I Want You Back (NSYNC song)

"I Want You Back" is the debut single by American boy band NSYNC. It was released on October 4, 1996 in Germany and on January 20, 1998 in the UK and US as the first single from their self-titled debut album.

"I Want You Back"
North American variant of the 1998 re-release cover art
Single by NSYNC
from the album 'N Sync
B-side"You Got It", "I Just Wanna Be with You", "Everything I Own", "Giddy Up"
ReleasedOctober 4, 1996
Recorded1996
StudioCheiron, Stockholm, Sweden
Genre
Length3:22
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Pop
  • Martin
NSYNC singles chronology
"I Want You Back"
(1996)		 "Tearin' Up My Heart"
(1997)
Music video
"I Want You Back" on YouTube

Background

The song was written and produced by Max Martin and his mentor at the time, Denniz Pop. NSYNC were flown over to Stockholm to record the song in 1996.[2] Joey Fatone discussed the recording process in a retrospective interview with Billboard:[2]

I remember "Want You Back", just being in the studio and recording, [thinking] "What the hell are we doing?" In the sense of like, "I like the song, the song's really good, but do you think other people are gonna like it?" It's like, edgy for pop in a sense, you know. [Beatboxing] Then it drives in and you're like, "This is great!"

Composition

The song is based on 4
4 common time, the tempo is 112 BPM and is played in the key of A-flat minor.[3] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, NSYNC's vocal range spans from the low note E4 to the high note of G#5.[4]

Releases

"I Want You Back" was released in October 1996 as the band's debut single in Germany and then as the band's first US single on January 20, 1998.[5]

Commercial performance

"I Want You Back" reached the top ten in several regions, including Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand and Canada. The song also reached number one in the Netherlands. It peaked at number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song has also been certified Gold in the US, Germany and Australia.

Music video

Two versions of the music video were released; one for the original release of the song, while the other was used for the song's global re-release.[2]

Original version

The first video was shot in Stockholm, Sweden from August 15–16, 1996 by Alan Calzatti. It was released with the original German release of the song in October 1996. It features the group in a space station, with many high-tech effects playing out around them. The video was shot on a green screen, as each of the members were walking on treadmills.[2] The group attempt to contact a girl through a computer, in order to bring her onto the ship, while they are dancing throughout the video. As of September 2019, the official German version of the music video has over 40 million views on YouTube.[6]

Alternate version

The second video accompanied the British and US release of the song in 1998 and was directed by Jesse Vaughan and Douglas Biro in America.[2] The video was partially shot in black-and-white, and featured the group performing in a warehouse, playing pool, riding jet-skis and driving around the neighborhood with a girl in a Cadillac interspersed throughout the video. JC Chasez felt that this version was the moment where "we just made a real music video".[2]

Track listing

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[31] Gold 35,000^
Germany (BVMI)[32] Gold 250,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[34] Gold 600,000[35]

^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References
  1. Tortorici, Frank (May 3, 1999). "'N Sync's James Lance 'Lansten' Bass". MTV News. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  2. Weatherby, Taylor (March 24, 2018). "*NSYNC Reflects on Making U.S. Debut & Competing With Backstreet Boys as Self-Titled Album Turns 20: 'It Was Us Against the World'". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  3. "Key & BPM for I Want You Back by *NSYNC". Tunebat. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  4. "I Want You Back". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  5. Summers, Kimberly Dillon (2010). Justin Timberlake: A Biography. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 20–21. ISBN 978-0-313-38320-5. LCCN 2010015230.
  6. "*NSYNC - I Want You Back (Official Video)". October 25, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2019 – via YouTube.
  7. I Want You Back (booklet). NSYNC. Sweden: BMG Ariola Munich. 1996. 74321 41679 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. I Want You Back (booklet). NSYNC. Sweden: BMG Ariola Munich. 1996. 7863 65348 4.CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. I Want You Back (booklet). NSYNC. Sweden: Arista Records. 1997. 74321 54112 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. I Want You Back (booklet). NSYNC. Sweden: Northwestside Records. 1998. 74321 64698 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. I Want You Back (booklet). NSYNC. Sweden: Northwestside Records. 1998. 74321 64697 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. I Want You Back (booklet). NSYNC. Sweden: RCA Records. 1998. 07863 65373-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  13. "Austriancharts.at – 'N Sync – I Want You Back" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  14. "Offiziellecharts.de – 'N SYNC – I Want You Back". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  15. "Nederlandse Top 40 – 'N SYNC" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  16. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  17. "Swisscharts.com – 'N SYNC – I Want You Back". Swiss Singles Chart.
  18. "NSYNC: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  19. "Australian-charts.com – 'N Sync – I Want You Back". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  20. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3560." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  21. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 3532." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  22. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 18, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. "Charts.nz – 'N Sync – I Want You Back". Top 40 Singles.
  24. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  25. "Swedishcharts.com – 'N Sync – I Want You Back". Singles Top 100.
  26. "NSYNC Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  27. "NSYNC Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  28. "NSYNC Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  29. "RPM's Top 100 Hit Tracks of '98" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 63 no. 12. December 14, 1998. p. 20. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  30. "Billboard Top 100 - 1998". Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  31. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020.
  32. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('N Sync; 'I Want You Back')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  33. "British single certifications – 'N Sync – I Want You Back". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type I Want You Back in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  34. "American single certifications – 'N Sync – I Want You Back". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  35. "Best-Selling Records of 1998". Billboard. BPI Communications Inc. 111 (5): 75. January 30, 1999. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
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