Analysis of "What You See Is What You Get"

MIT Department of Britneyspearsology

Lyrics	Critical Analysis
You used to say that I was special Everything was right But now you think I'm wearing too much make-up That my dress is too tight You got no reasons to be jealous I've never been untrue So does it really matter if they're looking I'm only looking at you You should never try to change me I can be nobody else And I like the way I am	"What you see is what you get" is a relatively straightforward song, with few ironic twists or suprises. This song is essentially a statement of British empiricism in the tradition of Locke and Hume. The title of the song summarizes the idea that all knowledge is derived from experience*, which deepens and extends the running theme of sensory deprivation in her songs. Since it has already been established that Britney occasionally cannot operate her five senses correctly, the next step is to establish the importance of senses to the way in which we understand the universe. Britney sets up a bit of a paradox here with the empirical view by acknowledging the contradictions that arise from different perspectives. From the recurring "you" character's perspective, Britney has changed her makeup and clothes, but to Britney, the 2nd person character is the one who has changed. While this may seem obvious some, truly sophisticated readers will realize this is more than a trivial point -- this discrepancy represents the breakdown of an empirical understanding of our universe.
Chorus: What you see is what you get This is me, hey you If you want me, don't forget You should take me as I am 'Cause I can promise you Baby, what you see is what you get	Convention dictates that this song is really about appreciating our natural selves and demanding that others respect us for that; however, I believe there is more to this song than that overused theme. Britney does make this point in the chorus, but underlying it is the essential question: "What is our natural state?" In other words, are people, or anything for that matter, defined in terms of an objective universe? Though objects may be rotationally asymmetric (seen as different from different points of reference), is there even a consistent object that is always there? Is it rotation of this object that creates the discrepency -- or do these contradictions of perspective reveal that there is no such thing as objectivity and that everything must be defined in terms of solopsism? Or that we live in a universe composed solely of aproximations? Britney lays this issue to rest by 'promising' us that what we percieve does in fact exist in reality.
I know you watch me when I'm dancin' When I party with me friends I can feel your eyes on my back, baby I can't have no chains around me, baby can't you see I could be anything you dream of, but I gotta feel free You should never try to change me I can be nobody else And I like the way I am	Modern science has put a giant obstacle in Britney's way known as the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. According to Heisenberg, the act of observing matter changes it in a way that limits the amount of information we can collect about it. For example, a photon striking an electron will reveal the location of the electron at that instant, but it will change its momentum in the collision. Therefore, what we see is fundamentally different from what we get. This is precisely what Britney means when she 'feels your eyes on her back.' The act of observing Britney will change her, but Britney does not want to be limited by this ball and chain. Yet science mandates that she is. Another paradox.
What you see is what you get This is me, hey you If you want me, don't forget You should take me as I am 'Cause I can promise you Baby, what you see is what you get	This is an open and shut case for Britney. She resolves this issue of the validity of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle by reminding us of the fundamental axiom against which we test all other hypotheses: the simple irrefutable fact that what we see is what we get. Heisenberg is therefore wrong.
You should never try to change me I can be nobody else Believe me, you'll be looking for trouble if you hurt me I can promise you, you'll be looking for trouble Believe me, yeah yeah yeah yeah	The point is repeated to allow listeners to pick it up in case they were too busy dancing the first time.
What you see is what you get This is me, hey you If you want me, don't forget You should take me as I am 'Cause I can promise you Baby, what you see is what you get	And one final time, just in case. Britney has broken new ground with this piece, not only as an artist, but as an interrogator of nature. History will remember this song as one of the most important events of the 21st century, the lyrics that restored our faith in objectivity and reality.

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