Britney Spears wasn’t referencing her abortion in the hit song Everytime — so says the songwriter, at least!
Ever since the pop star revealed she got pregnant by Justin Timberlake in 2000 before ultimately agreeing to get an abortion, fans have taken a look back at her song Everytime and the accompanying music video, which features a woman flatlining and one giving birth. Watching now with a new understanding of what went down in the teens’ ill-fated romance thanks to excerpts of Brit’s memoir The Woman In Me, the inclusion of a baby and some poignant lyrics seemed like a reference to the difficult abortion.
Plus, the song came out after JT’s revenge-fueled track Cry Me a River, which infamously referenced their breakup! Of course she’d wanna send him a message while clapping back, right?! Well, it depends on who you ask…
Writer Annet Artani, who penned the track with the Toxic musician, told TMZ on Friday that the single had NOTHING to do with the new revelation. In fact, Annet says she channeled her own heartbreak into the lyrics!
Related: Justin Timberlake Is ‘Happy At Home With Jessica Biel’ Amid Reveals?!
Both women were dealing with heartbreak at the time, but Annet’s split from the A-lister’s musical director was fresher. JT and Brit had been broken up for about 9 months at the time of the writing session, so the song was mostly about the songwriter’s relationship. She also insists the 41-year-old never mentioned an unborn child or an abortion during the writing process, so that wasn’t an inspiration.
Per Annet, the ladies would sit at the piano together while working on the song. They were friends who were going through a similar pain, so they were both sad as they’d played the instrument. While fans think the tagline, “I guess I need you, baby,” was a nod to the abortion, Annet confirmed she wrote it about her own failed romance. That said, she credits the Crossroads alum for coming up with “haunting” in the full lyric:
“And every time I see you in my dreams I see your face, you’re haunting me. I guess I need you, baby”
This certainly connects to the pregnancy reveal. Britney is said to have been haunted by the decision for years. Similar wording! Maybe she was referencing the pregnancy?! But if you ask Annet, she’d say no. The writer noted they were mostly just trying to find words with rhymes when Brit proposed the lyric.
All that said, this doesn’t mean the Grammy winner wasn’t channeling this heart-wrenching experience in the music video, though! The writer confirmed she had no involvement in the visuals for the song. That was all the Circus vocalist’s idea, so it’s possible the video concept does correlate to the abortion.
Hmmm….
Take a look at what all the hype is about (below):
What do U think, Perezcious readers?! Was this birth visual a coincidence or a secret reference?! Sound OFF (below)!
[Image via Britney Spears/Instagram/YouTube & WENN/Christina Radish]
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