On August 5 , 2011 , she launched a poll on her Facebook page asking fans whether her next single should be " Criminal " , " Inside Out " or " ( Drop Dead ) Beautiful . " After the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards , she revealed to MTV News that " Criminal " was chosen as the fourth single . On the British talk show '' This Morning '' , Spears explained that the song " was chosen by the fans . It was just cool to give something back to them and see what they would appreciate . " The " Criminal ( Radio Mix ) " , which was included on her second remix album , '' B in the Mix : The Remixes Vol . 2 '' , was released as a single on September 30 , 2011 and the song was added to the United States mainstream radio playlists on October 4 , 2011 . The artwork for the single was released on September 14 , 2011 . It features Spears looking out into the distance , with her wavy hair falling on her bare back . A mysterious hooded man is also featured on the cover . Robbie Daw of Idolator said that " it appears as if Camp Spears hired the best Photoshop expert $ 15 could buy when it came to designing the art . Oh , just kidding — we love red and blue ! Makes us think of sex and , uh , ice-cold criminals . Or something . " " Criminal " is a guitar-driven midtempo track which incorporates a folk-style flute melody . Erin Thompson of the '' Seattle Weekly '' said the song " takes a breather from aggressive , wall-to-wall synths , driven instead by a steady guitar rhythm and an oddly Asian folky-sounding flute melody . " . The radio edit changes the drums to be louder , among various other instrumental changes . It is considered the only ballad of the album . Thompson compared it to her past ballads , saying it is not " sappy " like " I 'm Not a Girl , Not Yet a Woman " ( 2002 ) and not " teary-sad " like " Everytime " ( 2004 ) . " Criminal " is reminiscent of the music of ABBA and Madonna , and the latter 's albums '' Ray of Light '' ( 1998 ) and '' American Life '' ( 2003 ) , according to David Buchanan of '' Consequence of Sound '' and Samesame.com.au , respectively . The beat was compared by Keith Caufield of '' Billboard '' to Madonna 's " Do n't Tell Me " ( 2000 ) . Carl Wilson of the '' Los Angeles Times '' said " Criminal " is " awkwardly pitched between rock and ballad " . The use of the flute was compared by Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush to the sample of " The Lonely Goatherd " from '' The Sound of Music '' ( 1959 ) on Gwen Stefani 's " Wind It Up " ( 2006 )
2011 MTV Video Music Awards
2011 MTV Video Music Awards
Criminal (Britney Spears song)