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{{short description|2008 song by Britney Spears}}
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{{Infobox song
| name     = Mmm Papi
| cover    =
| alt      =
| type     =
| artist   = [[Britney Spears]]
| album    = [[Circus (Britney Spears album)|Circus]]
| released =
| format   =
| recorded = 2008; Train Tracks Studios — [[Conway Recording Studios]], [[Los Angeles, California]]
| studio    =
| venue    =
| genre    = [[Latin pop]]
| length   = {{duration|m=3|s=22}}
| label    = [[Jive Records|Jive]]
| writer   =
* Britney Spears
* [[Cirkut (record producer)|Henry Walter]]
* Adrien Gough
* Peter-John Kerr
* [[Nicole Morier]]
| producer =
* [[Let's Go to War]]
* Nicole Morier
}}

"'''Mmm Papi'''" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears. It was written by Spears and Nicole Morier, while additional writing and song production were done by Canadian band Let's Go to War, whose members are Henry Walter, Adrien Gough and Peter-John Kerr, for Spears' sixth [[studio album]], ''Circus'' (2008). "Mmm Papi" is noted for having a Latin pop influence, similar to [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]]'s "[[La Isla Bonita]]" (1987). The lyrics of the song tell about a woman who has an attraction to a man, longing for him to come and take her away.

"Mmm Papi" received generally unfavorable reviews from contemporary critics. Many said the song represents Spears' trouble with men, and speculated that its lyrics deal to either her father James Spears or paparazzi Adnan Ghalib. The speculations were later denied by co-writer Morier. The song was also compared to [[Rosemary Clooney]]'s "[[Come On-a My House]]" (1951). Despite not being released as a single, "Mmm Papi" managed to peak at number ninety-four on [[Billboard Pop 100|''Billboard'' Pop 100]], due to moderate airplay on [[Mainstream Top 40|mainstream top 40]] radio stations, singles sales, and [[Music download|digital downloads]].

==Background==
{{Quote box|width=230px|align=right|quote=
"For the tracks, we did release the inspiration, something different than she had done before. The result was a “60′s surf go-go ode to a sexy lover and a bombastic electro-rock song about flying head-over-heels in to the mystical abyss of love."|source=—Morier talks about working with Spears.<ref name=alex/>}}
It was confirmed in 2008 that Spears was in the process of recording her sixth studio album.<ref>{{cite web|last=Laudadio |first=Marisa |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20201672,00.html |title=Producer: Britney Is 'Really Shaping Up'|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|publisher=[[Time Inc.|Time Inc]]|date=2008-05-21 |accessdate=2011-08-07}}</ref> Spears' manager [[Larry Rudolph]] confirmed the singer would spend "her summer in the recording studio" to work on it.<ref name=albumbill/> Despite no official album confirmation at the time, Rudolph revealed they were happy with her progress and that she had been working with a range of producers,<ref>{{cite web|last=Stoynoff |first=Natasha |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20212557,00.html |title=Britney Spears Working and 'Having Fun' on New Album |work=People|publisher=Time Inc |date=2008-07-26 |accessdate=2011-08-07}}</ref> such as [[Sean Garrett]], [[Guy Sigsworth]], [[Danja (producer)|Danja]] and [[Bloodshy & Avant]].<ref name=albumbill>{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1044769/britney-spending-summer-in-the-studio |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080717112339/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1044769/britney-spending-summer-in-the-studio |archivedate=2008-07-17 |title=Britney Spending Summer In The Studio |work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|publisher=[[Prometheus Global Media]] |date=2008-07-17 |accessdate=2011-08-07}}</ref> "Mmm Papi" was written by Spears and Nicole Morier during Summer and Spring of 2008.<ref name=thestar>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/547398|title=Canadian trio behind Spears tune Mmm Papi|date=2008-12-03|last=Nemetz|first=Andrea|work=[[Canadian Press Enterprises Inc.|The Canadian Press]]|publisher=thestar.com|accessdate=2011-04-05}}</ref> Among the songs they worked on were "Mmm Papi", "Rock Me In" and "Whiplash". Both wanted to do something that Spears had not done before.<ref name=alex/> "Mmm Papi" and "Rock Me In" were included in Spears' sixth studio album, ''Circus'' (2008); however, "[[Whiplash (Selena Gomez & the Scene song)|Whiplash]]" failed to make the cut.<ref name=mtvwhip>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665891/selena-gomez-whiplash.jhtml|title=Selena Gomez Does Her Best Britney On 'Whiplash'|publisher=[[MTV News]]. [[MTV Networks]]|last=Dinh|first=James|date=2011-06-16|accessdate=2011-09-23|archive-date=2013-05-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517201654/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665891/selena-gomez-whiplash.jhtml|dead-url=yes}}</ref> Morier explained, "There’s a couple songs we started that were great ideas but just incomplete. Maybe we’ll hear them with fresh ears someday and put them out, but I usually just like to start anew."<ref name=alex>{{cite web|url=http://alexkazemi.com/2010/07/interview-nicole-morier/|title=Interview with Nicole Morier|publisher=Alex Kazemi|last=Kazemi|first=Alex|date=July 2010|accessdate=2011-09-23|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910054433/http://alexkazemi.com/2010/07/interview-nicole-morier/|archivedate=2011-09-10}}</ref>

Additional writing and song production were done by Canadian band Let's Go to War, whose members are Henry Walter, Adrien Gough and Peter-John Kerr.<ref name=thestar/> In an interview with The Canadian Press, Walter revealed they first sent several demos to Jive Records for ''Circus''. After selecting it, Spears' management required several changes to the song, making "Mmm Papi" "substantially different from what was submitted."<ref name=thestar/> Walter revealed they had no contact with the singer for the song production, and considered "Mmm Papi" as "something different for Britney" and "a fun track and is not trying to be anything it's not."<ref name=thestar/> Spears recorded her vocals for the song in 2008 at Train Tracks Studios and Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, with Walter and Eric Eylands. [[Guitar]] was provided by Chris Worthy, and [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|audio mixing]] was done by Tony Maserati.<ref name=liner/>

==Composition==
{{Listen
|pos=right
|filename=Britney Spears - Mmm Papi.ogg
|title="Mmm Papi"
|description=A 17-second sample of the song's chorus, where Spears sings over a latin pop melody mixed with [[handclaps]] and a [[rock guitar]].
|format=[[Ogg]]
}}
"Mmm Papi" is a latin pop song<ref name="guardianrw">{{cite web|last=Petridis|first=Alexis|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/nov/28/britney-spears-circus|title=Review: Britney Spears: Circus|work=[[The Guardian]]|publisher=[[Guardian Media Group]]|date=2008-11-28|accessdate=2011-04-05}}</ref> that lasts for three minutes and twenty-two seconds. The song has [[dancehall]] elements and a [[Classic hits|1960s go-go vibe]],<ref name=thestar/><ref name="guardianrw"/> and incorporates into its melody handclaps and a rock guitar.<ref name="hitquarters">{{cite web|url=http://www.hitquarters.com/index.php3?page=intrview/opar/intrview_Nicole_Morier_Interview.html|title=Interview with Nicole Morier|publisher=[[HitQuarters]]|date=2010-08-23|accessdate=2011-04-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314062509/http://www.hitquarters.com/index.php3?page=intrview%2Fopar%2Fintrview_Nicole_Morier_Interview.html|archive-date=2012-03-14|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="ew">{{cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20242634,00.html|title=Circus: Music Review|first=Chris|last=Willman|date=2008-12-02|work=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|publisher=Time Inc|accessdate=2009-09-06|archive-date=2015-01-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114231908/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20242634,00.html|dead-url=yes}}</ref> Anna Dimond of ''[[TV Guide]]'' perceived influences of Madonna's "La Isla Bonita" (1987) in the song,<ref name=islabonita>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/News/Britney-Spears-Circus-35128.aspx|title=Britney's Next Single: Let's Go to the "Circus"|date=2008-11-01|last=Dimond|first=Anna|work=TV Guide|publisher=OpenGate Capital|accessdate=2011-04-09}}</ref> and called it an "ode to the tropical life (and perhaps its masculine fruits)".<ref name=islabonita/> It has been suggested that its lyrics deal with either her father Jamie Spears or paparazzi Adnan Ghalib.<ref name="rs">{{cite web|last=Ganz|first=Caryn|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/circus-20081212|title=Circus Album Review|work=[[Rolling Stone]]|publisher=[[Jann Wenner|Wenner Media]]|date=2008-11-11|accessdate=2011-04-05}}</ref> However, this was denied by Morier, who said "the song is definitely not about Adnan and in the whole time I worked with [Spears] last spring and summer I never once saw that guy."<ref name=contactmusic>{{cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/spears-songwriter-britney-didnt-write-track-for-paparazzo-lover_1087138|title=Spears' Songwriter: 'Britney Didn't Write Track For Paparazzo Lover'|date=2008-11-20|work=[[Contactmusic.com|Contact Music]]|publisher=[[Channel 4]]|accessdate=2011-04-05}}</ref> Morier described "Mmm Papi" as a fun [[Beat (music)#Upbeat|upbeat]] song, while saying the title "came out of [the line] Mmm Papa Luv U."<ref name=contactmusic/> ''Entertainment Weekly''{{'}}s Dylan Kickham described the song as a "bizarre attempt at combining Latin pop with ’60s [[psychedelic soul]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2016/09/01/every-britney-spears-song-ranked|title=Every Britney Spears song, ranked|date=September 1, 2016|website=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=September 2, 2016}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
{{multiple image
| align = right
| image1 = Femme_fatale_tacoma6.jpg
| width1 = 112
| alt1 = 
| caption1 = 
| image2 = Electrocute @ Spaceland 2.jpg
| width2 = 125
| alt2 = 
| caption2 = 
| footer = Britney Spears (''left'') and Nicole Morier (''right'') wrote several songs together, including "Mmm Papi" and "Whiplash".
}}
"Mmm Papi" received generally unfavorable reviews from contemporary critics. [[Alexis Petridis]] of ''The Guardian'' said the track was fun, but panned for appearing on ''Circus'' to "revisit the [[Lolita]] persona of ''[[...Baby One More Time (song)|...Baby One More Time]]''".<ref name="guardianrw"/> Chris Willman of ''Entertainment Weekly'' said the song "giddily sets [Spears'] littlest-girl voice against a guitar right out of 1960s go-go rock."<ref name="ew"/> John Murphy of [[musicOMH]] said that "any indication of her chat-up lines [in "Mmm Papi"] may explain her recent trouble with men,"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicomh.com/albums/britney-spears-3_1108.htm|title=Britney Spears - Circus (RCA)|last=Murphy|first=John|date=2008-11-30|accessdate=2011-04-05|publisher=musicOMH|archive-date=2008-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201193206/http://www.musicomh.com/albums/britney-spears-3_1108.htm|dead-url=yes}}</ref> while Caryn Ganz of ''Rolling Stone'' said the singer "shows she has psychodrama to spare on [the song]," and considered it "a go-go romp with daddy issues."<ref name="rs"/> Eric Henderson of [[Slant Magazine]] commented, "the jaw-dropping "Mmm Papi" is the nexus of cock-hungriness."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/britney-spears-circus/1589|title=Britney Spears - Circus - Music Review|last=Henderson|first=Eric|date=2008-11-25|publisher=Slant Magazine|accessdate=2011-04-05}}</ref> Chris Richards of ''The Washington Post'' said the song "tries to replicate the strutting come-ons of "[[Toxic (song)|Toxic]]", but quickly goes rancid as Spears indulges in some of the most cloying singing of her career,"<ref name=wp>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/music-events/britney-spears,1037893/critic-review.html|title='Circus' Is Pretty Much Cotton Candy|last=Richards|first=Chris|date=2008-12-02|work=[[The Washington Post]]|publisher=[[The Washington Post Company]]|accessdate=2011-01-29}}</ref> while [[Ann Powers]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' compared its style to Rosemary Clooney's "Come On-a My House" (1951).<ref name=latimes/> Powers also said Spears have "a fairly horrific pan-Latin accent" in the song.<ref name=latimes>{{cite web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2008/11/album-review--1.html|date=2008-11-25|accessdate=2011-04-05|work=Los Angeles Times|publisher=Eddy Hartenstein|title=Album review: Britney Spears' 'Circus'}}</ref>

[[Jim DeRogatis]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' criticized "Mmm Papi" as the "most disturbing [song] of [''Circus'']."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.suntimes.com/music/2008/12/britney_spears_circus_jive_2_s.html|title=Britney Spears, "Circus" (Jive)|last=DeRogatis|first=Jim|date=2008-12-01|work=Chicago Sun-Times|publisher=[[Sun-Times Media Group]]|accessdate=2011-01-29|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101118004557/http://blogs.suntimes.com/music/2008/12/britney_spears_circus_jive_2_s.html|archivedate=2010-11-18}}</ref> Cameron Adams of the ''[[Herald Sun]]'' called "Mmm Papi" "an attempt at [[Gwen Stefani]]'s new wave sound that doesn't work."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/music/britney-survives-the-circus/story-e6frf9hf-1111118160628|title=First Australian review of Britney Spears album Circus|last=Adams|first=Cameron|date=2008-11-28|work=Herald Sun|publisher=Herald and Weekly Times|accessdate=2011-01-29}}</ref> [[Ben Rayner]] of the ''[[Toronto Star]]'' called it "awful," along with "My Baby", and a "baby-talk horror."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/article/546760|author-link=Ben Rayner|title=Britney Spears: Circus|last=Rayner|first=Ben|date=2008-12-02|work=Toronto Star|publisher=[[Torstar|Torstar Corporation]]|accessdate=2011-01-29}}</ref> [[Peter Paphides|Pete Paphides]] of ''[[The Times]]'' said "Mmm Papi" "couldn't be less sexy if Christine Hamilton were singing them,"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article5246808.ece|title=Britney Spears: The Circus|last=Paphides|first=Pete|date=2008-11-28|work=The Times|publisher=[[News International|Times Newspapers Ltd]]|accessdate=2011-01-30|archive-date=2011-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616124215/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article5246808.ece|dead-url=yes}}</ref> while a review by ''[[The Independent]]'' said the song portrays "the former Mouseketeer as some kind of robotic nymphomaniac doll – groaning and grunting "let's make out" with the chilly distance of a future-sex cyborg unit."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-britney-spears-circus-zombasony-1038411.html|title=Album: Britney Spears, Circus (Zomba/Sony)|date=2008-11-28|accessdate=2011-04-13|work=The Independent|publisher=Independent Print Limited}}</ref> Darryl Sterdan of [[Jam!]] gave "Mmm Papi" a positive review, saying, "between the hip-swivelling groove, the twangy guitar, the surfy organ lines and the silly vocals, this might be the most enjoyable cut on the disc. Pure fun."<ref name="Canoe">{{cite web|url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/S/Spears_Britney/AlbumReviews/2008/11/27/7555066-sun.html|title=Album Review: Britney Spears - Circus|first=Darryl|last=Sterdan|date=2008-11-30|accessdate=2011-04-09|work=Jam!|publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer]]|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.is/20120711135006/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/S/Spears_Britney/AlbumReviews/2008/11/27/7555066-sun.html|archivedate=2012-07-11}}</ref> Despite not being released as a single, "Mmm Papi" did manage to peak at number ninety-four on ''Billboard'' [[Pop 100]], on the week of December 10, 2008, due to moderate airplay on mainstream top 40 radio stations, singles sales, and digital downloads.<ref name=allmusicharts>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/britney-spears-p320976/charts-awards/billboard-singles|title=Britney Spears - Billboard Chart History|work=[[Allmusic]]|publisher=[[Rovi Corporation]]|date=2008-12-10|accessdate=2011-01-22}}</ref>

==Credits and personnel==
Credits for "Mmm Papi" are adapted from ''Circus'' liner notes.<ref name=liner>''Circus (Deluxe Edition)'' liner notes. Jive Records (2008)</ref>

'''Technical'''
*Recorded at Train Tracks Studios in Los Angeles, California.
*Additional recording at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California.
*Mixed for Two Chord Music, Inc. at Canaan Road Studios and Looking Glass Studios in [[New York City, New York]].

'''Personnel'''
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*Britney Spears — [[lead vocals]], [[background vocals]], [[songwriter|songwriting]]
*Nicole Morier — background vocals, [[Record producer|producer]], songwriting
*Henry Walter — songwriting, producer, vocal recording, programming
*Adrien Gough — songwriting, producer, programming
{{col-2}}
*Peter-John Kerr — songwriting, producer, programming
*Eric Eylands — vocal recording
*Chris Worthy — guitar
*Tony Maserati — mixing
{{col-end}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* {{MetroLyrics song|britney-spears|mmm-papi}}<!-- Licensed lyrics provider -->

{{Britney Spears}}
{{Britney Spears singles}}
{{Good article}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Britney Spears songs]]
[[Category:Latin pop songs]]
[[Category:Songs written by Cirkut (record producer)]]
[[Category:Songs written by Britney Spears]]
[[Category:Songs written by Nicole Morier]]
[[Category:Songs about sexuality]]
[[Category:2008 songs]]
{{Source Wikipedia}}