Larger than Life (Backstreet Boys song)

Single infobox |
Name = Larger Than Life


Artist = Backstreet Boys
from Album = Millennium
Released = August 24, 1999
Format = CD, 7", 12", cassette
Recorded = October 1998
Genre = Pop/Dance
Length = 3:50
Label = Jive
Writer = Max Martin
Kristian Lundin
Brian Littrell
Producer = Max Martin
Kristian Lundin
Chart position =
*#1 (Canada, Indonesia)
*#3 (Australia)
*#5 (UK)
*#5 Germany)
*#25 (U.S.)
Last single = "I Want It That Way"
(1999)
This single = "Larger Than Life"
(1999)
Next single = "Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely"
(2000)

"Larger Than Life" is a song by the Backstreet Boys, released as the second single from their 1999 album, "Millennium". It was written by Max Martin, Kristian Lundin and Brian Littrell and is mainly a tribute to the group's fans. The song broke the record for longest running #1 on MTV's "Total Request Live". Longtime friend, Brian McAndrew, was featured in the song with a guitar solo. The song reached #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the UK Singles Chart.

Music video

The music video for "Larger Than Life" was a big-budget production directed by Joseph Kahn, who also directed the band's "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" video, which bears a number of similarities to this video. It takes place in a futuristic space setting, and includes elaborate special effects and animation, as well as a break-down with a dance number. The video opens with a long pass of a spaceship over the top of the camera as a number of the band's past singles cycle through as if on a radio dial. A robot, whose face is portrayed by Antonio FargasFact|date=June 2008, who played the driver in the "Everybody" video, awakens the band members from their sleep in pods on the ship.

Each of the band members is subsequently featured in their own separate vignettes, while being featured together on a large stage doing a dance routine with backup dancers. A breakdown was added to the album version of the song before the final choruses for the extended dance sequence which continues to the end of the song. The vignettes are intercut with the dance sequence following the breakdown.

The video reportedly went over budget, which was the reason that Howie Dorough's vignette was not particularly elaborate.Fact|date=April 2007 The video holds a "Guinness World Record" for the 8th "most expensive music video" with estimated production costs of over US$2,100,000.Fact|date=May 2008

Track listing

Standard
# Larger Than Life (Video Mix)
# Larger Than Life (Video Mix - Instrumental)
# If You Knew What I Knew

Cardboard sleeve
# Larger Than Life (Video Mix)
# Larger Than Life (Album Version - Instrumental)

UK
# Larger Than Life (Video Mix)
# Larger Than Life (Eclipse New Life Mix)
# If You Knew What I Knew

Remixes double vinyl
# Larger Than Life (Keith Litman Club Mix) - 6:03
# Larger Than Life (Jazzy Jim Bonus Beats) - 3:44
# Larger Than Life (Extended Video Mix) - 4:14
# Larger Than Life (Keith Litman Dub) - 9:16
# Larger Than Life (Jazzy Jim Streetshow Mix) - 4:05
# Larger Than Life (Jack D. Elliot Club Mix) - 5:48
# Larger Than Life (Album Version) - 3:52
# Larger Than Life (Eclipse's New Life Mix) - 8:47
# Larger Than Life (Madgroove Progressive Mix) - 9:16