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Millennium is the third studio album (second in the United States) by American boy band Backstreet Boys, released by Jive Records on May 18, 1999. It was a highly anticipated follow-up to both their U.S. self-titled 1997 album and their second released album, Backstreet's Back (1997). Millennium held the record for most shipments in one year, with 11 million shipments sold in the United States in 1999. It was nominated for five Grammy Awards and became one of the best-selling albums of all time, selling 24 million copies worldwide. The Backstreet Boys promoted Millennium through the Into the Millennium Tour, which became one of the fastest-grossing tours ever.
This is a classic album in the boy band genre, but that does not make it a classic in general. The uptempo songs are ok, though generic and commercial. The ballads, there are a lot on this album, are an absolute horror to listen to.
Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Larger than life, I want it that way, Show me the meaning pf being lonely, It’s gotta be you, Don’t want you back, The one
Should everyone try a Hostess snack cake before they die? You bet! I’d suggest a sample of some high-production boy band music too. Too much may be too damn sweet, but it sure makes a tasty treat now and again.
This album brought lots of joy to folks when it came out, and it's easy to hear why. Loved the fun and nostalgic listen today!
Can't go wrong with this album. The defining late 90s boy band album along with NSYNC. You already know the good songs from this album.
Absolutely loaded front half representative of a whole genre and place and time, and a second half to get loaded and make whoopie to
There are no guilty pleasures, just pleasures. And this one belongs in that category.
lmao It always annoys me how unironically good these guys are 4 The ending revealing them as mommas boys is really funny. (And wholesome)
Pop comercial. Muuuuchas baladas. Un 1, por pesados.
Can't deny the candy pop perfection of I Want It That Way... it is truly one of the best pop songs ever. The other released hits here are also pretty good, but once you get past that, it contains what you would expect for high-school-relationship-level filler... though the Perfect Fan is certainly cringe too. I'll ignore a bit of those down sides based on the fact that it has 5 strong hits.
You know, it's more precision manufactured mainstream pop. I don't disdain this kind of thing and it was generally a decent listen with some cringey interludes. There's undeniable talent here both in the singers and in the faceless team of artists, engineers and business types crafting the whole simulacra of intimate human connection. But as always for me this kind of thing is a little too slick overall, a little too edgeless and superficial.
It contains one of the greatest pop singles of ALL TIME. Then two okay ones, then photocopies those three songs three times with diminishing returns. So both a perfect and an irritating reminder of the state of pop in 99
It's not the Backstreet Boys' best album by far, but it's probably the last one that reached their peak, as from then on, they didn't perform very well. The album has pop, melody, and ballads, but it's not particularly outstanding because they were already aiming for more mature songs that weren't necessarily up to par.
This group only ever made 2 songs
I’ve never been a fan of this music and I’m quite sure I didn’t need to hear this one before I die. But, to be fair, this is a pretty definitive pop album for its time. This music was everywhere in 1999-2000. My specific issue with this album is just how one-note (okay, two-note, actually) it sounds. The majority of the album consists of syrupy, soft focus ballads, with just a couple of bouncy party songs to mix it up. The first track is kind of bait and switch in that regard, offering a fairly strong energy that the rest of the album is unable to match. On the whole, the ballads have probably aged better than the upbeat tracks, but it’s hard to tease out differences in the songs as the album progresses. I will always defend “I Want It That Way” though as one of the great pop songs of its era. The rest of the album really pales by comparison. Fave Songs: I Want It That Way, Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely, It's Gotta Be You
The vocal harmonies are nice, but the formulaic composition here means all the tracks feel the same. Three songs in and the formula was pretty clear – single-singer verse, harmonic chorus, a key change to try and get some excitement going, end track. Couple this with the fact all of the tempos are within 10 BPM of each other, and the whole thing starts to seem like the producers forget the 101s of good songwriting. There's no contrast to give this LP any definition, no hard edges or personality to show really.
A classic for all the millennials but when you really listen to the album it’s really just the two bangers in the beginning and then a bunch of R&B ballads mixed in with some ultra produced pop. Between them and nsync pop music dominated the early 00s but outside of a couple songs they didn’t create memorable albums, just a few hits. 5.5/10
Some bangers but ends on really bland stuff
A great example of a good boy band album
Backstreet Boys are one of those groups where everyone knows their singles, but I'm guessing absolutely no one (me included) knows the rest of the album. And for this album, the first 3 songs were big singles. Listening to the rest of it in 2025, it just sounds like nameless boy band pop of its time. Max Martin's Desmond child knockoff songwriting, punchy production, no character whatsoever. lol. Soppy ballad, upbeat dance tune, soppy ballad, upbeat dance tune, etc etc. I guess they filled these albums with whatever b-tier tracks they had lying around, just to pad out the length so they could release the singles. Pretty fuckin catchy singles but. 3/5.
Very catchy... just like Covid.
Too many negative associations with this for my youth to give it a fair shake. I would give it a 1 but I think that’s disdain for the style that is unfair.
Alright!
Larger than Life is an awesome banger, hyperpop from when the word wasn't even invented. Everything else is 1-star garbage.
Squaring pop music in the 21st century means reconciling its roots with boy bands and girl groups of the '90s. The Spice Girls, N'Sync, and the Backstreet Boys took pop music to the furthest reaches of consumerism by emphasizing the presentation above the music. Hooks ruled everything even if they didn't make sense, choreography was a staple of every song, and a refocus on the teen market as a core demographic. Built on the back of two singles (one energetic dancepop song and one inescapable ballad), Millennium is the peak of this boy band mountain before everyone started going solo in the 2000s. It's loaded with ballads to pad out the runtime because no one gives a fuck about the rest of the album. It closes on a cheesy song about how much the boys love their mothers. "I love you mom" said with the earnestness of someone trying to sell the image of a mama's boy to teen girls so they have something else to swoon over. Are the singles good? Sure, but the rest of the album sure isn't. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Tough call! Much like Britney Spears on the actual list, it's difficult to talk about pop music without them. That said, it was never really about the album. So, maybe not.
https://youtu.be/HlBYdiXdUa8
The person the proposed this must be joking. I finished it, but my ears are bleeding. They have a song about the "perfect fan". Their mom...
No joke, this could be the worst album of either list. This is terrible, terrible schlock.
Pish