I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)

"I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)", written "(I've Just Begun) Having My Fun" on digital releases, is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears, taken from her first greatest hits album, Greatest Hits: My Prerogative (2004). The song was produced by Bloodshy & Avant and originally recorded for her fourth studio album In the Zone (2003). It was released as a digital download on August 17, 2004, prior to the album's release. The track has drawn comparisons to No Doubt's single "Hella Good" as well as 1970s American funk bands. Lyrically, the songs refers to having a good time at a party. "I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)" received mixed reviews from critics, some naming it one of the best songs in the compilation, while others dismissed its lyrical content. The song was featured on the soundtrack of the 2011 film Bridesmaids.

Background
"I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)" was originally recorded for Spears' fourth studio album, In the Zone (2003). The song was written by Spears, Michelle Bell, Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg, Henrik Jonback, and was produced by Bloodshy & Avant. The song was first included as a bonus track in the European version of the In the Zone DVD. In the United States, the track was a free download in the Wal-Mart edition of In the Zone, due to an exclusive deal with Wal-Mart and Sony Connect. When the deal ended in mid-2004, Jive Records released the song on the iTunes Store and Rhapsody on August 17, 2004. "I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)" peaked at number seven on the iTunes chart while it was speculated to be in the track list of Greatest Hits: My Prerogative. The song was featured on the soundtrack of the 2011 film Bridesmaids.

Composition
"I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)" is composed in the key of G minor with 108 beats per minute. It has a dance-oriented beat that has been compared by Jennifer Vineyard of MTV and Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic to No Doubt's 2002 single "Hella Good". Spears's vocal range spans from the low note of G3 to the high note of Eb5. The track features mainly guitar and bass, along with string arrangements and 1970s synthesizers reminiscent of Zapp and The Gap Band. Its lyrics refer to a make-believe situation in which Spears describes an encounter with a man at a party. During the song, she declares to prefer having a good time rather than settling down.

Reception and chart performance
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said "the In the Zone outtake [...] betters most of the songs that were featured on the album". Annabel Leathes of BBC Online commented that along with "Do Somethin'", they are "[two] robust, unreleased tracks [that] suggest, however, that she may still be churning out a few more No.1s before taking time out to sing lullabies to her brood". Ann Powers of Blender magazine called the song "instantly forgettable and biographically inaccurate," while Mike McGuirk of Rhapsody said the song "is on a level with her best work, namely "I'm a Slave 4 U"." Louis Pattison of the New Musical Express stated that the lyrics "chime rather oddly with Britney’s much-vaunted desire to start a family". On the week of September 4, 2004, "I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)" debuted at number 23 on Billboard Hot Digital Tracks, and fell to number 41 in the following.

Track listings

 * Digital download
 * 1) "(I've Just Begun) Having My Fun" – 3:23

Credits and personnel
Credits for "I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)" are taken from Greatest Hits: My Prerogative's liner notes.


 * Songwriting – Britney Spears, Michelle Bell, Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg, Henrik Jonback
 * Production – Bloodshy & Avant, Steven Lunt
 * Vocals – Britney Spears