Editing Everytime (section)

==Critical reception==
"Everytime" received widespread acclaim from music critics, who complimented its lyrical content and Spears' breathy vocals, while others deemed it a standout track on ''In the Zone''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 18, 2022 |title=Markus Klinko: Britney Spears, In The Zone |url=https://www.artsy.net/article/addicted-art-gallery-markus-klinko-britney-spears-zone |access-date=February 5, 2025 |work=[[Artsy (website)|Artsy]] |quote=Everytime' received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised its lyrics, composition and Britney's breathy vocals and songwriting, deeming it amongst the highlights of 'In the Zone'.}}</ref> Gavin Mueller of ''[[Stylus Magazine]]'' considered "Everytime" to be the best track on ''In the Zone'', explaining "it is just a spare piano ballad, simple yet effectively fragile".<ref name="stylus2">{{cite web|url=http://stylusmagazine.com/review_ID_1477.html |title=Britney Spears&nbsp;– In the Zone |date=November 18, 2003 |access-date=April 18, 2022 |last=Mueller |first=Gavin |work=[[Stylus Magazine]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910035026/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/britney-spears/in-the-zone1.htm |archive-date=September 10, 2012 }}</ref> Ali Fenwick of ''[[The Johns Hopkins News-Letter]]'' complimented Spears' songwriting and added the song "shows a glimmer of the talent that hides behind the robotic, synthed-out vocals on the rest of the album".<ref name="johnhopkins">{{cite news|url=http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/media/storage/paper932/news/2003/11/21/Arts/New-Vibrations-2245747.shtml |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110713104955/http://www.jhunewsletter.com/2.8130/new-vibrations-1.1141429 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 13, 2011 |title=Britney Spears&nbsp;– In the Zone Jive Records November 18, 2003 |date=November 21, 2003 |access-date=April 28, 2010 |last=Fenwick |first=Ali |work=[[The Johns Hopkins News-Letter]] |publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University]] }}</ref> [[Christy Lemire]] of ''[[MSNBC]]'' called it "actually a pretty tune" and named it the best ballad in ''[[Greatest Hits: My Prerogative]]''.<ref name=msnbc>{{cite web|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/britney-s-entirely-premature-greatest-hits-wbna6399700|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910170555/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/6399700/|archive-date=September 10, 2011|title=Britney's entirely premature greatest hits|date=November 9, 2004|access-date=April 18, 2022| last=Lemire|first=Christy|website=Today}}</ref> Jason Shawhan of [[Dotdash Meredith|About.com]] said "Everytime" "screams Single!".<ref name=about>{{cite web|url=http://dancemusic.about.com/cs/reviews/fr/KylieBritney.htm|title=Kylie Minogue&nbsp;– Body Language and Britney Spears&nbsp;– In the Zone|year=2003|access-date=March 23, 2010|last=Shawhan|first=Jason|publisher=[[About.com]]|archive-date=March 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326145307/http://dancemusic.about.com/cs/reviews/fr/KylieBritney.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> For Daniel Megarry from ''[[Gay Times]]'', it's "one of the most stunningly heartbreaking songs of all time".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Megarry |first1=Daniel |title=We ranked every single Britney Spears album from worst to best |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/118767/we-ranked-every-single-britney-spears-album-from-worst-to-best/ |work=[[Gay Times]] |access-date=April 10, 2020 |date=February 28, 2019 |archive-date=October 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023220237/https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/118767/we-ranked-every-single-britney-spears-album-from-worst-to-best/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Nayer Nissim, from ''[[PinkNews]]'', wrote that "despite some limp efforts scattered around her albums, Britney can actually do some utterly compelling and heartbreaking ballads, and this is her very best. Beautiful, disarming, and emotionally raw".<ref name="PinkNews">{{cite web |last1=Nissim |first1=Mayer |title=Britney Spears '...Baby One More Time' at 20: All 42 Britney songs ranked |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/10/18/britney-spears-singles-ranked/ |work=[[Pink News]] |access-date=April 10, 2020 |date=October 18, 2018 |archive-date=April 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410214350/https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/10/18/britney-spears-singles-ranked/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Digital Spy]]'s Alim Kheraj praised its "lullaby-like production, wonderfully simple piano riff and confessional lyrics".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kheraj |first1=Alim |title=Britney Spears's 15 biggest hits, ranked: which is our No.1? |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/music/a792317/britney-spears-15-biggest-hits-ranked-which-is-our-no1/ |publisher=[[Digital Spy]] |access-date=April 11, 2020 |date=April 30, 2016 |archive-date=April 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411044654/https://www.digitalspy.com/music/a792317/britney-spears-15-biggest-hits-ranked-which-is-our-no1/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

For Alex Macpherson from ''[[The Guardian]]'', it's one of the best examples of Spears' "distressing vulnerability" as well as her fifth best song; "one of Britney's oddest curveballs was following the gleaming banger '[[Toxic (song)|Toxic]]', with its polar opposite. [...] ['Everytime'] is a rare [[Pop music|pop]] hit that seizes attention by shrinking further away".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Macpherson |first1=Alex |title=Britney Spears – 10 of the best |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/aug/24/britney-spears-10-of-the-best |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=April 10, 2020 |date=August 24, 2016 |archive-date=April 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410211756/https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/aug/24/britney-spears-10-of-the-best |url-status=live }}</ref> Spence D. of [[IGN]] said the song "continues to mine the ''Zone'' turf and unleashes what is ostensibly Britney's first mature ballad, at least in terms of being musically staid and stripped of any danceteria sweat and gloss".<ref name=ign>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/11/16/britney-spears-greatest-hits-my-prerogative |title=Britney Spears Greatest Hits: My Prerogative |date=November 16, 2004 |access-date=April 18, 2022 |last=D. |first=Spence |website=IGN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622004830/http://music.ign.com/articles/566/566584p3.html |archive-date=June 22, 2011 }}</ref> Linda McGee of [[RTÉ.ie]] said that along with ''In the Zone''{{'}}s "Brave New Girl", they were "individually impressive", but disrupted the direction of the album.<ref name=rte>{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/ten/2003/1205/spearsb.html |title=Britney Spears&nbsp;– In The Zone |date=December 5, 2003 |access-date=April 28, 2010 |last=Lemire |first=Christy |publisher=[[RTÉ.ie]]. [[Raidió Teilifís Éireann]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111220144623/http://www.rte.ie/ten/2003/1205/spearsb.html |archive-date=December 20, 2011 }}</ref> David Browne of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' commented, "With its dainty piano, 'Everytime' plays like a forlorn postmortem on her Justin Timberlake era."<ref name=ew>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2003/11/21/zone-0/|title=In the Zone|date=November 21, 2003|access-date=April 18, 2022|last=Browne|first=David|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|archive-date=January 21, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070121033311/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,543124,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2016, the staff from ''Entertainment Weekly'' placed it at number six on their ranking of Spears' songs and called it "her finest ballad and one of the most emotionally affecting songs of her career".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Every Britney Spears song, ranked |url=https://ew.com/article/2016/09/01/every-britney-spears-song-ranked/ |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=April 10, 2020 |date=September 1, 2016 |archive-date=April 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410220116/https://ew.com/article/2016/09/01/every-britney-spears-song-ranked/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Sterling Clover of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' called it "a weeper in the best '[[Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper song)|Time After Time]]' (1984) tradition."<ref name=vv>{{cite news|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2003/12/02/saturday-night-at-the-nyla/ |title=Saturday Night at the Nyla |date=December 2, 2003 |access-date=April 18, 2022 |last=Clover |first=Sterling |work=[[The Village Voice]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020191659/http://www.villagevoice.com/2003-12-02/music/saturday-night-at-the-nyla/ |archive-date=October 20, 2012 }}</ref> William Shaw of ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'' said that while "Everytime" was not her greatest ballad, the lyrics were "certainly heartfelt".<ref name=blenderint>{{cite journal|title=Britney Busts Loose! |year=2003|journal=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]|publisher=Alpha Media Group|last=Shaw|first=William|issn=1534-0554}}</ref> A reviewer from the ''[[Huddersfield Daily Examiner]]'' stated, "[the] breathy ballad [has] got a [[musical theatre|stage musical]] feel to it, but Britney's no [[Elaine Paige]]".<ref name=hudder>{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-118662961.html|title=Off the record.|date=June 25, 2004|access-date=March 23, 2010| last=Reporter|first=Huddersfield Daily Examiner|work=[[Huddersfield Daily Examiner]]|publisher=[[Trinity Mirror|Trinity Mirror Group]]}}{{dead link|date=February 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Sal Cinquemani of ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' named it along with "Shadow" "two sappy ballads".<ref name=slant>{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/britney-spears-in-the-zone/|title=Review: Britney Spears, In The Zone|date=November 12, 2003|access-date=April 18, 2022|last=Cinquemani|first=Sal|work=[[Slant Magazine]]|archive-date=April 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418035848/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/britney-spears-in-the-zone/|url-status=live}}</ref>