"Pop" is the first single by *NSYNC from their third studio album, Celebrity

Celebrity (album)

Celebrity is the third and final studio album by the pop boy band 'N Sync. It was released on July 24, 2001, by Jive Records. The label was heavily criticized for releasing singles that involved Justin Timberlake on lead vocals, and none which involved JC Chasez performing or co-writing...

. It was written by Wade Robson

Wade Robson

Wade Jeremy William Robson is an Australian dance prodigy, director, producer, songwriter, and award-winning choreographer. He began performing as a dancer at the age of five. He has directed music videos and world tours for numerous music artists such as 'N Sync and Britney Spears...

 and Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake

Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...

 and produced by BT using his famous "stutter edit" sound. The song's subject focuses on contemporary criticism of boy band

Boy band

A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...

s and pop music

Pop music

Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

, and assures the public of their music being addictive and not being a trend. It reached #19 on the US Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, and #9 on the 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 ...

. In 2001, it won Four MTV Video Music Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...

 for Best Group Video, Best Pop Video, Best Dance Video, and Viewers Choice. Teen Choice Award for Choice Single. The radio version was later included on their Greatest Hits

Greatest Hits ('N Sync album)

Greatest Hits is the first compilation album released by Boyband 'N Sync. Released on October 25, 2005, the album debuted at #47 on the Top 200 Albums Chart...

album.

This song was played in the movie Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

Track listing

• UK

1. "Pop" (Radio Version) – 2:55
2. "Pop" (Pablo La Rosa's Hard Sync Mix) – 6:29
3. "Pop" (Deep Dish Cha-Ching Radio Edit) – 4:12
4. "Pop" (Instrumental) – 2:54

• America

1. "Pop" (Radio Version) - 2:55
2. "Pop" (Radio Version No Breakdown) - 2:29

• Europe

CD1

1. "Pop" (Album Version) - 3:57
2. "Pop" (Instrumental) - 3:21

CD2

1. "Pop" (Album Version) - 3:57
2. "Pop" (Radio Version) - 2:55
3. "Pop" (Deep Dish Cha-Ching Radio Edit) - 4:12
4. "Pop" (Terminalhead Vocal Remix) - 5:23

other remixes

• Pop (Pablo La Rosa's Hard Sync Mix) 6:29
• Pop (Pablo La Rosa's Funktified Mix) 5:38
• Pop (Terminalhead Peak Time Dub) 5:35
• Pop (Deep Dish Cha-Ching Remix) 11:49
• Pop (Deep Dish Cha-Ching Dub) 11:28
• Pop (Terminalhead Vocal Mix) 5:31

Music video

The music video begins with a girl (Sandra McCoy

Sandra McCoy

Sandra Christina McCoy is an American actress and dancer who is best known for her role in the 2005 thriller Cry Wolf.-Early life:...

) holding a bowl of cereal watching a commercial of Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake

Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...

 advertising pop

Soft drink

A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...

 to her: "Hey you! Yeah, I'm talking to you, sassy girl. Need a little ahh in your step? Try this on for size: i-i-i-i-i-its Pop! I-i-i-it tastes real good and makes you feel kind of funny, not here, not down there, but all up in this area. And, c-coming J-July 24, 2001, Jumbo-pop." (July 24 was the release date for the Celebrity album). The girl drops her cereal bowl and the camera passes through three pieces spelling the word "POP". After the music starts, the video takes place at a colorful disco club

Nightclub

A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...

 with *NSYNC performing on a lighted circle with the word "POP" in a neon sign

Neon sign

Neon signs are made using electrified, luminous tube lights that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in December, 1910 by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show. While they are used worldwide, neon signs...

 behind them. While they are singing, Timberlake is also on a spinning spiral, and JC Chasez is in the crowd. Many special effects, including fast-motion, bullet-time, and computer generated warp-transitions, are used. At the end of the video, Timberlake executes his first music-video beatbox

Beatboxing

Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, and the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments...

.

The video debuted on TRL May 30, 2001. During the dancing sequence part of the video, close up shots featured Joey Fatone

Joey Fatone

Joseph Anthony "Joey" Fatone, Jr. is an American singer, dancer, actor and television personality. He is best known as a member of the boyband, 'N Sync, in which he sang baritone. In 2007, he came in second place on the ABC reality show Dancing with the Stars...

, but the far away shots instead featured the video producer/choreographer/writer Wade Robson. Joey had injured his leg in a trap door during rehearsals for the new tour and could not do the dance sequences. Thus, Robson filled in, with dyed hair.

This video got spins on BET

Black Entertainment Television

Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...

's 106 & Park

106 & Park

106 & Park is a Top Ten Hip-Hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that airs weekdays at 6:00 PM on BET . Since its inception, it was the network's #1 rated show...

, making 'N Sync the only all-white band to ever get rotation on the show.

Live performances

The music video won four MTV Video Music Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...

, including Best Pop Video

MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video

The MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video was first given out in , as MTV began to put several teen pop acts in heavy rotation. Nominations, however, were not just limited to pop acts, as dance, R&B, pop/rock, and, most recently, reggaeton artists have also received Best Pop Video nominations...

, Best Group Video

MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video

The MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video was first given out at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards; and in 2007, going along with how the VMAs were revamped that year, the award was renamed Best Group, as it awarded the artist's body of work for the full year rather than a specific video...

, Best Dance Video

MTV Video Music Award for Best Dance Video

The MTV Video Music Award for Best Dance Video was first awarded in 1989, and it was one of the original four genre categories that were added to the MTV Video Music Awards that year. With a revamp of the awards in 2007, the category was cut out along with several others, yet it returned for the...

 and Viewer's Choice Award

MTV Video Music Award - Viewer's Choice

The MTV Video Music Award for Viewer's Choice was first awarded at the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. The Viewer's Choice award nominees were the originally the same as the Video of the Year nominees, something which continued until 1994...

. The song was performed at the VMAs hosted by Jamie Foxx

Jamie Foxx

Eric Marlon Bishop , professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a...

. Towards the end of the song, a giant Etch-a-Sketch spelled out "King of Pop", and created a silhouette of Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

, before he finally appeared in a surprise performance. He improvised his classic moves to the beat of "Pop" and ended with a prolonged standing ovation

Standing ovation

A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim...

 from the crowd.

MTV Video Music Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...

|-
|rowspan="5"|2001

2001 MTV Video Music Awards

The 2001 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 6, 2001, honoring the best music videos from June 10, 2000, to June 8, 2001. The show was hosted by Jamie Foxx at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City...

|rowspan="5"|"Pop"
|Best Pop Video
|
|-
|Best Group Video
|
|-
|Best Dance Video
|
|-
|Viewer's Choice
|
|-
|Breakthrough Video
|

Teen Choice Awards

Teen Choice Awards

The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...

|-
|rowspan="1"|2001

Teen Choice Awards

The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...

|rowspan="1"|"Pop"
|Choice Singe
|

Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards

|-
|rowspan="1"|2002

2002 Kids' Choice Awards

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2002 featured a musical performance from double platinum recording artist Pink. The theme music for the awards was a Nickelodeon instrumental version of She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby...

|rowspan="1"|"Pop"
|Favorite Song
|

Chart positions

Chart (2001)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...	10
Austrian Singles Chart	49
Belgium Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995...	39
Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....	1
Netherlands Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...	34
New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...	19
Norwegian Singles Chart	7
Swedish Singles Chart	19
Swiss Singles Chart	40
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 ...	9
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	19

In popular culture

The song was featured in the third episode of the 4th season of NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

 sitcom Will & Grace

Will & Grace

Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...

, entitled Crouching Father, Hidden Husband, where main character Jack McFarland

Jack McFarland

John Philip "Jack" McFarland was a fictional character on the American television sitcom Will & Grace, played by Sean Hayes.-Character personality:...

 re-creates the dance interlude of the song. In the United Kingdom, the song is used as the title music for the Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

 music series KOKO Pop. In 2010, British boyband JLS

JLS

- Music :* JLS, an English boyband** JLS , debut album by JLS* JLS a Spanish Rock band based in Zaragoza , Spain formed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by lead Leo Susana.- Organizations :...

 covered the song along with Girlfriend

Girlfriend ('N Sync song)

"Girlfriend" is the third and final single from 'N Sync's third studio album, Celebrity, released on April 15, 2002. It was the last single the group ever released.-Background:...

and two Backstreet Boys

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...

 songs in a medley number on the arena tour to support their second album Outta This World

Outta This World

The album has received generally mixed reviews from music critics. In his review for The Independent, Andy Gill reviewed the album poorly and said "For most of its 14 tracks, Outta This World is boy-band R&B at its most formulaic, tracks like "That's My Girl" and over-autotuned opener "The Club Is...

.