Now hey, I am but a simple music lover who enjoys a rockin' harmony but come on, we've got to look at the facts here.
By facts, I mean numbers. And by numbers, I mean those provided by the Recording Industry Association of America (because we all know that Backstreet Boys dominated NSYNC when it came to worldwide sales).
Let's take a look at our contenders:
In the Red Corner: Boys Who Can Sing
In the Blue Corner: Boys Who Can Also Sing
DING DING DING!
Let's begin.
Round one: debut albums
Backstreet Boys
(I'm counting the '97 US release of Backstreet Boys for this one)
Released: August 12, 1997
Certified Units: 14 Million
Certifications: 14x Multi-Platinum | April 5, 2001
Singles released: 6
NSYNC
Released: March 24, 1998
Certified Units: 10 Million
Certifications: 10x Multi-Platinum | January 5, 2000
Singles released: 4
Winner: Backstreet Boys
Round two: second albums
Millennium
Released: May 18, 1999
Certified Units: 13 Million
Certifications: 13x Multi-Platinum | February 7, 2001
Singles released: 4
No Strings Attached
Released: March 21, 2000
Certified Units: 11 Million
Certifications: 11x Multi-Platinum | May 10, 2001
Singles released: 4
Acknowledgements:
Yes, we have to acknowledge that No Strings Attached sold over 2.4 million units in its first week in the United States, and this was a huge success over the previous record that Millennium had set of 1.13 million units in the first week. This is a fact that has been lorded by NSYNC fans (and quite rightfully so), but it is far from the only factor here. Millennium went on to outweigh No Strings Attached in final record sales in the US which is quite definitive enough, but I am going to sneak in here and add this:
Millennium worldwide sales: approx. 40 Million
No Strings Attached worldwide sales: approx. 13 Million
Can't deny those numbers.
Winner: Backstreet Boys
Round three: third albums
Black & Blue
Released: November 21, 2000
Certified Units: 8 Million
Certifications: 8x Multi-Platinum | December 18, 2000
Singles released: 3 (or 4, with the later released Drowning)
Celebrity
Released: July 24, 2001
Certified Units: 5 Million
Certifications: 5x Multi-Platinum | August 22, 2001
Singles released: 3
Winner: Backstreet Boys
Final numbers:
Backstreet Boys: Certified Units: 37 Million
NSYNC: Certified Units: 28 Million
Let's leave it at that, my friends, and not get into overdone arguments. Yes, Justin Timberlake is very successful, but he is not NSYNC. Yes, Backstreet Boys aren't hitting the radio with their new material but they're doing what they love and getting rich doing it. I ain't sayin' that you can't love NSYNC's music more, I'm just the number guy!
Now, a quick poll to see who's been paying attention:
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