Billboard celebrates B Bday: Britney Spears' 20 Biggest Billboard Hits

Happy Birthday to Britney Spears! The pop star and Billboard charts-dominating diva turns 30-years young today (Dec. 2). The entertainer was just 16 years old when she made her debut on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on Nov. 21, 1998 with the now classic ". . . Baby One More Time." The song shot to No. 1 less than two months later and rest was history. Since then, she's had a single on the chart every year (save for 2006) and has recently found the some of the biggest hits of her career in 2011. Her "Femme Fatale" album -- which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart -- has launched three top 10 Hot 100 singles, including the No. 1 "Hold It Against Me."

To celebrate Spears' birthday, we've compiled her 20 Biggest Billboard Hot 100 hits ever -- and trust us, the list will surprise you. (Wait until you see what No. 19 is -- and how it ranked above No. 20!).

This chart of Spears' 20 Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100, through the chart dated Dec. 3, 2011. Songs are ranked using an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least.

THE TOP 20

20           I'm A Slave 4 U

 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 27 (2001)

os, with 2001's "I'm a Slave 4 U" -- from her third album, "Britney -- serving as the perfect example. The sultry sauna-meets-orgy clip not only made Brit's uber-toned body a common topic of conversation, it served as a grown-up coming out for the then 19-year-old singer. Yet somehow, the Pharrell-produced track only reached No. 27 on the Hot 100 chart, a low position considering the song's top-10 ranking in many international markets.

 19

Break The Ice

Hot 100 Peak Position: 43 (2008)

The icy synth track, produced by Danja, found Ms. Spears singing, "I know it's been a while, but I'm glad you came." She was only half right. It had only been a few months since she rocketed to No. 3 on the Hot 100 with "Gimme More," but we're sure she was glad fans flocked to the tune despite the distraction of all the tabloid drama that surrounded her in the year before the song hit the charts in 2008. It's little wonder the real Britney doesn't appear in the animated video.

 

18

Lucky

Hot 100 Peak Position: 23 (2000)

Britney's midtempo nod to doo-wop, "Lucky," turned out to be less than pure fiction when the singer later went through personal problems in the very public eye. But before all that, in 2000, the song -- a take on the "lonely at the top" concept -- peaked at No. 23 on the Hot 100.

 

17

From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart

Hot 100 Peak Position: 14 (2000)

Still a teenager when this Eric Foster White-produced single was released in 2000, Spears' convincing take on love lost helped "Broken Heart" reached the top 20 of the Hot 100.

 

16

Stronger 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 11 (2001)

Brit Brit kicked the potential sophomore slump to the curb with one of her best songs of female empowerment. The dance-y "Stronger," off "Oops!. . . I Did It Again" not only hit the Hot 100 hard, it also landed in the top 30 of the Pop Songs chart.

 

15

Sometimes 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 21 (1999)

"Sometimes," Spears' second single, epitomizes the innocence of the pop star's first album, especially in its sunny music video. Wearing all white, Spears and her dancers overtake Kenny's Cove and perform some unoffending dance moves while the singer yearns for her hunky man.

 

14

Piece Of Me 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 18 (2008)

"Miss American Dream since [she] was 17" addresses her harshest critics in this woozy synth hit. Clearly, we did want a piece. In addition to its top 20 peak on the Hot 100, it went to No. 8 on the Hot Digital Songs chart and won her the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year in 2008.

 

13

If U Seek Amy 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 19 (2009)

The third single from her comeback album, "Circus," captures Britney playing bad girl. The 2009 track finds Spears singing of society's perception of her life over electro-pop synthesized beats.

 

12

Everytime 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 15 (2004)

This breathy ballad came after her break-up with Justin Timberlake and rumors quickly swirled that her song was a response to his "Cry Me a River." Although Brit has never denied or confirmed, the lyrics are certainly curious. "I may have made it vague," she sings. "Please forgive me. My weakness caused you pain. And this song is my sorry."

 

11

(You Drive Me) Crazy 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 10 (1999)

"Crazy" snuck into the Top 10 of the Hot 100 as the third single of ". . .Baby One More Time" and the lead cut from the soundtrack of the 1999 romantic comedy "Drive Me Crazy," starring Melissa Joan Hart and a pre-"Entourage" Adrian Grenier in his first major role.

 

10

Gimme More 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 3 (2007)

When a song begins with "It's Britney, bitch," you just know you're in for a treat. The fact that "Gimme More," Spears' lead single off 2007's "Blackout," wasn't very appetizing to critics didn't matter to fans, who launched the breathy, stripper-ready dance-track to No. 3 on the Hot 100 in October of that year. However, it was Brit's embarrassing performance of the song on the MTV VMAs a couple weeks before its release that has endured and in its wake spawned an early YouTube star in Chris "Leave Britney Alone!" Crocker.

 

9

Oops! . . . I Did It Again 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 9 (2000)

After her debut album made her a bubblegum pop star, Spears declared, "I'm not that innocent" on the title cut to her sophomore album, which peaked at No. 9 on the Hot 100. "Oops" will forever be remembered as the song Spears performed at the MTV VMA's in a risque, skin-colored outfit.

 

8

Toxic 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 9 (2004)

For the second single off 2004's "In the Zone," Britney went with something a little different, sonically-speaking. "Toxic" went to places previously unexplored by Spears: aggressive electronic sound effects, shrieking strings and a killer surf-guitar riff. The unlikely combo, ushered in by steamy vocals, worked, as "Toxic" burned into the Hot 100's top 10.

 

7

I Wanna Go 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 7 (2011)

Who says Brit shouldn't do what she wants? Here on "I Wanna Go" from "Femme Fatale," it's clear that when she just lets go of her inhibitions and cuts loose, she's capable of making hot dance jams and top 10 hits. This happens to be both.

 

6

Hold It Against Me 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (2011)

This pulsating dance track with its thickly layered production (via Max Martin, Dr. Luke & Billboard), a pickup-line chorus ("If I said I want your body now ...") and a dubstep-ish breakdown debuted in January 2011 atop the Hot 100 and made Britney only the second artist to launch a song at No. 1 multiple times. The lavish and futuristic video, which contains a "Fight Club"-esque scene where Brit battles Brit, helped to make "Hold It Against Me" -- and her platinum-selling album "Femme Fatale" -- the huge hits they are.

 

5

Circus 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 3 (2008)

"There's only two types of people in the world. The ones that entertain and the ones that observe," is the lead line of Britney's "Circus." We've known which one she is -- the lady in the limelight -- since her debut single. This title track of her sixth album reinforces that, marking a return to the straight-forward pop sound she became known for in her early days.

 

4

Til The World Ends 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 3 (2011)

"Hold It Against Me" may have been the lead single to "Femme Fatale," but its follow-up, "Til The World Ends," captures the essence of Spears' latest electro-pop opus. The track was a Hot 100 hit even before fellow pop divas Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha joined Brit for a remix.

 

3

3 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (2009)

A single from her 2009 "Singles Collection" package, "3" is the combination of several Britney signature styles. Mainstream pop is certainly in the forefront, lustful moans on the chorus and a touch of the electronic is also in the mix. The title, meanwhile, may be seemingly innocent, but it actually refers to something quite dirtier. Fun fact: the song is 3:33 long and it's her third biggest hit to date, but when it hit the Hot 100 it was all about No. 1.

 

 

2

Womanizer 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 (2008)

With a tumultuous 2007 behind her, Britney knew she needed a big year in music to come back from all the tawdry drama. With "Womanizer," from "Circus," she was able to do just that, and score her first No. 1 on the Hot 100 since ". . .Baby One More Time."

 

1

. . . Baby One More Time 

Hot 100 Peak Position: 1 for two weeks (1999)

Britney's debut single, ". . .Baby One More Time," remains her biggest hit, undoubtedly fueled by its sexy school girl music video. The Max Martin-penned single sustained a steady build, ruling the Hot 100 chart at No. 1 for two weeks in early 1999 after debuting on the chart in late November '98 -- a month after it was serviced to radio and just a few weeks shy of her 17th birthday.