Happy Anniversary, 'Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman': 5 Behind-the-Scenes Britney Spears Moments

[MzKittyKath]

Feels like I'm caught in the middle, that's when I realize...

Has there ever been a greater teen pop battle cry than Britney Spears crooning  "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman?"

Shot in August 2001 and officially released to radio this week in 2002, Spears' Crossroads tie-in song, which was the second single off her third albumBritney, was Spears' attempt to grow up a little on camera. It was also where she opened up (in a very Britney way) about the challenges associated with that -- while also hanging out in a canyon, because nature. 

"Max Martin wrote and produced the song, and Dido as well," Spears explained at the time about "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman," a tune that would fail to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but would enter the pop culture lexicon in a big way nonetheless. "It's about me personally. I wasn't able to be there to help him finish the song, so he called up Dido because he knew she would be able to fill in the places for it."

For this week's Throwback Thursday, we're looking back at the video from a then-20-year-old Ms. Spears. We took the liberty of re-watching the "

" for "Not A Girl" and came away with the following facts. 

1. The set is not a soundstage! Rather, Spears was transported by helicopter to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Lake Powell, Arizona. 

2. "You're the bravest girl on Earth!" video director Wayne Isham told her at the time. "Walking out there, she's literally on what we call the razor's edge. This is reality right here."

3."When I first got up on the mountain I was really, really scared, my heart was beating really, really fast," Spears explained of the video shoot. "But once I got there I totally overcame my fear. It was really cool. It was a very spiritual experience for me."

4."I feel like I'm going to go milk some cows!" Spears joked while putting on rainboots so she could stand in the water in the cave. Spears is not exactly Miss Nature (the behind-the-scenes clip also shows that she was very afraid of snakes -- which was surprising, given other then-current events.)

5. They put her in the same car as in Crossroads, so that the song (originally written for the movie) would tie into the film. It's clearly important for all things in the Britney canon to match up and check out. 

Re-watch the music video below, and fondly recall the time when you, too, went to a canyon to sing about growing up. 

 

 

Cr http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6479849/britney-spears-not-a-girl-not-yet-a-woman-anniversary-throwback

 

 

[Mayuyu]

 

queenie

 

[AdzPower]

Primeney.

[Kinn]

I miss the ood Britney. I loved her sooooo much back then

[campfire]

she used to be so perfect 

[Vousnevoyezrien]

Old times. My favorite girl before.

[palechibi]

still one of my favorite songs.