5. “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” (1998)
It’s difficult for newer Christmas songs to make a stand among the many classic seasonal tunes. Many pop acts have tried, few have succeeded. *NSYNC is one of the successful pop acts; their Home for Christmas album has sold millions of copies and still occasionally gets radio play. The video is a classic concept, in which the boys takeover as Santa when he falls ill just before Christmas. Come for the terrible special effects, stay for the warm and fuzzy holiday feelings this song brings.
4. “Bye Bye Bye” (2000)
Ushering in the No Strings Attached era was “Bye Bye Bye,” arguably *NSYNC’s most iconic video. The first shot shows everyone’s makeovers (some for the better, some for the worse), and displays the marionette motif that would carry through this entire era. The plot is that they’re all trying to escape a girl–Joey and Chris run on top of a moving train, Justin runs through a warehouse while the girl and her doberman chase them down, and JC and Lance are involved in a high speed car chase to escape. Bonus: their most iconic dance routine in the moving blue Jamiroquai room.
3. “It’s Gonna Be Me” (2001)
This is the video for the group’s only number one single on the Billboard Hot 100. The marionette strings are back, only this time, the band has become toy versions of themselves trapped on a shelf. The video is interspersed with absolutely flawless choreography. Even though *NSYNC didn’t last a lifetime, their dances are forever. This video has quite a legacy; Fall Out Boy honored this video with their own for “Irresistible” featuring Demi Lovato, and the internet remembers it every year in the weeks leading up to the month of May.
2. “Tearin’ Up My Heart” (1997)
“Tearin’ Up My Heart” is the video *NSYNC used to plant a stake in the ground of ‘90s boy bands. The concept is simple; the guys do various dance routines in between photo shoots. The simplicity allows their dancing talent to shine through, to the point where I can still picture the choreography in my head when I hear the song.
1. “U Drive Me Crazy” (1998)
What’s this, you ask? The best, least known American video that *NSYNC graced us with, that’s what. “U Drive Me Crazy” follows the band as they attempt to impress a talent agent using every gimmick they can think of–pretending to be an ‘80s hair band, dressing as the Spice Girls (YES), and becoming a rap group. What eventually catches the eye of the agent is when the perform as themselves poolside, natch. If all of that wasn’t enough, Justin creepily stirs milk and wiggles his eyebrows at the camera for way too long. What more could you ask for? NOTHING.
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