*NSYNC Deep Cuts That Deserve The Same Attention As Their Hits

The members of *NSYNC themselves agreed on this one during their recent appearance on First We Feast's Hot Ones when asked to rate their top four near-perfect songs. “I Thought She Knew,” from their sophomore album, No Strings Attached, is performed completely a cappella, which was something the guys became known for in their early days. 

*NSYNC may be one of the only '90s boy bands who has an actual proper split vocal range made for this type of harmony, therefore making this song one that not many groups could perform live in five part harmony. It’s also one of few songs that feature Joey Fatone (usually baritone harmonies only) on his very own verse, and Chris Kirkpatrick (usually counter tenor harmonies only) with a brief feature on the bridge. 

Another regular *NSYNC collaborator was producer Teddy Riley, best known as the lead singer and creator of the group Blackstreet. *NSYNC's “Just Got Paid" - featured on 2000's No Strings Attached - is a cover of a song originally released in 1988 by Bahamian R&B singer/songwriter Johnny Kemp and also produced by Riley. *NSYNC’s version does not sonically deviate too far from the original, and adds an interesting funk vibe to No Strings Attached. 

One of the most exciting eras of *NSYNC was undoubtedly during the No Strings Attached cycle. The band spent much time pretending to be puppets, closed behind plastic doll boxes and being made to perform for the masses; a not-so-hidden metaphor for what the guys had been through previously with their debut album. It marked the change of who literally “held the strings” after the legal battle between the group and their former manager, who famously claimed he was the “sixth member of the band” and even tried to claim their name.  

No Strings Attached was the first album *NSYNC were allowed to write and produce some of their own tracks for, with this title track in particular being co-written and co-produced by none other than JC Chasez. It surprisingly was never a single, though many believe it should have been since it was the conceptual basis for both the entire album and record-breaking world tour that followed. 

“It Makes Me Ill” is one of the sleeper bops featured on No Strings Attached, an album largely met with favorable reviews from critics. As *NSYNC had previously been using some of the same writers and producers as their main competition, The Backstreet Boys, this was the band showing a most distinct sound now that they had parted ways with their previous management and metaphorically “clipped their strings." 

The new sound incorporated R&B styles and veered away from the traditional “boy band” harmonies of prior releases. “It Makes Me Ill” is a perfect example of that new sound. Justin Timberlake became famous with the group's fans for his beatboxing, which became even more prominent during this era, arguably the peak of the '90s teen pop genre. Timberlake recently admitted on Hot Ones that the beatbox performances were now “slightly regrettable.”

Released in January of 2002, this track was actually shared as a single, separate from the original heard on the initial Celebrity release. The track was originally intended to be released with a music video at the same time, but the group announced the Neptunes would be remixing the song with rap verses featuring Nelly. 

Nelly was told via his record label if he took part in the song he would be “ruining [his] career.” Nelly did the track anyway, and provided some interesting lyrics with references to “bye bye bye” and “gone":

I bought the Bentley in pink 'cuz my dough in sync, so tell ya man bye bye and tell 'em you're long (gone).

In 1999, the news had put the fear of Y2K into the world, claiming we’d all experience a “digital meltdown” when all the computers in the world would have to switch from 1999 to the year 2000. Piggy-backing off of “Digital Get Down,” “Space Cowboy” was another song from No Strings Attached that explored the worries of the times as the world became more familiar with the internet — including the potential end of the world. 

The song makes lyrical references to so-called Christian eschatology with, “Here it comes, millennium / And everybody’s talkin’ ‘bout Jerusalem / Is this the beginning or beginning of the end?” 

While *NSYNC never made any religious music whatsoever, these lyrics were followed up with the fact that instead of worrying about the world ending, we should all just become space cowboys instead. The song was ultimately released after the supposed Y2K meltdown would have happened (March of 2000), in which the world - spoiler alert - did not end, and the song included a rap verse from the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez of TLC.