The song, which The Independent describes as being a plea for an ex to return, has been misinterpreted throughout the years. Per The Guardian, T-Boz from TLC liked the tune but did not feel comfortable singing the lyrics "hit me baby one more time." She believed it suggested domestic violence. Fader writes that the song was then offered to singer Robyn to no avail. It's also rumored that Simon Cowell wanted the song for the boyband he was managing but by then, it had already been given to Spears. One change, however, was made.
The song was previously titled "Hit Me Baby One More Time." Spears' label, Jive, changed it to "...Baby One More Time" to avoid the allusion to domestic or sexual abuse. Billboard reports that Martin (seen above) was clueless to the entire situation as he believed "hit" was slang for "call." In other words, the Swede thought he was writing "hit me up," a common phrase used in American slang.
Despite the small language hurdle, Spears has gone on to say that she considers Martin to be the best of the best and has continued to work with him throughout her career (via the BBC). According to People,"...Baby One More Time" is still one of the best-selling singles of all time by a female artist.
