Mood Ring

Album: Glory (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In this song, Britney Spears compares her up-and-down roller coaster love to a mood ring. Mood rings were a short-lived fad of the mid-1970s, which were especially popular with young girls. They featured fake gemstones that were filled with liquid crystals. These special crystals were thermochromic, which meant they changed colors based upon the temperature of the finger of the wearer. The ring came with a color chart that indicated the person's supposed mood.
  • The song was co-penned by Jon Asher and songwriter Melanie Fontana at Asher's ARC Studios in February 2015. It caught the attention of Asher's fellow Roc Nation artist DJ Mustard, who produced the track then sent it to Spears. It features on the Japanese edition of Glory.
  • The track was originally titled "Mood Swings." Melanie Fontana recalled to Pop Crush:

    "I wrote the song with my friend Jon [Asher], who is an amazing songwriter and one of my really good friends. I had an idea: I wanted to write a song called 'Mood Swings.' We started with some melodies and nothing really hit us. So we went down, started to hang out in his kitchen, had something to eat, and he was like 'Mood swings, mood swings…what about mood ring?" And I was like "Oh my God, 'Mood Ring'!" And that's kind of how it happened: basically joking around while we were having a snack in the kitchen. He came up with the title. We were thinking about it, in our minds, as The Chainsmokers featuring Britney Spears. So that was the concept and sound."
  • The song was only available in Japan as a bonus track on Glory until May 29, 2020, when Britney made it available onto streaming and download services worldwide.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Stephen Christian of Anberlin

Stephen Christian of AnberlinSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Art Alexakis of Everclear

Art Alexakis of EverclearSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer of Everclear, Art is also their primary songwriter.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.