The Backstreet Boys’ biggest success, I Want It That Way, also became their most well-known among the greatest pop songs ever recorded. The song received three nominations for the Grammys.

On Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Tracks of All Time, this song is ranked at number 240. More than 25 nations put it at the top of their charts. At its highest point in the United States, it reached the sixth spot.

The track is well-known for its incoherence and its many positive aspects. That’s for a good cause. In the BSB Interview, Kevin notes that the song may have a different meaning across different people in the streets. It is a general song that suits most of those who get a chance to listen to it. 

Indeed, this is one of those songs that can be interpreted in many different ways without changing the meaning. Let’s analyze those incomprehensible lyrics and investigate the song’s background to find out how they came to be the manner they are.

I Want It That Way Song Lyrics Meaning

Backstreet Boys’ humble beginnings are the easiest approach to understanding the meaning of the song “I Want It That Way.” 

A degree of uncertainty was involved in the formation of the Backstreet Boys. After meeting at several auditions in Orlando and realizing they had many hobbies, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, and AJ McLean quickly formed a band.

In 1992, the trio was chosen after talent scout Lou Pearlman advertised for male voices in the Orlando Sentinel. Two cousins, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson, who had relocated to the city for jobs at Walt Disney World, also joined them.

Pearlman gave them their name, the Backstreet Boys, since he had seen the two teenaged Orlando natives who would later become the band hanging out at the Backstreet flea market.

They started playing local venues and public highs the next year, eventually capturing the interest of a r

ecord label. They agreed to terms, and We’ve Got It Goin’ On was released.

The United States was not particularly receptive to the song, but several European countries went wild for it. And therefore, it was determined by their label to put more emphasis on advertising in that area.

They had a major hit in Europe with the publication of two albums and numerous performances. The individual who would launch the band’s international career was in the audience at one of those shows.

Possibility That the Song Was Not Intentionally Vague

If you look at the lines in the lyrics of “I Want It That Way,” you’d wonder what the singer desires and in what form. Most people think that the song was ambiguous and difficult to pin down. Interestingly, they affirm in an interview during the 2018 CMT awards that the song is subjective to how the listener feels about it and that it is about how one interprets it. 

Nevertheless, there was no ambiguity or poetic nuance. Back then, neither Carlsson nor Martin had a solid grasp of English. Kevin Richardson informed LA Weekly in 2011, “To put it kindly, his English grew a lot, improved over time, but it was sort of rustic around then.”

Some people were bound to search for profound secret significance when all that mattered was that the words sounded nice on the ears. And the authors were Swedes who were not fluent in English.

Final Thoughts

This group is most known for their hit single, “I Want It That Way,” by the Backstreet Boys. As a result, since its debut, the song’s lyrics have baffled listeners.

They have tried to decipher the secret message, but there is none. In short, the author’s command of the English language was inadequate. Yet as we’ve seen, that’s a major reason why people like the song.

Lyrics

Yeah

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 wanna 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 wanna 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 wanna hear you say
Ain’t nothin’ but a heartache
Ain’t nothin’ but a mistake (don’t wanna hear you say)
I never wanna hear you say (oh, yeah)
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 wanna hear you say (don’t wanna 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 wanna hear you say (don’t wanna hear you say)
I want it that way

‘Cause I want it that way

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Andreas Carlsson / Martin Max

I Want It That Way lyrics © Gv Mxm, Gv Maratone

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