Britney Spears Referenced ‘Crossroads’ in the Video for This Hit Song as a Joke
Britney Spears and her songs have appeared in a few movies, but Crossroads is the only film where the Princess of Pop took center stage. The movie even features some of her hits. There’s a comedic reference to Crossroads in the music video for one of Spears’ hit songs. During an interview, the director of the video discussed why he decided to pay homage to Crossroads and what Spears thought about the joke.
A music video director explained how much input Britney Spears had into a music video for 1 of her hit songs
Chris Marrs Piliero is a famous music video director who worked with Spears on some of her videos. During an interview with the New York Post, he decried the idea that Spears had no input into her work. “Every artist has management, that’s their job,” he said. “It’s what they’re paid for. I work with the artist.”
Piliero revealed how he worked on the video for “I Wanna Go” with Spears. “I met with her, talked with her, went over the concept with her. It was extremely collaborative,” he said. “She suggested alternatives and tweaked other things. As much as the management is there, this was a concept that Britney really dug. She was a big part of the decision-making process.”
How Britney Spears referenced ‘Crossroads’ in the video for ‘I Wanna Go’
In the video, Spears walks by a theater marquee advertising the fictional movie Crossroads 2: Cross Harder. The title is a reference to Crossroads and Die Hard 2: Die Harder. Piliero chose the title Crossroads 2: Cross Harder for a reason.
“I needed a movie title for the marquee and thought that would be perfect,” he said. “It’s a fun Easter egg for fans. Plus, Die Hard 2: Die Harder is the most ridiculously awesome way to title a sequel. It just felt like the right thing to do. When Britney saw it, she loved it.”
The way the world reacted to the song
“I Wanna Go” became a major hit. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 20 weeks. The song’s parent album, Femme Fatale, was a hit as well. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for 33 weeks. Thanks to “I Wanna Go,” “Hold It Against Me,” and “Til the World Ends,” Femme Fatale is Spears’ only album to produce three top 10 singles in the United States.
“I Wanna Go” was not a success in the United Kingdom. The Official Charts Company reports the track did not chart in the U.K. Meanwhile, Femme Fatale hit No. 8 in the U.K. and remained on the chart for nine weeks.
After the success of “I Wanna Go,” Spears collaborated with Piliero again on her relatively serious video for the song “Criminal.” He also made other comedic videos for Ariana Grande and Avril Lavigne. “I Wanna Go” remains one of Spears’ most memorable videos and it wouldn’t be the same without that hilarious Crossroads reference.
