"Tearin' Up My Heart" was originally pitched for the
Backstreet Boys to record, but was instead given to
NSYNC.[1] It was written by
Max Martin and the producer
Kristian Lundin in a three-day period after the band's debut
single "
I Want You Back" started appearing on several European charts. Their German
record label,
BMG Ariola, wanted the next single to sound similar to "I Want You Back", but catered towards an American audience.[2] "Tearin' Up My Heart" was recorded at
Cheiron Studios in 1996.[3] Lundin overslept on the recording day and was subsequently awoken by Martin and
Denniz Pop. NSYNC arrived in Stockholm during the previous night for one day, before being scheduled in Germany the next morning. The song's recording occurred throughout the night until 6 a.m. without any rest breaks, with
JC Chasez as the final member to perform the concluding
takes.[2] NSYNC were excited about "Tearin' Up My Heart", with Chasez stating that it would help bookend their concerts with "two hit songs".[4] "Tearin' Up My Heart" was released in Germany as a
CD single on February 10, 1997.[5] In the United States, the song was only released to
contemporary hit radio and
rhythmic contemporary radio stations on June 23, 1998.[6] It was released in Australia as NSYNC's second single in March 1999,[7] and in the United Kingdom as a CD and
cassette single on June 14, 1999.[8]
Musically, "Tearin' Up My Heart" is a
dance-pop[9][10] and
teen pop song,[11] with a
pop-sounding
melody and a
funk-styled pre-verse
breakdown. It contains a
hook, a "hard-hitting
beat", and a
refrain with vocal
harmonies provided by the NSYNC members. Chasez provides the
lead vocals in the song,[12] while
Justin Timberlake performs the vocals in the second
verse.[13] The lyrics depict the ambiguous future of a romantic relationship,[14] with Chasez stating that they represent "the double-edged sword of love".[15]
Critical reception
Music critics considered "Tearin' Up My Heart" to be an
uptempo song.[16][17][18]Quad-City Times staff praised the production for containing "engaging personality" in comparison to other boy bands, but critiqued the lyrics for being "mildly clichéd", and the song for not altering the direction of pop music.[19] Chuck Campbell of Naples Daily News similarly commended the "near-memorable" production and "catchy" refrain of "Tearin' Up My Heart", although he commented that they were used to mask the song's "lack of imagination".[10] Writing for The Indianapolis Star, David Lindquist questioned the production for sounding too similar to
late-1980s inspirations such as
Rick Astley, and opined that every NSYNC member did not have "an exceptional voice".[20]
VH1 listed "Tearin' Up My Heart" at number 30 on their "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s"
listicle in 2007.[21] Writing for Billboard, Taylor Weatherby placed the song at number five on their 2018 listicle of "The 100 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time", stating that it contained "higher energy", a "sharper hook", and was "more awe-inspiring" than "I Want You Back".[12] In 2023, Billboard magazine ranked "Tearin' Up My Heart" among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time".[22]
Commercial performance
"Tearin' Up My Heart" debuted at number ten on the
German Singles Chart dated February 24, 1997, where it peaked at number four for one week and remained on the chart for 17 weeks.[23] It ranked at the number thirty position on the 1997 year-end chart in the country.[24] The song peaked at number four on the Austrian
Ö3 Austria Top 40 on April 20, 1997,[25] and subsequently placed at number thirty-three on the country's year-end chart in 1997.[26] In the Netherlands, "Tearin' Up My Heart" entered at number fifty-six on the
Dutch Single Top 100 chart issued April 12, 1997, where it remained for 10 weeks and peaked at number thirty-one.[27]
"Tearin' Up My Heart" first appeared at number forty on the
UK Singles Chart dated September 13, 1997, and charted for two weeks. On the chart dated June 26, 1999, the song returned to the chart at the number nine peak and remained for 10 weeks.[28] "Tearin' Up My Heart" was
certified silver by the
British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on April 6, 2018, for sales of over 200,000 equivalent-sales units in the United Kingdom.[29] In Scotland, the song debuted at the number ten peak on the
Scottish Singles Chart dated June 20, 1999.[30] "Tearin' Up My Heart" bowed at number twenty on the Australian
ARIA Singles Chart issued April 25, 1999, where it remained for 12 weeks.[31]
Upon its release in the United States, "Tearin' Up My Heart" was ineligible to appear on the
Billboard Hot 100 until a rule change was implemented to allow songs without physical releases to chart on December 5, 1998,[32] peaking at number fifty-nine that week.[33] It peaked at number six on the
Mainstream Top 40 chart dated September 21, 1998.[34] In Canada, the song peaked at number three on the RPM Top Singles chart dated August 16, 1998,[35] and was certified platinum by
Music Canada (MC), for track-equivalent sales of 80,000 units in the country.[36]
Music video
An accompanying
music video for "Tearin' Up My Heart" was directed by
Stefan Ruzowitzky from 1996 to 1997,[37] and filmed in
Florida. It was released in Europe in February 1997,[2] and aired in the United States on the debut episode of Total Request Live (TRL) on September 14, 1998.[38] The video depicts the NSYNC members dancing inside a warehouse, playing basketball, and taking photos using a
Polaroid camera.[2] They additionally participate in a photo shoot, perform acrobatics, eat pizza, and are sprawled out next to
grayscale photographs. Chasez is seen performing with a guitar in one scene.[39] Each member appears in identical black and white outfits.[40]Akron Beacon Journal staff writer Glenn Gamboa described the video as "attractive".[41] The
MTV premiere of "Tearin' Up My Heart" in the United States altered a scene from the original European release, which otherwise remained intact. The scene depicted an adolescent female lying next to Timberlake on a bed, with the former digitally erased under orders from NSYNC's record label to maintain their innocent image.[42] The music video was nominated at the
1999 MTV Video Music Awards for
Best Pop Video,
Best Group Video, and
Viewer's Choice.[43][44]
During MTV's Spring Break coverage on March 19, 1999, NSYNC performed "Tearin' Up My Heart" on the program's "Fashionably Loud" segment. The members wore cargo pants with buttoned shirts, as Timberlake wore a baby blue shirt and
Chris Kirkpatrick sported upside down visors.[56] At the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards,
Britney Spears and NSYNC performed together on the same stage,[57] which was their debut appearance at the
MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). Host
Chris Rock yelled out "Are you ready for some real
lip-synching?", as he introduced both performers on stage and subsequently surprised music journalists.[58][59] Spears first performed a
remix of "
...Baby One More Time" in black leather attire,[58][60] as NSYNC transitioned into "Tearin' Up My Heart" using the existing classroom setup from the previous performance.[61][62]
The remaining NSYNC members without Timberlake appeared at the
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 14, 2019, to perform with headliner
Ariana Grande.[63] Both artists teased a collaboration during the afternoon on
Twitter before their performance.[64] The members rehearsed for one and a half days, and delivered live vocals at the event.[65] They appeared as Grande's surprise guests to sing the
bridge of "
Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored", which
sampled "It Makes Me Ill" from their second studio album No Strings Attached. They then performed "Tearin' Up My Heart", with Grande substituting for Timberlake's vocals in the second verse and simultaneously dancing to the song's choreography.[13][66] The accompanying video screen resembled a
VHS tape with ripples and numbers,[67] as NSYNC's appearance at the event was positively received by the loud crowd.[68][69][70] Gab Ginsberg of Billboard opined that Grande's performance of "Tearin' Up My Heart" was a "highlight" from her headlining set.[13]
In popular culture
"Tearin' Up My Heart" was used on NSYNC's episode of Becoming, an MTV program where fans recreate a music video filmed by the original artist.[71] Over 100 people from
Southern California physically appeared to audition, while over 200 people across the United States sent in audition tapes.[72] The song was also given to the
Massive Monkees on
the fourth season of America's Best Dance Crew as part of the VMAs challenge in Week 6.[73] The group intended to show "intensity" in their performance,[74] which was praised by judge Chasez as "one of their best performances".[75]
^Considine, J.D. (September 10, 1999). "No night at the opera; Music: Audiences tuning into the MTV Awards broadcast expect the unexpected. But it was mostly emcee Chris Rock's unprintable (here) remarks that brought any kind of spark to last night's event". The Baltimore Sun. p. 1F.
ISSN1930-8965. 'Why did they even have mics on?' asked Rock after Spears and 'N Sync did their thing..
^Tearin' Up My Heart (back cover). NSYNC. Germany:
Ariola. 1997. 74321 45150 2.{{
cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
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^Tearin' Up My Heart (back cover). NSYNC. United Kingdom:
Arista Records. 1997. 74321 49233 2.{{
cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
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^Tearin' Up My Heart – The Remix (back cover). NSYNC. Germany: Ariola. 1997. 74321 47245 2.{{
cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
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^Tearin' Up My Heart (back cover). NSYNC. United Kingdom: Arista. 1997. 74321 50515 2.{{
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^Tearin' Up My Heart (back cover). NSYNC. United Kingdom: Northwestside Records. 1998. 74321 67585 2.{{
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^Tearin' Up My Heart (back cover). NSYNC. United Kingdom: Northwestside Records. 1998. 74321 67583 2.{{
cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
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^Tearin' Up My Heart (back cover). NSYNC. Australia:
RCA Records. 1998. 74321 66080 2.{{
cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link)