"Shape of My Heart" is stated to be "the sound of a boy band becoming a group of men".[3] 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.[3]
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". 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".[3]
Chart performance
The song reached 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 BillboardMainstream Top 40 chart.[5] 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
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.[3] 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.[3] 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 65 days at the top position. As of May 2023, the music video has over 308 million views on YouTube.[6] In a 2023 video posted to the band's
YouTube account,
Brian Littrell said he still owns the jacket he wore in the video.[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.[3] 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".[3]
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]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^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)
^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)
^
abShape 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)