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`Oops!' Britney breaks record

Chicago Sun-Times,  May 25, 2000  by MARY HOULIHAN

Teen sensation Britney Spears has entered the record books.

Spears' second Jive Records release, "Oops! . . . I Did It Again," with an amazing 1.319 million in sales, shattered the record for first-week sales for a single female artist or group, according to Soundscan. It will enter at No. 1 on Billboard's Album 200 chart, just ahead of Pearl Jam's new "Binaural."

In biggest first-week sales ever, the album finishes second only to another Jive release, 'N Sync's "No Strings Attached," which had a whopping 2.4 million in first week sales. Coming in third is another labelmate, Backstreet Boys, whose "Millennium" moved 1.13 million copies its first week out in 1999.

The previous female record holder was Alanis Morissette's 1998 release "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie," with 469,054 units in first week sales. In addition, Spears broke the record set for the most units sold in any one week by a female artist. Mariah Carey's "Daydream," which sold 759,959 during the week of Christmas 1995, held the previous record.

At Rolling Stones Records on West Irving Park Road, "Oops!" won the sales sweepstakes despite stiff competition from new releases by Phish, Pearl Jam and Whitney Houston. Nearly 500 albums were sold in the first week.

"All kinds of people were buying it," said the store's general manager Wayne Rohalla. "There was a big run on this album and sales continue to be strong."

The astounding sales of Spears' album are quite an accomplishment for both the artist and Jive Records, said Billboard's Geoff Mayfield.

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"Jive did a good job of getting her out there in a much shorter time than they had with the 'N Sync album," Mayfield said. "And pop is really hot right now. There are more young people buying records than ever before. She fits right in with that demographic."

New releases this week will be nipping at Spears' heels. Eminem's "The Marshall Mathers LP," out Tuesday, is a contender to match Spears' sales, Mayfield said. "I think they even have a chance at exceeding what she has done."

Spears currently is rehearsing for the kick-off of her summer tour, which includes a July 7 stop at the New World Music Theatre in Tinley Park.

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