"This I Promise You" is a
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
recorded by American
boy band
A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...
NSYNC
NSYNC ( ; also stylized as *NSYNC or N Sync) was an American vocal group and pop boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. The group consists of Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, ...
. It was released in September 2000 as the third and final single in the United States and the fourth and final single in Europe from their third studio album, ''
No Strings Attached'' (2000). The song is included on all three of the band's compilation albums: ''
Greatest Hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
'' (2005), ''
The Collection'' (2010), and ''
The Essential *NSYNC'' (2014). The single reached number five on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
A
Spanish language
Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...
version of the song, titled "Yo te Voy a Amar", was recorded at the same time for Spanish-speaking countries.
Background
Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
Marx's first number one success as a songwriter came in 1984 with " What About Me?", which was recorded by Kenny Rogers ...
was asked by A&R executive David Novik if he had any songs that he could give to
NSYNC
NSYNC ( ; also stylized as *NSYNC or N Sync) was an American vocal group and pop boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. The group consists of Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, ...
. He specifically requested a
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
.
Initially, the song "This I Promise You" was written with a three-person
girl group
A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...
in mind. Marx quickly finished the song writing the harmonies specifically for NSYNC.
Marx would later record the song twice, first for the Japanese release of his 2000 album ''
Days in Avalon'' similar to the NSYNC version from their album ''
No Strings Attached'', and again as a
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
song for the European version of his 2010 ''
Stories to Tell'' album. Marx would later use the ''Days in Avalon'' version of "This I Promise You" for his 2014 ''Now and Forever: The Ballads'' album as a duet with singer Sabrina.
Commercial performance
"This I Promise You" was NSYNC's fifth top-ten single in the U.S., reaching number five on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the autumn of 2000. In addition, the song spent 13 weeks at number one on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
chart, the group's first and only song to do so.
Internationally, the song reached number twenty-one on the
UK Singles Chart.
Music video
Background
The music video was shot at
Redwood National Park
The Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are a complex of one List of national parks of the United States, United States national park and three List of California state parks, California state parks located along the coast of northern Cali ...
and
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
's
Embarcadero in 2000 by
Dave Meyers. During the video shoot,
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...
and
Joey Fatone ended up exploring
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, also known simply as Alcatraz (, ''"the gannet"'') or the Rock, was a maximum security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) off the coast of San Francisco, California, United S ...
without paying for tickets. Both members were eventually caught when they reached
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel Capone ( ; ; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American organized crime, gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-foun ...
's cell, and let off with a warning.
It debuted on an episode of ''
Total Request Live
''Total Request Live'' (commonly abbreviated as ''TRL'') is an American television program that premiered on MTV on September 14, 1998. The early version of ''TRL'' featured popular music videos played during its countdown and was also used as ...
'' on October 27, 2000.
Synopsis
The video shows the group members clad in
turtleneck
A polo neck, roll-neck (South Africa), turtleneck (United States, Canada), or skivvy is a garment—usually a sweater—with a close-fitting collar that folds over and covers the neck. It can also refer to the type of neckline, the sty ...
s singing in the
Redwood National and State Parks
The Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are a complex of one United States national park and three California state parks located along the coast of northern California. The combined RNSP contain Redwood National Park, Del Norte Coast Red ...
, with different shots of different love relationships shown in bubbles floating around the forest. Footage of the San Francisco skyline appears at different intervals and at the
key change towards the end of the song, the video pans to the members of NSYNC sitting at a table of an outdoor restaurant along the Embarcadero while eating and singing.
The music video on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
has received over 300 million views as of May 2024.
Cover versions
A
Spanish language
Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...
version of the song, titled "Yo te Voy a Amar" was recorded at the same time and released in Spanish-speaking countries such as
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
,
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
,
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
,
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
,
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
,
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
,
Paraguay
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
,
Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
,
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
,
Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
,
Guatemala
Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
,
El Salvador
El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...
,
Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...
,
Nicaragua
Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...
,
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
,
Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
,
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
,
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
, and
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.
Irish
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 and later reun ...
lead singer
Shane Filan
Shane Steven Filan (born 5 July 1979) is an Irish singer best known as a member of the pop vocal group Westlife, which was formed in 1998, disbanded in 2012, and regrouped in 2018. Westlife has released thirteen albums, embarked on twelve wor ...
included his version of this song on his third solo album ''
Love Always'' in 2017. This served as a buzz single which was first released online and later released with a music video exclusively available in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. He dedicated this song to his wife Gillian Walsh.
Track listing
UK
;CD single
# "This I Promise You" (Radio Edit) – 4:27
# "
It's Gonna Be Me
"It's Gonna Be Me" is a song by American boy band NSYNC. It was released through Jive Records, as the second single from their third studio album '' No Strings Attached'' (2000) in the United States, and as the third single from the internat ...
" (
Maurice Joshua Radio Remix) – 4:13
# "I Thought She Knew" – 3:22
;Cassette
# "This I Promise You" (Radio Edit) – 4:27
# "This I Promise You" (
Hex Hector
Hex Hector (born Héctor Ortiz) is an American music producer and remixer.
Early life
Hector was born Héctor Ortiz in Manhattan, New York, of a Puerto Rican mother and Cuban father.
Career
Hex Hector's interest in music began at an early ...
Radio Mix) – 3:57
# "I Thought She Knew" – 3:22
America
;Making the Tour exclusive bonus disc
# "This I Promise You" (Live Home Video Mix) – 5:10
Europe
;CD1
# "This I Promise You" (Album Version) – 4:43
# "This I Promise You" (Hex Hector Radio Mix) – 3:57
;CD2
# "This I Promise You" (Album Version) – 4:43
# "I Thought She Knew" – 3:22
;Limited edition remix single
# "This I Promise You" (Album Version) – 4:43
# "This I Promise You" (Hex Hector Club Mix) – 9:10
# "This I Promise You" (Hex Hector Radio Mix) – 3:57
# "Yo te Voy a Amar" (Spain Only)
Credits and personnel
;Personnel
*
Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
Marx's first number one success as a songwriter came in 1984 with " What About Me?", which was recorded by Kenny Rogers ...
– songwriter, producer, arranger
*David Cole – recording engineer, mixing engineer
*Adam Barber – vocal recording
*Cesar Ramirez – assistant engineer
*Ok Hee Kim – assistant engineer
*Toby Dearborn – assistant engineer
*Jeffrey CJ Vanston – drum and keyboard programming
*
Michael Thompson – guitar
*Chaz Harper – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
*
List of Billboard Adult Contemporary number ones of 2000 and
2001 (U.S.)
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
2000s ballads
2000 singles
2000 songs
NSYNC songs
Jive Records singles
Pop ballads
Songs written by Richard Marx
Contemporary R&B ballads
Soul ballads