"Drowning" is a song by American vocal group Backstreet Boys, released on September 25, 2001, as the only single from their compilation album, The Hits – Chapter One.

Background

Written by Andreas Carlsson, Rami and Linda Thompson and produced by Rami and Kristian Lundin, the song was initially recorded for the Black & Blue album but was excluded due to the limited track listings left. Several elements of the song, such as the piano intro and the chorus, are very similar to "Långsamt farväl" released by the Swedish artist Mauro Scocco in 1997. Andreas Carlsson, co-writer of "Drowning," sang backing vocals on Lisa Nilsson's version of "Långsamt farväl," released in 2003. In Finland, "Drowning" was compared to the 1995 song "Älä sano huomisesta" by Hausmylly. Country remixes of the song were also recorded, produced by Dann Huff.

Chart performance

The song peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on November 13, 2001. It peaked within the top ten in 11 European countries, reaching #3 in Portugal and Sweden, #4 in Denmark and the UK, #5 in Norway and Spain, #9 in Austria, and #10 in Finland, Ireland, Italy, and Romania. Released in the UK in October 2001, the single failed to chart initially although later entered the Top 40 at no.4 in January 2002.

Music videos

Official version

The official music video was directed by Nigel Dick, who directed their music videos for "As Long as You Love Me" and "All I Have to Give." Filmed in Los Angeles, it featured the band gathered around monuments and an old building resembling a church. The video is notable for its frequent use of the contre-jour technique, which puts the subject directly against the light source, thus giving a clear, dark outline of the figure. In the video, the group is often seen as silhouette moving and singing against the background.

Unreleased version

Before the final video was produced, a different concept was in production. The concept was eventually abandoned, and the official video was produced instead. One of the preliminary cuts of this original video was leaked to the public. This video was done, then canceled and replaced by the end of the month. It features the band members dressed in black outfits, as seen in the photograph on the single cover of the CD. The video was shot mainly using green screen to place the band on an arid salt flat. The sun is initially shining, but dark clouds quickly fill the sky in the first chorus, and it begins to rain in the second verse. A flood of water fills the area, and the storm worsens. At the key change and the song's end, the band members are hit with a large wave. They sing at shallow water depth throughout the rest of the video.

Track listings

UK CD1 UK CD2 UK cassette single European CD single Australian CD single Japanese CD single

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

In popular culture

"Drowning" and their other single "The One" were both licensed and used in the 2002–2003 anime television series Hanada Shōnen Shi. "Drowning" was used for the ending theme, while "The One" was the opening theme.