"Shape of My Heart"
The band is standing against a wall facing the camera, with a blue filter. The band name and song title is positioned underneath them.
Single by Backstreet Boys
from the album Black & Blue
ReleasedOctober 2, 2000 (2000-10-02)
RecordedJuly 1[1] – September 2000[2]
Studio
GenrePop
Length3:50
LabelJive
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Martin
  • Rami
Backstreet Boys singles chronology
"The One"
(2000) 		"Shape of My Heart"
(2000) 		"The Call"
(2001)
Audio sample
A sample from "Shape of My Heart" by Backstreet Boys
Music video
"Shape of My Heart" on YouTube

"Shape of My Heart" is a song by American boy band Backstreet Boys, released on October 2, 2000, as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Black & Blue (2000).[2] The ballad was written and produced by Max Martin and Rami and co-written by Lisa Miskovsky. Following its release, "Shape of My Heart" topped the singles charts of eight countries and reached the top 10 on 15 others, including the US Billboard Hot 100, on which it peaked at number nine. The song earned a Grammy Award nomination during the 44th Grammy Awards for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

Background

Due to the success of rival boy band NSYNC's album No Strings Attached selling over 2.4 million copies in its first week, there were high expectations from industry experts and fans that the Backstreet Boys' next album Black & Blue would break the first week sales of No Strings Attached.[3] "Shape of My Heart" was widely anticipated as the lead single of Black & Blue, which would follow their previous singles "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)", "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)", and "I Want It That Way".[3]

Composition

"Shape of My Heart" is stated to be "the sound of a boy band becoming a group of men".[3] It consists of a bubblegum chorus, clean pop structure, along with various vocal harmonies from Max Martin's production. It also contains soft-pop guitar, low-key percussion, and a lyrical emphasis on the reflection of past mistakes.[3]

The song is performed in D major[4] with a key change to E major at the third chorus.[citation needed]

Critical reception

Craig Seymour of Entertainment Weekly gave the song a C− in his review, stating that the "mid-tempo ballad is more a joyless retread than a maturing makeover". Jason Lipshutz of Billboard considered the song to be a disappointment, stating that it was a muted mid-tempo reflection on mistakes and weaknesses, as well as being "miscast as a flashy comeback that would return serve against *NSYNC and hijack pop radio for months".[3]

Chart performance

The song reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, giving the group their sixth and last top-10 single in the US, while reaching number 8 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart.[5] It also topped the charts in Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland as well as the top 10 in several other countries.

Music video

The video's monochrome and blue tinted style is inspired by "classic photography" in order to showcase the band's maturity in contrast of their earlier upbeat music videos.[3]

Background

The music video for "Shape of My Heart" was directed by Matthew Rolston at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. The entire video is shot in monochrome with a blue tint, creating a black and blue atmosphere in reference to the album's name.[3] Rolston was inspired by "classic photography", utilizing the blue tint to evoke earlier periods of photography, as well as showcasing a mature side of the band in place of their previous over-the-top videos.[3] On MTV's Total Request Live the music video broke the Backstreet Boys' own record for longest-running number-one song, which was previously held by "Larger Than Life" (1999). The video spent 65 days at the top position. As of May 2023, the music video has over 308 million views on YouTube.[6] In a 2023 video posted to the band's YouTube account, Brian Littrell said he still owns the jacket he wore in the video.[7]

Synopsis

The video shows the Backstreet Boys rehearsing lines for a production titled Shape of My Heart, printed on a script around an empty theater in places such as the backstage wall, and on the stage. The actress Sara Foster and the actor Ryan McTavish rehearse on the stage while another couple watches from a desk in front of the audience. Each of the people introduced are also featured alongside the Backstreet Boys as they rehearse.

Legacy

The song was the last single by the Backstreet Boys to peak in the top-ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[3] Jason Lipshutz stated that the song's influence spread to future Backstreet Boys singles such as "Incomplete", "Show 'Em (What You're Made Of)", and "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", concluding that although it wasn't a smash, it has become "an important inflection point for one of the era’s biggest groups".[3]

Cover versions

In 2008, one of the song's writers, Lisa Miskovsky, released her own version of the song, "Another Shape of My Heart" on her 2008 album Last Year's Songs: Greatest Hits.[citation needed]

Track listings

Standard CD single, UK cassette single[8][9][10]

  1. "Shape of My Heart" – 3:47
  2. "All I Have to Give" (a cappella) – 3:48
  3. "The One" (Jack D. Elliot Radio Mix) – 3:46

European CD single[11]

  1. "Shape of My Heart" – 3:47
  2. "All I Have to Give" (a cappella) – 3:48

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the European CD single liner notes.[11]

Recording

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Shape of My Heart"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[64] Platinum 70,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[65] Gold 30,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[66] Platinum 8,000^
Germany (BVMI)[67] Gold 250,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[68]
Full-length ringtone 		Gold 100,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[69] Gold 5,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[70] Gold  
Sweden (GLF)[71] Platinum 30,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[72] Silver 200,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Shape of My Heart"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States October 2, 2000 Radio airplay Jive [73]
October 9, 2000 CD single [citation needed]
Japan November 1, 2000 [30]
United Kingdom November 6, 2000
[74]

Notes

  1. ^ "Shape of My Heart" reached number 5 when RPM ceased publication in November 2000.

References

  1. ^ Manning, Kara (June 30, 2000). "Howie D. Chats About Candid BSB Photo Book". MTV News. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  2. ^ a b MTV News Staff (September 19, 2000). "Backstreet Boys To Get "Black And Blue" On New LP". MTV News. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lipshutz, Jason (March 27, 2020). "Looking Back on Backstreet Boys' 'Shape of My Heart,' The Ultimate Boy Band-Turned-Man Band Single". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Rami, Yacoub; Max, Martin; Lisa, Miskovsky (December 20, 2000). "Shape of My Heart". Musicnotes.com. MN0038190. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
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  6. ^ BackstreetBoysVEVO (May 11, 2011). "Backstreet Boys - "Shape Of My Heart"". Retrieved August 28, 2017 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ "#10 on our countdown is the "Shape Of My Heart" video - our 1st single from Black and Blue! #BSB30". YouTube. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  8. ^ Shape of My Heart (Canadian CD single liner notes). Backstreet Boys. Jive Records. 2000. 01241-48220-2.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Shape of My Heart (UK CD single liner notes). Backstreet Boys. Jive Records. 2000. 9251442.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Shape of My Heart (UK cassette single sleeve). Backstreet Boys. Jive Records. 2000. 9251444.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ a b Shape of My Heart (European CD single liner notes). Backstreet Boys. Jive Records. 2000. 9251329.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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