Mystery of Britney Spears’ iconic global warming Lady Gaga tweet finally solved, 10 years on
People have finally realised what *that* Britney Spears tweet was about. (Getty)
On the 10th anniversary of Britney Spears’ iconic Lady Gaga global warming tweet, we explain exactly what she meant when she asked the immortal question: Does anyone think global warming is a good thing? I love Lady Gaga.
The year 2011 was a much simpler time: Instagram was a wacky new app everyone was obsessed with, Miley Cryus had just hung up her Hannah Montana wig and people were trying to decode that Britney Spears tweet.
On an ordinary February day, Spears tweeted: “Does anyone think global warming is a good thing? I love Lady Gaga. I think she’s a really interesting artist.”
Does anyone think global warming is a good thing? I love Lady Gaga. I think she's a really interesting artist.
— Britney Spears (@britneyspears) February 10, 2011
‘History has just been rewritten’: Twitter shattered by the truth behind Britney.
For years, generations of Twitter users couldn’t help but wonder what this tweet meant.
The world carried on. People went to work, brewed coffee and became more terrified of global warming, since renamed global heating.
That is, until recently.
What the FUCK I just found out that Britney’s global warming/Lady Gaga tweet actually makes sense??? pic.twitter.com/fNkCCDHn6E— Bela Lugosi’s dad (@mnurkic) November 4, 2019
A Twitter user called Frank tweeted a screenshot from a Daily Edge article that deep dived into the background of Spears’ tweet.
It quickly went viral, inspiring dozens of people to finally realise the truth behind Spears’ questioning of climate change and Gaga.
“JUSTICE FOR BRITNEY” shouted Nikka.
This is like discovering the library of Alexandria but for gays https://t.co/22pE7Vp86z— Luke has a quest for you, travellers (@Beardynoise) November 4, 2019
While one user lamented: “My world has collapsed upon me.”
“History has just been rewritten,” explained Sydney.
Whoever wrote that article SAVED journalism https://t.co/VdR7chOeOQ— Miss Oranje Disco Dancer (@SkaiSlayer) November 4, 2019
Users gathered to mourn the loss of both their favourite non-sequitur and the death of any lingering thought that history itself can be considered objective.
Everything you think you know about history is wrong. https://t.co/JNTKmb82FS
— Cecilia The Christmas Gay (@cecilia_girls) November 4, 2019
Ignorance is bliss. A piece of me died with this knowledge. https://t.co/1iIR0wXLmm— Kirby's Dreamland (@dkirbykirbz) November 4, 2019
Some were today-years-old when they discovered the original tweet itself even existed:
omg it’s real OMG https://t.co/OFUMeoVbi1 pic.twitter.com/Sx9hsPF0zC— cat ミ☆ (@swiftvivals) November 4, 2019
So, what exactly was Britney Spears saying?
On February 11, 2011, Britney Spears hosted a Q&A on Twitter ahead of the release of her album Femme Fatale.
At the time, Lady Gaga was surging up the Top 40 pop charts, so one cheeky fan decided to jump in and ask her the question on everyone’s minds:
What is your opinion on Global Warming? LOL jk xoxo. But seriously, Lady GaGa?? (from @PrinceAli89)— Britney Spears (@britneyspears) February 10, 2011
But threads didn’t exist back then, so when Spears decided to hit back in a two-part reply, the second wasn’t linked. Meaning it just landed without any context.
Since shelved into the museum of pop culture fandom, Spears’ tweet remains an important reminder to always reflect on the days when Twitter had a 140 character limit.
Lest we forget.
