It's Gonna Be Me
"It's Gonna Be Me" | ||||||||||
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Single by NSYNC | ||||||||||
from the album No Strings Attached | ||||||||||
B-side | "This Is Where the Party's At" | |||||||||
Released | June 13, 2000 | |||||||||
Format | ||||||||||
Recorded |
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Genre | Dance-pop | |||||||||
Length | 3:12 | |||||||||
Label | Jive | |||||||||
Writer(s) | ||||||||||
Producer(s) | Rami | |||||||||
NSYNC singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"It's Gonna Be Me" is a song by American boy band NSYNC. It was released as the second single in the United States and third in Europe from their second studio album No Strings Attached (2000).
The song was NSYNC's only Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit, making it their highest-charting single. It topped the chart for two consecutive weeks and has been certified Gold by the RIAA. The song serves as the opening track of the 2000 compilation album Now That's What I Call Music! 5
Composition and lyrics
The lyrics are addressed to a woman who apparently had bad experiences in previous relationships. The man who shows interest in her assures the woman that he is nothing like her past lovers, and that he is prepared to wait for her. When she is ready to love someone again, he maintains that "It's gonna be me". It is written in the key of C minor.
Music video
The music video was directed by Wayne Isham. It was shot from April 27–28, 2000. The video debuted on MTV's TRL on May 23, 2000. It was released on MTV's "Making the Video". Joji Tani, known by Screaming Mad George, provided make-up work for the video.
The video begins in a large toy store, with "Bye Bye Bye" playing in the background. Each group member is an animated plastic doll version of themselves in a box similar to their album cover. They punch through the plastic front of their boxes and try to attract the attention of the girl shopping (Kim Smith, who also appears as the puppeteer in "Bye Bye Bye") so that they can be bought. Army men abseil down from a higher shelf, destroy their boxes, and laugh at them when they are purchased. Next, the boys spot a set of Barbie-like dolls and go hang out with them. The Barbies drop a net on them, and again tease them when they are bought and NSYNC is not. Finally, the group gets back to their shelf and does a dance for the shopping girl. She buys them, and upon scanning, each doll becomes the real-life version of each group member. All of this is interspersed with the band in a color-lit room singing and dancing with the lights changing colors.
In popular culture
Following the release of the video, dolls like those portrayed by the band were created, with strings attached as a reference to the group's smash hit video "Bye Bye Bye".
Throughout the song, Timberlake pronounces the word "me" such that it sounds more like "May." This oddity has led to an internet craze in which memes of Timberlake's face above the inscription "It's Gonna Be May!" are shared on the internet by numerous users every 30th of April (including President Barack Obama). [2] [3] [4] When asked about why he pronounced "me" in that manner, he replied producer Martin had asked him to sing the word in that way, as he probably wanted Timberlake to sound like he was from Tennessee.[5]
In 2016, Fall Out Boy created a follow-up music video for their song "Irresistible" featuring Demi Lovato, which is also directed by Isham and features cameos from Chris Kirkpatrick as a toy factory worker and Joey Fatone as a toy store employee.
Track listings and formats
U.S. single 1 limited edition
- "It's Gonna Be Me" (single version) – 3:11
- "It's Gonna Be Me" (Maurice Joshua Radio Mix) – 4:11
U.S. single 2
- "It's Gonna Be Me" (single version) – 3:11
- "It's Gonna Be Me" (Jack D. Elliot Remix Radio Edit) – 3:49
- "It's Gonna Be Me" (Digital Black-N-Groove Club Mix) – 8:07
- "It's Gonna Be Me" (Jazzy Jim's Remix) – 3:49
- "It's Gonna Be Me" (Azza's Groove Mix) – 3:46
- "It's Gonna Be Me" (Jack D. Elliot Club Mix) – 6:04
- "It's Gonna Be Me" (Digital Black-N-Dub) – 5:15
U.S. vinyl
- "It's Gonna Be Me" (Digital Black-N-Groove Club Mix) – 8:05
- "It's Gonna Be Me" (radio edit) – 3:11
- "Bye Bye Bye" (Riprock & Alex G Club Remix) – 4:53
International single
- "It's Gonna Be Me" (single version) – 3:11
- "It's Gonna Be Me" (instrumental) – 3:13
- "This Is Where the Party's At" (previously unreleased version) – 3:42
- "Bye Bye Bye" (Teddy Riley Mix) – 3:40
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Preceded by "Bent" by Matchbox Twenty |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single July 29, 2000 – August 5, 2000 |
Succeeded by "Incomplete" by Sisqó |
References
- ↑ "'N Sync". MTV.
- ↑ A reminder from Justin Timberlake: 'It's gonna be May'
- ↑ Let Justin Timberlake Remind You That ‘It’s Gonna Be May’
- ↑ Great Thing of the Day: Barack Obama Has Out-Memed Us All
- ↑ Interview
- ↑ "Australian-charts.com – 'N Sync – It's Gonna Be Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – 'N Sync – It's Gonna Be Me" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ↑ "Musicline.de – 'N Sync Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
- ↑ "Chart Track: Week 30, 2000". Irish Singles Chart.
- ↑ "Italiancharts.com – 'N Sync – It's Gonna Be Me". Top Digital Download.
- ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – 'N Sync search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – 'N Sync – It's Gonna Be Me". Top 40 Singles.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – 'N Sync – It's Gonna Be Me". VG-lista.
- ↑ "Archive Chart: 2000-09-10". Scottish Singles Top 40.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – 'N Sync – It's Gonna Be Me". Singles Top 100.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – 'N Sync – It's Gonna Be Me". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ↑ "Archive Chart: 2000-09-16" UK Singles Chart.
- ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 2000". Retrieved 2010-08-31.