 The lyrics of " Piece of Me " are written as a reaction to the scrutiny of Spears ' private life in the media . They deal with fame and living under the spotlight . During the first verse , Spears sings the hookline " You want a piece of me ? " , that is repeated throughout the song . According to Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times , the line " could be an accusation or an invitation or a threat " . " Piece of Me " is constructed in the common verse @-@ chorus pattern . " Piece of Me " is written like a biography retelling Spears ' mishaps , sung in a nearly spoken manner . Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy compared the lyrics to Amy Winehouse 's " Rehab " ( 2006 ) . Bill Lamb of About.com said that " Piece of Me " makes Michael Jackson 's " Scream " ( 1995 ) " sound like a whimper . " 
