If you were around in 1999, there are probably a few songs that you will never be able to remove from your brain. One of them just has to be "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys, also known as one of the biggest boy bands of the era.
The song has always been pretty confusing, mostly because the lyrics are a puzzle that no one has ever been able to fully piece together — including the band themselves. In 2019, they tried to explain the meaning once and for all, and just … couldn't. It started when Chrissy Teigen tweeted:
“I never wanna hear you say, ‘I want it that way’ cause i want it that way. He doesn’t wanna hear it because he is the one that wants it that way? He wants to be the one to say it? Also what is ‘it’? It seems they both want it the same way but are fighting over who gets to say they want it that way.”
The boys decided to jump in. They explained, "Don’t wanna hear you say that you want heartaches and mistakes… or to be 2 worlds apart. We don’t want you to want 'it' that way – that’s the way we want it… for you to not want it that way."
Of course … this basically still makes no sense.
However, now that we all have a lot of extra time on our hands, the Backstreet Boys have decided to resurrect their hit and perform it for us again — from the privacy of each of their own living rooms. Remote celebrity concerts have become a kind of movement of their own right now, and it seems that they thought this song was ready.
In the video, the Backstreet Boys perform the entire song by joining together remotely. And y'all, they nail it! It's nice to see something like this can be pulled off fairly easily, and that the group still harmonizes well together several years later. It's also fun to see their kids make surprise appearances.
Each of the guys has been entertaining fans and themselves during this period of social separation. AJ took to his Instagram recently to take part in the "Tiger King challenge," and he encouraged his fans to do the same.
Brian shared that he's been playing basketball with his kids to pass the time. He wrote:
“Had to get a game in with the Boys on the hard/home court… @rupp_arena @ukathletics @ukbasketball …… and yes it is the original floor from 1976-2001. #gobigblue #bigblue #bigbluenation …. yes I won @bayleelittrell_music @natelj123 found a great way to clean the floor…. anyone remember what year I wore this uniform first… and what city….????”
Meanwhile, Nick has been enjoying old-fashioned board games with his own family! They sat down recently to tackle Operation, and he wrote:
“Do you remember the days when there were no phones and we barley watched Tv? The days when we all sat at the dinner table together and played bored games?”
Kevin Richardson looks like he's been cuddling his dog, and probably also his kids. Two of them were featured in the video, and they are singing and playing right along with the band during "I Want It That Way." It looks like they do an awesome job!
Howie is busy promoting his family-friendly album Which One Am I? and also spending time with his family.:
“Today at home I found a mass on TV that James and I watched poolside before jumping in. Thought it was such a beautiful message to let everyone know you can always find a way to keep your faith in this trying time even with churches being closed. Hope everyone is staying safe.”
