There are a few albums that have touched my life and made a lasting impact that has stayed with me since the first time I listened to it.
The first few albums that did that were Michael Jackson’s “Bad,” Whitney Houston’s “Whitney,” Reba McEntire’s “What In The World Am I Gonna Do About You?,” Garth Brooks’ self-titled debut album and Rhett Akins’ “A Thousand Memories.”
On May 18, 1999, I bought an album that changed everything in my life. I went to Wal-Mart and bought the Backstreet Boys’ second U.S. release, “Millennium.”
As still a relatively new Backstreet Boys fan (just over a year at that point), it was the first album I would go to the store and actually buy of theirs the day it came out. I went and put it in my Discman and instantly listened to it between classes my first year of college.
From the first “AH-HA” in “Larger Than Life” to the last few notes of “The Perfect Fan,” it was literally the greatest album ever. It broke my hero Garth Brooks’ sell records.
To me, this was more than just an album release. This was the beginning of a brand new life for me. The album gave me the courage to be myself more. It made me find myself and while sometimes I’m still looking for myself (lol), it showed me that I could be more than I was.
The ideas and inspiration of this album led me to write fan fiction, which led me to my love of writing, thus introducing me to journalism which would become my career.
I mean, really, 18 years ago, did I ever imagine that Nick Carter would know my name? Never.
So as I sit here in my bedroom, annoyed that I couldn’t write this post on the actual anniversary, but 20 minutes after midnight the next day, I can find joy in the fact that 18 years later, this album can still hold up.
Eighteen years later, the boys are still bringing people to their feet with “Larger Than Life,” “The One,” or “I Want It That Way.”
In the words of Taylor Swift, “Millennium” is an album that never goes out of style.