''No Strings Attached'' is the third studio album by American boy band
NSYNC
NSYNC ( ; also stylized as *NSYNC or N Sync) was an American vocal group and pop boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. The group consists of Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, ...
. It was released by
Jive Records
Jive Records (later stylized as JIVE Records) was a British-American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary of the Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chic ...
on March 21, 2000. Looking to distinguish their music from that of others, NSYNC chose to incorporate pop and
R&B styles. Prior to the release of the album, the band separated from their management Trans Continental and their label
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
; its title is a play on the idea of independence from corporate control. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers, including NSYNC members
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...
and
JC Chasez
Joshua Scott "JC" Chasez (; born August 8, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He started his career as a singer, actor, and dancer on '' The All-New Mickey Mouse Club'' before rising to prominence as a ...
, and collaborators including
Kristian Lundin
Kristian Lundin (born 7 May 1973) is a Swedish composer, music producer and songwriter.
Biography
Kristian's worked on the song "Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)" which he co-produced with Max Martin for the Backstreet Boys. He co-wrote & pro ...
, Jake Schulze,
Rami,
Teddy Riley
Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American record producer, singer, and songwriter credited with the creation of the R&B and hip-hop fusion genre, new jack swing. Musical artists who utilized Riley's production and songwri ...
,
Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs,
Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
Marx's first number one success as a songwriter came in 1984 with " What About Me?", which was recorded by Kenny Rogers ...
, Veit Renn,
Babyface
Babyface or Baby Face can refer to:
Nicknames
* Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber
* Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician
* "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...
, and Guy Roche.
After several delays due to legal battles, ''No Strings Attached'' was met with generally favorable reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
, many of whom praised the production. The album debuted atop the US
''Billboard'' 200 chart with first-week sales of 2.4 million copies, setting
the record for one-week sales in the country; a record that remained for 15 years until
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...
surpassed the first-week sales record with her third studio album ''
25'' (2015). Four singles were released from the album. Its
lead single
A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
A similar term, "debut ...
"
Bye Bye Bye
"Bye Bye Bye" is a song by American boy band NSYNC from their second studio album, '' No Strings Attached''. It was released on January 17, 2000, as the lead single from the album. The song was written and produced by Kristian Lundin and Jake Sc ...
" is credited with creating the hype for the album's eventual landmark success. ''No Strings Attached'' was the best selling album of 2000. NSYNC promoted the album through the
No Strings Attached Tour
The No Strings Attached Tour was the third concert tour by American boy band, NSYNC. Primarily visiting North America, the tour supported the band's third album '' No Strings Attached''. Beginning in May 2000, the tour sold out all dates within t ...
in 2000, which was the second highest-grossing tour in North America of that year.
It was considered to be the peak of the
teen pop
Teen pop is a sub genre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards Preadolescence, preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop". About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Often, the artists themselves are teenagers during their break ...
genre, as
CDs
CDS, CDs, Cds, etc. may refer to:
Finance
* Canadian Depository for Securities, Canadian post-trade financial services company
* Certificate of deposit (CDs)
* Counterfeit Deterrence System, developed by the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence ...
were beginning to be phased out in favor of
peer-to-peer file sharing
Peer-to-peer file sharing is the distribution and sharing of digital media using peer-to-peer (P2P) networking technology. P2P file sharing allows users to access media files such as books, music, movies, and games using a P2P software program th ...
sites such as
Napster
Napster was an American proprietary peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing application primarily associated with digital audio file distribution. Founded by Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker, the platform originally launched on June 1, 1999. Audio shared ...
and
LimeWire
LimeWire was a free peer-to-peer file sharing client for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Solaris. Created by Mark Gorton in 2000, it was most prominently a tool used for the download and distribution of pirated materials, particularly pirated m ...
, as well as trends shifting away from the genre, beginning with the
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 (musician), Kevin Richardson. The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Flori ...
' album ''
Black & Blue'' (2000). NSYNC were considered to be influential in crossing over music genres, which helped distinguish themselves from the Backstreet Boys, and inspire other
boy band
A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...
s to experiment with different genres of music while expressing their originality.
Background

The title of the album alludes to puppets and the idea of independence NSYNC earned following a legal battle between its then-management.
NSYNC was signed by Trans Continental Management to
Bertelsmann Music Group
Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) was a division of a German media company Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Sony Corporation of America on 1 October 2008.
Although it was established in 1987, the music c ...
(BMG) in Germany, due to a pre-existing deal, and its distribution rights in the United States were automatically bought by
RCA
RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...
.
In 1999, NSYNC sued Trans Continental and financier,
Louis J. Pearlman, due to illicit corporate practices. They cited Pearlman's defrauding the group, which, according to
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
, was more than fifty percent of their earnings, rather than his promise of only receiving one-sixth of the profits. The band, whose
self-titled debut album and
follow up had commercial success, insisted "they have not seen enough of the profits" that they had generated by selling eight million albums in the United States alone. On October 12, 1999, Trans Continental, along with RCA's parent, BMG Entertainment, filed a $195 million suit in a
federal court to bar NSYNC's transference to Jive and from performing or recording under their current name, as well as forcing them to return their master recordings from 1999 in preparation of their second album.
With an undisclosed
settlement
Settlement may refer to:
*Human settlement, a community where people live
*Settlement (structural), downward movement of a structure's foundation
*Settlement (finance), where securities are delivered against payment of money
*Settlement (litigatio ...
in 2000, NSYNC severed their recording contract with Trans Continental and switched labels from
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
to
Jive Records
Jive Records (later stylized as JIVE Records) was a British-American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary of the Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chic ...
, which included artists such as the
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 (musician), Kevin Richardson. The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Flori ...
and
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
.
Jive immediately requested that the album was to be sold to retailers in March, which caused Pearlman and BMG to file a $150 million breach-of-contract suit and an
injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a special court order compelling a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. It was developed by the English courts of equity but its origins go back to Roman law and the equitable rem ...
to stop them. NSYNC filed a countersuit in response, with member
JC Chasez
Joshua Scott "JC" Chasez (; born August 8, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He started his career as a singer, actor, and dancer on '' The All-New Mickey Mouse Club'' before rising to prominence as a ...
calling Pearlman "an unscrupulous, greedy and sophisticated businessman who posed as an unselfish, loving father figure and took advantage of our trust". The judge,
Anne C. Conway rejected Pearlman and BMG's injunction, stating that "the defendants have raised serious questions
..about Mr. Pearlman and his dealings".
The album's title was thought of by member
Chris Kirkpatrick
Christopher Alan Kirkpatrick (born October 17, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, music producer, podcaster, and actor. He founded the pop group NSYNC, in which he sang countertenor. The band has sold over 70 million records, becomin ...
during a car ride in London after the settlement, where they were inspired by the song "
I've Got No Strings" from the 1940 film, ''
Pinocchio
Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel, ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a poor man named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...
''.
The titling of the album is similar to the Backstreet Boys' who also had legal wrangling with Pearlman which concluded to a settlement in October 1998 that was not disclosed; the Backstreet Boys "took a shot" at Pearlman by titling their 2000 studio album, ''
Black & Blue''. Meanwhile, the title ''No Strings Attached'' was announced in September 1999, during when the legal battle was still ongoing. Kirkpatrick revealed that the title and the album's cover art have a personal meaning to them. According to him, the album was designed to show that they felt they were puppets stranded in strings, which alludes to their destiny being controlled. In an interview, he further explained the relationship of the strings to the album, stating that "the only reasons that the strings are still attached on the album is so people can get the whole feel of the vibe of
..''No Strings Attached''".
Recording and production

While the legal suit was underway, NSYNC continued to record songs for the album.
The majority of the songs recorded were without the support of a record label, which meant that the band was able to freely select which songs would make the cut. However, several producers were unwilling to work with the group, as they weren't sent to them via a record label. Despite the band switching labels, they still retained their manager and mentor from Trans Continental,
Johnny Wright, and stayed at his ranch in Orlando, Florida.
Through Jive, the band was introduced to American record producer
Teddy Riley
Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American record producer, singer, and songwriter credited with the creation of the R&B and hip-hop fusion genre, new jack swing. Musical artists who utilized Riley's production and songwri ...
, who would remake
Johnny Kemp
Jonathan "Johnny" Kemp (August 2, 1959 – April 16, 2015) was a Bahamian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a songwriter in late 1979 and is perhaps best known for his solo work, including his single " Just Got Pai ...
's 1988 "
Just Got Paid" with them, and
Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, who produced "It Makes Me Ill" for the album.
One of the recording sessions for the album took place in a tiny studio in
Burbank
Burbank may refer to:
Places Australia
* Burbank, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane
United States
* Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County
* Burbank, Santa Clara County, California, a census-designated place
* Burbank, Illinois, ...
. Recording of "Just Got Paid" pushed the album's in-store release date of March 7, 2000 to the new date of March 21, 2000.
The ballad "That's When I'll Stop Loving You", written by
Diane Warren
Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has won an Academy Honorary Award, Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three consecutive ''Billboard'' Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year from 19 ...
, was recorded there under the production of French-born producer Guy Roche in 1999.
Accordingly, NSYNC insisted that they choose producers and songwriters for the album.
On ''No Strings Attached'', the band commissioned Swedish and German songwriters and producers, who had produced songs for the Backstreet Boys. Aside from getting a number-one album on the chart, the group wanted to distinguish their music from the style of the Backstreet Boys, with whom they had shared the same producers. To that end, they told the Swedish team of
Cheiron Studios
Cheiron Studios () was a recording studio located in the Kungsholmen district of Stockholm, Sweden. Founded in 1992 by Denniz PoP and Tom Talomaa, it was known for being a place where popular music acts of the late 1990s/early 2000s, such as Ba ...
to change the band's tune. Wright recalls, "We basically told them, 'We like your concepts for songs and we love the way you produce. But you're gonna have to do it in a different way so that it conforms to how we want our sound to be." This direction resulted to harder-edge songs such as "Bye Bye Bye", which production was handled by the Swedish team.
, who also came from Cheiron and was known for producing songs for NSYNC's label mates, also contributed to the album by co-writing the single "
It's Gonna Be Me
"It's Gonna Be Me" is a song by American boy band NSYNC. It was released through Jive Records, as the second single from their third studio album '' No Strings Attached'' (2000) in the United States, and as the third single from the internat ...
". Martin was initially hesitant to provide the group his music due to the ongoing lawsuit, but relented when Wright pleaded for him to allow NSYNC to perform them at the
Radio Music Awards, indicating that it could be the final time fans could see them perform.
Despite the new direction the band had wanted to take, the early recording process found some of the producers and writers submitting tracks which were "in the vein of NSYNC's earlier, softer sound". The band thought that if the collaborators could not produce what they were looking for, they would find it themselves. This resulted in some of the band members contributing to a number of tracks on the album.
On specific songs, songwriter and producer Veit Renn collaborated with band member JC Chasez,
who co-authored the album's title track and three other songs.
Meanwhile,
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...
helped pen and produce the album's track "I'll Be Good for You".
Lastly, another song that made the record was "Digital Get Down", a song about videophone sex that ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media
In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
'' described as "hailing the joys of cybersex. Do they think the braces brigade in 'N Sync's audience will recognize the R-rated oomph?"
Music and lyrics
Timberlake said that the album is a diverse body of work that explores dimensions of
R&B within
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
music. He added that the album "goes totally mainstream and it goes into some
dance
Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
- and
club-style songs".
There are few mid-tempo songs and ballads on ''No Strings Attached'', a result of the band's desire to have a "fun" album. The album did, however, retain the pop style of its predecessor.
According to ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'', the album's musical style is that of
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
, with a
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
y beat,
while ''
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 advertis ...
'' described it as "Millennial interpretations of
New Jack Swing
New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Te ...
, and
staccato
Staccato (; Italian for "detached") is a form of Articulation (music), musical articulation. In modern notation, it signifies a note of shortened duration, separated from the note that may follow by silence. It has been described by theorists and ...
rap-adjacent flows that were previously made mainstream by
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final lineup comprised Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams (singer), Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Hou ...
and
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
". Chasez also stated that the album is "in your face", comparing the album's "chopped and punched" production to the discography of
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
.
In his article for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', Jon Pareles wrote in 2000:
Flush with artistic freedom, 'N Sync heads straight for the past: specifically the 1980s rhythm-and-blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...
that sought to balance pretty melody atop hip-hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...
's street-level beat. Like the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
discovering 1950s Chicago blues
Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but is performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of African Americans of the fi ...
, 'N Sync has latched onto the highly synthesized, jigsaw rhythms of 1980s phenomena from Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
to New Edition
New Edition is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B/Pop music, pop group from the Roxbury, Boston, Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by singer/rapper Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a new edition of the Jackson ...
to Zapp. In a direct tribute to the new jack swing of the 1980s, 'N Sync remakes Johnny Kemp's 1988 hit "Just Got Paid" with its original producer, Teddy Riley.
Writing about ''No Strings Attached'',
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
noted that the song "Digital Get Down" is about video
cybersex
Cybersex, also called Internet sex, computer sex, netsex, e-sex, cybering, is a virtual sex encounter in which two or more people have long distance sex via electronic video communication (webcams, VR headsets, etc.) and other electronics (such as ...
, which is a clear indicator of post-pubescent consciousness of the group.
In the article "Parents' Guide" published in ''Entertainment Weekly'', Lois Alter Mark analyzed the contents of new albums during the time, stating that the album's recurring theme is about
puppy love
Puppy love, also known as a crush, is an informal term for feelings of romantic love, often felt during childhood and early adolescence. It is an infatuation usually developed by one's looks and attractiveness at first sight. It is named for its r ...
, and has sexual content that is categorized as mildly suggestive and a language that is preteen friendly.
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' described the "futuristic synth-driven" song as "an eruption of hormones and harmonies all at once, with three and a half minutes of big beats and grown-up innuendo". The European album edition's second single "
I'll Never Stop
"I'll Never Stop" is a song by American boy band NSYNC. It was released through Jive Records as the second single from the international edition of their third studio album, '' No Strings Attached'' (2000) on May 30, 2000. The song was written ...
" is considered by Al Shipley of ''Billboard'' to closely resemble the band's
Europop
Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and ...
sounding debut album, while "I'll Be Good For You" is a soulful track that samples "
Believe in Love" by
Teddy Pendergrass
Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American Soul music, soul and R&B singer and songwriter. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pendergrass lived most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initial ...
. Both "Space Cowboy (Yippie-Yi-Yay)" and "It Makes Me Ill" were considered by Al Shipley of ''Billboard'' as deep-cut songs which attracted "the young fans who made
teen pop
Teen pop is a sub genre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards Preadolescence, preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop". About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Often, the artists themselves are teenagers during their break ...
into a cottage industry", noting that
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...
, an "attentive student of early 2000s pop/R&B crossover", quoted the lyrics of the latter on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 number two single "
Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored
"Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande. It was released on February 8, 2019, by Republic Records as the third and final single from her fifth studio album, '' Thank U, Next'' (2019). The song was w ...
".
NSYNC was also inspired by the hip-hop genre, incorporating beat-box type vocals in "It's Gonna Be Me", semi-rapping in "Just Got Paid", and percussion in "Bringin' Da Noise".
Promotion

''No Strings Attached'' was initially planned for release from September to November 1999.
However, because of the ongoing legal battle between NSYNC and its management, the album was delayed several times, which included a release on November 16. This caused fan interest in the album to grow, as coverage of the lawsuit was televised on MTV.
Towards the end of 1999, it was reported that a settlement had been reached, putting aside the lawsuit that their management had filed. The settlement allowed the band to freely release the album under their current name with a release date set for March 7, 2000. "
Bye Bye Bye
"Bye Bye Bye" is a song by American boy band NSYNC from their second studio album, '' No Strings Attached''. It was released on January 17, 2000, as the lead single from the album. The song was written and produced by Kristian Lundin and Jake Sc ...
" was distributed to radio stations on January 17, 2000, the same night NSYNC performed the song at the
American Music Awards of 2000
The 27th Annual American Music Awards were held on January 17, 2000, at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from the year 1999. With three wins, including the fan-voted 1990 ...
.
''No Strings Attached'' was initially scheduled to be released in stores on March 7, 2000, but NSYNC decided to record "Just Got Paid" with Teddy Riley, which delayed the album to March 21, 2000.
NSYNC made several media appearances prior to its release, including on MTV, ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...
'', ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'', and
the Oscars
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
.
They also appeared on several advertisements for
Verizon Wireless
Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the div ...
and
Chili's
Chili's Grill & Bar (stylized as chili's) is an American casual dining restaurant chain founded by Larry Lavine in Texas in 1975 and is currently owned and operated by Brinker International.
History
Chili's first location, a converted postal ...
, where they promoted the release date.
The "Bye Bye Bye"
music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
was heavily
rotated,
which Richard Skanse of ''Rolling Stone'' described as "seemingly every other half-hour" on MTV.
Former MTV chairman and CEO Tom Freston praised NSYNC's accessibility to cater towards audiences by using "heavy video rotation
ndmini-biographies" in addition to backstage studio environments including "the
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
nd''
Total Request Live
''Total Request Live'' (commonly abbreviated as ''TRL'') is an American television program that premiered on MTV on September 14, 1998. The early version of ''TRL'' featured popular music videos played during its countdown and was also used as ...
'' (''TRL'')".
Prior to its release, tracks from ''No Strings Attached'' were
leaked on the internet. The leaks were perceived by Wright to assist NSYNC in reaching the sales record that held by the album, describing it as an opportunity for the listeners to hear more than what the radio was playing.
No commercial singles for any song were distributed prior to the release of ''No Strings Attached'' in order to increase demand.
On the album's release date, NSYNC appeared on ''Good Morning America'' in the morning, where their performance was broadcast on the
jumbotron
A jumbotron, sometimes referred to as jumbovision, is a video display using large-screen television technology (video wall).
The original technology was developed in the early 1980s by Mitsubishi Electric and Sony, which coined JumboTron as a ...
in
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...
. They appeared on ''TRL'' in the afternoon, then walked over to the
Virgin Megastore
Virgin Megastores is an international entertainment retailing chain, founded in early 1976 by Richard Branson as a record shop on London's Oxford Street.
In 1979 the company opened their first Megastore at the end of Oxford Street and Tottenh ...
, where they were greeted by 8,000 fans, 250 who slept outside overnight. The store underestimated the volume of people who would appear, forcing them to close down twice in the same day; firstly to let a few hundred in at a time, then to prepare for NSYNC's meet-and-greet that evening. Former
Virgin
Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...
regional manager Andy Moreno attributed the influx of people at the store to the Internet, as they heard about the event through
chat room
The term chat room, or chatroom (and sometimes group chat; abbreviated as GC), is primarily used to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing. The term can thus mean any technology, ranging from ...
s and websites.
No Strings Attached Tour
NSYNC embarked on their second tour titled the
No Strings Attached Tour
The No Strings Attached Tour was the third concert tour by American boy band, NSYNC. Primarily visiting North America, the tour supported the band's third album '' No Strings Attached''. Beginning in May 2000, the tour sold out all dates within t ...
in support of the album, which was sponsored by MCY.com and Nabisco, and produced by SFX Touring. One million tickets were sold during the first day of availability, with all 50 initial dates sold out. It began at the
Mississippi Coast Coliseum
Mississippi Coast Coliseum is an 11,500-seat reserved seating, 15,000 festival seating, multi-purpose arena in Biloxi, Mississippi. It was built in 1977. It hosted the World Championship Wrestling, WCW Beach Blast in 1993 and the Sun Belt Confere ...
in
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It lies on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southern Mississippi, bordering the city of Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport to its west. The adjacent cities ar ...
on May 9, 2000. When the tour ended in December 2000, it became the second highest-grossing tour in North America that year, earning more than $70 million.
Critical reception
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
writer
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
stated that NSYNC "might sound the same as ever" to critics, but acknowledged that ''No Strings Attached'' "blows away their previous record". He added that it "pulls away from the standard dance-pop formula".
Pareles compared the band's vocals to groups such as
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men ( ) is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. Formed in 1985, they have been a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris, tenor Wanya Morris, Wanyá Mo ...
,
Jodeci
Jodeci ( ) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Dalvin DeGrate, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and K-Ci & JoJo, JoJo. Formed in 1988 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci began as a duo of DeVanté Swing and JoJo ...
, and
Dru Hill
Dru Hill is an American R&B boy band, whose repertoire included soul, hip hop soul and gospel music. The group was founded in Baltimore in 1992 by Tamir "Nokio the N-Tity" Ruffin, and as of 2023, is still active. Dru Hill recorded seven top 40 ...
, but praised Chasez's collaborations for showing hints of "nuttiness" and creativity.
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
gave the album a one-star honorable mention and defined the beats as "their statement, the ballads their way of life".
Sputnikmusic emeritus Morrissey opined that ''No Strings Attached'' contained "few outstanding pop tracks, and little to no filler" but described the overall album as "enjoyable from start to finish".
Writing for ''Entertainment Weekly'',
David Browne criticized the album for being "overstuffed with tracks clearly concocted with the concert stage in mind" and described the tracks as "synthetic-funk spectacles", but praised the group's best performances on the album for "arriv
ngonly when they drop the pretenses".
Browne's album rating was received poorly by NSYNC fans, with one fan describing his review as "totally uncool" in their letter to ''Entertainment Weekly'' in April 2000.
''No Strings Attached'' was nominated in the category for
Best Pop Vocal Album
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality vocal pop music albums. Awards in several ...
at the
43rd Annual Grammy Awards
The 43rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 21, 2001, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 2000. Several artists earned three awards on the night. Steely Dan's haul ...
. At the 2000
''Billboard'' Music Awards, the album led NSYNC to receive four awards in categories such as Album of the Year and Top 40 Artist of the Year.
Commercial performance
Many retailers around the United States had predicted that, "with an impressive show of sales strength", ''No Strings Attached'' could "culminate into the biggest first week ever in the
SoundScan
Luminate Data, LLC (formerly MRC Data and P-MRC Data) is a provider of music and entertainment data. Established as a joint-venture in 2020, it brought together Nielsen Music, Alpha Data (formerly BuzzAngle Music) and Variety Business Intellig ...
era". Jive Records had already shipped 9.2 million units of the album, and reorders were already made shortly after the album's release in record stores. At online retailer
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
, advance sales for the album were the biggest at the time. Meanwhile, orders for the album were aggressive in the West Coast. Some stores stayed opened until midnight specifically for the album.
According to Pareles, the sales of ''No Strings Attached'' were "a tribute to Jive Records' skill at building anticipation" for the album. The strength of its lead single and music video, "Bye Bye Bye", and Internet song previews for the album provided for the build up.
Both Jive Records and the band's management credited the album's early success to the anticipation amassed over the two years since they released their self-titled debut album, the highly publicized legal battle and the media blitz leading up to the release.
Despite the mania that ''No Strings Attached'' stirred in the wake of its debut, MTV reported the "record week may not have been simply the result of a wide fan base and effective marketing". Several NSYNC fans bought numerous copies of the album "
to have more than one" and with the intent for NSYNC to "break the Backstreet Boys' sales record",
as their second studio album ''
Millennium
A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...
'', sold more than 1.13 million copies in its first week in 1999.
''No Strings Attached'' sold over 2.4 million copies in the United States during its first week, setting the record as the first album to have sold more than two million copies in a single week since the chart adopted Nielsen SoundScan data in May 1991.
This record was later recognized at the 2000 ''Billboard'' Music Awards.
The album held the record for 15 years after its release, until it was surpassed by
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...
's third studio album ''
25'' on November 23, 2015, which sold over 2.433 million albums in the United States within three days of its release. The figures surpassed the album's successor ''
Celebrity
Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...
''s debut sales of over 1.88 million units, retaining the recognition as NSYNC's highest-debut in their career. Chartwise, the album debuted on the
''Billboard'' 200 at number one. It topped the chart for eight consecutive weeks, becoming one of the
longest-running number-one albums of 2000. The
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) certified ''No Strings Attached'' nine-times
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
on April 19, 2000, becoming the highest-certified single disc album in the initial RIAA audit in that year. It broke the record previously set in 1993 by
''The Bodyguard'' soundtrack, which was certified six-times Platinum in the RIAA's first audit. ''No Strings Attached'' shipped 10 million copies domestically in 2000 alone, of which 9,936,104 were sold, according to Nielsen Soundscan. This consequently made ''No Strings Attached'' the highest-selling album of 2000 in the United States. As of October 2014, ''No Strings Attached'' sold 11.16 million copies per SoundScan. An additional 1.52 million copies sold through the
BMG Music Club are not included in SoundScan's total. In 2000, ''No Strings Attached'' was ranked at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 year end chart. According to ''Billboard'', ''No Strings Attached'' was the top album of the decade.
Legacy
By status, NSYNC were considered a clone of the Backstreet Boys. With the success that the band attained with ''No Strings Attached'', that notion was obliterated, even calling them as a serious rival with their label mate. On November 21, 2000, the Backstreet Boys issued their follow-up album ''Black & Blue'', which sold 1.6 million in its debut week domestically, alongside selling 5 million copies worldwide. According to Richard Skanse of ''Rolling Stone'', the album gave the group its landmark achievement. For Janet Kleinbaum, Jive's then-Vice President of Artist Marketing, the "yardstick is definitely extended",
referring to the record by which future releases of Jive would have to be compared with. After ''No Strings Attached'', Jive's other popular artists at the time such as Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys were each releasing an album.
Kleinbaum thought, "We know now what the possibilities are. We're not going to compare a Britney Spears record to NSYNC, or Backstreet Boys. However, NSYNC has shown us what can be done."
Referring to the first day sale of the album with 1.1 million units, Josh Wolk of ''Entertainment Weekly'' said that it was "perhaps the greatest mass spending of allowances in history". Craig Seymour of the same publication said, "What has the industry buzzing is not only that 2.4 million fans rushed to the stores, but that teen-pop behemoth Jive Records was in a unique and almost unprecedented position to meet the stores' demand". This demand on physical copies of the album was met by Jive by shelving up millions of units leading to the album's release date. The label was able to ship 4.2 million copies for the album's official release date, then couriered another 2.3 million in reorders the next day on March 22, 2000. Retailer Grandoni said, "If they hadn't been ready for it, stores would have sold out after a couple days which would have limited their first-week sales".
The teen pop trend reached a climax following the peak of ''No Strings Attached'', where customers moved from
CDs
CDS, CDs, Cds, etc. may refer to:
Finance
* Canadian Depository for Securities, Canadian post-trade financial services company
* Certificate of deposit (CDs)
* Counterfeit Deterrence System, developed by the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence ...
to
peer-to-peer file sharing
Peer-to-peer file sharing is the distribution and sharing of digital media using peer-to-peer (P2P) networking technology. P2P file sharing allows users to access media files such as books, music, movies, and games using a P2P software program th ...
such as
Napster
Napster was an American proprietary peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing application primarily associated with digital audio file distribution. Founded by Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker, the platform originally launched on June 1, 1999. Audio shared ...
and
LimeWire
LimeWire was a free peer-to-peer file sharing client for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Solaris. Created by Mark Gorton in 2000, it was most prominently a tool used for the download and distribution of pirated materials, particularly pirated m ...
. Kirkpatrick reflected twenty years later; "We were ahead of the trend when we came out
..and then the trends caught up, because that's what trends do". ''
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
'' wrote that the album has stood the test of time today, stating that "a union of Swedish pop songcraft with R&B and hip-hop's flow and bounce; an eagerness to explore mature themes and styles; an understanding that dance and visual presentation can turn stars into icons".
Writing for ''
Consequence of Sound
''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television.
History
''Consequence of Sound'' was founded in Septem ...
'', Anna Rahmanan stated that South Korean boy band
BTS
BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip hop group, they ...
have followed in NSYNC's footsteps in crossing music genres, as their initial start as a hip hop group had led them to branch out into different genres such as
K-pop
K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...
,
EDM, and R&B. She complimented their adaptability by "tearing a page out of 'N Sync's playbook", while simultaneously showcasing their originality.
''No Strings Attached'' was ranked 111th on the ''Billboard Top 200 Albums of All Time''.
Track listing
Credits adapted from the album's
liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards.
Origin
Liner notes are descended from the prog ...
.
All lead vocals provided by
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...
and
JC Chasez
Joshua Scott "JC" Chasez (; born August 8, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He started his career as a singer, actor, and dancer on '' The All-New Mickey Mouse Club'' before rising to prominence as a ...
, except for "I Thought She Knew" which also features lead vocals from
Joey Fatone
Joseph Anthony Fatone Jr. (born January 28, 1977) is an American singer, dancer, actor, and television host. He is best known as a member of the boy band NSYNC, in which he sang baritone. The band has sold over 70 million records, becoming one ...
and
Chris Kirkpatrick
Christopher Alan Kirkpatrick (born October 17, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, music producer, podcaster, and actor. He founded the pop group NSYNC, in which he sang countertenor. The band has sold over 70 million records, becomin ...
.
Notes
* signifies a vocal producer
* signifies a co-producer
* "I'll Be Good for You" contains portions of the song "
Believe in Love" (1993), written by
Teddy Pendergrass
Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American Soul music, soul and R&B singer and songwriter. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pendergrass lived most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initial ...
, Reginald Calloway, Vincent Calloway, Steve Beckham and Keith Robinson, and performed by Teddy Pendergrass.
Personnel
Personnel adapted from the album's
liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards.
Origin
Liner notes are descended from the prog ...
.
NSYNC
*
Lance Bass
James Lance Bass (; born May 4, 1979) is an American singer, actor, and producer. He grew up in Mississippi and rose to fame as the Bass (voice type), bass singer for the boy band NSYNC. The band has sold over 70 million records, becoming one of ...
– bass background vocals, vocal arrangement
*
JC Chasez
Joshua Scott "JC" Chasez (; born August 8, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He started his career as a singer, actor, and dancer on '' The All-New Mickey Mouse Club'' before rising to prominence as a ...
– tenor lead vocals, vocal arrangement, producer, mixing
*
Joey Fatone
Joseph Anthony Fatone Jr. (born January 28, 1977) is an American singer, dancer, actor, and television host. He is best known as a member of the boy band NSYNC, in which he sang baritone. The band has sold over 70 million records, becoming one ...
– baritone background vocals, vocal arrangement
*
Chris Kirkpatrick
Christopher Alan Kirkpatrick (born October 17, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, music producer, podcaster, and actor. He founded the pop group NSYNC, in which he sang countertenor. The band has sold over 70 million records, becomin ...
– countertenor background vocals, vocal arrangement
*
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...
– tenor lead vocals, vocal arrangement, producer, mixing
Featured performer
*
Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes – rap, performer
Additional musicians
* Michael Railton – keyboards
*
Michael Thompson – guitar
* Esbjörn Öhrwall – guitar
Production
*
Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
Marx's first number one success as a songwriter came in 1984 with " What About Me?", which was recorded by Kenny Rogers ...
– arranger, producer, vocal arrangement
*
Teddy Riley
Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American record producer, singer, and songwriter credited with the creation of the R&B and hip-hop fusion genre, new jack swing. Musical artists who utilized Riley's production and songwri ...
– producer
* Guy Roche – arranger, keyboards, producer, drum programming
*
Diane Warren
Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has won an Academy Honorary Award, Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three consecutive ''Billboard'' Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year from 19 ...
– executive producer
* Robin Wiley – arranger, producer
* Veit Renn – producer
* Jake Schulze – producer
* Bradley 'Riprock' Daymond – producer, mixing
*
Kristian Lundin
Kristian Lundin (born 7 May 1973) is a Swedish composer, music producer and songwriter.
Biography
Kristian's worked on the song "Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)" which he co-produced with Max Martin for the Backstreet Boys. He co-wrote & pro ...
– producer
*
Kandi – vocal arrangement, vocal producer
*
Rami – producer
* Alex G. – producer, mixing
Technical
* Jez Colin – drum programming
* David Cole – engineer, mixing
*
Mick Guzauski
Nathan "Mick" Guzauski is an American multi-platinum mixing engineer and sound engineer. He has nine Grammy Awards and eleven nominations.
His work spans a wide range of styles, including jazz, R&B, Latin, rock, pop, easy listening, funk and ...
– mixing
*
Scott Humphrey – engineer
* Mario Lucy – engineer
* George Mayers – engineer
* Pat McMakin – mixing
* Carl Nappa – engineer, mixing
* Dushyant Bhakta – engineer, mixing
* Chris Trevett – engineer
* Michael Tucker – engineer, mixing
* Franz Verna – engineer
* Tom Bender – mixing assistant
* Charles McCrorey – assistant engineer
* Cesar Ramirez – assistant engineer
* Jason Piske – mixing assistant
* Chaz Harper – mastering
* Dag Gabrielsen – assistant mastering engineer
* Adam Barber – engineer, vocal engineer
* John Amatiello –
Pro-Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Avid Audio, Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and OS X, macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, au ...
engineer
* Joe Smith – engineer, mixing
* Brady Barnett – digital editing
* Ok Hee Kim – assistant engineer
* Joe Woods – assistant engineer
* Shane Stoneback – mixing assistant
* Bray Merritt – assistant engineer
* Toby Dearborn – assistant engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
See also
*
List of best-selling albums in the United States
The following is a list of the best-selling albums in the United States based on RIAA certification and Nielsen SoundScan sales tracking. The criteria are that the album must have been published (including self-publishing by the artist), and the ...
*
List of fastest-selling albums
This is a list of the world's fastest-selling albums of recorded music. To appear on the list, the figure must have been published by a reliable source and all sales must have occurred in the first week of release. This list may include any type ...
*
List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2000
Notes
References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:No Strings Attached ('N Sync Album)
2000 albums
Jive Records albums
NSYNC albums