Black & Blue is the follow-up album to the Backstreet Boys' 1999 studio release Millennium. It is their fourth album (but their third U.S. album release). In the United States, Black & Blue sold 1.6 million discs in its first week of release[4], making them the first group in Soundscan history to have million-plus first-week sales with back-to-back albums. The album recorded the best international sales in a week for album in history by selling over 5 million copies in its first week of sales.Th...
Black & Blue is the follow-up album to the Backstreet Boys' 1999 studio release Millennium. It is their fourth album (but their third U.S. album release). In the United States, Black & Blue sold 1.6 million discs in its first week of release[4], making them the first group in Soundscan history to have million-plus first-week sales with back-to-back albums. The album recorded the best international sales in a week for album in history by selling over 5 million copies in its first week of sales.The album was the eighth highest-selling album in the US in 2000. The album achieved platinum status in over 30 countries and gold certification in 10 regions around the world during its first week of release. Despite the excellent sales, Black and Blue never matched up to the hype that their first two albums made. The first single off the album was "Shape of My Heart," followed by "The Call" and "More Than That." The band members co-wrote five of the songs and wrote two songs on this album, a departure from previous albums, which showcased less of their own song-writing. Black & Blue sold 24 million albums worldwide.
* To celebrate the release of Black & Blue, Backstreet Boys embarked on a 100-hour "Around the World" trek with stops in Europe (Stockholm), Asia (Tokyo), Australia (Sydney),South Africa (Cape Town), South America (Rio) before returning to North America (New York). At each stop along the tour, the group visited local landmarks, held press conferences, met fans, and performed brief a cappella versions of their hit single "Shape of My Heart".
* Black & Blue featured production from the Cherion team (Max Martin, Kristian Lundin, Rami, Jake, Per Magnusson, David Kreuger); Babyface; Rodney Jerkins; Timmy Allen; Franciz & LePont; and Larry "Rock" Campbell.
* In its first week of release, Black & Blue's first single "Shape of My Heart" received adds to 170 out of 171 of the Top 40 stations in the U.S. Meanwhile overseas, the song immediately jumped into the Top Five in Sweden (#1), Norway (#1), Canada (#1), Germany (#2), Switzerland (#4), Austria (#5), Australia (#5) and Holland (#5).
* Backstreet Boys launched three U.S. tours in support of Black & Blue: The first leg kicked off January 22. The second leg began June 8 in the group's hometown of Orlando, FL, and was temporarily put on hold July 9, in order for group member A.J. McLean to seek treatment for clinical depression which led to anxiety attacks and the excessive consumption of alcohol. The tour resumed August 24 in Milwaukee, WI, and wrapped up October 19 in Las Vegas, NV. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
