100 Plays Later is a series that is exactly how it sounds. I try to explain how I’ve managed to reach a century of plays on songs you may not even recognise. Or explain what it’s like to listen back to my favourite songs for the 238th time. 

Radar – Britney Spears – 106 Plays

Radar isn’t Britney’s best single. In fact it’s arguably one of the weakest single releases of her career. If that’s the case, then how has it managed to rack up so many plays, especially in a library where Toxic only has 61 plays. Appearing both on her standout album Blackout and its follow up Circus, Radar‘s journey to being released a a single was one that continues to baffle me to this day. The now infamous video that takes cues from Madonna’s Take A Bow ‘polo themed’ clip is hilarious given the thumping bass of the track.

Despite all of this there’s some part of me that can’t help but love Radar. Maybe it’s the way Britney pronounces it ‘Raider’, or the way that the whole thing sounds more threatening than sexy. It could be that breathy hook, or the piercing synth that accents her futuristic vocals. Either way it’s a track on one of my all time favourite albums that manages to stand toe to toe with the best songs of her career. It’s Britney at her most electronic, but when the result is a pop banger this good it’s hard to care.