsi

It's easy to forget how young and energetic Britney was back in the day so if you need a reminder, check out her Pepsi commercial from her bubblegum pop days. Its cheese all over but the song is catchy as hell and Britney just looks stunning throughout. What else can I say? 

Let Go

Britney haters often claim that the singer is just a puppet and has no artistry of her own. To those people, I would say check out the unreleased piano ballad 'Let Go', which is a stunning showcase for Britney's unique vocal talent. I'm not sure when this was recorded but I think it would have fitted beautifully onto any one of her albums.  

Little Me (Just Yesterday)


Some fans believe that this ballad is about Britney talking to her younger sister, trying to reassure Jamie-Lynn during her breakdown but others think that its actually Britney singing to her younger innocent self, before all the craziness took over her life. Whatever the case might be, I love this song for its beautiful lyrics and it just goes to show that you don't need to belt out a ballad to make it sound heartfelt and emotional.

Burning Up

This cover of Madonna's 'Burning Up' was performed on Britney's recent Femme Fatale tour but was never officially released. Despite being one of the more recent recordings on this list, 'Burning Up' hearkens back to a younger, poppier and more carefree Britney who just sounds like she's having fun cutting loose on the track. It's hardly groundbreaking but Britney's 'Burning Up' a fun version of the classic 80s hit.

Baby Boy

'Baby Boy' has a dark jazzy vibe that shows off Britney's distinctive voice perfectly. With its random spoken word interlude and hummed sections, its not exactly your typical Britney song so its easy to see why it was never released but if you embrace the strangeness, then 'Baby Boy' is actually one of Britney's best unreleased tracks.

Sugarfall

'Sugarfall' sees Britney reunite with The Neptunes production team for a slick RnB number that was recorded during the 'Blackout' sessions. Britney always sounds great with RnB production behind her but once again, the vibe of the song didn't really fit the dark, club atmosphere of 'Blackout' so it was regrettably not included on the final album.

So what do you think of my 10 favourite unreleased Britney tracks? Which one do you like the most? And are there any which you're glad were never officially released? Let me know what you think by commenting, liking and sharing below. And for more Britney, click here for her top 10 remixes and here for some awesome youtube covers of 'Scream and Shout'. Thanks!