(Aka the page where BrianWilly makes Lance-lovers happy:))
The Harmony of *NSYNC
As a member of a four-part men's quartet at my high school, I can say that I have had some professional experience at singing in a small men's group(Nothing big's happened, trust me, although my yearbook did print something next to our picture like, "The Next Boyband? Maybe." Hahaha). I feel that it is my duty as an *NSYNC appreciator to share some of this knowledge with you all. Bear with me as I try and pretend that I know what I'm saying.
Small men's groups generally have the individual members take on different parts associated with a certain voice range. Here's the list.
Tenor 1: The highest part, aka "twinkling fairy," given to guys who have masterful control of falsetto and higher voice ranges. I sing this part. In *NSYNC it is given to Chris Kirkpatrick, as you've probably guessed.
Tenor 2, better known as Lead: The name says it all. This is the leading part, the melody that gets stuck in your head ALL DAY LONG. Given to guys who are good enough to carry the song and literally lead the ensemble. In the case of *NSYNC, there are two leads; Yes, Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez. When one's not singing the melody they sing backup like any other part.
Baritone: This would be the "normal" men's voice range. This is basically on the same vocal range as Tenor 2, maybe a little lower, but like Tenor 1 serves as backup. *NSYNC's Baritone would be Joey Fatone. I've heard that there could be a Baritone 2 as a part, but I'm not sure.
Bass(Pronounced BASE, not like the fish or Lance's name): You know what this is. This be low. This be the part that any other part would sound like fools trying to sing(I think Chris said that they've got some tapes of Joey doing their Bass and it was really bad. I can believe that:)). This be Lance.
Now, to the nitty gritty: Try as we may to deny it, the leads are the main men, and if you ever wonder why you hear so much of JC and Justin, even in the chorus parts, it's because they've got the melody parts and it's part of their job description to bring it out.
For better or for worse, the three other parts are the support; It's their job to be discreet and to lend support to the main melody. Tenor 1 brings the high chimes and bell-like harmony, the Baritone is the support that links the Bass and leads, and the Bass is the freakin' foundation upon which all is built. The Tenor 1 and Baritone get noticeably fewer solos than the leads, but on occasion it happens, and when it does the leads switch into backup parts. Unfortunately for Lance, I've never heard a real Bass solo other than the occasional drop ins(Think "Supersize It"). See below for an update on this opinion!
But think positively, Lance-lovers: JC wasn't kidding around when he said that without Lance there can be no *NSYNC. As I've said, the Bass is the foundation. If it wasn't for him all the parts would just crumble. Well, it's basically true for all the parts, but especially so with the Bass. Believe me, I've been there.
So why is it you can never hear Lance, while you can make out Chris and Joey? Well, actually you can. Keep in mind that Lance isn't always immensely low; Sometimes he's around Joey range. Think of that five part chord in "It's Gonna Be Me" when they go"It's gonna...gonna...gonna...gonna...gonna...!", Lance has the lowest note but the note itself is still pretty high. So just listen for the lowest part. He's there in almost every song, turn the volume up all the way if you don't believe me.
Still not satisfied? Worry not, here is a list of songs in which you can hear Lance's part clearly if you listen carefully:
*All A Capella songs: O Holy Night, I Thought She Knew, also their rendition of the Star Spangled Banner is Lanceful.
*We Can Work it Out: Listen carefully at the end.
*Just Got Paid.
*No Strings Attached: The more I listen to this the more I think that's Joey and not Lance, but whatever, he's still pretty prominent near the end:)
*I'll Be Good For You
*U Drive Me Crazy
*Giddyup: Figures:)
*The First Noel
*Everything I Own: This one's got a lot of Lance, even a speaking part.
*The Lion Sleeps Tonight
*The Only Gift: Lance has a solo in this one! I was just listening to my mpg of it, and suddenly someone started to vibrate the desk violently with his hecka low voice! It was Lance! Well, the part of the desk vibrating isn't true, but still.
Oddly, you also seem to be able to hear Bass parts on almost all of their live performances that you couldn't in the album songs. Maybe it has something to do with the way the microphones are used, I'm not sure.
Why don't I have a section dedicated to all the times you can hear Chris and Joey, who I claim are my favorite two singers? Well, you can hear Chris in every song, period(That's what I like about being a tenor; We're noticeable:)). Did you guys know that in the second-part chorus for Bye Bye Bye("I don't wanna make it tough, but I had enough...")Chris basically takes that on alone? Not the first time they sing it. If you listen to it closely enough and with enough obsession(Don't ask), in the final two chorus repeats, Joey and Lance are doing the main melody, Justin and JC are busy being cool(Ad-libbing), and Chris has that aforementioned higher part all to himself. This is especially apparent in their live performances. I think this also appears in "No Strings Attached," but am not sure.
As for Joey, he's more noticeable than you'd think, too. An example is "Digital Get Down," when they go "Digital digital digital digital getdown, get dow-ow-own!" It's still a harmony part, yes, but Joey's got the lead. Yes, I agree that a few(hundred)more solos wouldn't hurt him(or us)much, but hey. They all do their share to make *NSYNC in synch, and that's a hard thing, worth our notice and praise.
Well, I hope I educated you all in the ways of *NSYNC harmonies. As usual, feedbacks are welcome.
