"Bye Bye Bye" is a song by American boy band NSYNC from their third studio album, No Strings Attached. It was released on January 17, 2000, as the lead single from the album. The song was written and produced by Kristian Lundin and Jake Schulze, with additional writing by Andreas Carlsson. Its lyrics describe the end of a romantic relationship; it was reported to also reference the group's separation from their manager Lou Pearlman and their record label RCA Records. "Bye Bye Bye" was a commercial success, peaking at number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and within the top 10 in almost every country in which it charted. The song received a Grammy nomination in 2001 for Record of the Year, but lost to U2's "Beautiful Day". Background and development "Bye Bye Bye" was written and produced by Kristian Lundin and Jake Schulze, as part of Cheiron Productions, with additional writing by Andreas Carlsson. Lundin stated that it was "totally production driven" and "created from the kick and the bass up". Carlsson wrote the song's lyrics while he was taking a driver's test in Stockholm, Sweden. The song was intended to be recorded by English boy band 5ive, but they rejected it as they wanted to become a rap band. Carlsson recalled that one of the band members immediately called for security and left for the airport. The song's chorus was initially written as a rap, where 5ive feared that they would be competing against Eminem. Prior to its official release, NSYNC performed "Bye Bye Bye" at the Radio Music Awards on October 28, 1999, at the LIFEbeat AIDS benefit concert in New York on December 1, 1999, and on The Rosie O'Donnell Show on Christmas Eve in 1999. The song was released on January 17, 2000, although it was not available as a commercial single in order to increase demand for NSYNC's 2000 studio album No Strings Attached. Jive Records feared that "Bye Bye Bye" was released too early vis-à-vis the album, which caused them to consider releasing a second single in order to sustain interest. Composition The song opens with a string crescendo that climbs before Justin Timberlake's nasal falsetto ad-libs the phrase, "Hey, hey", which leads to the five-part harmony of the song's title. Instrumentation consisted of "buzzy electronics" adding texture to the band's vocals in contrast to the doo-wop of the Backstreet Boys, as