July 24, 2001.

If you’re a die-hard fan, you know what that date represents. For those that need a primer (or heck, just for nostalgia’s sake), let’s take a look back and reminisce, for a moment, shall we?

Celebrity is the third and final studio album by the pop boy band *NSYNC, originally released on July 24, 2001. Celebrity achieved five times platinum status in the U.S. and became the group’s third album to sell over 10 million copies worldwide. This album also holds the record for second best first week sales in SoundScan history, only behind their own previous album, No Strings Attached. The album sold almost 1.9 million units in its first week.

The RIAA certified Celebrity Gold, Platinum and 5x Platinum on August 22, 2001, denoting five million shipments in the United States. [details courtesy wikipedia]

Celebrity holds so many memories for fans, more poignant because it was the last *NSYNC album. It would be our last time hearing the voices or seeing  the moves on the PopOdyssey (biggest. pop. tour. ever) or Celebrity tours. Nine years later, it still means so much to pop in a CD or turn on the mp3 player and hear  the unmistakable sounds of “Gone” or “Pop” or “The Game is Over” or “Do Your Thing”. It still brings a *squee* to occasionally hear “Girlfriend” on the radio and even though you own the song (several copies, in fact) you sit and listen to it anyway. You strain your ear in the aisle at the grocery store and the pharmacy and listen. And grin. And if you’re me, dance. I can’t help it…. that music gets me high, and takes me on a ride!

We have prepared a tribute to the Celebrity album which features some of our favorite snapshots from the Celeb!Sync era and your memories,  set to the music we’ve come to cherish as more than just an album by a talented group, but a piece of history and a part of our lives. Please enjoy!

For more Celebrity memories, check out our Celeb!Sync section. There, you’ll find:

> Downloads – Goodies like wallpapers, avatars and icons

> Memorable Moments- Like *NSYNC on the Ananda Lewis show, or dancing with the King of Pop

> Timeline – Lovingly crafted by CanalBaby on LiveJournal, follow the chronology of events throughout the Celebrity era.