"I Wanna Go" is a dance-pop and Hi-NRG song that features a heavy bassline and drum fills reminiscent of English rock band New Order.

The song was treated with different remixes, including a Bollywood mix with guest vocals by Sonu Nigam and another one by DJ Frank E and Alex Dreamz.

Following its release as a single, the song reached the top ten in several music markets, including Canada, France, Finland and the United States.

It depicts Spears daydreaming at a press conference about a series of events, including being chased by paparazzi cyborgs and being rescued by actor Guillermo Díaz.

Spears has performed "I Wanna Go" on her Femme Fatale Tour (2011) and during her Las Vegas residency show Britney: Piece of Me (2013–2015).

[5] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Spears stated that the song's signature whistle gets her "every time [she] hears it", adding that Martin's melodies are "Incredible ... Who would have thought of that?

[7] Two days later, "I Wanna Go" was officially announced as the third single from Femme Fatale by Jive Records through a press release after winning the poll.

[8] The cover art was revealed on June 6, 2011, and featured Spears on set of the music video, wearing colored hair extensions and crop top with a skeletal Mickey Mouse[9] by designer Mila Fargo.

[12] In the lyrics, Spears sings about losing inhibitions, as evident in lines such as "I-I-I wanna sho-o-ow/All the dir-ir-irt/I got (sic) running through my mind.

[13][14] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times stated that she sings about "the scrum that surrounds her" in "Lately people got me all tied up / There's a countdown waiting for me to erupt".

[14] Parker Bruce of the Washington Square News stated that the song functions as "a sort of formal declaration and mission statement" for Femme Fatale, saying that "It is not an innovative song, but it is fantastically effective and endlessly enticing with its liberating, toss-your-cares-away, dance-like-a-complete–and-utter-fool cathartic chorus, repeated words and typically saucy Britney lyrics".

[13] The Daily Collegian writer Hannah Rishel said "I Wanna Go" would have been "another good lead single",[17] while The Washington Times's Andrew Leahey said that along with "Till the World Ends", they are "bass-heavy tributes to club culture.

[11] The Chicago Sun-Times journalist Thomas Conner also noted that the singer's vocals were processed to the point "these songs could be sung by anyone", exemplifying "'I Wanna Go' tweaks her up so high she could be Jackie Evancho".

[20] Andy Gill of The Independent also criticized the singer's vocals on Femme Fatale, stating that they sounded more programmed than natural, with "even the little whistling hook in 'I Wanna Go' has a synthetic character about it".

[21] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine noted that "If not for its infectious pre-chorus whistle, 'I Wanna Go' would be just another song off the Max Martin assembly line".

[22] The Guardian contributor Alexis Petridis gave the song a negative review, and said that although most of tracks of the album are "genuinely exciting [...] there's certainly some unremarkable stuff on offer, notably 'Seal It With a Kiss' and 'I Wanna Go'".

[23] Evan Sawdey of PopMatters also noted that "I Wanna Go" is the point of the album in which "things stop being fun and start becoming intensely repetitious", criticizing specifically "[the] utterly stupid set of syllables repeated ad nauseam for no reason whatsoever?

[33] "I Wanna Go" became Spears's 21st top-forty single, the third-highest female total since her first week on the chart on November 21, 1998, and only behind Taylor Swift with 27 and Rihanna with 22.

[48] Piliero then thought of asking one of the stars of Half Baked, Guillermo Díaz, to be part of the video, explaining that it "would make it come full circle.

Piliero felt that all of her references to the paparazzi in her previous videos had been more of a statement than an action, and for "I Wanna Go", he wanted her to have the opportunity to fight back.

"[1] The video begins at a press conference where Spears, wearing a cropped Mickey Mouse Skull top by Mila Fargo (paying homage to her days in The New Mickey Mouse Club),[49] is being asked inappropriate questions by news reporters, such as "Is it true you banned junk food, smiles, candy, sunshine and laughter from your Femme Fatale Tour?"

[49] After leaving the press conference, Spears walks out of the building and out into the street, wearing a white leather jacket and a black skirt with matching with studded combat boots.

[50] After all the paparazzi, revealed to be cyborgs, have been knocked to the floor, they start crawling back with their eyes glowing red and their faces bursting with wires, reminiscent to a scene in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).

The video then cuts back to the press conference, indicating that Spears was daydreaming, due to being asked monotonous and inappropriate questions.

"[53] Megan Gibson of Time stated that the video is "random, weird and intended to be funny" and that despite the lack of dancing "Britney seems pleasantly energetic and spunky in 'I Wanna Go' which is a comforting change from her usual blank-eyed look.

"[57] Jocelyn Vena of MTV commented that "Britney displays the sass and charm fans fell in love with a decade ago during performance shots, where she flirts with the camera, her eyes as big and wide as her smile.

"[59] Devin Brown of CBS News called it her best video from Femme Fatale, and added that unlike "Piece of Me", "'I Wanna Go' offers a bevy of pop culture references meant to ridicule the rumors about the star – and finally no 'dancing.

"[26] Becky Bain of Idolator called the video "delightful" and "flat out funny", explaining that Spears "focuses her energy on being too darn cute (and deliciously naughty) instead of having to worry about dancing, [she] is in on the joke and loving it all.

"[63] Shaunna Murphy of Entertainment Weekly said, "Of the newer songs, 'How I Roll' and 'I Wanna Go' were standouts, the former for its bubblegum fun and the latter for the uproarious fan participation on stage.

[65] "I Wanna Go" was remixed with guest vocals by Indian singer Sonu Nigam and released on the DesiHits website in June 2011.