Britney Spears boasts an iconic catalog of bops like no other. And this week, From The Vault salutes one of the Pop force’s earliest and most electrifying – ‘(You Drive Me) Crazy.’

Housed on the then-new star’s debut album ‘…Baby One More Time,’ the track served as the LP’s third official single – following on from its smash hit title track and ‘Sometimes.’

A dynamite dancefloor jam, the high-octane cut was penned and produced by Max Martin, Per Magnusson, and David Kreuger. Additional contributions came courtesy of Rami Yacoub.

The all-star Pop dream team, who helmed many hits before and went on to deliver many after, proved the potency of their Midas touch with the 1999 offering.

Laced with hooks on hooks and garnished with Spears’ now-trademark vocal isms, ‘Crazy’ seemed tailor-made for the teen-Pop explosion that was all the rage heading into the 2000s.

And oh did it deliver when it came to resonating with its target audience.

‘Crazy’ became Spears’ third consecutive top 5 hit in the UK (peaking at #5) and placed at #10 in the US. Elsewhere, it placed at #1 in Japan, Croatia, and Iceland – while also nabbing top 5 placements in regions such as Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, Norway, France, and Germany.

To this day, ‘Crazy’ is widely hailed for helping establish Spears as a viable Pop starlet beyond the enormity of her premiere single ‘…Baby One More Time.’

Beyond its sonic magnificence, a huge component of the song’s appeal was its Y2K-esque music video.

Directed by Nigel Dick, the visual’s performance-heavy concept was conceived by Spears herself and aspects (especially its chair choreography) were confirmed to be inspired by Janet Jackson’s ‘Miss You Much.’

With ‘Crazy’ dually featuring on the Pop performer’s project as well as on the soundtrack for the film ‘Drive Me Crazy,’ the clip featured cameos from the movie’s stars Melissa Joan Hart and Adrian Grenier.

A true beacon of the “MTV era” of music videos, the clip came complete with a “Stop” dance break that remains iconic until this day.

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Like most ever-resonating narratives, Spears’ story is one filled with seismic highs and harrowing lows.

Still, regardless of the surrounding discourse, there’s no denying the music nor its huge impact on Pop culture at large.

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