"Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" is a song by American boy band Backstreet Boys, written and produced by Denniz Pop and Max Martin. It was released as the first single from the band's second international studio album Backstreet's Back in July 1997, and the third single from their self-titled debut US studio album in 1998. However, the song was already being played by many American radio stations unofficially by importing the Canadian single.[1] The accompanying music video was directed by American director Joseph Kahn. The song is played at the end of the 2012 movie This is the End.
Zomba chairman Clive Calder suggested that "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" should be released as a single, which was met with resistance from Jive Records president Barry Weiss, as he believed that it would be weird to have a song called "Backstreet's Back" on the Backstreet Boys' first US album. The band suggested it could just mean that they were back home. After Canadian markets began playing the song, US markets near the border began picking the song up. They met with Weiss and asked that the song be added to the US album after the first million units had already been produced.[2]
There are two versions of the song. The international album features the album or 7-inch version, which is the standard recording. The US album features the song's extended version, which includes an extended breakdown section but cuts the bridge. The music video for the song was cut to both versions, with the extended video released to the US market and the standard video released everywhere else.[citation needed]
Larry Flick from Billboard stated that "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" contained a "contagious dance/pop beat and catchy hook that perfectly showcases this talented group's voices".[3] British magazine Music Week rated the song four out of five, adding that "the boys turn up the power on a strutting, soulful anthem, which will be one of the summer's bigger successes."[4] Editor Alan Jones noted that Backstreet Boys "state the obvious" in the song, "but they do it with a certain amount of style. The mid-tempo piece is instantly assimilated and well-sung, primarily as a group effort. Another major hit is guaranteed."[5]
Written and produced by Max Martin and Denniz Pop, "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" is one of the Backstreet Boys' most successful singles to date. It reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States—the band's second top-ten single in the country following "Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)"—and spent 22 weeks on the chart, and number three on the UK Singles Chart. It is certified platinum in the US.
The accompanying music video for "Everybody" was directed by Joseph Kahn and filmed in Los Angeles, California, from June 16–18, 1997. Jive contacted Kahn to direct a project with a "white Jodeci." Initially unaware of who the Backstreet Boys were, he was shocked by the group's European sales figures after being given a cassette tape and publicity release about them. Initially a grunge and hip-hop director, he wanted to explore the pop genre since he grew up listening to music from the 1980s.[6]
The haunted house aesthetic was based on a treatment Kahn envisioned for rapper Ice Cube a few months prior and was inspired by the music video for Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Kahn and the group wanted Antonio Fargas to portray the bus driver, as they were fans of Starsky & Hutch. The video shoot lasted 36 hours, with Nick Carter's mummy shot being filmed last. Jive did not get behind the concept of the band in costumes or the $1 million requirements and did not believe MTV would respect the video. The band ultimately had to put up their own money to shoot the video and fight with the label to get reimbursed once it was successful.[6] The video premiered outside the United States in July 1997, although viewers with MuchMusic USA were able to see it as, at the time, it was still mostly a simulcast of the Canadian channel.[citation needed] In a 2017 interview with Billboard, Kahn stated that the video's impact broadened his view of pop culture while creating a new scene in the US.[6]
The video is bookended by scenes framing the context. When the Backstreet Boys' bus breaks down, their bus driver (Antonio Fargas) insists that they spend a night at a nearby haunted mansion while he gets help. It then shows Brian Littrell preparing to sleep in one of the bedrooms. While in bed, he pulls out a scary animal from under his covers, making him scream in horror. The musical portion of the video then starts, playing as a dream sequence in which each band member appears as a different movie monster: Brian Littrell as a werewolf; Howie Dorough as Dracula; Nick Carter as a mummy; AJ McLean as Erik, the Phantom of the Opera; and Kevin Richardson as both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in a half-transformed Two-Face-like state. Throughout the beginning and middle of the song, the band, as monsters, mainly appear in their vignettes related to their character; during the final chorus, they collectively appear in the mansion's foyer with a Casper vibe, performing a dance routine with a group of additional dancers. Supermodel Josie Maran appears as Dorough's companion in his vignette, presumably portraying Mina Harker. At the end of the video, Littrell wakes up realizing everything was a nightmare. He talks with the members about his dream, all stating they had similar dreams while trying to leave the house. However, the driver shows up, now a Frankenstein-esque monster, making the boys scream in horror.
There are two video cuts, one for the US market and one for the international market, each of which features the edit of the song released on the album for that market. The global video cuts from the opening bookend to the first verse. The bridge of the song is intact, and the first half of the dance routine, a ballroom dance portion, is intercut with the vignettes under it. This leads into the second half of the dance portion during the final choruses of the song, which are not intercut with the vignettes. In the US cut, the ballroom half of the dance routine and the beginning of the second half are used at the start of the song during the first rhythm-only breakdown and are not intercut with the vignettes. The second breakdown, which replaces the bridge, is accompanied only by shots from the vignettes, along with some shots of Littrell tumbling in the foyer and the various vignettes. When the final chorus begins, the second half of the dance routine is shown again from the start but is intercut with vignette scenes. Most of the remainder of the video is cut identically, other than several minor instances of alternate scenes or takes being used. The dance floor in the video was painted by an art director brought on to also paint a huge portrait of the boys as vampires.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^"1998 Video Music Awards". MTV.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2007. Retrieved May 11, 2023. Note: Scroll down to Best Dance Video and tap/click on "View all nominees" to see nomination.
^"Domina listas de popularidad". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). July 15, 1998. p. 45. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
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