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On June 1 Chrissy Teigen, the queen of Twitter who doesn’t want anyone to write about her tweets, tweeted a prolific question. What is the meaning behind the Backstreet Boys iconic lyrics in “I Want It That Way?”
What exactly is “that way?” Why don’t they want “it?” Why is this song essentially a riddle?
“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”?
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) June 1, 2018
The lyrics go: ” 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.”
Teigen has a valid point because these lyrics are confusing but ultimately catchy. Fans replied to Teigen in hopes they can clarify the lyrics from the boy band’s 1999 album Millennium.
But don’t worry the Backstreet Boys themselves helped Teigen out. They responded to her tweet explaining that “it” is referencing heartaches and mistakes. They want you to not want that. Got it?
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. pic.twitter.com/z7YWFhH8t1
— Backstreet Boys (@backstreetboys) June 2, 2018
Fans were stunned that the boy band actually responded and explained their tongue-twisting lyrics. One Twitter user exclaimed that Teigen should receive a Noble Peace Prize because fans have been asking for lyrical clarification for years to no avail. But a single tweet from Teigen and now all of the world’s mysterious have been answered.
Dear Chrissy, fans and media have been asking for years but YOU…you have gotten it out of them. You should win a Nobel Peace Prize for this (or something like that).
— Sara (@TNCoverGirl) June 2, 2018
In September 2016 the Backstreet Boys even admitted to Genius the lyrics don’t quite make sense. They rewrote the song to make more sense but the boys ultimately decided the lyrically confusing track was more catchy.
To be honest, who cares what the lyrics mean. The only thing that matters is if we revisit the music video the is like a 00s time capsule.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fndeDfaWCg
The hair, the long jackets, the matching white outfits while dancing in the middle of the airport. Who else do you do know can wear a white beater and a white fedora at the same time besides, A.J. McClean?
