"Chances" is a song by American boy band

Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The gr ...

. It was released on November 9, 2018, as the second single from '' DNA'', their ninth studio album (eighth in the United States). The song was written by

Shawn Mendes Shawn Peter Raul Mendes (; born August 8, 1998) is a Canadian pop singer. He gained a following in 2013, when he posted song covers on the video sharing platform Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manager Andrew Gert ...

Fiona Bevan Fiona Mackay Barclay Bevan is an English singer-songwriter from Suffolk, who currently lives in London. She is noted for co-writing the song " Little Things" with Ed Sheeran which became a number-one single in 13 countries for One Direction, an ...

, Casey Smith,

Geoff Warburton Geoff Warburton is a Grammy nominated songwriter from Toronto, Ontario. In 2023, Warburton signed a joint music publishing deal with Big Machine Music and Range Media Partners Warburton was previously signed with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. ...

, Scott Harris, and producers

Ryan Tedder Ryan Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists since th ...

and Zach Skelton. "Chances" peaked at number nine on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart, and number 19 on the

Adult Top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems ...

. An accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was directed by McLean and

René Elizondo Jr. René Elizondo Jr. (born July 16, 1962) is a Mexican dancer, songwriter and music video director. He was married to American singer Janet Jackson from 1991 to 2003. Early life and career Born in Durango, Mexico, Elizondo and Jackson met in th ...

, and depicts two dancers performing inside

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

Background and composition

AJ McLean Alexander James McLean (born January 9, 1978) is an American singer, dancer, actor and a member of the pop vocal group Backstreet Boys. Early life McLean was born on January 9, 1978, in West Palm Beach, Florida, to Denise (née Fernandez, n ...

first met

in 2003, where they worked together on the

' 2009 studio album ''

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'' and the former musician's debut studio album '' Have It All'' (2010). After several years, McLean suggested Tedder to send several of his written songs to the Backstreet Boys. One of the songs included "Chances", which the band immediately gravitated towards. It was written by

, Casey Smith,

, Scott Harris, and producers Tedder, and Zach Skelton. The song and accompanying

were simultaneously released on November 9, 2018, which followed the announcement of the DNA World Tour. "Chances" is a pop song. Fist-pumping

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

s are consistently used as the Backstreet Boys ponder over the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

, "What are the chances that we'd end up dancing? Like 2 in a million, like once in a life". In an interview with ''

'' in 2018, McLean explained that "Chances" is similar to their previous 2018 single, "

Don't Go Breaking My Heart "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is a 1976 duet by English musician Elton John and English singer Kiki Dee. It was written by John with Bernie Taupin under the pseudonyms "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche", respectively, and intended as an affection ...

", but acknowledged that it also felt distinct. He described the lyrics as "more of that realistic love story about chance, to find that person in the most precarious of scenarios". However, Backstreet Boys member

Brian Littrell Brian Thomas Littrell (born February 20, 1975) is an American singer and a member of the Backstreet Boys. He is also a contemporary Christian music artist, and released the solo album '' Welcome Home'' in 2006. He is the father of country singer ...

stated that "both songs are completely different" in a 2019 interview with ''

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''.

Critical reception and commercial performance

Mike Wass of

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

described "Chances" as "another irresistible, vaguely retro pop-anthem" containing perfect vocal harmonies. Neil Z. Yeung of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

praised "Chances" and "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", stating that both songs are "some of Backstreet's finest, familiar in their delivery yet with a finger on the mainstream pulse of 2019". Writing for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', Jon Dolan stated that the song is "plaintively throbbing". Josh Hurst of ''Flood Magazine'' referred to "Chances" as "slightly anthemic", but not jarring. "Chances" peaked at number seven on the US ''Billboard''

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

on November 24, 2018. The song also reached number nine on the US

on the chart dated March 9, 2019, as well as number 19 on the

chart dated January 26, 2019. It peaked on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

at number 55, and was certified gold by

Music Canada Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It a ...

(MC) for selling over 40,000 equivalent-sales units in Canada. "Chances" charted at number 63 on the

Official German Charts The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...

, and at number 82 on the

Schweizer Hitparade The Swiss Hitparade (german: link=no, Schweizer Hitparade) is Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland. The Swiss charts include: * Singles Top 7 ...

in Switzerland.

Music video

Background

The "Chances" music video was simultaneously distributed with the digital release of the song on November 9, 2018. The video was co-directed by McLean and

, and was the former's first music video directed for the Backstreet Boys. It was filmed inside

in Los Angeles during public hours, and was the first music video where all five members wore suits. Elizondo wanted it to be cinematic and showcase elements of

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

. The music video was filmed from 2:00pm to 4:00am on September 4, 2018. The dancers featured in the video are Madison Vomastek and Jake Tribus, both students from the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

. Their scenes were shot from 3:00pm to 5:00pm, and the Backstreet Boys were designated inside the train carriage at 3:00am. Both Vomastek and Tribus performed an uninterrupted choreographed sequence that was positively received by the band, their

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...

, and

management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Synopsis

The video begins as a woman runs down the steps of a train station. She helps another woman pick up a bag that she dropped, as a man in front of her misses the train. As she continues to walk by, the man follows her throughout the station until they sit opposite each other on the station seats. The duo perform a dance in the ticket lobby, which they conclude with a kiss and sit facing away from each other on the station seats. The Backstreet Boys appear throughout the video during each sequence, as they are seen behind a pole, inside the moving train, and seated on the station seats adjacent from them.

Live performances

The Backstreet Boys performed "Chances" on the 15th season of ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...

'' on November 13, 2018. They also appeared on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...

'' in chicken costumes on January 24, 2019 while they performed "

Everybody (Backstreet's Back) "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" is a song by American boy band Backstreet Boys, written and produced by Denniz Pop and Max Martin. It was released as the first single from the band's second international studio album ''Backstreet's Back'' in Ju ...

" on the Manhattan streets and Rockefeller sidewalks, before performing "Chances" in matching black and gray outfits. The song was also included on the setlist of the DNA World Tour, which supported their studio album ''DNA''.

Track listings

Digital download – RemixesReleases for the Remixes: * * * Digital download – Mark Ralph RemixReleases for the Mark Ralph Remix: * * *

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''DNA''. * Backstreet Boys vocals * Ryan Tedder producer, songwriting, programming * Zach Skelton producer, songwriting, drums, guitar, keyboard, programming * Shawn Mendes songwriting * Fiona Bevan songwriting * Casey Smith songwriting, background vocals * Geoff Warburton songwriting * Scott Harris songwriting *

Serban Ghenea Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attended ...

mixing * John Hanes mix engineer * Scott Kelly assistant engineer * Rich Rich engineer * Simone Torres engineer *

Kuk Harrell Thaddis Laphonia "Kuk" Harrell ( ) is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He was a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and The-Dream, Terius "The-Dream" Nash. In ...

vocal producer

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2018 songs 2018 singles Backstreet Boys songs Songs written by Ryan Tedder Songs written by Shawn Mendes Songs written by Zach Skelton Songs written by Fiona Bevan Songs written by Geoff Warburton Song recordings produced by Ryan Tedder