Synopsis

A sinister puppet master controls *NSYNC as human marionettes, but the group members gradually break free and run for their lives. Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone leap across a speeding train, Justin Timberlake escapes a warehouse while pursued by dogs, and JC Chasez and Lance Bass drop into a red Dodge Viper. As the puppet master follows in a BMW, the band dances in a rotating blue room, creating gravity-defying images. A damaged CD briefly interrupts the action before the group outsmarts their pursuer and escapes.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was released on January 11, 2000, as the lead visual for the group's second album, No Strings Attached.

• The production was estimated to cost about $1 million, giving the clip the scale and feel of a compact action movie.

• Elements of the train and car-chase sequences were filmed in Fillmore, California. The train scenes used the Fillmore and Western Railway.

• The group members were attached to bungee cords during the dance scenes to create the appearance of puppets being pulled by strings.

• The rotating blue room was designed to suggest shifting gravity. Its visual concept drew inspiration from Fred Astaire's Royal Wedding and Lionel Richie's Dancing on the Ceiling.

• Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone performed their own jumps between train carriages. The sequence was considered risky enough that a Steadicam operator was replaced during filming.

• JC Chasez's enthusiasm for the car chase in Ronin helped lead to members of that film's stunt team being hired for the video.

• Lance Bass and Chasez were dropped into the moving car from above. Bass missed the car during an early attempt, while Fatone also recalled being injured during the stunt work.

• Bass later broke his ankle while performing the choreography on Saturday Night Live, shortly after the video was shot.

• The chorus choreography was created by Darrin Henson, who developed some of its most recognizable gestures in a Las Vegas hotel room after first hearing the track.

• The marionette concept was widely interpreted as a reference to the group's legal dispute with manager Lou Pearlman and the feeling that their careers were being controlled by others.

• The video spent 25 consecutive days at No. 1 on MTV's Total Request Live countdown.

• At the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, it won Best Pop Video, Best Choreography in a Video, and Viewer's Choice.