Maps of Music

No Strings Attached (2000)

Where the lyrics of No Strings Attached take you, and where it was really made.

The title was thought of during a car ride in London after a legal settlement, and the strings on the cover were meant to show the band as puppets.

Key places

Recording at Battery Recording Studios (2000)

Recording site Battery Studios — Credits list Battery Recording Studios among the album's recording locations. The point uses the studio's listed coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at The Hit Factory (2000)

Recording site The Hit Factory — The Hit Factory is listed as a recording location for the album in New York City. The point uses the listed coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at Cove City Sound Studios (2000)

Recording site Cove City Sound Studios — Cove City Sound Studios is listed as a recording location for the album. The point uses the listed coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at The Treehouse (2000)

Recording site The Treehouse — The Treehouse is listed as a recording location for the album in the Los Angeles area. The point uses the listed coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at Westlake Audio (2000)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — Westlake Audio is listed as a recording location for the album. The point sits at the city center of Los Angeles, not at the studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Swedish production team at Cheiron Studios (2000)

Recording site Cheiron Studios — The band asked the Swedish team of Cheiron Studios to change its sound, and the result included 'Bye Bye Bye'. The point uses the studio's listed coordinates in Stockholm. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

A tiny studio in Burbank (2000)

Recording site Burbank — One recording session for the album took place in a tiny studio in Burbank. The point sits at the city level, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• No Strings Attached: third studio album by American boy band NSYNC
• Released by Jive Records on March 21, 2000, after several delays caused by legal battles
• Pop and R&B styles chosen to set the band's music apart from others
• Four singles released from the album
• Sold over 14 million copies worldwide

Background

• Before release, the band separated from its management, Trans Continental, and its label, RCA Records
• In 1999, NSYNC sued Trans Continental and financier Louis J. Pearlman over illicit corporate practices
• The band said Pearlman had taken more than fifty percent of its earnings, according to MTV
• A settlement was reached with terms undisclosed, and the band moved from RCA Records to Jive Records
• Judge Anne C. Conway rejected the injunction sought by Pearlman and BMG
• The album's title alludes to independence from corporate control, and the band saw its earlier self-titled debut and follow-up as commercially successful

Recording

• Most songs were recorded without label support, so the band chose its own songs
• Johnny Wright, their manager and mentor, remained with them, and they stayed at his ranch in Orlando, Florida
• Teddy Riley remade Johnny Kemp's 1988 'Just Got Paid' with the band
• Recording of 'Just Got Paid' moved the in-store date from March 7, 2000 to March 21, 2000
• Swedish and German songwriters and producers were commissioned, the same team that had worked with the Backstreet Boys
• The Swedish team of Cheiron Studios was asked to change the sound, which led to 'Bye Bye Bye'
• JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake co-wrote and produced several tracks
• One recording session took place in a tiny studio in Burbank

Cover

• The title and cover art carry a personal meaning for the band
• The cover was designed to show the members as puppets stranded on strings, alluding to their destiny being controlled

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich.
• Original members: Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Justin Timberlake, and Lance Bass.
• The name came from Timberlake's mother's remark on how "in sync" their voices were.

Members

• JC Chasez (melody/1st tenor), Justin Timberlake (melody/2nd tenor), Chris Kirkpatrick (countertenor), Joey Fatone (baritone), Lance Bass (bass).

Career

• Debut album NSYNC (1997) succeeded in Europe before entering the American market with "I Want You Back".
• No Strings Attached (2000) sold a record 2.42 million copies in its first week in the US.
• Celebrity (2001) debuted with 1,879,955 copies in its first week.
• Went on indefinite hiatus in 2002 after Timberlake's departure; reunited occasionally from 2013 onward.
• Released "Better Place" in 2023 for the film Trolls Band Together and reunited with Timberlake for a 2024 appearance.
• Has sold over 70 million records and is among the best-selling boy bands of all time.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave the album generally favorable reviews, and many praised its production
• AllMusic: critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the album blows away the band's previous record
• AllMusic: Erlewine added that the album pulls away from the standard dance-pop formula
• Entertainment Weekly: David Browne criticized the album as overstuffed with tracks built for the concert stage
• Entertainment Weekly: Browne still praised the band's best performances on the album
• Robert Christgau gave the album a one-star honorable mention
• Sputnikmusic emeritus Morrissey called the album enjoyable from start to finish
• The album was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards
• At the 2000 Billboard Music Awards, the album helped the band win four awards, including Album of the Year

Reappraisal

• NPR wrote that the album has stood the test of time
• Consequence of Sound: Anna Rahmanan said BTS followed NSYNC's example in crossing music genres
• Billboard ranked the album 111th on its Top 200 Albums of All Time list

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200
• Sold over 2.4 million copies in the US in its first week, a one-week record
• Held the one-week sales record for 15 years, until Adele's 25 in 2015
• Topped the Billboard 200 for eight consecutive weeks
• Best-selling album of 2000 in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan
• Certified nine-times Platinum by the RIAA on April 19, 2000
• Ranked number one on the Billboard 200 year-end chart for 2000
• Billboard named it the top album of the decade
• Over 14 million copies worldwide by July 2001, according to Jive Records

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title was thought of by Chris Kirkpatrick on a car ride in London after the settlement, inspired by the song 'I've Got No Strings' from the 1940 film Pinocchio.
• The release moved from March 7 to March 21, 2000, after the band recorded 'Just Got Paid' with Teddy Riley.
• 'Bye Bye Bye' was sent to radio on January 17, 2000, the same night the band performed it at the American Music Awards of 2000.
• At the Virgin Megastore release day, about 8,000 fans greeted the band, and 250 had slept outside overnight.
• Some fans bought several copies to help the album break the Backstreet Boys' sales record set by Millennium.
• Max Martin was hesitant to give the band music during the lawsuit but relented after Johnny Wright asked for a Radio Music Awards performance.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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