▁deal ". ▁ ▁When ▁The ▁Smith ere ens ▁conven ed ▁to ▁record ▁their ▁sixth ▁full - length ▁studio ▁album ▁in ▁February ▁ 1 9 9 9 , ▁it ▁was ▁originally ▁en vision ed ▁as ▁a ▁concept ▁album ▁about ▁the ▁mill en ni um ▁and ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁world ▁titled ▁Ap ocal yp se ▁ 2 0 0 0 . ▁The ▁band ▁wrote ▁more ▁than ▁ 2 0 ▁songs ▁to ▁fit ▁the ▁album ' s ▁original ▁theme ▁before ▁abandon ing ▁it ▁late ▁in ▁the ▁process . ▁" There ▁were ▁quite ▁a ▁few ▁t unes ▁that ▁came ▁in ▁at ▁the ▁ 1 1 th ▁hour ▁that ▁wer en ' t ▁necessarily ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁concept ," ▁Pat ▁Di N izio ▁told ▁MTV ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 9 . ▁He ▁realized ▁after ▁a ▁while ▁that ▁the ▁mill en ni um - infl uen ced ▁project ▁" had ▁already ▁begun ▁to ▁feel ▁a ▁bit ▁dated ▁and ▁more ▁than ▁a ▁t ad ▁g imm icky ", ▁so ▁by ▁the ▁time ▁the ▁band ▁entered ▁the ▁recording ▁studio ▁" we ▁quickly ▁and ▁intuit ively ▁shift ed ▁g ears ". ▁He ▁added , ▁" When ▁faced ▁with ▁dec iding ▁between ▁making ▁a ▁concept ▁album ▁and ▁making ▁an ▁album ▁with ▁good ▁solid ▁songs , ▁we ▁opt ed ▁for ▁the ▁latter ." ▁The ▁album ▁was ▁produced ▁by ▁Don ▁F lem ing , ▁who ▁was ▁brought ▁in ▁at ▁the ▁suggestion ▁of ▁Vel vel . ▁ ▁However , ▁Vel vel ▁was ▁in ▁financial ▁trouble , ▁and ▁in ▁early ▁ 1 9 9 9