Someday (I Will Understand)

Background

In July 2004, Spears announced her engagement to American dancer Kevin Federline, whom she had met three months before. The romance received intense attention from the media, since Federline had recently broken up with actress Shar Jackson, who was still pregnant with their second child at the time. The initial stages of their relationship were chronicled in Spears's first reality show Britney and Kevin: Chaotic. They held a wedding ceremony on September 18, 2004, but were not legally married until three weeks later on October 6 due to a delay finalizing the couple's prenuptial agreement. In October 2004, the singer announced she would be taking another career break to start a family. Spears gave birth to her first child, Sean Preston Federline, on September 14, 2005.

"Someday (I Will Understand)" was composed by Spears on the piano at her house, two weeks before she learned of her pregnancy with Sean Preston. She explained the song came "like a prophecy... when you're pregnant, you're empowered". It was produced by Guy Sigsworth, who previously worked with the singer on "Everytime" (2004). Spears recorded her vocals for the song at Conway Studios in Los Angeles, California, and at Frou Frou Central in London. The piano was played by Spears herself, while all other instruments (including the drums) and mixing were done by Sigsworth. Background vocals for the song were provided by Kate Havnevik.

Critical response

"Someday (I Will Understand)" initially received mixed to favorable reviews from music critics. While reviewing Britney & Kevin: Chaotic, Mike McGuirk of Rhapsody noted, "Britney now sings about either the husband or the kid."{{cite web|url=https://us.napster.com/artist/britney-spears/album/britney-and-kevin-chaotic-dvd-bonus-audio|title=Britney & Kevin: Chaotic DVD Bonus Audio

Over the years following its release, attitude toward the song began to change for the positive. Ten years after its release, a reviewer for AXS called the song "serene" and the "most sincere single of her career." A writer for MuuMuse said that while the song was not career-defining, it was "interesting, and certainly personal."

Commercial performance

On September 1, 2005, "Someday (I Will Understand)" debuted at number 46 on the Swedish Singles Chart. It peaked at number 10 the following week. In Switzerland, the song debuted at number eight on the week of September 4, 2005. On September 9, 2005, the song debuted in the Danish Singles Chart at number 11. The following week, it peaked at the eight position. "Someday (I Will Understand)" also reached the top 20 in Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Finland and Norway and charted in Austria and the Netherlands. "Someday (I Will Understand)" has sold 60,000 paid digital downloads in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Music video

The music video for "Someday (I Will Understand)" was directed by Michael Haussman. Spears commented that he "[did] a great job capturing the song, the essence and the emotion" and added that the video had "a different feeling" from any of her previous videos. It was shot entirely in black-and-white. Spears asserted that her life had "come full circle" and implied that in the process she underwent changes in her soul and body, as shown in the video. It premiered on June 14, 2005, during the fifth and last episode of Spears's reality show Britney and Kevin: Chaotic, titled "Veil of Secrecy". The music video features a pregnant Spears lying in bed and walking around a house while singing to her unborn child. She also gazes through the window at the Roman sculptures in the garden.

Hayley Butler of Jam! said "the video is a far cry from the snake handling, sweating and skimpy Britney videos of the past. Dressed in a classy silk dress, she runs through gardens, lies in bed and walks through the grass, all with a burgeoning belly." John Mitchell of MTV included the video on the list "Beyonce, Britney And Madonna: What To Expect When You're Expecting — Music Video Edition" in 2011. Despite praising the track, Idolator blogger Becky Bain stated that "at this point she still looks like a teenager herself, so it's a little disconcerting seeing her with that huge belly, singing about motherhood."

Track listings

• European CD single

1. "Someday (I Will Understand)" – 3:37
2. "Someday (I Will Understand)" (Hi-Bias Signature Radio Remix) – 3:46

• European limited edition maxi single

1. "Someday (I Will Understand)" – 3:37
2. "Someday (I Will Understand)" (Instrumental) – 3:37
3. "Someday (I Will Understand)" (Hi-Bias Signature Radio Remix) – 3:46
4. "Someday (I Will Understand)" (Leama and Andy Moor Remix) – 9:18

• Japanese maxi single

1. "Someday (I Will Understand)" – 3:37
2. "Chaotic" – 3:33
3. "Mona Lisa" – 3:25
4. "Over to You Now" – 3:42
5. "Someday (I Will Understand)" (Hi-Bias Remix) – 3:46

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the Britney & Kevin: Chaotic DVD liner notes.

• Britney Spears – lead vocals, songwriting, piano
• Guy Sigsworth – production
• Sean McGhee – mixing, engineering, programming
• Tom Coyne – mastering
• Kate Havnevik – background vocals

Charts

Release history

References

;Footnotes

;Bibliography

• {{Cite book

References

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