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Cathy Wurzer

20 years since Britney Spears first topped the Billboard pop chart

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Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time" was number one on the Billboard pop chart 20 years ago today.

Spears was 16 when she recorded the song, about a girl hoping to hear from a former boyfriend. The song's refrain of "hit me baby one more time" was criticized for its seeming allusion to domestic violence — but as music historian John Seabrook explains, Swedish songwriter Max Martin thought "hit me" was American slang for "call me."