Originally, ' Larger Than Life' was intended to be the lead single, following the similar formula of their first two albums, having an upbeat lead single. Upon leaving Sweden on November 16 for a November 17 Oprah taping, vocals for the song had been completed in two days. When the members of the Backstreet Boys came to Stockholm in November 1998 for a two-week recording engagement, they were eventually presented the demo of 'I Want It That Way', which at the time only consisted of the main chorus.

Background and history Īfter the success of their first two albums, Backstreet Boys (1996) and Backstreet's Back (1997), the band recorded their third studio album, during 19. It became the group's first music video to surpass one billion views on YouTube in 2021. The original music video received four VMA nominations, winning Viewer's Choice. The song has been widely covered and parodied by a range of artists, including other boy bands such as JLS and One Direction, while its music video, directed by Wayne Isham, received famous parodies, including Blink-182 in their music video for ' All the Small Things', Big Time Rush in their music videos for ' Like Nobody's Around' and 'Worldwide', and The Wanted in their video for ' Walks Like Rihanna'. In the United States, the song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for eight non-consecutive weeks, while it topped the Adult and Mainstream Top 40 charts.

'I Want It That Way' is the Backstreet Boys’ signature song, and commercially it reached the number-one spot in more than 25 countries, including Austria, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

In 2021, 'I Want It That Way' was placed at number 240 on the revised list of Rolling Stone's ' 500 Greatest Songs of All Time'. The song was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Song and Record of the Year, and has been included in lists by Blender, MTV, Rolling Stone and VH1. The pop ballad tells of a romantic relationship strained by matters of emotional or physical distance.Ĭritically, the song was met with positive reception, with many critics commending its catchiness, also calling it the pop ballad of the year. It was written by Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson, while Martin and Kristian Lundin produced it. It was released on April 12, 1999, as the lead single from their third studio album, Millennium. ' I Want It That Way' is a song by American vocal group Backstreet Boys.

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