Drowning (song)
Encyclopedia
"Drowning" is the single by the Backstreet Boys
from their compilation album
The Hits: Chapter One
. The song was written by Andreas Carlsson
, Rami Yacoub
and Linda Thompson who is the wife of David Foster
at that time and produced by Yacoub and Kristian Lundin
. The song was initially recorded for the Black & Blue
album, but there wasn't any room on the track list for it. It was released as an iTunes Exclusive Play on January 14, 2008. It features Kevin Richardson
on piano. This was their last release before a three-year-hiatus from 2002 - 2005. The song reached #28 in the US on November 13, 2001. The song also did moderately well in the international charts, peaking at #3 in Sweden
and #5 in Norway
. The song also did exceptionally well on TRL
, and the video for it was retired on February 26, 2002.
Parts of the song, e.g. the piano intro and the chorus, are very similar to "Långsamt farväl" released by the Swedish artist Mauro Scocco
in 1997. Andreas Carlsson
, co-writer of "Drowning", actually sang backing vocals on Lisa Nilsson's version of "Långsamt farväl" released in 2003.
. It featured the five Boys gathered around some monuments and an old building which resembles a church.
The video is notable for its frequent used of the contre-jour
technique, which puts the subject directly against the source of light, thus giving a clear, dark outline of the figure. In the video, the Boys are often seen as dark figures dancing and singing against a beautiful background. This was filmed in Los Angeles
in August 2001.
It features the band dressed in black outfits, which can be seen in the photograph on the CD single cover. The video was shot mainly using green screen
to place the band on an arid salt flat. The sun is initially shining, but dark clouds quickly fill the sky in the first chorus, and it begins to rain in the second verse. A flood of water fills the area and the storm continues to get worse. At the key change, and at the end of the song, the band is hit with a large waves. Through the rest of the video they simply sing in a shallow depth of water.
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...
from their compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
The Hits: Chapter One
The Hits: Chapter One
The Hits – Chapter One, also known as Greatest Hits – Chapter One internationally, is the first Greatest Hits compilation released by American boyband, Backstreet Boys. The album features fifteen of the group's classic hits, as well as one new song, "Drowning"...
. The song was written by Andreas Carlsson
Andreas Carlsson
Andreas Carlsson is a Swedish music producer, composer, and pop songwriter.-Biography:Carlsson was part of the Cheiron Studios team until the studio was closed down in 2001....
, Rami Yacoub
Rami Yacoub
Rami Yacoub is a Swedish music producer and songwriter of Palestinian descent, and former member of the successful songwriting/production houses Cheiron Studios and Maratone...
and Linda Thompson who is the wife of David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
at that time and produced by Yacoub and Kristian Lundin
Kristian Lundin
Kristian Carl Marcus Lundin is a Swedish composer, music producer and songwriter.-Biography:Beginning his career as a member of the Swedish duo Amadin , Kristian's writing and production talents were quickly recognized by music industry icon Denniz PoP, who invited him to join the Cheiron Studios...
. The song was initially recorded for the Black & Blue
Black & Blue
Black & Blue is the follow-up album to the Backstreet Boys' 1999 studio release Millennium. It is their fourth album and their third American release. In the United States, Black & Blue sold 1.6 million discs in its first week of release, making them the first group in Soundscan history to have...
album, but there wasn't any room on the track list for it. It was released as an iTunes Exclusive Play on January 14, 2008. It features Kevin Richardson
Kevin Richardson (musician)
Kevin Scott Richardson is an American singer and a former member of the Backstreet Boys, model, actor, and composer. He was the oldest member of the band during his tenure.- Early years :...
on piano. This was their last release before a three-year-hiatus from 2002 - 2005. The song reached #28 in the US on November 13, 2001. The song also did moderately well in the international charts, peaking at #3 in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and #5 in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The song also did exceptionally well on TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
, and the video for it was retired on February 26, 2002.
Parts of the song, e.g. the piano intro and the chorus, are very similar to "Långsamt farväl" released by the Swedish artist Mauro Scocco
Mauro Scocco
Mauro Scocco is a Swedish pop artist of Italian descent. He was the singer for the pop group Ratata in the 1980s and has been a solo artist since. He has been described as "one of the sharpest songwriters in Sweden"....
in 1997. Andreas Carlsson
Andreas Carlsson
Andreas Carlsson is a Swedish music producer, composer, and pop songwriter.-Biography:Carlsson was part of the Cheiron Studios team until the studio was closed down in 2001....
, co-writer of "Drowning", actually sang backing vocals on Lisa Nilsson's version of "Långsamt farväl" released in 2003.
Charts
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 49 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 9 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart | 20 |
| Belgian Tip Singles Chart (Walonia) | 4 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 11 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 4 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 13 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 10 |
| German Singles Chart | 11 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 10 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 10 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 27 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 5 |
| Portuguese Singles Chart | 3 |
| Romanian Singles Chart | 9 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 3 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 13 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 28 |
UK CD1
- Drowning (Radio Edit)
- Everybody (Backstreet's Back) (Sharp London Vocal Mix)
- I Want It That Way (Morales Club Version)
UK CD2
- Drowning (Radio Edit)
- Drowning (Dezrok Radio Mix)
- Drowning (Rizzo & Harris Radio Mix)
- Drowning (Video)
Official version
The official music video was directed by Paul BoydPaul Boyd
Paul Boyd is a British, music video, commercial and feature film director.Born in Scotland, Boyd graduated from St. Martin's School of Art in London with a BA in Fine Art Film...
. It featured the five Boys gathered around some monuments and an old building which resembles a church.
The video is notable for its frequent used of the contre-jour
Contre-jour
Contre-jour, French for 'against daylight', refers to photographs taken when the camera is pointing directly toward a source of light. An alternative term is backlighting....
technique, which puts the subject directly against the source of light, thus giving a clear, dark outline of the figure. In the video, the Boys are often seen as dark figures dancing and singing against a beautiful background. This was filmed in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in August 2001.
Wet version
Before the final video was produced, a different concept was in production. The concept was eventually abandoned and the official video was produced instead. One of the preliminary cuts of this original video was leaked to the public. This video was done in August 2001, then canceled and replaced by the end of the month.It features the band dressed in black outfits, which can be seen in the photograph on the CD single cover. The video was shot mainly using green screen
Chroma key
Chroma key compositing is a technique for compositing two images together. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production...
to place the band on an arid salt flat. The sun is initially shining, but dark clouds quickly fill the sky in the first chorus, and it begins to rain in the second verse. A flood of water fills the area and the storm continues to get worse. At the key change, and at the end of the song, the band is hit with a large waves. Through the rest of the video they simply sing in a shallow depth of water.