Britney Could Have Had 'Umbrella'

Britney Spears was apparently offered to record hit single 'Umbrella' before it was given to Rihanna. Songwriter Taio Cruz told the Daily Telegraph (UK) that Britney turned the song down, saying it wasn't suitable. "They sent it back saying it didn't work for her," he explained to the newspaper. Taio also offered the hit to Mary J Blige, before Def Jam boss Jay-Z spotted the hit and passed it on the Rihanna. The song was a huge hit for the Barbadian and stayed at the to of the UK charts for 10 straight weeks. The London-bred producer also unveiled some of his secrets for penning a international hit - and put his success down to the short attention span of the audience. "The audience can be distracted quite easily, so you want something they can sing along with immediately," he explained. "'Umb-er-ella, 'ella, 'ella, 'ella, eh eh eh eh' is so simple, it's like a playground chant. If you look at the most successful songs they are choruses of four of five words, three notes, repeated. Its not rocket science." Taio said 'Umbrella' cashed in on loved-up couples looking for a song to share. He said: "The sentiment - 'When the sun shines, we shine together' - is something any girlfriend or boyfriend would really want to hear."