Don't bother to fight the future, Nsync's new single will be an enormous hit. "Pop," the group's latest single from their upcoming album "Celebrity" has all the elements of an *Nsync smash: a repetitive chorus, a catchy beat, and lots of vocal effects that give the boys that digital sound their fans (and their flashy live shows) demand.
Last time around, the boys exploded onto the charts with an angry number about saying "Bye Bye Bye" to a girl.
This time, Justin, Joey, J.C., Lance and Chris are really mad at the Eminems of the world who poke fun at pop music and boy bands.
The single kicks off with Justin Timberlake's (a.k.a. *Nsync heartthrob's) trademark twangy vocals:
"Sick and tired of hearing all these people talk about/ What's the deal with this pop life and when is it gonna fade out?/Think you've got to realize/ what we're doing is not a trick/We got the gift of melody, we're going to bring it till the end".
Then the other group members join in as *Nsync lets their fans know that it isn't clothes and money they demand.
"It doesn't matter/ 'bout the car I drive or the ice around my neck/All that matters is that you recognize that it's just about respect".
"Pop" moves so fast that it's hard to picture the five crooners managing to maintain both their trademark fancy-footwork and the break-neck speed of the vocals during a live show. But fear not, the producers have already thought about that. A break in the song provides the perfect platform for an *Nsync live dance-off.
"Man, I'm tired of singing," whines Justin before the vocals take a brief break, providing the ultimate opportunity for the boys to dance and most likely provoke screams from their rabid audiences.
"Pop" was co-written and produced by *Nsync's Justin, Wade Robson and BT, and proves once again why *Nsync has the edge on the rest of the boy-band market.
Late last year, former pop heavy-weights the Backstreet Boys unleashed their new tune to the pop market. But "Shape Of My Heart" was a slow-moving ballad that wasn't able to pump up the hyperactive radio crowd or send thousands of audience members into a digital music frenzy -- two things "Pop" will accomplish with ease.
A perfect summer tune for the active pop set, "Pop" will be a sure crowd-pleaser on *Nsync's North American tour and will probably help the upcoming "Celebrity" beat album-sales records set by their previous album, "No Strings Attached", when it is released on July 24.
That's not saying "Pop" is the most brilliant piece of music ever written - it isn't. It's a tad overproduced, Justin's a bit too twangy, and there isn't anything on here we haven't heard before.
In the far-off future, "Pop" may not be regarded as the definitive pop song of the 21st century, but it is an *Nsync classic.