October 25, 2024

Music Friday: You Are ‘More Precious Than Any Diamond or Pearl,’ Sings NSYNC

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you memorable songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, the heartthrob boy band NSYNC compares a very special woman to precious stones in 1999’s “(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You.”

Led by Justin Timberlake, they croon, “In all of creation, all things great and small / You are the one that surpasses them all / More precious than any diamond or pearl / They broke the mold when you came in this world.”

While teen girls worldwide pinned NSYNC posters to their walls and dreamed that Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone and Lance Bass were singing about them, the song’s official video uncovers a surprising fact: The song is a tribute to mom.

Shot mostly in black and white, the video explores the powerful bond between a mother and son, from birth to old age.

Released as the third single from their self-titled album, “(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You” ascended to #8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and #9 on the Canada Top Singles list. The song, which was written by Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken, marked the first time NSYNC broke into the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. The album was also a commercial success, as it remained in the Top 10 for 30 weeks.

NSYNC was founded in Orlando, FL, in 1995 as an alternative to the wildly popular Backstreet Boys. The group’s all-caps name, sometimes depicted with a star before the first “N,” seems to have two origin stories. Some have claimed that it is derived from a comment uttered by Timberlake’s mom, who was impressed by how the boys’ voices were “in sync.”

A second theory is that NSYNC represents the last letter of the original band members’ first names: JustiN, ChriS, JoeY, JasoN, and JC. (Jason Galasso was replaced by Lance Bass later in 1995. Galasso reportedly dropped out of the group because he didn’t like its direction and didn’t want to be a teen idol. He later became a mortgage broker).

The star preceding the name was recommended by Israeli illusionist Uri Geller, who believed the symbol would bring them good fortune. At a cafe in London, Geller sat with the band members as he drew a star next to the word “NSYNC” on a napkin.

“I told them, if they place that star on their first CD, they’re going to shoot up to #1,” Geller told the Huffington Post in 2015.

Geller’s prediction was nearly spot-on. The album peaked at #2 on the US Billboard 200 chart.

The group went on to sell 70 million albums and became one of the top-selling boy bands of all time. The group announced a “temporary hiatus” in 2002, and the official breakup was in 2004, according Bass’s 2007 memoir.

Please check out the official video of NSYNC performing “(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You.” It’s been viewed on YouTube more than 34 million times. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You”
Written by Carl Allen Sturken and Evan A. Rogers. Performed by NSYNC.

Can this be true?
Tell me, can this be real?
How can I put into words what I feel?
My life was complete
I thought I was whole
Why do I feel like I’m losing control?

I never thought that love could feel like this
And you’ve changed my world with just one kiss
How can it be that right here with me
There’s an angel?
It’s a miracle

Your love is like a river
Peaceful and deep
Your soul is like a secret
That I never could keep
When I look into your eyes
I know that it’s true
God must have spent
A little more time
On you
(A little more time, yes he did baby)

In all of creation, all things great and small
You are the one that surpasses them all
More precious than any diamond or pearl
They broke the mold when you came in this world

And I’m trying hard to figure out
Just how I ever did without
The warmth of your smile
The heart of a child
That’s deep inside
Leaves me purified

Your love is like a river
Peaceful and deep
Your soul is like a secret
That I never could keep
When I look into your eyes
I know that it’s true
God must have spent
A little more time
On you

Never thought that love could feel like this
And you’ve changed my world with just one kiss
How can it be that right here with me
There’s an angel?
It’s a miracle

Your love is like a river
Peaceful and deep
Your soul is like a secret
That I never could keep
When I look into your eyes
I know that it’s true
God must have spent
A little more time
On you

God must have spent
A little more time, on you
(on you, on you, you, you, oh yeah)
A little more time
On you