In the late 1990s and early 2000s, boy bands were everywhere. They were so ubiquitous that MTV made up a fake one, called 2gether, for a satirical television show. That group’s song, “U + Me = Us (Calculus),” even boasts 1 million views on YouTube today.
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But a real boy band from that era, *NSYNC, was all the range in high schools all over the country. For the group that gave the world Justin Timberlake, theirs was a career that spawned hits then and billions of streams now. And while it may be easy to make jokes about the group, they were huge in their day.
Here below, we wanted to explore three songs from the boy band that remain enjoyable. A trio of tunes that fans can show skeptics in order to demonstrate just how and why *NSYNC was so big at the turn of the century. Indeed, these are three songs for people who say they don’t like *NSYNC.
[RELATED: Why *NSYNC’s ‘Home for Christmas’ Has Become a Millennial Holiday Standard]
“Bye Bye Bye” from No Strings Attached (2000)
After all the grunge-music tragedy and overall gloom born from the mid-1990s, music lovers wanted to relax a bit. Enter boy bands like *NSYNC. Indeed, while you didn’t need to think too hard about the lyrics or the messages, the group was enjoyable like candy or a Disney movie is enjoyable. And this song, “Bye Bye Bye,” was one of their biggest hits. The track, which hit No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, is about saying goodbye to a lover. Breakup tracks were just what people needed at the time. On it, singer JC Chasez sings,
I’m doing this tonight
You’re probably gonna start a fight
I know this can’t be right
Hey baby come on
I loved you endlessly
When you weren’t there for me
So now it’s time to leave and make it alone
“Tearin’ Up My Heart” from *NSYNC (1997)
The pangs of love. This song is about those that come from proximity and distance. One of the first hits from the group, the love song is a plea to a romantic interest to come back into the picture and make things right. It’s a typical “will they, won’t they” dynamic put to dance-worthy pop music. Classic stuff. On the track, Timberlake sings,
Baby don’t misunderstand
What I’m trying to tell ya
In the corner of my mind
Baby, it feels like we are running out of time
Let it go
If you want me girl, let me know
I am down on my knees
I can’t take it anymore… ohhh
“It’s Gonna Be Me” from No Strings Attached (2000)
Perhaps the group’s most famous song, this is a track that is immediately remembered with just the line, It’s gonna be meeeeeeeeeehhh! In fact, every April 30, a meme goes around social media, playing on that line, “It’s gonna be May!” As for the song itself, the tune is a club hit, led by heartthrob Timberlake. And the music video features the band members looking like action figures waiting to be chosen. On the tune, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Timberlake sings,
You might been hurt, babe
That ain’t no lie
You’ve seen them all come and go, oh
I remember you told me
That it made you believe in
No man, no cry
Maybe that’s why
Every little thing I do
Never seems enough for you
You don’t want to lose it again
But I’m not like them
Baby, when you finally
Get to love somebody
Guess what
It’s gonna be me
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Photo by PRNewsfoto/Epic Rights
