page_title: If U Seek Amy
section_title: Live performances
hierarchical_section_title: If U Seek Amy / Live performances
caption_attribution_description: Britney Spears performing "If U Seek Amy" at the Femme Fatale Tour on July 26, 2011.
context_page_description: "If U Seek Amy" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears for her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on March 10, 2009, by Jive Records as the third single of the album, chosen by a poll on Spears's official website. "If U Seek Amy" was written and produced by Swedish producer Max Martin, who also wrote previous hits for her first three albums, and was marked as Spears's comeback song to Martin since 2001. In the song, Spears is looking for a woman named Amy in a club, and although it appears to be about sex, it is actually about how society perceives her life. Musically, "If U Seek Amy" makes use of instruments such as keyboards and timpani.
  "If U Seek Amy" was generally well received by contemporary critics, who praised Spears's confident vocals and frequently cited it as the highlight of the album.
context_section_description: Spears performed the song during 2009's The Circus Starring Britney Spears. After a performance of "Boys" from Britney, Spears performed a military drill with her male dancers, which ended with her putting on a faux fur vest to perform "If U Seek Amy". At the end, Spears pulled a giant pink hammer and proceeded to knock her dancers off the stage, in a similar way to Whac-A-Mole. Jerry Shriver of USA Today said in the opening night of the tour, "[the] single 'If U Seek Amy' draws a huge roar and sing-along from the crowd as Spears shakes her long blond mane". Craig Rosen of The Hollywood Reporter commented, "The artist that raised the ire of parents from the beginning in her scandalous schoolgirl outfit also continues to use shock-and-awe tactics. Her latest, 'If U Seek Amy' [...] was included in the set, much to the delight of her young fans".
  "If U Seek Amy" was also performed by Spears at 2011's Femme Fatale Tour. Spears reappeared onstage after "Lace and Leather" to perform a jazz-inspired version of the song, wearing a white skirt and standing over a fan, recalling Marilyn Monroe's iconic scene in The Seven Year Itch (1955). The backdrops behind her showed 1940s crime film-inspired black-and-white footage while photographers in colorful outfits took pictures of her. Rick Florino of Artistdirect said, "Marrying old school detective fare and stadium-size anthems is something no other pop star has done, and once again Britney's the first." Nicki Escudero of the Phoenix New Times stated that it was "nice" to hear remixed versions of older hits, "such as the jazzy 'If You Seek Amy,'  [sic] the sultry and Middle Eastern-inspired 'Boys' and the sped-up 'Toxic'."
  Spears  performed the song at her revamped Las Vegas residency show, Britney: Piece of Me, at The AXIS theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The performance, which pays homage to Spears' 'Circus' era, immediately follows the song "Circus" (2008) on the set list. This show was later transformed into a world tour.
caption: Spears performing "If U Seek Amy" at the Femme Fatale Tour.
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