Celebrating a larger-than-life traditional.
Backstreet Boys
Brill/ullstein bild by way of Getty Photos
To say that Backstreet Boys’ second album (third internationally) was born out of adverse circumstances could be one thing of an understatement. Since making their belated U.S. breakthrough with 1997’s Backstreet’s Again, Brian Littrell had undergone open coronary heart surgical procedure, Howie Dorough and Kevin Richardson had each misplaced shut members of the family, and their early hitmaker Denniz Pop had handed away from abdomen most cancers. Throw in a bitter authorized battle with former supervisor Lou Pearlman over the tens of millions of {dollars} he’d reportedly fleeced from them and it’s a marvel Millennium ever noticed the sunshine of day.
However because the saying (virtually) goes, from nice struggling comes record-breaking boy band artwork. Produced by Max Martin and a military of different Swedish hitmakers who would go on to outline the chart panorama over the next decade and past, Millennium shifted an astonishing 1.13 million copies in its opening week and would go on to promote 12.3 million copies within the U.S., per Luminate.
Due to a string of bona fide teen-pop classics (all 4 of its singles hit the highest 40 of the Billboard Scorching 100, with two going prime 10), a prolonged world tour and the stars-aligning rise of MTV’s Whole Request Reside, it spent 10 weeks on the prime of the Billboard 200 chart and earned the group 4 Grammy nominations (together with album of the yr). It’s nonetheless one of many biggest-selling albums of all time.
Simply to make any teenyboppers of the late ‘90s really feel that little bit older, the unstoppable chart juggernaut is celebrating its twenty fifth anniversary on Could 18. So what higher time to rank its dozen Y2K choices from worst to finest?
-
“I Want You Tonight”
“I Want You Tonight” had first been carried out by contestant Andrew Fromm throughout Ed McMahon’s 1995 remaining season of Star Search. The New Jersey singer-songwriter advised Billboard he had no concept who the Backstreet Boys had been when Jive Information’ senior director requested to borrow the monitor for Millennium. And he wouldn’t have been a lot the wiser after listening to their tackle his unashamed slushfest, both. For one factor, the boyband’s signature harmonies have been pushed to the background in favor of a nasal Nick Carter lead vocal. And whereas the BSB sometimes excelled at romantic ballads, Mutt Lange’s treacly manufacturing leans into each grab-the-air cliche. Hear right here.
-
“Again To Your Coronary heart”
“Again To Your Coronary heart” was co-written by Jason Blume, the creator of music trade guidebook Six Steps to Songwriting Success. One other of the schmaltzy ballads which leaves Millennium slightly front-loaded, this isn’t precisely a standout. With nation music hitmaker Gary Baker – the person behind All-4-One’s inescapable “I Swear” and Lonestar’s “I’m Already There” – additionally on board, “Again To Your Coronary heart” ought to have been a surefire wedding ceremony dance favourite. However the one success it achieved was bringing its lyrical inspirations, Kevin Richardson and his future spouse, again collectively. Hear right here.
-
“Spanish Eyes”
“Spanish Eyes” shares a title with a 1999 track from Ricky Martin’s English-language debut, however musically, it’s extra prone to be confused with Westlife’s sole Billboard Scorching 100 hit, “Swear It Once more,” which hit No. 20 in 2000. A story of a blossoming multicultural romance, this flamenco-tinged ballad was written by Fromm and hitmaking cousin Sandy Linzer with Martin in thoughts. However even the Latin pop Casanova would have bother promoting sentiments comparable to “Once I look into your Spanish eyes/I do know the rationale why I’m alive.” Hear right here.
-
“The Excellent Fan”
Backstreet Boys are nothing if not gracious. After opening Millennium with a tribute to their adoring public, the quintet then wraps it up with an ode to the ladies who raised them. As with Spice Women’ comparable Mom’s Day anthem two years earlier, “The Excellent Son” is actually a Hallmark greeting card in musical kind (“I need to thanks for what you’ve performed/In hopes I may give again to you/Be the right son”). However the addition of a gospel choir – recorded at co-writer Littrell’s outdated Lexington highschool – makes this somewhat extra noteworthy than the remainder of the album’s sickly-sweet ballads. Hear right here.
-
“No One Else Comes Shut”
Similar to closest rivals *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys often ventured exterior their Swedish hit manufacturing unit consolation zone to flirt with the world of R&B (see the Rodney Jerkins-produced “Shining Star” on Black & Blue or the PM Daybreak cowl “Set Adrift on Reminiscence Bliss” on Backstreet’s Again). “No One Else Comes Shut” initially appeared on All That I Am, the 1998 sophomore from one of many style’s smoothest crooners, Joe. And whereas this carbon copy lacks the soulfulness of the unique, the group’s five-part harmonies at the very least carry one thing new to the desk. Hear right here.
-
“Don’t Wanna Lose You Now”
Sadly, not a canopy model of Gloria Estefan’s same-name energy ballad, “Don’t Wanna Lose You Now” is Backstreet Boys firmly on autopilot. Rami Yacoub, who co-produced the monitor with Martin, even freely admits that he intentionally tried to copy the snare drum sound of Millennium’s greatest hit. After all, Backstreet Boys going by means of the motions continues to be extra listenable than most boy bands firing on all cylinders. And whereas this midtempo monitor is unlikely to be many followers’ favourite, it’s a superbly serviceable breather in-between two of the report’s extra dancefloor-friendly stompers. Hear right here.
-
“It’s Gotta Be You”
“Now I do know why I used to be born/You’re feeling my emotions one after the other.” “It’s Gotta Be You” doesn’t strike lyrical gold, however musically, that is the hit manufacturing unit in good kind, with Yacoub and Martin hitting just about each button on their financial institution of bombastic sounds. Gurgling vocal modulations? Verify. Orchestral synth stabs? Snare patterns which sound like they’re about to burst out the speaker? Verify. They’re all right here. Hear right here.
-
“Do not Need You Again”
“You hit me sooner than a shark assault/You noticed my image/On the Backstreet’s Again, alright.” “Don’t Need You Again” boasts one of many boy band’s most attention-grabbing, and tremendous meta, opening strains. It additionally finds the five-piece abandoning their normal romanticism for one thing somewhat extra caustic, virtually doubling up as a riposte to *NSYNC’s much more pleading breakthrough hit “I Need You Again.” As with their Joe cowl, the most effective of the album’s non-singles dips its toes into R&B waters, this time by adopting the identical harpsichord sound that may outline hits by Future’s Little one, TLC, et al. Hear right here.
-
“The One”
Having already shifted tens of millions of copies of Millennium, Backstreet Boys might afford to provide their followers somewhat inventive management by asking them to decide on its fourth and remaining single. After all, as soon as Nick revealed that he’d voted for “The One” himself, the TRL ballot consequence was a foregone conclusion. Nevertheless it proved to be the proper alternative, nonetheless. Far and away the standout from the album’s schmaltzy ballad-heavy second half, this Littrell co-write neatly bridges the hole between their sentimental love songs and their precision-tooled pop bangers. Hear right here.
-
“Present Me the That means of Being Lonely”
The melodramatic balladry of “Present Me the That means of Being Lonely” is one thing of an outlier within the Backstreet Boys catalog. It’s their solely single to provide Kevin a outstanding lead vocal. It’s accompanied by their darkest, and most devastating, promo, one which alludes to all of the heartache and hardships the group’s members had just lately skilled. And whereas BSB’s lyrics are normally to the purpose, they’re virtually willfully obfuscating right here (“Life goes on because it by no means ends/Eyes of stone observe the traits”). Regardless of choosing up a Grammy nod and equaling the No. 6 place of Millennium’s lead single, this Latin-tinged effort feels underrated in comparison with their extra easygoing ballads. Hear right here.
-
“Bigger Than Life”
From Joseph Kahn’s Blade Runner-meets-Star Wars epic (nonetheless one of many costliest movies of all time) to the Cheiron crew’s unashamedly bombastic manufacturing, each side of Millennium’s aptly titled opener is certainly bigger than life. A thank-you observe to the teenyboppers who’d caught by them since their “large in Germany” days, it ramps up every thing that made “We’ve Acquired It Goin’ On” and “All people (Backstreet’s Again)” such boy band bangers, after which ramps it up some extra. Don’t be fooled by its No. 25 chart place. “Bigger Than Life” is late ‘90s pop at its maximalist finest. Hear right here.
-
“I Need It That Manner”
It’s nonetheless unclear what the “it” or the “that” within the nonsensical title refers to, however semantics apart, Millennium’s lead single stays a masterclass in boy band balladry. “I Need It That Manner” boasts an earworm refrain which feels prefer it’s at all times been a part of pop’s cloth, multi-layered harmonies (the “you’re” crescendo is especially wonderful) that may put any traditional vocal troupe to disgrace and an iconic airport-based video that completely encapsulates the mania the group impressed. Nominated for each track and report of the yr Grammys, this track topped Billboard’s 100 Best Boy Band Songs of All Time checklist and deservedly stays BSB’s signature tune. Hear right here.