Incomplete (Backstreet Boys song)

"Incomplete"
Single by Backstreet Boys
from the album Never Gone
B-side
  • "My Beautiful Woman"
  • "Movin' On"
ReleasedApril 11, 2005 (2005-04-11)
Recorded2004
StudioWestlake Recording (Hollywood, California)
Length3:59
LabelJive
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Dan Muckala
Backstreet Boys singles chronology
"Drowning"
(2001) 		"Incomplete"
(2005) 		"Just Want You to Know"
(2005)
Music video
"Incomplete" on YouTube

"Incomplete" is a song by American vocal group Backstreet Boys from their fifth studio album, Never Gone (2005). The power ballad[1] was released on April 11, 2005, as the group's first single since they decided to reunite after a two-year hiatus. It was written by Dan Muckala, Lindy Robbins, and Jess Cates, and it was produced by Muckala with Kevin Richardson on piano. According to Billboard magazine's Chuck Taylor, the song is an "emotion-packed, grown-up tome about relationship struggle and strife."[2]

"Incomplete" marked a stylistic change for the band, with member AJ McLean saying that the band wanted to break away from the image they had attained during the 1990s and early 2000s.[3] The song was a commercial success, peaking at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and earning a gold certification for selling over half a million copies in the US. It also reached the top 10 in several European countries. It debuted at number one in Australia, becoming the group's only number-one hit and receiving a double-platinum sales certification in 2020.

Critical reception

[edit]

Chuck Taylor from Billboard magazine compared the band's vocals to those of Bryan Adams and Blessid Union of Souls, going on to say that the song would be refreshing to hear on the radio "like crisp white sheets."[2] British columnist James Masterton wrote that "Incomplete" proved that the band had not lost their talent following their hiatus, going on to call the track's production "bombastic."[4]

Music video

[edit]

Directed by Joseph Kahn, the music video for "Incomplete" sets the band in an arid desert environment and features each of the band members in a different element or force of nature: Brian Littrell, water; Nick Carter, fire; Howie Dorough, rain; Kevin Richardson, snow; and AJ McLean, the Sun.

Track listings

[edit]

Personnel

[edit]

Personnel are lifted from the Never Gone liner notes.[10]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[65] 2× Platinum 140,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[66] Gold 30,000‡
Italy — 25,000[67]
United States (RIAA)[68] Gold 500,000*

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

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States April 11, 2005 Contemporary hit radio Jive [69]
May 2, 2005 Hot adult contemporary radio [70]
Japan May 25, 2005 CD [28]
Denmark May 30, 2005 [71]
Australia June 13, 2005 [72]
United Kingdom June 27, 2005 [73]

Cover versions

[edit]

In 2017, international symphonic metal supergroup Exit Eden covered "Incomplete" as the 3rd track of their debut album entitled Rhapsodies in Black.[74]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (March 15, 2005). "Backstreet Boys Pick Power Ballad for Their Comeback Single". MTV. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Taylor, Chuck (April 16, 2005). "Essential Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 117, no. 16. p. 44. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  3. ^ "The ARIA Report: Chartifacts!" (PDF). ARIA. June 20, 2005. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  4. ^ Masterton, James (July 3, 2005). "Week Ending July 9th 2005". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  5. ^ Incomplete (UK CD1 liner notes). Backstreet Boys. Jive Records. 2005. 82876 699272.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ Incomplete (UK CD2 liner notes). Backstreet Boys. Jive Records. 2005. 82876 699282.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Incomplete (Australian maxi-CD single liner notes). Backstreet Boys. Jive Records. 2005. 82876 69248 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ a b c "Backstreet Boys – Incomplete". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  9. ^ Incomplete (Japanese CD single liner notes). Backstreet Boys. Jive Records. 2005. BVCQ-29604.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Never Gone (CD booklet). Backstreet Boys. Jive Records. 2005. 82876-70534-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ "Backstreet Boys – Incomplete" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  12. ^ "Backstreet Boys – Incomplete" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  13. ^ "Backstreet Boys – Incomplete" (in French). Ultratop 50.
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  74. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "EXIT EDEN - Incomplete (Backstreet Boys Cover) | Napalm Records". YouTube. August 3, 2017.
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