BT was personally asked by Chasez and Timberlake to produce the song.
Despite the success ofNSYNC's previous studio albumNo Strings Attached (2000), the band were constantly blasted by critics who had preconceptions of what a "credible group" was, which forced them to be more involved in the production of their next album,Celebrity. While discussing about "Pop" in a 2001 interview withBillboard,Justin Timberlake stated that NSYNC "put everything that is not considered 'pop music' in [the] song".[1]
The group enlistedBT afterJC Chasez and Timberlake befriended the musician. Chasez asked BT to appear on NSYNC's next album, but BT was initially hesitant due to his "ambivalence" towards the band.[2][3] He eventually relented when Timberlake heard BT's song "The Hip Hop Phenomenon", from the UK version of his 1999 albumMovement in Still Life,[2] on the request that he "treat [their] vocals so irreverently, it's not even funny". While the song was in production, BT heard Timberlakebeatboxing under his breath, and asked to use his vocals. Timberlake initially hesitated, as he did not want it to be featured on any track, but relented as BT created four tracks using broken headphones. After BT created over 1,200 edits of the track usingMax Headroom-styled stutter-edits, he showed the song to Chasez and Timberlake, who immediately loved it.[4]Jive Records was initially reluctant to release "Pop" as the first single fromCelebrity, as they reasoned that the song is "not radio-friendly" and didn’t "have a formula".[5]
On May 11, 2001,MTV broadcast a recording of "Pop" via satellite during NSYNC's tour rehearsal forPopOdyssey, which subsequently led to the song's radio release on May 14, 2001.[1] In the United Kingdom and Australia, it was released on July 9, 2001.[6][7]
"Pop" was written byWade Robson and Timberlake, and produced by BT using his famous "stutter edit" sound.[8] The song contains genre transitions such asturntablism,hair metal andelectro-funk. It also includes a "dance-friendlybreakdown",[9] and a Timberlake-performedbeat-box,[1] which Jon O'Brien ofBillboard compared to the sound of adrum machine.[9] BT used a total of 3,642 vocal edits in the song.[10] Sheet music for "Pop" shows the key ofC♯ minor with a tempo of 120 beats per minute in4 4 common time. NSYNC's vocals span from G♯3 to G♯5.[11]
The music video for "Pop" was directed by American directorWayne Isham and filmed inSony Pictures Studios from May 13 to 15, 2001. Three sets were built: an apartment shot as the opening scene, a multi-storey club, and agreen screen where the band performed the song's dance choreography aided with severalcomputer-generated imagery (CGI) sequences. A 35-foot tall stage was built with a 40-foot ramp, where the dancers were harnessed to the ceiling.[13] Two days before filming,Joey Fatone injured his leg while rehearsing for the PopOdyssey tour inNew Orleans, as the area between his knee and calf was trapped between a 300 pound platform underneath the stage, creating a hole in his leg as well as the bone being exposed.[4] Throughout the music video, long-distance camera angles superimposed Fatone's face on Wade Robson's body, as the latter substituted in his place due to the sustained injury.[14] Production costs were reported to be $2.5 million(equivalent to $4.6 million in 2024), making it one of themost expensive music videos of all time.[15] The video debuted onMTV'sMaking the Video on May 28, 2001.[1] Filming lasted for over two straight days, which the band members were not able to sleep and complained about being overworked.[16]
O'Brien described the music video as "Part-infomercial parody, part-club night, part-Warholian expedition" and opined that it is "dizzying".[9]
The music video begins withSandra McCoy holding a cereal bowl withAlpha-Bits watching the commercial of Justin Timberlake advertisingpop to her:"Hey you! Yeah, I'm talking to you, sassy girl. Need a little ahh in your step? Try this on for size: i-i-i-i-i-it's Pop! I-i-i-it tastes great and makes you feel kind of funny, nothere, not downthere, but all up in thisarea. And, c-coming J-July 24, 2001, Jumbo-pop."
She drops her cereal bowl and the camera passes through three pieces spelling the word "POP". After the music starts, the video takes place at a colorfuldisco club with NSYNC performing on a lighted circle with the word "POP" in aneon sign behind them. While they are singing, Timberlake is also on a spinning spiral, and Chasez is in the crowd. Many special effects, including fast-motion, bullet-time, and computer generated warp-transitions, are used. During the song's breakdown, the group perform an extended choreographed sequence, while they are seen in various outfits. At the end of the video, Timberlake begins tobeatbox for thirty seconds, while the other members float in the background.
^Pop (Canadian CD single liner notes). NSYNC. Jive Records. 2001. 01241-48221-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Pop (Australian & New Zealand CD single liner notes). NSYNC. Jive Records. 2001. 9252282.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Pop (Japanese CD single liner notes). NSYNC. Jive Records. 2001. ZJCI-30007.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Pop (UK CD single liner notes). NSYNC. Jive Records. 2001. 9252422.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Pop (UK cassette single sleeve). NSYNC. Jive Records. 2001. 9252424.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Pop (European CD single liner notes). NSYNC. Jive Records. 2001. 9252289.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
