Backstreet Boys explain why their hit I Want It That Way makes no freakin' sense (2025)

Backstreet Boys’ I Want It That Way is the definition of a perfect pop song, but have you ever noticed that it’s basically a load of gibberish?

The Nineties pop crew’s relentlessly catchy number one single from 1999 isfull ofheartache, mistakes, fires, and double negatives.

If it’s a musical riddle then no one has solved it yet, and critics from numerouspublications,includingLA Weekly and The New York Times, have been raging about it for years.

In fact, we’ll be damned if anyone knows who wants what ‘that’way, despite the fact the statement is spokennine times in the love song.

The track’s lack of internal logic is presumably down to the fact that it was written by Swedish songwriters Andreas Carlssonand Max Martin, who did not understand English too well back in the day.

Martin is the man behind Britney Spears’ …Baby One More Time, and during the writing process he thought that ‘hit’ meant ‘call’, hence the line ‘hit me baby one more time’.

Now the five Boys of Backstreet,who recently landed a Las Vegas residency next year, have talked about the cryptic nature ofI Want It That Way for the first time.

Turns out that after the trackwas finished, bemusedrecord bossesinvited the band to record it againwith different lyrics, which seems reasonable.

So why is it still utterly barmy? We want answers, guys!

Nick Carter explained toHuffington Post: ‘Well it’s funny, we actually were OK with the lyrics when we heard it first.And then the president of JIVE records at that time ― I mean he’s a genius―but he and some of the A&R people wanted to change the lyrics.’

‘To make the song make more sense,’ Kevin Richardson added.

‘We hired some really well known producers at the time to redo the song,’ Carter continued. ‘So, there was another version of the song out there and then we listened to it back.

‘Then, we as a group voted on it and said, “No”.’(Er, so are we right in thinking they didn’t want it that way?)

Yes, that’s right —there is actually an evil twin song out there which was never released because the band opted for nonsense over coherence.

You can listen to it below.

Backstreet Boys - I want it that way (No...by suprafly

If you prefer the more ‘literal’ version of the lyrics, that’s too bad,because the band are pretty convinced they made the right decision about the two versions.

‘I don’t think that it would have ended up the way that it did had we gone with the proper version. I guess you could say, you know, the one that made sense,’ said AJ McLean.

Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way

Yeah-eh-heah.You are, my fire,
The one, desire, believe, when I say
I want it that way

But we, are two worlds apart, can’t reach to your heart,
When you say, that I want it that way.

Tell me why, ain’t nothin’ but a heartache,
Tell me why, ain’t nothin’ but a mistake,
Tell me why,I never want to hear you say,
I want it that way

Am I, your fire?Your one, desire,
Yes I know, it’s too late, but I want it that way.

Tell me why, ain’t nothin’ but a heartache,
Tell me why, ain’t nothin’ but a mistake,
Tell me why,I never want to hear you say,
I want it that way.

Now I can see that we’ve fallen apart,
From the way that it used to be, yeah,
No matter the distance,I want you to know,
That deep down inside of me…

You are, my fire, the one, desire,
You are (You are, you are, you are), don’t want to hear you say,
Ain’t nothin’ but a heartache,Ain’t nothin’ but a mistake,
(Don’t want to hear you say),
I never want to hear you say,I want it that way.

Tell me why, ain’t nothin’ but a heartache,
Tell me why, ain’t nothin’ but a mistake,
Tell me why,I never want to hear you say,
I want it that way.

Tell me why, ain’t nothin’ but a heartache,
Ain’t nothin’ but a mistake, tell me why,
I never want to hear you say,
(Never want to hear you say it),
I want it that way, ’cause I want it that way.