Girlfriend (NSYNC song)

"Girlfriend" is a pop and hip hop song by American boy band NSYNC. It was released on March 12, 2002, as the third and final single from their third studio album Celebrity. It was the group's last song to enter the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number five. "Girlfriend" additionally reached number one in Canada and charted within the top 10 in six other countries, including Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom. This was the last single the band released in their career.

"Girlfriend"
Single by NSYNC featuring Nelly
from the album Celebrity
B-side	"The Two of Us"
Released	March 12, 2002 (2002-03-12)
Recorded	April–May 2001^[1]
Studio	Right Track, Battery (New York City) Wire (Orlando, Florida)
Genre	Pop hip hop R&B
Length	4:14 (album version) 4:45 (The Neptunes remix)
Label	Jive
Songwriter(s)	Justin Timberlake Pharrell Williams Chad Hugo Cornell Haynes Jr. (remix)
Producer(s)	The Neptunes
NSYNC singles chronology
"Gone" (2001) "Girlfriend" (2002)
Nelly singles chronology
"#1" (2001) "Girlfriend" (2002) "Hot in Herre" (2002)
Music video
"Girlfriend" on YouTube

Background

When originally announced as a single, the intention was for the album version of the track to be released along with a video and released to television. However, just weeks before the release, the group announced that the Neptunes would remix the song for its single release and feature two all-new verses with rapper Nelly. When Nelly was approached to record the song, he was initially met with resistance from his record label, who stated that he was trying to "ruin [his] career". Nelly insisted on appearing on the song, which they eventually conceded.^[2] It was his first major cross-collaboration.^[3]

The song contained a hip hop influence and was released on March 12, 2002, as an enhanced CD.^[4]

Critical reception

In 2015, Billboard's Jason Lipshutz ranked it tenth on the list "Top 20 Essential Boy Band Songs," writing, "straddling the lines of pop, R&B and hip-hop, the song could have been the precursor to the boy band's stylistic shift, but instead proved to be the starting point for Justin Timberlake's solo career."^[5]

Music video

Background

Two music videos exist for the single, which were both directed by Marc Klasfeld. The first video was released in late December 2001, while the Neptunes Remix debuted on March 12, 2002.^[6]

Synopsis

The music video featured the band dancing on cars, singing to girls and a drag race, which was won by Justin Timberlake. The Neptunes Remix featured scenes of Nelly spliced between shots of the pre-existing video. He is shown rapping next to Timberlake during both of his rap verses, as well as interacting with female models in the backseat of the car throughout this version of the video. Scenes of Timberlake initiating the drag race in the interlude, which is shown in the original video, are heavily omitted in the Neptunes Remix to accommodate for Nelly's rap verse, which his second rap verse replaces.

Track listings

US and Canadian CD single^[7]^[8] "Girlfriend" (album version) – 4:13 "Girlfriend" (the Neptunes remix featuring Nelly) – 4:43 "Gone" (Gone Clubbin' "I'll Be Back Late" mix) – 5:57 "Gone" (Spanish version) – 4:51 "Girlfriend" (video) US 12-inch single^[9] A1. "Girlfriend" (the Neptunes remix featuring Nelly) – 4:43 A2. "Girlfriend" (the Neptunes remix instrumental) – 4:43 B1. "Girlfriend" (album version) – 4:13 B2. "Gone" (Gone Clubbin' "I'll Be Back Late" mix) – 5:57 UK CD and cassette single^[10]^[11] "Girlfriend" (the Neptunes remix featuring Nelly) "The Two of Us" "Gone" (Gone Clubbin' radio edit)

European CD single^[12] "Girlfriend" (the Neptunes remix featuring Nelly) – 4:43 "Girlfriend" (album version) – 4:13 Australian CD single^[13] "Girlfriend" (the Neptunes remix featuring Nelly) – 4:45 "Girlfriend" (album version) – 4:14 "Gone" (Gone Clubbin' "I'll Be Late" mix) – 5:59 "Girlfriend" (video) Japanese CD single^[14] "Girlfriend" (album version) – 4:13 "Girlfriend" (instrumental) – 4:12 "Gone" (Gone Clubbin' "I'll Be Late" mix) – 5:58

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the UK CD single liner notes.^[10]

Recording

• Recorded at Right Track, NYC; Battery Studios, NYC; and WIRE Studios, Orlando, FL

Personnel

• Justin Timberlake – songwriter
• Chad Hugo – songwriter, producer, remix producer
• Pharrell Williams – songwriter, producer, remix producer
• The Neptunes – producer, remix producer
• Brian Garten – recording, additional vocal recording
• Paul Gregory – assistant recording engineer
• Rowie Nameri – assistant recording engineer
• Matina Scarpino – assistant recording engineer
• Jean-Marie Horvat – mixing
• Josean Possey – assistant mixing engineer
• Chaz Harper – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Girlfriend" Chart (2002) Peak position Australia (ARIA)^[15] 2 Australian Urban (ARIA)^[16] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[17] 43 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[18] 34 Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)^[19] 15 Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)^[20] 1 Denmark (Tracklisten)^[21] 6 Europe (European Hot 100)^[22] 4 Germany (Official German Charts)^[23] 6 Ireland (IRMA)^[24] 8 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[25] 10 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[26] 8 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[27] 13 Norway (VG-lista)^[28] 12 Romania (Romanian Top 100)^[29] 93 Scotland (OCC)^[30] 5 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[31] 36 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[32] 23 UK Singles (OCC)^[33] 2 UK Indie (OCC)^[34] 1 UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)^[35] 1 US Billboard Hot 100^[36] 5 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[37] 23 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)^[38] 5 US Rhythmic (Billboard)^[39] 6

Year-end charts Year-end performance for "Girlfriend" Chart (2002) Position Australia (ARIA)^[40] 26 Australian Urban (ARIA)^[41] 8 Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)^[42] 18 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[43] 96 Germany (Official German Charts)^[44] 73 Ireland (IRMA)^[45] 69 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[46] 77 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[47] 70 UK Singles (OCC)^[48] 44 US Billboard Hot 100^[49] 33

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Girlfriend"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[50]	Gold	35,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[51]	Gold	5,000^*
United Kingdom (BPI)^[52]	Gold	400,000
^* 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 "Girlfriend"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	March 12, 2002	Enhanced CD	Jive	^[4]
Australia	April 15, 2002	CD		^[53]
United Kingdom				^[54]

References

1. Touré (August 31, 2001). "'N Sync: True Tales of the Pop Life". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
2. Platon, Adelle (June 23, 2017). "'Nellyville' Turns 15: Nelly Looks Back on the Singles, Guests & Bad 'Hot In Herre' Jokes". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
3. Pickens, Ashley (June 26, 2017). "'Nellyville': 15 Ways Nelly's Midwest-Spun Recipe Made The Culture Pop". Vibe. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
4. Baker, Soren (February 19, 2002). "*NSYNC Embarking On 'Celebrity' Tour With A Twist". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on September 11, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
5. Lipshutz, Jason (July 13, 2015). "Top 20 Essential Boy Band Songs". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
6. Strecker, Erin (January 1, 2015). . Billboard. Archived from the original on January 3, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
7. Girlfriend (US CD single liner notes). NSYNC. Jive Records. 2002. 01241-40013-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
8. Girlfriend (Canadian CD single liner notes). NSYNC. Jive Records. 2002. 01241-48225-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
9. Girlfriend (US 12-inch single sleeve). NSYNC. Jive Records. 2002. 01241-40016-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. Girlfriend (UK CD single liner notes). NSYNC. Jive Records. 2002. 9253312.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
11. Girlfriend (UK cassette single sleeve). NSYNC. Jive Records. 2002. 9253314.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
12. Girlfriend (European CD single liner notes). NSYNC. Jive Records. 2002. 9253429.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
13. Girlfriend (Australian CD single liner notes). NSYNC. Jive Records. 2002. 9253422.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
14. Girlfriend (Japanese CD single liner notes). NSYNC. Jive Records. 2002. ZJCI-30012.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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29. (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on February 15, 2005. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
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41. . ARIA. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
42. . Jam!. January 14, 2003. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
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45. . Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 2002. Archived from the original on June 2, 2004. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
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53. "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 15/04/2002" (PDF). ARIA. April 15, 2002. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 23, 2002. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
54. "NSYNC Girlfriend The Neptunes Remix Featuring Nelly". Amazon. Retrieved June 30, 2021.