Written and produced by Max Martin, , "...Baby One More Time" was the single that officially introduced Britney Spears to the world, hitting radio stations worldwide in late 1998. Originally penned for TLC (they rejected it for being "too 'pop"), Simon Cowell tried (and failed) to secure the track for his boyband, 5ive. The immensely popular video, set in a high school, became the most requested video ever on UK channel, The Box, and, when released commercially in the UK in February 1999, soared straight to #1, becoming the biggest selling record of the year, and also hitting #1 in 18 other countries, including the USA.