Ed Sheeran hasn’t always been the most critically-lauded pop star. He has made some questionable music. But he has at least one pretty good opinion, which is that Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time” is among the “top two or three best songs ever written.”

Sheeran got his Britney takes off during a recent interview on the Therapuss With Jake Shane podcast. The singer and host got to talking about the recent Netflix sci-fi drama 3 Body Problem, which features a prominent needle-drop of Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games.” From there, they started rattling off their favorite debut singles. Shane’s response: “‘Drivers License’ by Olivia Rodrigo. ‘…Baby One More Time’ by Britney Spears.”

“Oh, that’s it — there is no better debut song,” Sheeran said of Spears’ 1999 hit, though he did later give some praise to both of Rodrigo’s LPs. “I think ‘…Baby One More Time’ is, like, top two or three best songs ever written.”

That explains why Sheeran has covered the song a handful of times, and even recorded it as a Spotify exclusive back in 2017, almost two decades after it became a #1 hit. If only “Shape Of You” was just half as good. Watch Sheeran fawn over “…Baby One More Time” below.

Ed Sheeran praises “…Baby One More Time” in a new interview:

“There is no better debut song. I think Hit Me Baby One More Time is like top 2 or 3 best songs ever written.” pic.twitter.com/BnRszfg68g

— Britney Spears Promo (Fan Page) 🌹 (@Britney_Promo) June 9, 2024