We Finally Know What Britney Spears Meant by ‘Hit Me, Baby, One More Time’

It took 17 years, but we finally have an answer to one of the most confounding mysteries in music history. Yes, we now know what Britney Spears meant when she was singing "hit me, baby, one more time."

There's a new book out called 'The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory,' and the author explains that the song '...Baby One More Time' was written by a couple of Swedish songwriters.

The lyrics were about a girl who just split up with her boyfriend, and the Swedes were under the impression that 'hit' was a brand new American slang term for 'call.'  So, the woman is pleading with her ex-boyfriend to call her just one more time because she's lonely.

That isn't too far out of left field since "hit me up" basically means the same thing.

The song was originally intended for TLC, and they don't regret turning it down.  A few years back, T-BOZ said, "I was like, I like the song, but do I think it's a hit? Was I going to say 'Hit me, baby, one more time?'  Hell no!"