Twenty-one years ago, our lives as Backstreet Boys fans changed forever. We knew a new Backstreet Boys era was about to take effect, but never ever did we think it would explode into one of the biggest movements and moments in music history.
That’s right, “I Want It That Way” is now 21 years old. It was released on April 12, 1999.
Over the past week while hosting watch parties for the Backstreet Boys Fan Club’s Facebook Group’s festival that we have going on, I realized just how much that song took the boys to a new level.
Let’s face it, a lot of Backstreet Boys fans are tired of hearing the song. It seems like every time they get on TV, people want them to sing it whether they have new music to promote or not and sometimes it gets annoying.
But ya know? Thinking back over it now … that’s a good thing.
“I Want It That Way” took their career to a new level. People may not know their names are AJ, Brian, Kevin, Nick, and Howie, but they know the lyrics to “I Want It That Way.” They know Nick’s adlibs, they know how Brian pronounces words.
They know the song like the back of their hand.
They weren’t one of those one-hit wonders like Vanilla Ice or Rick Astley. Everybody knows the words to “Ice Ice Baby” and “Never Gonna Give You Up,” but they have one of those songs that everybody knows.
So I guess what I’m saying is that I won’t take “I Want It That Way” for granted anymore – it changed the boys’ lives. It changed our lives.
So to celebrate the anniversary, here a few renditions of “I Want It That Way” that I love.
