Twenty-five years ago, Britney Spears released a pop ballad that resonated with shy girls all over the world…

Britney Spears is celebrating a special anniversary in 2024.

Four songs from her album, ‘…Baby One More Time’, are turning 25 this year.

Britney released her debut studio album in January 1999 – a few months after her song of the same name became a smash hit.

The first song to achieve the milestone is her pop ballad, ‘Sometimes’. It was released in April of that year and became a top 10 hit in several countries worldwide.

Britney explained the meaning behind the song in an interview with MTV.

“Well, basically the song is just about a girl who’s interested in a guy and she’s really shy and she doesn’t know how to approach him. So, that’s the basic gist of the song,” she said.

The track’s official music video was shared on YouTube in 2009. It has been watched more than 320 million times since then.

(You Drive Me) Crazy
Shortly after dropping ‘Sometimes’, Britney released ‘(You Drive Me) Crazy’. The song, which was released in August 1999, also featured on the soundtrack of Melissa Joan Hart’s romantic comedy, ‘Drive Me Crazy’.

The song’s official HD music video was published on YouTube in 2009 and currently has over 204 million views.

Born to Make You Happy
Next to mark its 25th anniversary is ‘Born to Make You Happy’. Fun fact, the December 1999 song was only released as an official single in Europe.

From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
‘From the Bottom of My Broken Heart’ was also released in December 1999 as the final single from Britney’s debut album.

The year 1999 was a big year for Britney. Not only was she the biggest-selling new artist of the year, but her single releases helped cement her new title as the ‘Princess of Pop’.

“My teenage years were full of Britney songs… She was an inspiration [to] her generation, and she made many of us happy through her songs,” one fan wrote on YouTube.