Millennium - Backstreet Boys

...Millennium.

When Millennium was released, back in May 1999, the group were at their most popular. The release was heavily covered by MTV and large crowds showed up in Times Square just to catch a glimpse of them on the then very popular TRL show, among others probably (my memory is a little sketchy I admit). At one point, they even had to close roads because of the size of crowds there.

The most well known track on Millennium ...
...the groups most well known songs, which finally gave them their first UK number 1 single. The recording academy in the US also noticed the album, as they were nominated for a number of different Grammy awards in the year 2000, however they weren't successful in winning any, losing out to Santana instead. Though they did appear during the ceremony, singing with Elton John (the song 'Philadelphia Freedom') and they also performed a short medley combining ... more

- Introduction -

As im sure many people are aware of by now, I have been a big fan of this group for many years now and if you ask just about any fan what their favourite Backstreet Boys' album is, they'll say Millennium.

When Millennium was released, back in May 1999, the group were at their most popular. The release was heavily covered by MTV and large crowds showed up in Times Square just to catch a glimpse of them on the then very popular TRL show, among others probably (my memory is a little sketchy I admit). At one point, they even had to close roads because of the size of crowds there.

The most well known track on Millennium is, of course, I Want It That Way, one of the groups most well known songs, which finally gave them their first UK number 1 single. The recording academy in the US also noticed the album, as they were nominated for a number of different Grammy awards in the year 2000, however they weren't successful in winning any, losing out to Santana instead. Though they did appear during the ceremony, singing with Elton John (the song 'Philadelphia Freedom') and they also performed a short medley combining a few old Motown hits, before going on to sing 'Show Me The Meaning'.

This album is one of my favourite albums generally speaking, not just BSB wise but in general and I will admit that a good deal of that is because it brings back memories of the late 90s and of being a fan at that time, of the success they had, all the shows they performed on etc. but all the same, I don't feel that I'm being overly biased about the quality of this album as I know that it was an album I listened to an awful lot in my mid teens (I was 16 when it came out) and I got alot of enjoyment from it. I felt that the quality of their music by this point was improved and there are a few tracks that I was (and still am) particularly keen on. I don't think the CD left my CD player for a good number of weeks after I first bought it, soon after it was released. Sometimes when I listen to some of the tracks on later releases, I can't help but feel that they don't have the same quality as some of the tracks on Milleinnum and consequently, I do hope for a 'Millennium Part 2' equivalent to be released. I know this is probably quite unlikely, as it was a product of its time and all but I still see it as their best album and still value it anyway. Read on for more information about the tracks that make up 'Millennium'...

- Track Listing -

1 - Larger Than Life - One of the singles from this album, 'Larger Than Life' is a song dedicated to the fans, as it talks about how the group think that we fans are all Larger Than Life for being there for and supporting them. Its a fast paced track that has a slight pop/rock edge to it and (at least to me anyway) it has a catchy chorus. The music video that was made to go along with the single release was one of the most expensive music videos ever made. Indeed I've spotted it on music channels a few times, when they run countdowns of 'the top 10 most expensive music videos'. Larger Than Life was co-written by Brian.

2 - Show Me The Meaning (Of Being Lonely) - This track was also a single but this isn't upbeat, instead its more of a sombre track (as you may have guessed from the title). It talks about the sadness of losing someone you love, of ending a relationship and missing the other person or indeed of literally losing somebody, like in the music video which depicts a couple of the band members real life situations (albeit with Brians being over dramaticised), with Kevin watching old home movies of his father, who died in the early 1990s in real life and with Brian appearing to die in hospital (he nearly died in hospital when he was 5 after having an undiagnosed heart problem and needed extra heart surgery in the late 1990s). The track is quite sombre but it is also quite moving and the video brough that across well I felt too.

3 - I Want It That Way - A much happier track, as mentioned above this is probably one of the most well known BSB tracks of all time (well they have been around for 15 years now!). Some say the lyrics don't make a great deal of sense, which is probably true but it doesn't altogether matter I think, its just a nice, fun, easy to sing along to pop track that is catchy and fun. Anyone who paid much attention to pop songs around the summer of 1999 will have been humming this track, im sure. Also as mentioned above, it gave them their first UK number one single too, so it was enjoyed by many people.

4 - Its Gotta Be You - This is another up beat, fast track. It has a slight electronica feel to it and isn't as catchy as I Want It That Way but it does make you want to get up and dance a little. It features mainly Nick and Brian on vocals and its quite a fun song, which is basically about a guys infatuation towards his girl.

5 - I Need You Tonight - This again is a slower track. This song, unlike the others, only features Nick on vocals. It was previously known by the title Heaven In Your Eyes and was performed on tour as Nicks solo song during group concerts before the album came out, so it was already well known by most fans by the time it was officially released on this album. The song is pretty atmospheric and is of course a ballad, which builds up a bit of momentum towards the end and shows off Nicks vocal skills fairly well. Having said that, I will admit that out of all the tracks, this is the one that more often than not, I will skip this track. It can sound a little whiny and is perhaps a little over the top, plus I heard it so often, I guess im just not so 'into it' anymore.

6 - Don't Want You Back - Another fast paced, upbeat track, this one is about a guy who has dumped his girl after finding out that she had lied to him multiple times and he's basically saying that no matter what, he's not taking her back. It has quite a 'strong' feel to it and is quite an energetic track.

7 - Don't Wanna Lose You Now - This is, of course, another slow ballad type track (see the pattern? fast paced track followed by slower ballad type track). This is among my favourite tracks on the album, it is also very atmospheric and highlights their vocal abilities quite well. I always thought its quite a haunting track, with various instruments accompanying it (im not entirely sure what they all are but it includes guitar. It doesn't list any other instruments used in the CD booklet, sorry). The track starts fairly slowly, with Nick talking about his regrets, as he worries about losing the girl he loves and then the others come in and the song continues. It really is quite a touching track, I feel, you have to listen to it, to see what I mean (or more, hear what I mean). I feel that you can hear their emotions in the track, you can believe that they mean what they say, thats what makes it so atmospheric and one of my favourite tracks.

8 - The One - Another upbeat track, this was also a single, which featured footage from their popular ITM (Into The Millennium) tour in the music video to accompany it. This works pretty well as the track is pretty fast and energetic, as is the footage of the crowds and the guys dancing and performing on stage. It also works as the song talks about the group giving back to the fans in a sense, they sing about how they want to be there for us, how 'we can share our dreams coming true' and offer to 'just take our hand, baby please'. The chorus is

'I'll be the one (I'll be the one)
Who will make all your sorrows undone
I'll be the light (I'll be the light)
When you feel like there's nowhere to run
I'll be the one'

Which I guess doesn't entirely directly link back to the fans but in a way I feel it does, if that makes any sense(?) its a fun song to sing along and dance too though. This track, like Larger Than Life, was also co-written by Brian.

9 - Back To Your Heart - This is one of my favourite BSB tracks of all time. It was co-written by Kevin, with Kevin also on lead vocals and is also quite touching and atmospheric. When the group toured with the ITM tour, he played this on piano himself, with the other guys sitting underneath. It showcases AJ, Nick and Brians vocals quite well too. It is quite slow but it has a nice beat to it, its the kind of song you can find yourself swaying from side to side to without realising. Their vocal harmony sounds quite solid here too. I always wanted to see this song performed live, alas I wasn't able to attend the ITM tour, which I still, to this day, regret but oh well, I had school exams and they didn't come to Scotland, so, what can you do? (just having a little vent there). Trust me though, this really is one of their 'stronger' songs, vocal harmony wise, it showcases their vocals well and it is quite haunting/touching, so I very much recommend listening to this track, if you like their ballads at all. I always liked songs Kevin worked on, the few of them we heard anything of anyway, im sad he left the group, though I understand why he did.

10 - Spanish Eyes - This song was co-written by the same person who wrote 'I Need You Tonight', a guy called Andrew Fromm. This is another slow ballad, so yes the pattern of fast paced track followed by ballad does stop here but anyway, its a pretty decent track. It has a bit of a latin feel, as you may be able to guess from the song title. All of the guys get a chance to sing on this song, which is quite nice and it also has a nice, slow beat to it.

11 - No One Else Comes Close - This is a cover of a song originally recorded by an artist called Joe, I believe. AJ is on leads for this song. It is quite a slow song, which features the other guys on backing vocals ang again the vocal harmony sounds quite good. It has a nice, sort of soothing 'flow' to it and makes for a good album track.

12 - The Perfect Fan - This song was written by Brian, along with Thomas L. Smith and its a very personal song to Brian, as he wrote it about his mother and how she is his 'perfect fan'. In the song, he talks to her about how she has made him what he is today and how grateful he is for this. It is rather slushy and sentimental of course but its quite sweet too. The song features a choir and has quite an uplifting feel to it, so it is also pretty atmospheric. The other guys also feature on the song, its not just Brian, as AJ, Howie and Kevin also sing on this song (Nick wasn't there when the song was recorded).

- Conclusions/Any Other Thoughts? -

Well, the way I see it is that as a teen pop CD, it is very good. There are two main types of song featured, the fast paced dance-y tracks and also the slower, ballad tracks, the fast paced ones are all good, their all pretty catchy and can make you want to dance, whereas the slower tracks showcase their vocals and some feature particularly good vocal harmony, which is what, in my opinion, sets BSB apart from other groups. As I've already said, as a teenager, when I first got this CD, I listened to it - alot! and I think thats just proves that it is a good album. Okay its not 1999 anymore but I have listened to it again while compiling this review and as much as some parts of some of the tracks can be a bit cringe-worthy, I do still enjoy the majority of the album, it brings back good memories for me, as it will for most BSB fans.

Even if I knew nothing about the era this album came out in, I I feel that enough tracks on this album work well enough, with the vocals to back them up properly, that it still stands out.

It may not be altogether revolutionary music, I wouldn't say that but as a basic pop album that showcases a good mix of fast and slow paced tracks and that showcases good vocal talent, with a hint of a more mature lyrical content (the more atmospheric tracks such as Back To Your Heart and Show Me The Meaning, I feel they showed more maturity in the music they were doing then, compared to the older tracks from their first album or two, like I'll Never Break Your Heart and so on), its a very good album that I've enjoyed and that ive thought of as one of my favourite albums, for many years. I try to be as unbiased as I can be and I will of course say that if this sort of music isn't for you, then perhaps its best not to bother but otherwise, I would whole heartedly recommend it to anybody who wants to relive a bit of the late 90s boy band era (yes im admitting BSB are/were a boy band, I know! I'm afraid as much as some people hate it, I can't get away from it... though I would love to see them more as vocal harmony and hopefully they will be more seen as that as they and we fans get older but back then, it was very much boy band pop based material. I'd never deny they have good, real vocal talent though!).

Perhaps I will review more BSB albums, im not sure... perhaps...

I hope this review either serves as a nice trip down memory lane for some or that its useful to anyone looking to add to their CD collection from this time... thanks, as always, for all r/r/c's. 

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