“I Want It That Way” Lyrics & Meaning (Backstreet Boys)

It is often said that there are no formulas for musical successes.

Sometimes it is just a strange alchemy between the moment and the correct interpreter, together with a lyric and a melody that matches what the audience wants to hear.

I Want It That Way (AKA Tell Me Why) by the Backstreet Boys is a great example.

The mega-hit that went viral around the world in 1999 was written by two neighbors who didn’t know much English.

The lyrics make little sense and attempts to remedy that failed.

The audience actually preferred the version that made no sense.

Keep reading to learn the bizarre beginnings of the song that catapulted the Backstreet Boys to fame, along with the reason no one was ever able to figure out exactly what the lyrics to I Want It That Way mean.

 

Tell Me Why Lyrics And Meaning

I Want It That Way was a monster hit and went on the become the Backstreet Boys’ most famous song. It was nominated for three Grammy Awards and has been called one of the best pop songs of all time.

Rolling Stone puts the song at number 240 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It reached the number one spot on the charts in over 25 different countries. It peaked at number 6 in the US.

In addition to all the accolades, the song is also famous for making no sense. There is a good reason for that. Let’s take a look at those nonsensical lyrics and dive into the history behind the song to learn why the lyrics are the way they are.

 

I Want It That Way Lyrics

Verse 1

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

Chorus

Tell me why
Ain’t nothing but a heartache
Tell me why
Ain’t nothing but a mistake
Tell me why
I never wanna hear you say
I want it that way

Verse 2

Am I your fire?
Your one desire
Yes, I know it’s too late
But I want it that way

Chorus

Tell me why
Ain’t nothing but a heartache
Tell me why
Ain’t nothing but a mistake
Tell me why
I never wanna hear you say
I want it that way

Bridge

Now I can see that we’re falling 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

Chorus

Tell me why
Ain’t nothing but a heartache
Tell me why
Ain’t nothing 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 (Never wanna hear you say, yeah)
I want it that way

 

I Want It That Way Meaning

The best way to fully explain the lyrics to I Want It That Way is to start from the beginning. The beginning of the band Backstreet Boys.

 

The Beginning

The Backstreet Boys were originally formed almost by accident. Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and Nick Carter had already formed after meeting at several auditions in Orlando and discovering that they had similar interests.

When the talent scout Lou Pearlman published a search for male voices in the Orlando Sentinel in 1992, the three showed up and were selected. They were joined by Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell, two cousins ​​who had moved to the city to work at Walt Disney World.

Pearlman called them “Backstreet Boys” because Orlando’s Backstreet flea market was a place where local teenagers hang out, including the two local members of the newly formed band when they were younger.

The following year they began doing shows in squares and high schools, until they caught the attention of a music label. They signed a contract and released the song We’ve Got It Goin’ On.

The song had a timid reception in the United States, but it exploded in several European countries. As a result, their label decided to concentrate promotional efforts there.

They released two albums in Europe to great success they did a large number of shows there, too. At one of those concerts, the band met the person who would make them global stars.

 

Carlsson And Martin

Andreas Carlsson was a young singer with dreams of glory, who had been selected to open for a Backstreet Boys show in his country, Sweden, in 1996.

It was not an easy night for the artist: while the entire audience, mostly women, screamed hysterically just hearing the first chords of a Backstreet Boys song, they fell silent when they heard him sing alone accompanied by an acoustic guitar.

Thus, he began to write songs for other artists under the tutelage of the main person in charge of the Backstreet Boys sound, Max Martin. Martin was beginning to take his first international steps and had worked on the first two Backstreet Boys albums.

Andreas and Max became closer and it was common for one to knock on the other’s door when he had a melody or some lyrics that seemed like they could be hit, but needed help to complete.

On one of those visits, Martin arrived with a melody and a phrase that he couldn’t get out of his head, but didn’t know how to continue either – “You are my fire, the one desire.”

Together they set about finishing it. Carlsson finished the lyrics and they worked on the bridge together. They also made the melody a bit more sophisticated, though it was clear that simplicity was part of the charm.

“Max had the skeleton of the chorus and the melody of the verses in his head but he needed lyrics and a concept. We did it together, it was a real collaboration.”

When the record label heard the demo of the song, they immediately understood that they had a hit on their hands. But they weren’t sure about the lyrics, which seemed confusing and unclear.

 

Not Intentionally Vague, Just Poor English Skills

If the song was called I Want It That Way – what do you want and in what way? It was too abstract and resisted clear interpretation.

But there was no hidden meaning or poetic tint. It was just that neither Carlsson nor Martin knew much English at the time.

“To put it nicely, his English got a lot, a lot better over time, but it was kind of rustic back then,” Kevin Richardson told LA Weekly in 2011.

Another member of the quintet, AJ McLean, said on another occasion that I Want It That Way means whatever you want it to mean. “It’s one of those songs that doesn’t have one way of looking at it, it just works that way.”

Carlsson, on the other hand, is clearer and more sincere about his own creation: “There is a lot of mystery surrounding the song and when it became a global hit that so many people sang about even though they didn’t understand what it was talking about. It was natural that some were looking for deep hidden meaning when it was just the verses that sounded good phonetically. And it was written by Swedes who knew little English, that’s the truth.”

“The truth is that the lyrics don’t make sense, they don’t mean anything. It has a title that sounds good, that somehow speaks to its time with a sound in its words that is intriguing but not much else. We tried to create a story around it. But the truth is that everything that had to do with the Backstreet Boys at that time had to be universal, including those who did not speak English. In a way I feel that I made an anthem that anyone can sing in karaoke,” concluded the composer.

 

A Less Vague Version

The record company just couldn’t get past the vague lyrics and felt they needed to be changed. They paid for a private flight to fly the famous producer Mutt Lange from Switzerland to Sweden so that he could meet with the composers and rewrite the verses.

“I never wanna hear you say” was changed to say the exact opposite: “I love it when I hear you say”. And the song was renamed No Goodbyes.

Even though the music video had already been recorded in an airport (one of the places where the band spent more time between shows), the Backstreet Boys returned to the studio and recorded this brand new version with new lyrics.

But the version failed. It lacked the magic of the original. The recording was greeted with skepticism by fans when it started playing on the radio, so they quickly withdrew it and went back to the original version as we know it today.

However, you can still occasionally find the failed attempt today. The version is still out there, though it is a rare experience to listen to that version of the song.

With the original version of the song, more vague, but also more mysterious and genuine, success was immediate. The song led the rankings in the United States, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and several other countries.

For Carlsson, it meant a resounding professional change, which made him a millionaire and highly coveted by other musicians. Since then, he has written songs for Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Bon Jovi, NSYNC, and Katy Perry, among many others.

 

I Want It That Way Lyrics Meaning: Final Thoughts

I Want It That Way is the signature song of the Backstreet Boys. And ever since it first appeared, the lyrics have left people confused.

They have speculated as to the true meaning, but it turns out there is no hidden meaning. The writers just weren’t that good at writing in English. But that is a big part of the song’s success, as we have learned.

When the song was rewritten by a famous producer to be more clear and straightforward, audiences rejected that new version. It turns out the “poorly written” lyrics were vital to the tunes huge success.

A song whose success is due largely to well-written and intimate lyrics and their meaning is Better Together by Jack Johnson. It is worth checking out.

Another pop song with average lyrics comes from Sugar Ray. But the meaning of the Every Morning lyrics is not hidden or hard to figure out at all.

A song I always connected to this one (no idea why; maybe because the band names are similar) was No Diggity. The meaning of the No Diggity lyrics is pretty obvious, although not everyone agrees.

Since no one ever knew what way the Backstreet Boys wanted it, why not assume both ways? In that case, you might be interested in our look at the lyrics and meaning of Sweater Weather, the unofficial ‘bi-anthem’.

Finally, if you want more from the Backstreet Boys, we included one of their most underrated songs in our list of songs containing eyes in the name. Can you guess which one it is?