# Incomplete (Backstreet Boys song)

"Incomplete" is a song by American vocal group Backstreet Boys from their fifth studio album, Never Gone (2005). The power ballad was released on April 11, 2005, as the group's first single since they decided to reunite after a two-year hiatus. It was written by Dan Muckala, Lindy Robbins, and Jess Cates, and it was produced by Muckala with Kevin Richardson on piano. According to Billboard magazine's Chuck Taylor, the song is an "emotion-packed, grown-up tome about relationship struggle and strife."
"Incomplete" marked a stylistic change for the band, with member AJ McLean saying that the band wanted to break away from the image they had attained during the 1990s and early 2000s. The song was a commercial success, peaking at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and earning a gold certification for selling over half a million copies in the US. It also reached the top 10 in several European countries. It debuted at number one in Australia, becoming the group's only number-one hit and receiving a double-platinum sales certification in 2020.

## Critical reception

Chuck Taylor from Billboard magazine compared the band's vocals to those of Bryan Adams and Blessid Union of Souls, going on to say that the song would be refreshing to hear on the radio "like crisp white sheets." British columnist James Masterton wrote that "Incomplete" proved that the band had not lost their talent following their hiatus, going on to call the track's production "bombastic."

## Music video

Directed by Joseph Kahn, the music video for "Incomplete" sets the band in an arid desert environment and features each of the band members in a different element or force of nature: Brian Littrell, water; Nick Carter, fire; Howie Dorough, rain; Kevin Richardson, snow; and AJ McLean, the Sun.

## Personnel

Personnel are lifted from the Never Gone liner notes.
* Dan Muckala – writing, additional keyboards, string arrangement, production, recording
* Lindy Robbins – writing
* Jess Cates – writing
* Brandon Heath – acoustic guitar
* Alex Nifong – electric guitar
* Chris McMurtry – electric guitar
* Brent Milligan – bass guitar
* Kevin Richardson – piano
* Joe Porter – drums
* David Dillbeck – recording
* F. Reid Shippen – additional engineering
* Skye McCaskey – additional engineering
* Lee Bridges – additional engineering assistance
* Aaron Fessel – additional engineering assistance
* Chris Lord-Alge – mixing
* Tom Coyne – mastering

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Australia (ARIA) | 2× Platinum | 140,000$^‡$ |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) | Gold | 30,000$^‡$ |
| Italy | — | 25,000 |
| United States (RIAA) | Gold | 500,000$^*$ |
| $^*$ Sales figures based on certification alone. $^‡$ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |||

## Release history

| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) |
| United States | April 11, 2005 | Contemporary hit radio | Jive |
| United States | May 2, 2005 | Hot adult contemporary radio | Jive |
| Japan | May 25, 2005 | CD | Jive |
| Denmark | May 30, 2005 | CD | Jive |
| Australia | June 13, 2005 | CD | Jive |
| United Kingdom | June 27, 2005 | CD | Jive |

## Cover versions

In 2017, international symphonic metal supergroup Exit Eden covered "Incomplete" as the 3rd track of their debut album entitled Rhapsodies in Black.