Me Against the Music

"Me Against the Music"
Single by Britney Spears featuring Madonna
from the album In the Zone
Released	October 14, 2003 (2003-10-14)
Recorded	2003
Genre	Dance-pop hip hop
Length	3:43
Label	Jive
Songwriter(s)	Britney Spears Madonna Christopher "Tricky" Stewart Thabiso "Tab" Nikhereanye Penelope Magnet Terius Nash Gary O'Brien
Producer(s)	Christopher "Tricky" Stewart Penelope Magnet
Britney Spears singles chronology
"Anticipating" (2002) "Me Against the Music" (2003) "Toxic" (2004)
Madonna singles chronology
"Hollywood" (2003) "Me Against the Music" (2003) "Nothing Fails" (2003)
Music video
"Me Against the Music" on YouTube

"Me Against the Music" is a song by American singers Britney Spears and Madonna for Spears' fourth studio album, In the Zone (2003). It was written by Spears, Madonna, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Thabiso "Tab" Nikhereanye, Penelope Magnet, Terius Nash and Gary O'Brien. The song was released on October 14, 2003, by Jive Records, as the lead single of In the Zone. After bonding with Spears during a night in New York City, Stewart and Magnet started working on the song for her. During rehearsals for the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, Spears played Madonna the track and asked her to do the song with her.

"Me Against the Music" contains influences of dance-pop, hip hop and usage of funk guitars. Spears and Madonna trade lines during the verses, and Madonna sings the bridge. Lyrically, the song talks about battling the music and the pleasures of letting go on the dancefloor. The song received generally mixed reviews from music critics. Some felt it was a strong dance track of In the Zone, while others referred to it as lackluster and disappointing. The song was a commercial success, peaking atop of the charts in countries such as Australia, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland and Spain, as well as the European Hot 100 Singles. It also peaked at number two in Canada, Italy, Norway and the United Kingdom, and inside the top five in many other nations. The song won the "Hot Dance Single of the Year" accolade at the 2004 Billboard Music Awards.

The accompanying music video for "Me Against the Music" shows Spears and Madonna playing opposites in a nightclub. A cat-and-mouse chase ensues, and Spears finds Madonna in the end, only for the latter to disappear before they kiss. The video received positive reviews from critics, who noted it as symbolic of the sexual roles between the women. Spears has performed the song in a number of live appearances including the 2003 NFL Kickoff Live, Saturday Night Live, 2003 American Music Awards and TRL. She has also performed remixed versions with elements of bhangra music at The Onyx Hotel Tour (2004) and The Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009). Spears performed the song on her Las Vegas residency show Britney: Piece of Me. "Me Against the Music" has been remixed by Justice, while the music video was recreated by television series Glee and included an appearance by Spears.

In 2023, Billboard's staff placed "Me Against the Music" at the 19th position on their 'The 100 Greatest Songs of 2003' list.^[1]