"Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)" is a song by American boy band Backstreet Boys, released in October 1996 as the fourth single from their international debut album (1996). It reached 1 in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, and Switzerland, No. 2 in the United Kingdom, and No. 7 in the Netherlands. The song was later included on the band's debut US album, and was released as the second single in June 1997, where it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it their most successful single on the chart. It sold 2 million copies in the US. Rolling Stone ranked the song No. 26 on their list of the "75 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time" in 2020. Background Initially, Nick Carter, aged 15 at the time, was unable to sing on the recording of the song as he was undergoing puberty. The remaining band members were brought over to Stockholm for a week to record "We've Got It Goin' On" in late June 1995. They unexpectedly finished the song in just two days and decided to record "Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)" immediately afterwards. The single was not the label's first choice to release for the group's US return, as they initially wanted to release the Mutt Lange-produced "If You Want It to Be Good Girl (Get Yourself a Bad Boy)", but the band argued against it, claiming that it was one of their worst songs. Jive president Barry Weiss claimed that the other serious contenders included "Anywhere for You" and "All I Have to Give". The group also wanted to reshoot the music video, but the label refused, arguing that they only planned to market towards radio, not video. The song ultimately succeeded without MTV support. The background vocals in the song, besides McLean's self-harmonization on the bridge, consisted of Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson, who decided to finish the song while the other members were having lunch. Critical reception AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that the "slick production adds luster to the singles "Quit Playin' Games (With My Heart)" and "As Long as You Love Me", making them as irresistible as teen pop can be." Larry Flick from Billboard noted that the song "cruises at a sweet jeep/funk pace, leaving plenty of room for a romantic lead vocal and layers of smooth harmonies." Can't Stop the Pop commented, "This