Britney Spears - Swimming In the Stars

[InFamous]

As long as "Swimming In The Stars" gets a separate, individual release (physical item, digital download, released to streaming platforms), it's a single.

"Overprotected" was never a single here in Germany despite being heavily played on our music channels - it simple wasn't up for purchase.
"Mood Ring" was more a single than "Overprocted", "Anticipating" or even "My Only Wish (This Year)" (until now). Same will apply to "Swimming In The Stars".

You are the one who believes in your own version of the concept singles and of course, you are entitled to have an own opinion but don't phrase it like it's a rule or an official definition. Thank you ;)

This makes perfect sense to me. Lately people like to scream It's not a single just in case something doesn't chart.

[InFamous]

JeremySpears : A single is a release separetely from the album. If there's no separate release, but it's been send to radio stations for airplay, it's a radio single. Those Madonna songs got remixes that have been commercially available, haven't they? Then they count as singles.

It depends on the country. In the UK radio has no bearing on the chart so there is no such thing as a radio single. In the US a song can chart on airplay alone so there are airplay singles. Dunno how it works in Germany. That last Britney release, Mood Ring, technically could have charted on the hot 100 if it had enough points. It was available on itunes and all streaming platforms.. so if it charted Billboard would have counted it as part of her "singles discography" and so would her fans. So technically any song can be a single, whether the label decide to officially push it or not. I mean by standard definitions Ariana's 34+35 isn't a single, neither was Exile by Taylor Swift yet both of them placed in the top ten of the singles chart in the US. However, technically that chart has been renamed/ rebranded - it is now a "songs" chart not singles specifically.

[Angeman]

This makes perfect sense to me. Lately people like to scream It's not a single just in case something doesn't chart.

Then that means Celine Dion has a new single out because they just added her song I Met An Angel On Christmas Day to itunes/streaming.... sorry but releasing a song isnt a benchmark for a single.

[theMathematician]

Regarding this Christmas song: Is there a separate release with a cover and remixes or is it just an album track?

[MrLeonix]

Then that means Celine Dion has a new single out because they just added her song I Met An Angel On Christmas Day to itunes/streaming.... sorry but releasing a song isnt a benchmark for a single.

Exactly.

I mean, Katy released an exclusive new song with Tiësto and Aitana called “Resilient” with a separate and individual release with it’s own individual exclusive cover released on every platform separately (and even official Spotify adds and deals) .... I asked in her thread and her fans say it is not an official Katy single ....

... If that’s not a single then why would this unreleased reject from 5 years ago be an official major Britney single next to “Hold It Against Me”, “Till The World Ends”, “Make Me”, etc?

[InFamous]

Regarding this Christmas song: Is there a separate release with a cover and remixes or is it just an album track?

Just a track added to the album. Nothing seperate at all.

[Noahh]

Swimming in the Stars lyrics:

[Verse 1]
Dream me to life
Write our names in the pillowed skies
We could meet in our minds
If our days count us out of time

[Pre-Chorus]
And we'll stay alive
In seas of city lights
Where you and I collide

[Chorus]
So let's go
Swimming in the stars tonight
Oh, and we'll glow
And shimmer in the diamond lights
We'll dive in
Head first, all the way down, in gravity's arms we'll drown
The world is ours
When we're swimming in the stars
When we're swimming in the stars

[Verse 2]
Keep me in reach
Hold your breath 'til we're in too deep
Where thе sun's out of heat
We're awakе in the deepest sleep
Primis Player Placeholder

[Pre-Chorus]
And we'll stay alive
In seas of city lights
Where you and I collide

[Chorus]
So let's go
Swimming in the stars tonight
Oh, and we'll glow
And shimmer in the diamond lights
We'll dive in
Head first, all the way down, in gravity's arms we'll drown
The world is ours
When we're swimming in the stars
When we're swimming in the stars

[Bridge]
What if we could float here forever
In these Gemini dreams together
Would you let me take your breath right now
If I promise that I'll never breathe out

[Chorus]
So let's go
Swimming in the stars tonight
Oh, and we'll glow
And shimmer in the diamond lights
We'll dive in
Head first, all the way down, in gravity's arms we'll drown
The world is ours
When we're swimming in the stars
When we're swimming in the stars

[InFamous]

Then that means Celine Dion has a new single out because they just added her song I Met An Angel On Christmas Day to itunes/streaming.... sorry but releasing a song isnt a benchmark for a single.

As I said technically the concept of singles is becoming obselete. Celine is not going to be added to TTH or any big playlist regardless if the label call it a single or not, radio are unlikely to play her so if she releases a song to itunes and streaming services that is as good as it gets for her these days with a new release, unless she shoots a video. Once something is out there, technically it can chart, if popular enough.

However that Celine song has just been added to the "These are special times" album ( at least on my spotify) so clearly it's not a single. IT has also just been added to the album on Apple music and itunes. IT has not been given a seperate release in any way on any platform. That does not really compare to "Swimming in the Sea" at all so not sure why you are trying to draw a comparison there.

[MrLeonix]

Swimming in the Stars lyrics:

[Verse 1]
Dream me to life
Write our names in the pillowed skies
We could meet in our minds
If our days count us out of time

[Pre-Chorus]
And we'll stay alive
In seas of city lights
Where you and I collide

[Chorus]
So let's go
Swimming in the stars tonight
Oh, and we'll glow
And shimmer in the diamond lights
We'll dive in
Head first, all the way down, in gravity's arms we'll drown
The world is ours
When we're swimming in the stars
When we're swimming in the stars

[Verse 2]
Keep me in reach
Hold your breath 'til we're in too deep
Where thе sun's out of heat
We're awakе in the deepest sleep
Primis Player Placeholder

[Pre-Chorus]
And we'll stay alive
In seas of city lights
Where you and I collide

[Chorus]
So let's go
Swimming in the stars tonight
Oh, and we'll glow
And shimmer in the diamond lights
We'll dive in
Head first, all the way down, in gravity's arms we'll drown
The world is ours
When we're swimming in the stars
When we're swimming in the stars

[Bridge]
What if we could float here forever
In these Gemini dreams together
Would you let me take your breath right now
If I promise that I'll never breathe out

[Chorus]
So let's go
Swimming in the stars tonight
Oh, and we'll glow
And shimmer in the diamond lights
We'll dive in
Head first, all the way down, in gravity's arms we'll drown
The world is ours
When we're swimming in the stars
When we're swimming in the stars

Nice lyrics I guess ..... didn’t like the snippet that much though

[JeremySpears]

[nympho]

It depends on the country. In the UK radio has no bearing on the chart so there is no such thing as a radio single. In the US a song can chart on airplay alone so there are airplay singles. Dunno how it works in Germany. That last Britney release, Mood Ring, technically could have charted on the hot 100 if it had enough points. It was available on itunes and all streaming platforms.. so if it charted Billboard would have counted it as part of her "singles discography" and so would her fans. So technically any song can be a single, whether the label decide to officially push it or not. I mean by standard definitions Ariana's 34+35 isn't a single, neither was Exile by Taylor Swift yet both of them placed in the top ten of the singles chart in the US. However, technically that chart has been renamed/ rebranded - it is now a "songs" chart not singles specifically.

The fact that radio doesn't count for charts has nothing to do with a song being officialy sent to radios.
We're in 2020, radios play music digitally but labels still tell radios what song to play.
There's still that thing called "serviced to radio" in 2020. In every country.
Yes, radios can play a song here and there even if it's not an official single, but that's a rare exception.

As previously mentioned, Gaga's 911 was serviced to radio in Italy, Germany and France. To different levels of success. It was #8 on Italian airplay, #97 on German airplay, didn't chart on French airplay. It was never ever serviced to radios in US, UK, Canada, Australia...
It doesn't even have a separate release, a cover, anything... Just because a song has a music video is not automatically a single. John Wayne had a music video too and it was obviously not a single.
Is 911 an official single? In those European countries where it was serviced to radio, maybe. Although it doesn't even have a separate release or a single cover. I'd consider it a "radio single".

Ariana's 34+35 is an official single, though. It doesn't have a separate release yet... but, besides the music video, it's been promoted on Spotify's biggest playlists and it's been sent to radios (serviced to Pop in US on November 3)

https://web.archive.org/web/20201101...uture-releases

Taylor's "Exile" was serviced to Triple A radio by her label on August 3.

https://web.archive.org/web/20200730...uture-releases

It was promoted to several Spotify playlists as well.

So, at least in US, it was a single. Or a radio single.

I agree, (we all should agree) in the digital and specially in the streaming era, what's a single and what's not can be a bit complicated.
Official singles cannot chart and album tracks become Top 10 hits. They're all available at any moment, so people don't have to wait for a physical single to be released in order to buy it and the song to chart...
Stans can claim an official single wasn't a single it if flops, and haters can claim something was a single when it clearly wasn't just to troll.

But not everything that has a music video automatically becomes a single, not everything that is separately released on streaming platforms with its own covers is a single (releasing several promo songs before the album is still a common practice) and yes, a song being serviced to radio or not by the label still has a big impact on what's officially a single and what's not.

[MrLeonix]

Anyways ... “Glory” is getting re-released (again) and two “new songs” will be added to the tracklist.

I assume one of the two new added songs will be this one so we can count “Swimming In The Stars” as part of the Glory era now and not as a standalone.

[InFamous]

Ariana's 34+35 is an official single, though. It doesn't have a separate release yet... but, besides the music video, it's been promoted on Spotify's biggest playlists and it's been sent to radios (serviced to Pop in US on November 3)

https://web.archive.org/web/20201101...uture-releases

Taylor's "Exile" was serviced to Triple A radio by her label on August 3.

https://web.archive.org/web/20200730...uture-releases

It was promoted to several Spotify playlists as well.

So, at least in US, it was a single. Or a radio single.

Ok. I didn't know 34+35 was sent to radio that early so I guess that was an official single from the start then
But Exile charted the week after the album release so wasn't a single at all, when it charted, which is the time frame I was talking about. The fact that it was added to radio months later makes no difference to that.

At the end of the day, what I said is correct - the chart is now a "songs" chart as opposed to a "singles" chart. And anything that is out there, technically, can chart as there are no restrictions anymore in the US, like in days gone by. IF something is popular enough, it can chart, period.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Britney releasing Glory again. Is it getting a physical re-release with the two tracks added on ? Interesting.

[JeremySpears]

^ Only 1,000 vinyl copies so far. And those are sold out already.

[oaknuys]

Anyways ... “Glory” is getting re-released (again) and two “new songs” will be added to the tracklist.

I assume one of the two new added songs will be this one so we can count “Swimming In The Stars” as part of the Glory era now and not as a standalone.

Really?! Wow... they are milking that album to new heights.
I sincerely hope she comes with something new asap; I know she said she wouldn’t release anything unless her father’s is out of music business, but still I’m hopeful one day soon we’re having some new material from her. Any ideas when this new re-re-release is going to be released though?

[theMathematician]

oaknuys : I'm sure that she's got a lot to say so as soon as she's willing to record new music, she'll be up for something amazing.

[JeremySpears]

Really?! Wow... they are milking that album to new heights.
I sincerely hope she comes with something new asap; I know she said she wouldn’t release anything unless her father’s is out of music business, but still I’m hopeful one day soon we’re having some new material from her. Any ideas when this new re-re-release is going to be released though?

December 4th apparently.

[LotsOfLove]

Are they re-releasing the album physically as well? Or just on Itunes & Vinyl?

i’d buy it again with that cover and the new songs

[oaknuys]

December 4th apparently.

Big thanks for the info.

[oaknuys]

oaknuys : I'm sure that she's got a lot to say so as soon as she's willing to record new music, she'll be up for something amazing.

Hopefully that day arrives soon now; poor soul must be under tons of pressure to begin with. The day she releases a new album that would be one of my happiest days to celebrate

[oaknuys]

Are they re-releasing the album physically as well? Or just on Itunes & Vinyl?

i’d buy it again with that cover and the new songs

The Mood Ring added version was a digital release if I remember correctly; I don’t think her label would invest on pressing cds for a 2016 album at this point.

[LotsOfLove]

The Mood Ring added version was a digital release if I remember correctly; I don’t think her label would invest on pressing cds for a 2016 album at this point.

It would sell at least 20K I’m sure

[Airwrecka]

<sub>Ugh, this thread is so messy. It’s clearly not a proper single.

I’m kinda here for a Glory rerelease with the new artwork. I know there’s an awkwardness about supporting this amidst the Free Britney campaign, but as a huge Britney fan, I can’t deny I’d still love to own it on CD.</sub>

[shinydiscopaul]

They should've forked out for some cd singles on her website for this, and who cares if it isn't a "single" we can still talk about it.

[ksg22]

So is Swimming in the Stars still coming out tonight? Or is it pushed back? My city is in full lockdown and I need a dreamy escape track in my life right now.