Shape of My Heart (Backstreet Boys song)

"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^[3] was written and produced by Max Martin and Rami, and co-written by Lisa Miskovsky.

"Shape of My Heart"
Single by Backstreet Boys
from the album Black & Blue
Released	October 2, 2000 (2000-10-02)
Recorded	July 1^[1] – September 2000^[2]
Studio	Cheiron (Stockholm, Sweden) Polar (Stockholm, Sweden)
Genre	Pop
Length	3:50
Label	Jive
Songwriter(s)	Max Martin Rami Lisa Miskovsky
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 file help
Music video
"Shape of My Heart" on YouTube

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.^[4] "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".^[4]

Composition

"Shape of My Heart" is stated to be "the sound of a boy band becoming a group of men".^[4] 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.^[4]

The song is performed in D major^[5] 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."^[3] 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".^[4]

Chart performance

The song debuted at 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.^[6] 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.^[4]

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.^[4] 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.^[4] 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 61 days at the top position.^{[citation needed]} As of September 2021, the music video has over 222 million views on YouTube.^[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, as they outgrew their teenage years.^[4] 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".^[4]

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

• Recorded and mixed at Cheiron Studios, Stockholm, Sweden. Vocals recorded at Polar Studios, Stockholm, Sweden.

Personnel

• Max Martin – songwriter, producer, recording, mixing, guitar
• Rami Yacoub – songwriter, producer, recording, mixing
• Lisa Miskovsky – songwriter
• Stefan Boman – vocal recording engineer
• Esbjörn Öhrwall – guitar
• Peter Svensson – guitar
• Tomas Lindberg – bass
• John Amatiello – Pro Tools and XBS Optical Vocal Enhancer engineer
• Tom Coyne – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Shape of My Heart" Chart (2000–2001) Peak position Australia (ARIA)^[12] 5 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[13] 4 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[14] 11 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[15] 25 Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[16] 5^[a] Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[17] 1 Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)^[18] 1 Denmark (IFPI)^[19] 2 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)^[20] 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[21] 3 Germany (Official German Charts)^[22] 2 Greece (IFPI)^[23] 10 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)^[24] 6 Ireland (IRMA)^[25] 6 Italy (FIMI)^[26] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[27] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[28] 3 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[29] 1 Norway (VG-lista)^[30] 1 Poland (Polish Airplay Charts)^[31] 1 Romania (Romanian Top 100)^[32] 3 Scotland (OCC)^[33] 3 Spain (PROMUSICAE)^[34] 2 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[35] 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[36] 1 UK Singles (OCC)^[37] 4 UK Indie (OCC)^[38] 1 US Billboard Hot 100^[39] 9 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[40] 2 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)^[41] 8

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "Shape of My Heart" Chart (2000) Position Australia (ARIA)^[42] 30 Denmark (IFPI)^[43] 18 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)^[44] 55 Germany (Official German Charts)^[45] 46 Ireland (IRMA)^[46] 73 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[47] 76 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[48] 61 Romania (Romanian Top 100)^[32] 48 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[49] 29 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[50] 35 Chart (2001) Position Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)^[51] 46 Canada Radio (Nielsen BDS)^[52] 46 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)^[53] 87 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[54] 8 Chart (2002) Position Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)^[55] 173

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Shape of My Heart"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[56]	Platinum	70,000^^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)^[57]	Platinum	8,000^^
Germany (BVMI)^[58]	Gold	250,000^^
Japan (RIAJ)^[59] Full-length ringtone	Gold	100,000^*
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[60]	Gold	5,000^*
Norway (IFPI Norway)^[61]	Gold
Sweden (GLF)^[62]	Platinum	30,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)^[63]	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	^[64]
	October 9, 2000	CD single		^[citation needed]
United Kingdom	November 6, 2000	Cassette single		^[65]

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 October 6, 2011.
2. MTV News Staff (September 19, 2000). "Backstreet Boys To Get "Black And Blue" On New LP". MTV News. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
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4. 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.
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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. 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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