Cheat Sheet On "Hold It Against Me"

Britney Spears is declaring she’s queen of the dance floor with her new single “Hold It Against Me” out this week. But we’ve have been tracking the progress of the dance track for months now, since it was first revealed that Spears would be hitting the studio with the song’s producers, Dr. Luke and Max Martin.

Back in November, Spears’ manager, Adam Leber, tweeted that she’d be working on a “BIG new song” with the producers, adding, “It’s a smash!”

“I want to make good music … I’m excited to be co-executive producing with Max Martin, the person who kind of invented Britney, and to make good music,” Luke added in an interview around that time. “And she’s such an amazing vehicle to getting that music out to a lot of people in every country.”

Days later, Britney tweeted about how much she loved the song she worked on with the pair. “Just finished recording a monster with @TheDoctorLuke and #MaxMartin. Get ready….” she wrote.

By December, Spears had announced plans to release her new album in March, sharing very few details, but noting that she was “IN L-O-V-E WITH IT!”

Soon after that album announcement, the rumors began about when the first single would drop; within a week, fans learned that a song titled “Hold It Against Me” was a possible lead single.

Just before the holidays, the pop star began looking for dancers to be in the song’s video. A casting call notice hit the Web for “men and women with fabulous bodies and faces,” adding, “They must be versatile.”

After word spread that the single would drop on January 7, Brit’s manager quickly debunked the rumor. Coincidentally, though, the demo version of “Hold It” leaked that day, along with news that the song would be released officially on January 11.

Ryan Seacrest and Perez Hilton weighed in on the demo, giving the tune their two thumbs up. But Dr. Luke, Spears, even the woman singing on the demo, songwriter Bonnie McKee, all assured fans the final version of the song was even better.

Britney fans got the chance to make that call on Monday morning (January 10) when the final version of “Hold It Against Me” hit the Web. Many quickly declared the track “amazing,” saying it proved Spears was back.

(The song is officially available for purchase on Tuesday.)