The Call (Backstreet Boys song)

"The Call" is a song by American boy band Backstreet Boys. It was released on February 6, 2001 as the second single from their album Black & Blue (2000).

"The Call"
Single by Backstreet Boys
from the album Black & Blue
ReleasedFebruary 6, 2001 (radio)
March 13, 2001 (remix version)
RecordedJuly 1[1] – September 2000[2]
StudioPolar Studios (Stockholm, Sweden)
GenrePop, dance-pop, R&B, hip hop
Length3:24 (Radio Version)
3:57 (Video Version)
3:53 (Neptunes Remix)
LabelJive, Trans Continental
Songwriter(s)Max Martin, Rami
Producer(s)Max Martin, Rami
Backstreet Boys singles chronology
"Shape of My Heart"
(2000)		 "The Call"
(2001)		 "More than That"
(2001)
Music video
"The Call" on YouTube

Composition

The song is based on 4
4 common time, the tempo is 104 BPM and is played in the key of B-flat minor.[3] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, their vocal range spans from the low note F4 to the high note of Ab5.[4]

The song's bass sound is the sound of Howie's flatulence while recording the vocals, which producer Max Martin then turned into his signature bass sound. In 2017, Howie D. said of the incident: "I got in the booth, was breathing in really heavily singing my part, and I guess some extra air kind of came out. It made everybody laugh, and Max decided to take that and sample it to turn it into the 'dun dun dun, dun dun dun dun.'"[5]

Music video

Background

The music video for "The Call" was directed by Francis Lawrence.[6] For the video version of the song was edited to extend the length of the song. Additional telephone rings were added at the start, and one measure was added to both the break following the second chorus, and the subsequent a cappella choral segment. A third repeat of the final chorus was also added.

There were two cuts of the video released. One featured the modified version, and the second featured the Neptunes Remix. The two versions were substantially the same, however the differing arrangements of the two song versions resulted in the video being slightly re-edited to match. The Neptunes video also adds flashes of early in the video as callbacks near the end of the video; there is also an unreleased remix video using the Thunderpuss Club Mix and the Thunderdub of the song. Band member AJ McLean later admitted on The Oprah Winfrey Show, in an episode discussing his recovery from depression and drug and alcohol abuse, that he tried cocaine for the first time on the set of this video. The music video won at the MTV Asia Awards in 2002 for Favorite Video. The song also received two nominations at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards.

Synopsis

Complementing the lyrics to the song, the video tells the story of a man who is unfaithful to his girlfriend. He meets another lady in a nightclub and leaves the club with her instead of going home to his girlfriend (whom he calls to make up an excuse for being late home). The cheating man is portrayed progressively by each of the five members of the Backstreet Boys.

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the European maxi single's liner notes.[7]

  • Max Martin – songwriter, producer, recording, mixer
  • Rami – songwriter, producer, recording, mixer
  • John Amatiello – assistant recording engineer, Pro Tools engineer
  • Henrik Janson – guitar
  • Stockholm Session Strings – strings
  • Tom Coyne – mastering
  • Steve Lunt - A&R

Charts
Chart (2001) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[10] 19
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[11] 23
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] 30
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[13] 6
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 15
Germany (Official German Charts)[15] 17
Ireland (IRMA)[16] 17
Italy (FIMI)[17] 6
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[18] 9
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[19] 9
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[20] 19
Norway (VG-lista)[21] 8
Poland (Polish Airplay Charts)[22] 7
Portugal (AFP)[23] 10
Romania (Romanian Top 100)[24] 1
Scotland (OCC)[25] 8
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[26] 2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 5
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 30
UK Singles (OCC)[29] 8
UK Indie (OCC)[30] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[31] 52
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[32] 19

See also
  • List of Romanian Top 100 number ones of the 2000s

References
  1. Manning, Kara (June 30, 2000). "Howie D. Chats About Candid BSB Photo Book". MTV News. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
  2. MTV News Staff (September 19, 2000). "Backstreet Boys To Get "Black And Blue" On New LP". MTV News. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
  3. "Key & BPM for The Call by Backstreet Boys". Tunebat. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  4. "The Call". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  5. "How Max Martin Turned a Fart Into the Epic Beat in Backstreet Boys' 'The Call': AJ McLean Tells All". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  6. "BSB Taps Outkast for Next Single". Backstreet.net. December 15, 2000. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  7. The Call (booklet). Backstreet Boys. Europe: Jive Records. 2000. 9251702.CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. The Call (Remixes) (booklet). Backstreet Boys. Europe: Jive Records. 2000. 9251912.CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. The Call (Neptunes Remixes) (booklet). Backstreet Boys. Jive Records. 2000. RTD199.3127.0.CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. "Australian-charts.com – Backstreet Boys – The Call". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  11. "Austriancharts.at – Backstreet Boys – The Call" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  12. "Ultratop.be – Backstreet Boys – The Call" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  13. "Ultratop.be – Backstreet Boys – The Call" (in French). Ultratip.
  14. "Backstreet Boys: The Call" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Backstreet Boys – The Call". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  16. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Call". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  17. "Italiancharts.com – Backstreet Boys – The Call". Top Digital Download.
  18. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 5, 2001" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  19. "Dutchcharts.nl – Backstreet Boys – The Call" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  20. "Charts.nz – Backstreet Boys – The Call". Top 40 Singles.
  21. "Norwegiancharts.com – Backstreet Boys – The Call". VG-lista.
  22. "Poland: Airplay Chart - Lista Krajowa 10/2001" Peak position #7 in week 09/2001. (Retrieved September 4, 2015)
  23. "Music & Media: Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  24. "Romanian Top 100 Singles Airplay Chart - Top of the Year 2001". Archived from the original on December 9, 2002. Retrieved December 9, 2002.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  25. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  26. "Spanishcharts.com – Backstreet Boys – The Call" Canciones Top 50.
  27. "Swedishcharts.com – Backstreet Boys – The Call". Singles Top 100.
  28. "Swisscharts.com – Backstreet Boys – The Call". Swiss Singles Chart.
  29. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  30. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  31. "Backstreet Boys Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  32. "Backstreet Boys Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
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