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If you're not a fan of Britney Spears (otherwise inexplicably known as a member of the 'Britney Army') or a hissing Illuminati overlord, you may never have heard of 'Rebellion'. The little-known track was never released as a single, never performed live, and never received any critical response from anyone outside of the Britney fanbase.
It's not much to listen to, right? And yet, since it was hinted at by Britney way back in 2006, it's been beyond doubt the most anticipated song for release in her back catalogue since that rumoured duet with Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Backed by questionable conspiracy theories regarding the Illuminati as well as certifiably true occurrences that happened during Spears' very public meltdown in early 2007, the song took on a life of it's own, standing in for a Britney on autopilot as a testament to her creativity and artistic integrity.
But what lead to the song's initial creation and immense rise to popularity? Read on to find out more!
'Rebellion' was first teased way back in 2006 when Brit posted a short, fifty second snippet of the track on the main page of her website, accompanied by a very 2000's animation of the Princess of Pop transforming into a Bengal Tiger and a cacophony of roars. The snippet came just months after the announcement of Spears new album, intended at that time to be called The Original Doll (the title was a stab at labelmates The Pussycat Dolls), and the debut of what Britney was touting as the lead single without her label's permission, 'Mona Lisa'. Even though fans only heard a minute sample of what the track fully had to offer, it was clear that the song marked a new change of direction for Spears: 2003's masterpiece In The Zone may have introduced a mature, more emotionally in touch Britney, but 'Rebellion' explored the dark side of fame in a way that 'Lucky' had never done.
QuoteBe wary of others, the ones closest to you,
The poison they feed you and the voodoo that they do.But in rebellion, there's a sparkle of truth,
Don't just stand there, do what you've got to do.You'll find it in rebellion, your body starts breathing.
They're not believing what they're seeing,
And you're rebellion.You'll find it so compelling with everyone yelling,
Because your soul, you're not selling,
And you're rebellion.
Interestingly, the snippet wasn't the first time fans had heard lyrics to the same effect. Just months before, in May 2006, Britney had posted a poem on her website in a section called ‘Love B: Stream of Consciousness’. A personal diary, 'Love B' was a place for Brit's somewhat sentimental innermost thoughts to be shared with her fans: a typical entry in 2005 stated "Now that the chaos has subsided, I finally feel as though I have the control I've wanted over my own destiny". Titled ‘Remembrance of Who I Am’, the poem appeared beside Spears' diary entries only briefly before being pulled down only shortly after publication.
QuoteNo more chains
That you gave me.
Enough of pain
Now I'm craving
Something sweet
How do you stand sleeping at night?Silly patterns that we follow
You pull me in
I'm being swallowed.
By the ones you think you love
They pull you down
You can't see up above.Manipulation is the key
They screw it in
Because you're naive.You come to me now
Why do you bother?
Remember the Bible
The sins of the Father.
What you do, you pass down
No wonder why
I lost my crown.You don't see me now
You ask yourself why
My crown is back
And it's way too high
For you to be in my presence
Especially my son
You should bow down
I've only just begun.The guilt you fed me
Made me weak.
The voodoo you did
I couldn't speak.You're awakening
The phone is ringing
Resurrection of my soul
The fear I'm bringing.What will you say
And what will you do?
She's not the same person that you're used to.
The poem was accompanied by another message: "This is for everyone who thinks they know me..."
Some of these lyrics did end up being used word for word in another unreleased Britney song. 'All That She Wants' was recorded in 2006 and leaked in 2008, and samples the Ace of Base song of the same name. But the lyrics regarding "voodoo" and being "fed" either poison or guilt have only been heard in 'Rebellion'.
Here's where some snooping comes in. Using Wayback Machine, a website that allows you to view the contents of a website on a specific date, we can see that a full set of lyrics was actually uploaded to AZLyrics on the 24th of June, 2006, alongside an audio track that's no longer available.
QuoteYou might not believe it
But trust me this is true
You fall for their poison
And become a part of their crew
I'm in a rebellion
And I'm up against the truth
So will you join me?
Or will you be taken too?You'll find it in rebellion
Your body starts breaking in
They're not believing what they're seeing
'Cause you're rebellionYou'll find it so compelling
'Cause everyone's yelling
'Cause your soul you're not selling
'Cause you're rebellionBe wary of others
The ones closest to you
The poison they feed you
And the voodoo that they do
But in rebellion there's a sparkle of truth
Don't just stand there
Do what you got to doYou'll find it in rebellion
You'll finally start breathing
They're not believing what they're seeing
'Cause you're rebellionYou'll find it so compelling
With everyone yelling
'Cause your soul you're not selling
'Cause you're rebellionThe eye that is deceiving is the one trapping us in
I'm fighting a losing battle and my patience is wearing thin
But in rebellion there's a glimmer of light
And nobody claims the crown without some sacrifice
Looking at these lyrics, we can deduce that the snippet Britney posted was in fact of the second verse of the song, and that the first verse has remained unheard - almost. A low quality snippet of the song's opening can be heard in the following video of Spears cruising around Los Angeles in her car back in 2007, accompanied by boyfriend Isaac Cohen and listening to demos for her upcoming album Blackout. Songs on the tape also include 'State Of Grace', 'To Love Let Go' and 'Baby Boy', all of which leaked after the demo CD was found on eBay a few years ago; but 'Rebellion' has remained conspicuously unheard. Skip to 0:53 for the opening few moments of the track.
Working on 'Rebellion' with Britney was three male collaborators: Christopher "Notes" Olsen (who had worked on Spears' husband's Kevin Federline's album Playing With Fire just months before), Scott Storch (who had remixed 'Me Against the Music' a few years prior) and Jeff Dandurand (a relative unknown). When interviewed about the track in 2013, Dandurand claimed that the song was "about the evil forces that pull the strings" and "very obscure in its presentation", going on to say that he and Spears had written lyrics to the track before Notes added melody and Storch polished the overall product. "People connect it with Iluminattis and this could be true," he added.
Dandurand's opinion, however nonsensical, is one shared by a multitude of Spears fans. Perceiving 'Rebellion' as a cry for help, fans say that the track was Britney's attempt to expose the Illuminati cult that controlled Hollywood, and that it's failure to be heard represents a stifling of this effort by higher forces. Dandurand claims that he has attempted to purchase and release the track officially, even going so far as to state that he uploaded the entire song to YouTube at one point without fans noticing before being forced to take it down. Furthering this notion according to fans are Spears' increasingly robotic appearances following 2007, as well as the fact that Notes fell to his death in a casino in 2010 and that Storch embarked on a multi-million dollar cocaine binge that almost killed him in 2009.
But despite fan thirst, we can't honestly say that we're sure that people would want to hear the full song at this point. Since 2007, a wealth of Blackout demos have leaked sporadically, such as the saccharine bounce 'Sugarfall' or the haunting ballad 'Untitled Lullabye'. Upon it's release, the album went down in history as the best in her catalogue, pushing boundaries sonically and sexually; but the songs on the demo CD that Britney jammed to in her car were all notably absent, as were any others that had been written by the singer herself. Instead, we got an album full of tracks such as 'Gimme More': a groundbreaking jam of a song which nevertheless disappoints when we consider how emotionally open Spears had been in earlier tracks. Amid rumours that Spears' team "destroyed" any copy of the track (one seemingly started by a disgruntled former RCA Records employee) and what fans see as a continued downward spiral in Spears personal life and music, 'Rebellion' could reveal something crucial about the most difficult period in Spears' life; or, even better, inspire her to try her hand at songwriting in the future.
On the other hand, it's unlikely that any song released after almost a decade of hype will achieve everything that the fans expect of it. Judging by Spears' shaky vocals in the snippet and the outdated, clumsy R&B production, the song was in incredibly early demo stages when recorded: and even if Dandurand says that the track was remixed by Notes in 2009 and considered for release once more in that year, it's unlikely that any song Spears wrote in the lead up to her breakdown could be updated to align with her current situation.
Perhaps it's better off that the full version of 'Rebellion' remains unreleased, and that fans are left only with a small, shaky snippet full of promise and intrigue: a clip unaffected by record labels or the general public which will remain forever as a lasting testament to Spears talent and identity even as the rest of the world turned on her.
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