Bye Bye Bye

"Bye Bye Bye"
Single by 'N Sync
from the album No Strings Attached
Released	January 11, 2000
Format	CD Single
Recorded	September 1999
Genre	Pop/dance
Length	3:19
Label	Jive
Writer(s)	Kristian Lundin, Jake Schulze, Andreas Carlsson
Producer	Kristian Lundin and Jake Schulze
'N Sync singles chronology
"Music Of My Heart" (1999) "Bye Bye Bye" (1999) "It's Gonna Be Me" (2000)

"Bye Bye Bye" is the first single released from American boyband 'N Sync's second album, No Strings Attached. Released in early 2000, it is a reference to the group's break from their manager Lou Pearlman and their record label, RCA Records.^{[citation needed]} It was debuted at the 1999 Radio Music Awards.

The song was featured in X2, Britney Spears' film debut Crossroads and in the first episode of Season 6 of Scrubs. The song was performed at the 2000 Kids' Choice Awards.

According to Simon Cowell's autobiography I Don't Mean to Be Rude, But... the song was originally going to be recorded by British boy band 5ive. However, during recording the band decided they did not like the song and left the studio.^{[citation needed]}

Chart performance

"Bye Bye Bye" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #42, the week of January 29, 2000, reaching the Top 10 by the week of March 4. The song remained in the Top 10 of the Hot 100 singles chart through May 20, 2000, for 12 weeks. The single peaked at #4 in April 2000 for two consecutive weeks.

The song was the most added pop single to radio all time, being added to over 200 radio stations in the first week alone. The record was previously held by rivals the Backstreet Boys.^[1]

The song was a bigger hit internationally, reaching the top of the Australia and New Zealand singles chart and #3 on the UK Singles Chart.

Critical reception and awards

"Bye Bye Bye" received 2 Grammy nominations, "Record of the Year" and "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal". The song and video won the group 3 Video Music Awards at the 2000 MTV VMA's. (Best Pop Video, Best Choreography in a Video and Viewer's Choice) The video won the most VMA's that year. It also won a Radio Music Radio award in 2000, for best song of the year.

Rolling Stone, however, listed "Bye Bye Bye" as the 17th most annoying song of all time.^[2]

Other awards included 3 Teen Choice Awards in 2000 (Choice Single, Choice Music Video, and Song of the Summer), MuchMusic Video Music Award (Favorite International Group for "Bye Bye Bye") and Blockbuster Entertainment Award 2001 (category Favorite Single for "Bye Bye Bye"). The song was voted the number 1 Boyband/girlband song on U Choose 40 on C4 in New Zealand.^[3]

Music video

The video, directed by Wayne Isham, features 'N Sync as puppets controlled by an evil puppetress (played by Kim Smith). She cuts the strings first on Fatone and Kirkpatrick, and they run over the top of a speeding train, then hide among the passengers to escape her. She cuts Timberlake loose next, and he out-runs her trained dogs through a warehouse, eventually escaping into the pouring rain. Then Bass and Chasez are cut loose and fall into a red Dodge Viper RT/10. They speed away from her, while being chased by her silver BMW Z3. All this is interspersed with shots of the band dancing in a rotating, zero-gravity box.

The video premiered on MTV's "Making the Video" and features the same actress as appears in "It's Gonna Be Me". It holds the record for longest streak of being #1 on TRL with 25 straight days at the top spot. The video was #60 on MuchMusic's 100 Best Videos. The video debut on TRL January 24, 2000.

Chart positions

Song information

Track Listings

1. "Bye Bye Bye""
2. "Could It Be You"

Remixes and other versions

• Bye Bye Bye [Album Version] 3:20
• Bye Bye Bye [Instrumental] 3:23
• Bye Bye Bye [Riprock 'N' Alex G. Club Remix] 4:53
• Bye Bye Bye [Teddy Riley's Club Remix] 5:29
• Bye Bye Bye [Teddy Riley Mix] 3:40
• Bye Bye Bye [Timbaland Remix] 4:47
• Bye Bye Bye [Rap Remix] 4:49
• Bye Bye Bye Thunderpuss 2000 Club Mix
• Not in July [Parody by Andrew Sims] 4:03
• Bye Bye Bye [Cover by Further Seems Forever]3:25
• Cry Cry Cry (from Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck) 0:07

References