NSYNC “Bye Bye Bye” hit #1…but not on the Billboard Hot 100

Bye Bye Bye NYSNC

Writer(s): Kristian Lundin, Jake Schulze, Andreas Carlsson (see lyrics here) Released: January 11, 2000 First Charted: January 21, 2000 Peak: 4 US, 15 BA, 110 GR, 110 RR, 25 AC, 19 A40, 3 UK, 11 CN, 15 AU, 30 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.6 UK, 1.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 342.96 video, 473.31 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Bye Bye Bye” was a chart-topping song for ten weeks, according to the Gavin Report and Radio & Records. The song also spent five weeks atop the Billboard radio airplay chart. However, it only reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, which integrates radio airplay as well as sales. Now, if you lived through the boy band days of the early millennium, you may be thinking, “what do you mean, NSYNC wasn’t #1 in sales also? That album was a monster!” The album No Strings Attached was absolutely a major seller and its lead single, “Bye Bye Bye,” did much to build that demand. The group premiered the song on October 28, 1999 at the Radio Music Awards, but it was never released as a commercial single. WK This became a common practice in the ‘90s to get people to plop down for the entire album instead of just one song. That meant the song’s chart performance might take a hit but the album sales benefited – and boy, did they benefit in the case of NYSNC. Strings sold 2.4 million copies in its first week – a record for one-week sales that stood for fifteen years until Adele outdid it with her 25 album in 2015. Not surprisingly, Strings would go on to be the biggest seller of 2000 and eventually sell more than 14 million copies in the United States alone. As for the song, “Bye Bye Bye” was originally intended for English boy band 5ive, but they rejected it in an effort to move more toward rap. WK Lyrically, it was about “a guy who has reached the end of his patience in his relationship and is ready to leave.” SF Band member JC Chasez described it as being about “kissing somebody off after they burned you.” SF Billboard magazine said the song was one of “the most decisive breakup anthems in pop history.” WK Allmusic.com’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the song “a piledriving dance number with the catchiest chorus they’ve ever sang.” AMG Complex’s Kathy Iandoli ranked it the best song ever by a boy band. WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for NSYNC AMG All Music Guide SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 8/11/2023.

Pete Townshend released Lifehouse

Lifehouse Pete Townshend

Released: February 27, 2000 Recorded: 1970-1999 Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: classic rock

Tracks (Disc 1 of Lifehouse Chronicles): Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Teenage Wasteland [6:47] * Going Mobile [4:13] (11/6/71, 5 CL) WN * Baba O’Riley [7:38] (10/23/71, 1 CL, 80 AU) WN * Time Is Passing [3:26] WF, OS * Love Ain’t for Keeping [1:31] (1971, 23 CL) WN * Bargain [4:30] (2 CL) WN * Too Much of Anything [5:35] OS * Music Must Change [4:41] WY Greyhound Girl [3:05] (1971) * Mary [4:17] (1971) * Behind Blue Eyes [3:26] (11/6/71, 34 US, 24 CB, 27 HR) WN * Baby O’Riley (instrumental) [9:50] Sister Disco [6:50] WY Tracks (Disc 2 of Lifehouse Chronicles): I Don’t Even Know Myself [5:27] (6/25/71, B-side of “Won’t Get Fooled Again”) WM * Put the Money Down [5:50] (1974) OS * Pure and Easy [8:35] (1972, 47 CL) WF, OS * Getting in Tune [4:04] (1971, 14 CL) WN * Let’s See Action [6:20] (10/15/71, 41 CL, 16 UK, 59 AU) HG * Slip Kid [6:20] (1975, 14 CL) BN Relay [4:15] (12/9/72, 39 US, 33 CB, 35 HR, 14 CL, 21 UK, 70 CN) HG * Who Are You [7:37] (7/14/78, 14 US, 9 CB, 9 HR, 7 RR, 1 CL, 18 UK, 7 CN, 23 AU) WY Join Together [6:23] (6/16/72, 17 US, 28 CB, 20 HR, 7 CL, 9 UK, 18 CN, 58 AU) HG * Won’t Get Fooled Again [8:30] (6/25/71, 15 US, 9 CB, 8 HR, 1 CL, 9 UK, 7 CN, 14 AU) WN * The Song Is Over [5:41] (1971, 11 CL) WN * All songs written by Pete Townshend. Times indicate length of the demos on Lifehouse Chronicles, but the dates and chart data refer to the original recordings by the Who. Those songs marked with an asterisk (*) were listed in Lifehouse Chronicles as being part of the intended 1971 version of the album. The raised, two-letter codes indicate the first appearances of the songs on releases by the Who. WN Who’s Next (1971) WF Who Came First (Pete Townshend, 1972) OS Odds & Sods (archives, 1974) BN By Numbers (1975) WY Who Are You (1978) < HG Hooligans (compilation, released 1981) WM Who’s Missing (archives, 1985)

Spotify Podcast: Check out Dave’s Music Database podcast: The 50th Anniversary of Who’s Next. It premieres August 17, 2021 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database. Rating: 4.257 out of 5.00 (average of 7 ratings) Quotable: “The most rewarding failure in rock history” – Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

About the Album: “Undoubtedly the most rewarding failure in rock history,” AZ Lifehouse was originally the intended follow-up to the Who’s 1969 rock opera Tommy. The science fiction rock opera was inspired by Pete Townshend’s experiences while touring in support of Tommy. Townshed shared, “I’ve seen moments in Who gigs where the vibrations were becoming so pure that I thought the whole world was just going to stop, the whole thing was becoming so unified.” RO The story is set in 21st century Britain. Pollution has become so bad that most people never go outdoors in their entire lifetimes. RO They can only experience “virtual reality…via their attachment to a system known as ‘The Grid,’ a concept which many think was predicative of the Internet.” RS These artificial experiences were supposed to be superior than what people could experience in the real world, but were “devoid…of spiritual fulfillment.” LC A guru known as “The Hacker” offers followers a chance to be liberated at a rock ‘n’ roll concert at a theater known as the Lifehouse. “There, the band’s ability to communicate with the audience replaces the role of the Grid and constitutes a powerful spiritual involvement with the world.” RS Lifehouse was intended to “explore the idea that music is the fundamental basis of all life – that every human being on Earth has a unique musical melody that ‘describes’ them.” LC The idea was rooted in the teachings of Meher Baba, Townshend’s spiritual mentor. LC It was also linked to philosopher Inayat Khan, a Sufi musician who wrote about the connection of vibration and sound to the human spirit. RO Townshed ended up thinking he shouldn’t just write a story to simulate it, but actually gather personal profiles of every concert-goer and use that data to create a “universal chord.” RO His “unwieldy dream of bringing together new music and controlled theatrical space with audience interaction sadly burst” AZ as Townshend became obsessed with, as he said, “trying to make a fantasy a reality” RO and it led to him having a nervous breakdown. The rest of the Who didn’t grasp what he was trying to do and abandoned the project. However, many of the songs surfaced on future projects by the Who, most notably on the 1971 album Who’s Next. Other songs emerged on future singles and albums by the Who and Pete Townshend. Themes from the project were revisted on the 1978 album Who Are You and Townshend’s 1993 album Psychoderelict. RO The project saw light again in 1998 when BBC Radio approached Townshend with the idea of developing a radio play based on Lifehouse. LC The play was transmitted on BBC Radio 3 on December 5, 1999. LC They were released as part of the Lifehouse Chronicles box set in 2000. That six-CD set also included his original demo recordings over two discs, a disc of alternate recordings, and another of the orchestral recordings used for in the BBC radio plays. LC Townshend performed Lifehouse in concert with the London Chamber Orchestra at Sadler’s Wells in London on February 25 and 26, 2000. Rolling Stone reviewer Jenny Eliscu said “Townshend offered a brilliant set, full of emotion and resounding proof that the man can still play the fuck out of his guitar.” RS It was released on the DVD Music from Lifehouse. The results are “simultaneously contemplative and hard-charging” AZ as Townshend refined “familiar warhorses…into works of refreshed beauty.” AZ He also has “a chance to shine on such lesser-known titles as Greyhound Girl. Often magical and surprisingly fun, this is a keeper for Townshend fanatics.” AZ Notes: A single CD version, Lifehouse Elements, was released which included “One Note (Prologue),” “Baba O’Riley” (performed by the London Chamber Orchestra), “Pure and Easy,” “New Song,” “Getting in Tune,” “Behind Blue Eyes” (new version), “Let’s See Action,” “Who Are You” (Gateway remix), “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Baba M1,” and “The Song Is Over.”

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Pete Townshend DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Who AZ Amazon.com review by Tom Keogh RS Rolling Stone (2/28/2000). “Pete Townshend Opens the Lifehouse Door” by Jenny Eliscu RO Wikipedia post for Lifehouse rock opera LC Wikipedia post for Lifehouse Chronicles Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 8/11/2021; updated 8/13/2021.

Kevin Gilbert “Suit Fugue (Dance of the A&R Men)” released

Suit Fugue (Dance of the A&R Men) Kevin Gilbert

Writer(s): Kevin Gilbert (see lyrics here) Recorded: 1995-96 Released: 1997 (album cut on Giant Tracks) Released: February 13, 2000 (album cut on Shaming of the True) First Charted: -- Peak: 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Kevin Gilbert died tragically at age 29 in 1996. He left behind great promise as a musician who’d already built an impressive resume which included touring as a keyboardist with Eddie Money, doing session work for the likes of Madonna and Michael Jackson, and co-writing the bulk of the material which comprised Sheryl Crow’s debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club. At his death, he was working on his second solo album – a rock opera called The Shaming of the True. Jon Rubin, who managed Gilbert’s estate after his death, shared the concept: “This is a story of a young man, Johnny Virgil, who is hell bent on success in the music business. The story follows him as he is chewed up and spit out by the very thing he coveted.” BM Gilbert originally wrote “the ridiculously complicated musical track” TH “Dance of the A&R Men” for a tribute to the little-known progressive-rock group Gentle Giant, one of his favorites. Rubin explained that, in the context of the Shaming album, this “is the chorus of record execs (A&R, Promotion, etc.) as they seduce Johnny.” BM It “is a hilarious parody on how all these record executives are so phony;” EP one exec says, “You sound like Air Supply meets GWAR…in a good way.” It “is nothing short of a masterpiece.” CW “The execution of the vocals is amazing,” EP showcasing “enormous talent in the studio, overlapping vocal after vocal,” SM-S all of which are actually Gilbert’s voice, BM “to create the (mainly) acapella conglomeration of messages left by PR men, agents, and other musical lowlifes on Johnny’s answering machine.” SM-S “Johnny gets the advice to drop the band (they are in the way) and adopt an IMAGE: ‘No we need a sharper hook – like a scandal. Maybe you can rape a nun, or better still a priest.’” KF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Kevin Gilbert BM Blazemonger.com (3/27/1997). “Suit Canon – Fugue of the A&R Staff: The Inside Story” by Jon Rubin TH Progladytes.com (2/4/2018). “Prog Redemption: Kevin Gilbert, The Shaming of the True” by Thomas Hatton KF Kabelfoon (no longer online) EP Eric Porter (7/03). ProgressiveWorld.net SM-S Steve Marshall, The Night Owl review CW Clayton Walnum, ProgressiveWorld.net Related Links: First posted 10/8/2022.

 

D’Angelo's Voodoo hit #1

Voodoo D’Angelo

Released: January 25, 2000 Charted: February 12, 2000 Peak: 12 US, 14 RB, 21 UK, 7 CN Sales (in millions): 1.7 US, 0.1 UK, 1.8 world (includes US and UK) Genre: R&B

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Playa Playa Devil’s Pie (10/31/98, 69a RB) Left & Right [with Method Man & Redman] (11/6/99, 70 US, 18 RB) The Line Send It On (4/29/00, 30a RB) Chicken Grease One Mo’gin The Root Spanish Joint Feel Like Makin’ Love Greatdayndaymornin’/ Booty Untitled (How Does It Feel) (1/8/00, 17a US, 1 RB) Africa Total Running Time: 78:54

Rating: 4.119 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings) Quotable: “The ultimate achievement of the neo-soul era” – Rolling Stone Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: D’Angelo emerged on the scene in 1995 with Brown Sugar, and album that “helped launch contemporary R&B.” AMG However, he became “disillusioned with the genre that had just anointed him a rising star. ‘I don’t consider myself an R&B artist,’ the then-26-year-old told Jet. ‘R&B is pop, that’s the new word for R&B.’ In his quest to create something new, he looked to both the masters of soul (Marvin, Curtis, Stevie) and contemporary innovators (Lauryn, Erykah). The end result was Voodoo, a moving, inventive masterpiece that stands as the ultimate achievement of the neo-soul era.” RS500 “His soulful voice is just as sweet as it was on Brown Sugar, though D’Angelo stretches out with a varied cast of collaborators.” AMG One of those is producer and drummer Questlove, who called the album a “vicarious fantasy.” RS500 The album also included “trumpeter Roy Hargrove and guitarist Charlie Hunter, fellow neo-soul stars Lauryn Hill and Raphael Saadiq, and hip-hop heads like DJ Premier, Method Man & Redman, and Q-Tip.” AMG “It must have been difficult to match his debut (and the frequent delays prove it was on his mind), but Voodoo is just as rewarding a soul album as D’Angelo’s first.” AMG “Voodoo places Pink Floyd-style cosmic jams (Playa Playa) next to Prince-inspired erotica (Untitled [How Does It Feel]).” RS500 At the time D’Angelo said, “I’m just looking at Voodoo as just the beginning…It took a while, but I’m on my way now.” RS500 He wouldn’t release another album for fourteen years.

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for D’Angelo AMG All Music Guide review by John Bush RS500 Rolling Stone (9/22/2020). “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time” WK Wikipedia First posted 3/30/2008; last updated 4/20/2022.