It has been 20 years since Britney Spears released Oops!… I Did It Again – cue gasps of shock and disbelief that, yes, we are that old.
The song was released on March 27, 2000, but the album of the same name hit shelves on May 16, 2000. To mark the milestone anniversary, the pop star tweeted Nasa, to remind them of just how integral they were in the making of her music video for the titular track, set on the Red Planet.
"Hey @Nasa ... I received your gift," Spears tweeted. "I know it’s been 20 years since we met on Mars and I just wanted to say … aww you shouldn’t have."
Nasa's Perseverance Mars Rover replied, writing: "I'm packed and almost ready to fly in July, landing on Mars next February. I’ll collect rocks for a future mission to send back, but know I went down and got them for you."
Nasa's main account even retweeted Spears's original tweet, writing: "It might seem like a crush."
For those in need of a refresh: the Oops!… I Did It Again video is set on Mars.
At the beginning of the video there is "no sign of habitation", a handsome young astronaut (played by Eli Swanson) reports, as he explores the planet from the Mars Lander. He does, however, find a beaten-up Britney Spears CD, which he describes as "cute". As he picks it up, a red-catsuit-wearing Spears appears out of nowhere.
Cut to two minutes and 48 seconds into the video and we have our love story. Spears performs a gravity-defying flip off the stage towards the aforementioned handsome young astronaut and removes his helmet. A risky move, but it pays off as Swanson's character appears able to breathe on Mars.
Then a passage of dialogue follows, which any young millennial worth their Himalayan rock salt can recite word-for-word.
"Britney, before you go, there is something I want you to have," he tells the singer, as he hands her a necklace.
"Oh, it's beautiful ... but wait a minute, isn't this?"
"Yes it is."
"But I thought the old lady dropped it in the ocean in the end," Spears replies, with a Titanic reference, which was already a ripe three years old when this came out in 2000.
"Well baby, I went down and got it for ya."
And then we get the most brutal line of all: "Aww, you shouldn't have." And she walks away with her priceless movie memorabilia.
The astronaut seems undeterred, however, and moonwalks away (another vintage pop culture reference, even in 2000), while his Nasa colleagues on Earth sway away to the song, ignoring the blatant romantic dismissal.
Rewatch the 'Oops!… I Did It Again' video here, it will inevitably be the best four minutes and 11 seconds of your day:
Interestingly, this is not the first time Spears and Nasa have had a fun back and forth on Twitter.
On August 15, 2012, Spears tweeted Mars Curiosity asking: "So, does Mars look the same as it did in 2000?"
The car-sized rover landed on Mars on August 6, 2012, but made time to reply straight away, writing: "Hey Brit Brit. Mars is still looking good. Maybe someday an astronaut will bring me a gift, too. Drill bits crossed."
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Read more:
20 songs that turn 20 in 2020: from Coldplay to Creed and Britney to Baha Men
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From 'Glee' to One Direction: the best musical reunions taking place in isolation
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If you go
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The trip
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The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
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Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
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‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
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