More boyband balladry at the top of the charts, with yet more to come very soon…
I Want It That Way, by Backstreet Boys (their 1st and only #1)
1 week, from 9th – 16th May 1999
But wait, come back! Boyband ballads don’t have to be dull, repetitive, and bland. Yes, I know, Westlife will put this theory sorely to the test time and again, but believe me. In fact, don’t take my word for it, just play our next number one: ‘I Want It That Way’, by the Backstreet Boys. From the UK’s most successful boyband, to – in pure sales figures – the most successful of all time…
Like Britney Spears a few weeks earlier, ‘I Want It That Way’ has that confident, glossy-teethed American-ness, with a healthy dollop of Max Martin production (plus, of course, that quintessential late-nineties drumbeat). Comparing this to Westlife, or Boyzone, it reminds me of the 1950s, when Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis et al were the epitome of hip-swivelling cool, and the Brits were still serving up nudge-wink music hall acts like Tommy Steele. Of course, we’re only a few years on here from the heyday of Take That – a British boyband that had global appeal – but things seem to have regressed since then.
And I’m not saying that I think British popular music was in a less appealing state than the US at the turn of the 21st century. On the contrary, I think the British charts were throwing up curios and oddities, and a mix of genres, that the Billboard chart could only dream of, while the latest Boyz II Men hit spent its seventeenth week at #1. But when it came to pure pop, the US acts of the day – Spears, Aguilera, these Backstreet Boys – had the ability to make their British counterparts look like small fry. Let’s call it the US pop-industrial complex.
Anyway, that was a bit of a tangent. Why is ‘I Want It That Way’ such a classic pop tune? Something in the minor key verses and the soaring chorus. Something in the Tell me why! hook. Definitely something in the gigantic key change, which is one of the very best of its kind. But mainly in the way that it somehow sells an opening line like You are my fire, My one desire… without making you want to press ‘skip’. Get past that line and you’re invested until the end.
The lyrics are, as many before me have pointed out, nonsense. Or, if you’re being generous, ambiguous. We’re never given an answer to the ‘tell me whys’, or any hint as to what is such a heartbreak, and a mistake. Maybe it’s just my dirty mind, but I like to think of this as a sort of Meat Loaf not telling us what he wouldn’t do for love situation, with ‘that way’ being some sort of sordid sexual act that the good ol’ Backstreet Boys can’t stomach their girlfriends asking for.
Or maybe that’s just me. Whatever the reason, ‘I Want It That Way’ was a huge hit around the world. Take it from me, as someone who’s spent many years in Asia, this is one of those English songs that everyone, from Japan to the Philippines to Cambodia, knows. It was far from the Backstreet Boys first hit in the UK, but if any of their singles was going to make number one then it was this. They would also go on to have eight more Top 10s between here and 2005, to end with an impressive total of sixteen in just under a decade. Colour me amazed, though, to have just discovered that Backstreet Boys scored precisely zero US chart-toppers!
The UK Number Ones Blog 
The best thing to come from this was Weird Al’s Ebay 😊
Always enjoy a Weird Al recommendation!
This is a masterpiece of pop. I’m not joking when I say it’s one of my favourite songs of all time, and looking at the chart-toppers of 1999, this is very likely my favourite. From the melody, the lyrics that don’t make any sense but still work, Max Martin’s production, polished yet restrained, focusing on harmonies and vocals. The song’s structure—starting with a quiet verse, building into a pre-chorus, and climaxing with a powerful chorus—is classic pop but executed perfectly. That familiar structure makes the song instantly appealing, giving this a sense of progression and payoff as it builds up and releases tension. Man, America, they just know how to do pop and hip hop so well. Most of the time anyway. UK has rock locked down pat though. Most of the time.
Interestingly, The Backstreet Boys weren’t that big in the UK or even the rest of the world compared to how they were in the US – same with N’Sync. They were selling juggernaut levels in their home country – 10+ million copies in a single year in the US with the Millennium album. Insanity. I mean, they were popular internationally still.
I was suprised by how many UK Top 10s the BSBs had in the space of ten years. Almost 20, which is impressive consistency. For all that, they never felt huge over here, compared to Take That, Boyzone, Westlife etc. Maybe they never toured, or did much TV?
What a great song. Unlike Westlife, whose choruses are clearly just Shane’s vocals multiplied, or NSYNC, whose choruses are clearly just JC and JT, BSB’s choruses actually sounded like all five of them sung it. These boys were really good at harmonising.
A minor biff for me though, is Nick’s high note. Brian is obviously their strongest vocalist (his sustained ‘tell me why!’ at the end is effing glorious), and AJ holds his own quite well (him shadowing Kevin nicely during the bridge), but Nick really wasn’t quite up to the task. His ‘don’t wanna hear you saaaaaiiiigghhhh’ was simply terrible, and it’s even worse during live performances. Still, other than this, great song all around.
Wow, someone knows their BSBs! Good analysis of all the stuff that passed my ears by. Even though you’re down on it, everybody knows that ‘Don’t wanna hear you say…’ line. Possibly the song’s most iconic moment!
Lol I was right on their age demographic by the time they arrived back then. Even though I think it’s badly done, I do agree that Nick at least made that part memorable.
Also them prancing around in the rain with their shirts unbuttoned in the ‘Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)’ video? Sexual awakening right there. Woof woof indeed.
That’s a boyband’s main job I’d say. To provide sexual awakenings wherever they go! (I may have previously written about my feelings for Taylor Hanson…)
When the BB went for Max Martin pure pop they were really great upfront pop productions, and I always liked this one a lot – but I preferred Larger Than Life and Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) as top-notch Backstreet Boys, along with the best of ‘NSYNC and Britney. I could take or leave the dull ballads in between the pop gems, but all is forgiven when I pop on the videos for Everybody or Larger Than Life. Just brilliant!
I too prefer Backstreet’s Back and Larger then Life, (they’ve got those perfect, beefy late nineties chords and production) and have a soft spot for Quit Playing Games with My Heart too.
This is one that I do remember…it is a song that sticks with you. My gosh I didn’t know there were so many boy bands during this time.