MTV's Input on Millennium
back to main page
Thanks to LacySky@aol.com
Thirteen pages of pictures. Six pages of merchandise. Three-and-a-half pages
of production/player credits. Three pages of thank yous and dedications. Two-
and-a-half pages of lyrics. That's how the 22 inside pages of Millennium's
booklet break down, which, although certainly not surprising, does give you
some indication of what you're dealing with here. The Backstreet Boys are a
certified hit phenomenon and no amount of critical backpedaling or musical
analysis is gonna change that. They are, to put it simply, huge pop stars
that few people over the age of 21 know a thing about.
And that's because few people over the age of 21 can intellectually deal with
the Backstreet Boys. It's tough for an "adult" mind to fathom that a group
can put out a record like Millennium and have it be accepted, much less
successful It's difficult for an "adult" mind to comprehend that a
well-crafted album that paints its songs about love and optimism in broad,
bold, and extraordinarily simple strokes could possibly be good. But
Millennium is good. So good, in fact, that it's very nearly perfect.
From its crystalline production (most of the recording was done in Sweden,
which should tell you something about its mechanized grace) to its
phenomenally accessible and unforgivably catchy music (although "It's Gotta
Be You" sounds just like that "Everybody" song, it will be stuck in your head
and you will be smiling) to its syrupy sweet lyrics (the last words on the
album are, swear to God, "I love you Mom"... I know, I'm getting choked up
too), Millennium is all about giving the people what they want.
And, apparently, about 1.3 million people wanted it bad enough to snatch up
Millennium the very day it came out. That was no accident. Although the dozen
songs here show improvement on the formula, it didn't matter. This record
didn't need to be better. It didn't need word-of-mouth. It didn't need
critical approval. It just needed to be the Backstreet Boys doing what the
Backstreet Boys do best. And what they're best at is making relentlessly
upbeat pop music that people want to listen to. And if you don't understand,
well, too bad for you. It's obvious you're just too old.
Email: backstreet5power@hotmail.com
