At first we heard that 'N Sync were going to reunite for an appearance on the VMAs, and then we heard that they were not and it was just a rumor. This may or may not be a big deal to you, but it does give us a good reason to revisit some old 'N Sync videos so let's do it.
Today on Music Video Relapse, we're watching one 'N Sync video that I have a few issues with - "It's Gonna Be Me" from 2000, directed by Wayne Isham.
First of all, let me say that I've never seen a band get so much milage out of a visual concept as 'N Sync did out of their album cover for No Strings Attached, where they are marionettes on a stage. The entire "Bye Bye Bye" video is basically a live version of the album cover, and this video starts off with them as toys recreating the album cover. I don't even need to look it up to know there was some sort of stage show thing they did that involved being marionettes as well. Hopefully whoever said "hey you guys should be the puppets with the strings" got paid in a big way. They rode that shit like a race horse.
In general, this video is borderline incomprehensible to me. The members of 'N Sync are toys in a toystore when they see a pretty lady. They all want to be bought so they break out of their boxes which is not really a smart move because now they are not in mint condition anymore. The point where there are army toys rappelling down into the 'N Sync boxes is where I get lost. N'Sync fights the toys and then the army toys are checked out by nobody. The cashier runs them over the scanner just by herself. Did she buy them? What is going on?
Nobody is buying these toys. This woman is checking toys out on her own.
Don't get me started on the obvious logical fallacy of running the actual toys over the scanner instead of the box for the toys. The box is what has the barcode, and I don't even think a toy store will let you buy just the action figure without it having a box. At the very least it's logically unsound, and at its worst, physically impossible.
Then some hot Barbie toys invite them to hang out by the pool. They are posing for pictures when a fucking NET drops on them. Why? There is nobody in this toy store and we're supposed to believe that once you neutralize the 'N Sync toys that you automatically get bought? If the 'N Sync toys are such hot items why did they try and break out of their fucking boxes to get noticed in the first place? Not to mention the pool barbie toys are obviously display items and almost certainly not available for purchase.
'N Sync then go back to their shelf and dance and some girl notices them and buys them. I guess they should have just stayed put then. When they go through the scanner (again, there is nothing to scan on the action figure itself), they turn into real humans. This woman presumably owns them now and takes them out of the store, unconcerned that she has technically purchased a group of celebtity humans.
Clearly, this video has issues. But does anyone care besides me? No.
Update: It has been brought to my attention that there was a very long behind the scenes made for this video. Here's part I:
