Theprophetblog
“3″ is the official lead from Britney’s upcoming best of compilation The Singles Collection, and is produced by the singers most well-known collaborator Max Martin. The Swedish hitmaker also helmed a number of Spears biggest tunes from “…Baby One More Time” to “Oops!… I Did It Again” and “Stronger”. Check out the provocative pop jam below.

Wow, if there was ever a song to mark Britney’s 10 years of ruling the pop scene than this is it. The club-heavy ode to group sex that is “3″ contains everything that makes Britney, Britney. It’s a perfect pure pop record!

The beat is a certified dancefloor filler, it’s a relentless and doesn’t stop, becoming more intense as the song picks up steam until it finally climaxes like a musical orgasm. The way it picks-up and stops, then changes tempo is amazing. The hook is insanely infectious, and actually rivals the catchiness of “Oh baby baby” and “Gimme gimme more, gimme gimme”

The lyrics are classic Britney; they’re flirty, sexy, provocative, tongue-in-cheek, and full of the cheeky faux-innocence we’ve come to expect from the girl who once tried to convince us that she was a ‘virgin’. This point is further driven home as Britney chants the hook like it’s a sexed-up nursery rhyme.

Vocally Spears comes across quite similar to “Mannequin” from her Circus album, with her voice being fed through autotune to the point where she sounds like a singing fembot crossed with a blow up a doll. What Britney does brilliantly though (and has done her whole career) is her ability to add her unique personality to the song.

Despite being heavily produced Britney never lets the song swallow her and she lets us know that she’s the one in charge. She also shows us why she’s one of the most successful female artists of all time by delivering yet another flawless anthem, maintaining a consistency and quality in her music that’s rarely seen in the genre.

Some people may argue that they wanted a more urban Britney this time around, but I think it was important that this record be completely pop. It’s how she started so it only makes sense that it should be how she celebrates her 10 year anniversary and new greatest hits compilation. Brilliant!

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Rollingstone
Britney Spears’ new single “3″ — the sole fresh song off her upcoming best-of compilation The Singles Collection — debuted this morning on New York Top 40 station Z100, and yes, the song is about having a threesome. The music itself seems to borrow from the Flo Rida playbook, as “3″ is more of a surefire dance-floor stomper than anything Brit loaded onto Blackout or Circus. “Merrier the more, triple fun that way,” Spears sings in one of the many, many innuendo-packed lyrics that seem like they were spawned from Prince’s Dirty Mind-era brain. There’s also “Three is a charm, two is not the same. I don’t see the harm, so are you game?” and “If you don’t like the company, let’s just do it you and me. You and me… Or three… Or four…” The song also boasts the strangest Peter, Paul and Mary reference we’ve ever heard.

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Neonlimelight
So, the new single from Britney Spears‘ The Singles Collection, “3,” premiere today, and even though the collection’s release was just announced mid-week last week, fans could hardly contain themselves waiting for its arrival.

Turns out you actually go through three phases when listening to the song, which ultimately leads to your acceptance of it.

Snap judgement: This song is so not worth the hype. Another pumped up electro-pop mish-mosh. Like, dude, did she actually say “Peter, Paul, and Mary”? So inappropriate!

Settling in: What’s that? Why are my shoulders moving this way? Could I be…dancing!?

Spellbound: I’m suddenly scouring my room to find glow sticks and a feather boa to throw a rave with this song as the only thing on the playlist. Savory!

And there you have it. Another Britney song. Not one of her best. Definitely not her most original, or even most imaginative, but thanks to skillful producers who know how to cater to the pop masses (thanks, Max Martin!), you’ll grow to dig it because you have no other choice.

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MTV
Britney Spears released her new single, “3,” on Tuesday morning (September 29). The track was produced by hit-maker and longtime Spears collaborator Max Martin, who also produced “… Baby One More Time,” and its subject matter — which appears to be about loving multiple people at one time — is sure to cause a stir.
The song, which is posted on New York radio station Z-100′s Web site, is a catchy dance track with provocative lyrics, such as, “1, 2, 3/ Not only you and me/ Got 180 degrees/ And I’m caught in between.” The chorus also mentions “Peter, Paul and Mary,” which would seem to be an out-of-left-field reference to the ’60s folk act. (There’s no indication whether this song was recorded before or after member Mary Travers’ death on September 17.)

In July, during the European trek for her Circus tour, Spears tweeted that she was working with Martin on a song. “Back in the studio with Max!” she wrote about the collaboration.

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Daily B:

Facts:

- It’s about ‘doing it’ with two people at once.

- It is synthy and auto-tuned up the wazoo, but not like what you were expecting really.

- Choice lyric: “Living in sin is the new thing.”

- It is required to listen to “3″ no less than three times, as its value will grow exponentially upon each play.

- It is like “Womanizer” in the sense that the verses are “meh,” the bridge is “literally fantastic,” and the chorus is “ridiculously, ridiculously catchy.”

- The greatest moment is the song’s middle eight (which sort of vastly improves on elements from 2003’s “Brave New Girl.”)

- Have I mentioned the middle eight? It’s absolutely lush.

VERDICT: IT IS FANTASTIC.

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