April 24, 2025 • 40 mins
Welcome to Season SEVEN of Encore with brand new host, Ruby Carr!
Boy bands - they really don’t get much cred for being musicians, performers, and entertainers, am i right? From the Jackson 5 in the mid-1960s to the current global phenomenon that is K-pop, boy bands have been a big moneymaker in music for decades now. But at the same time, they have also been subjected to plenty of ridicule, disparagement and even hatred while girl groups like Destiny’s Child, Spice Girls and TLC have earned respect and admiration for their empowering and inspirational music.
Some even say that the 'Boy Band' was essentially a music industry creation with the sole purpose of capitalizing on the love and devotion of young girls and their allowances. The boys in these bands were almost always reduced to being puppets to just sing and dance to music that was mostly written, recorded and - to use a dirty industry term - “manufactured” by professional songwriters and musicians. This music was designed to be a perfect product that girls of the tween and teen variety couldn’t resist.
HOWEVER… there is one song that goes against the grain, that breaks all the rules, and for the past quarter century that has been an exception to everything I just said. It is a song that had the likes of grown men like Adam Sandler, Paul Rudd, Jerry Seinfeld and Jon Hamm singing along to it on live television like true stans when it was performed at the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary concert this past February. It has been used countless times in movies and TV shows, covered, sampled and parodied to no end.
Let's face it, because you can’t deny it, it is the one true boy band song that virtually everyone on Earth gives a pass to - Even more so, it’s a song that everyone flat out loves - whether they will admit it or not. That song is “I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys.
With Newly Unearthed audio from the Backstreet Boys & a NEW Interview with Howie D!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, it's Miles Galloway, and it's time for a new
season of Encore. Wait, let me do that again.
Hey, I'm Ruby Carr, your brand new host of Encore,
and I am so excited to be kicking off this
new season with one of my all-time favorite songs. This
(00:20):
is the story of Backstreet Boys. I want it that way.
You know the songs just making people feel something. It's
been a pleasure to work on this song with her,
but do you know the history to struggle making any
kind of record? I don't always have the direction or concept.
This is Encore, an in-depth look at the stories behind
the music. Here's Iart Radio's Ruby Carr. Boy bands.
(00:44):
They really don't get much credit for being musicians, performers,
and entertainers, but from the Jackson 5 in the mid-1960s
to the current global phenomenon that is K-pop, boy bands
have been a huge moneymaker in music for decades now.
At the same time though, they have also been subjected
to plenty of ridicule, disparagement, and even hatred. I went
(01:07):
to see Backstreet Boys.
A few years ago, and they took out their instruments
and said like, whoa, we're the Backstreet Boys. We're not
supposed to have instruments. So even they get in on
the joke. I mean, I get it. The boy band
was essentially a music industry creation with the sole purpose
of capitalizing on the love and devotion of young girls
and their allowances, and they were good at that. Do
(01:29):
you remember the Cat Street Boys shirt from Northern Getaway?
That was fire. I wish I still had it.
Ah, anyway, the boys in these bands were almost always
reduced to being puppets, to just sing and dance to
the music that was mostly written, recorded, and, to use
a dirty industry term, manufactured by professional songwriters and musicians.
(01:51):
This music was designed to be a perfect product that
girls of the tween and teen variety just could not resist.
And how could we? Dreamy boy.
singing sickly sweet pop songs about being in love while
they maneuver, synchronized, choreographed dance moves, irresistible, but not exactly
something that appealed to all demographics. However, there is one
(02:15):
song that goes against the grain that breaks all of
the rules, and for the past quarter century has been
an exception to everything I just said. It is a
song that had the
of grown men like Adam Sandler, Paul Rudd, Jerry Seinfeld,
and Jon Hamm singing along to it on live television
like true stands when it was performed at the Saturday
(02:36):
Night Live 50th anniversary concert this past February. It has
been used countless times in movies and TV shows. Shout
out to that amazing opening scene in Brooklyn 99, literal chills.
It has been covered, sampled, and paired.
to no end, let's face it, because you can't deny it.
It is the one true boy band song that virtually
(02:59):
everyone on earth gives a pass to. No, you know what,
it's more than that. It is a song that everyone
flat out loves, whether they will admit it or not.
And that song is I Want It That Way by
Backstreet Boys. Boys, the boy band of all time, the
Backstreet Boys. Please welcome the Backstreet Boys.
To quote Rolling Stone, it is a genre transcending classic.
(03:22):
The story of Backstreet Boys began in Orlando, Florida in
the early 1990s and actually involves a blimp hanger. Yes,
I said a blimp hanger. Despite accusations of being a
manufactured pop group, the members of Backstreet Boys knew each
other before they were officially brought together by manager Lou Pearlman.
Howie Dero and AJ McClain first met as teenagers through
(03:44):
a shared vocal coach. Both would attend auditions where they
met a younger aspiring singer by the name.
Of Nick Carter. The three soon discovered that they could
pull off some serious harmonizing together, and they began to
sing with each other. Meanwhile, a pair of cousins in Lexington,
Kentucky named Kevin Richardson and Brian Luttrell had grown up
singing in church choirs and local concerts since they were kids.
(04:08):
Kevin would leave Kentucky to go work at Disney World
in Orlando as a tour guide and focus on his music.
In 1992, Perlman placed an ad in the Orlando.
Looking to put together a musical group of teenage boys
with the look of new kids on the block and
the sound of Boyz II Men. Not creepy at all, Lou.
One of the first people to reply was the mother
(04:30):
of AJ McLean, who arranged for her son to audition
for Pearlman in the music mogul's living room. AJ impressed Pearlman,
and he was invited to be the first member of
the group. Not long after, he held an open casting
call for singers and dancers at his yup, blimp.
Hanger in Kissimmee, Florida. Sorry, but I think I need
to point out that Lou Pearlman had possession of a
(04:52):
blimp hanger because he owned Airship International LTD, a manufacturer
of non-rigid airships, otherwise known as blimps. But I digress.
Perlman was so impressed by what he heard from Kevin, Nick, Howie,
and another singer named Buck Parsons that he invited them
to join a day in the group, which was christened
Backstreet Boys as a tribute to the city of Orlando's.
(05:15):
Backstreet flea market. While the group's members were decided they
weren't final, a few months in, Buck Parsons decided to
leave the group. Years later, in a blog post, he
would write, after several months of living the life of
an up and coming pop music star, one week before
our first photo shoot, I walked into the office of
our manager and quit. I told him very simply that
(05:36):
I was not called to be an entertainer, but that
I believed God was calling me to be a minister.
Parsons would also
Claimed that 2 years later, Perlman approached him to join
another boy band he was assembling called NSYNC, but once
again he decided to follow his faith. After learning of
Parson's departure, Kevin called up his cousin Brian and told
(05:57):
him to fly into Orlando to audition on April 20, 1993,
Brian Luttrell was officially named the fifth and final member
of Backstreet Boys, a date that would forever be marked
as the group's day of birth.
Now, before I go any further, I might as well
point out something obvious. Some of the members like Kevin
and Howie were already men in their 20s at this point,
(06:20):
so you may be asking yourselves why did they go
with Backstreet Boys over Backstreet men or less age-specific backstreet
guys or backstreet dudes. Well, it's most likely because alliteration
works when you're trying to sell a product, and you know,
those other names are ridiculous. But years later, AJ would
explain the
Main reason telling the Chicago Tribune boys is kind of
(06:44):
like a slang term. You've got the Beach Boys, they're
in their 50s and 60s, and they're still boys, so
we'll always be Backstreet Boys for the duration of this group.
And there you have it. Almost immediately the boys were
put to the test. Just two weeks after forming, they
played their first official concert on May 8th, 1993 at
SeaWorld of all places. It was grad night. Oh, Pearlman
(07:08):
brought
And Johnny and Donna Wright, a couple of pro managers
to handle the day to day schedule of the group.
They performed at amusement parks, fairs, schools, and malls around
Florida to help build up their chemistry and fan base.
Mercury Records showed some interest in signing Backstreet Boys. However,
their artist John Mellencamp allegedly threatened to leave Mercury if
(07:31):
his label began signing boy bands. Well, John, not cool,
but not long after Backstreet Boys.
Impressed record execs at Jive Records after performing at a
high school in Cleveland and signed the group then and there.
Within a year of forming, Backstreet Boys had a record
deal and were on their way to becoming superstars, but
(07:51):
it wouldn't happen overnight. In June 1995, the members of
Backstreet Boys flew to Stockholm, Sweden to work at Sharon's
studios with producer Dennis Pop, not his real name, and
his protege, a young rock musician turned producer.
named Max Martin, who had achieved some success with homegrown
pop act Ace of Base. To the boys, these Swedes
(08:13):
looked like heavy metal guys plucked out of Metallica, but
they were ready to help. Along with British songwriter Herbert Critchlow,
Pop and Martin had written a song for the young
boy band called We've Got it Going On, a cocky
dance pop track they felt would serve as a proper introduction.
They ran into a problem when 15 year old Nick was.
(08:35):
Able to sing because he was right in the middle
of puberty and his voice was changing at the time.
He would tell Billboard, I was definitely going through puberty
at the time. My voice, where it was at, was
good for certain songs, but then other ones not so much.
It was a very strange time for me, but it
only took the boys 2 days to record the song,
(08:55):
leaving them with more studio time than they needed. Luckily,
Pop and Martin had another song ready for them to
record called Quit Playing Games with My Heart.
Once again, Nick wasn't able to contribute vocals, so Brian
sang both verses himself. A few things about that. The
song would initially be released as a single and on
the album featuring Brian singing the verses. However, in the video,
(09:17):
Nick lip syncs to Brian's voice. It wasn't until a
year later that Max Martin would fly over to Los
Angeles to record Nick's part of the song. Eventually this
version of the song would be included on the re-releases
of the first.
Backstreet Boys albums and because the other members were tired
and had gone back to the hotel, the only voices
(09:38):
to appear on Quit Play Games with My Heart were
those of Kevin and Brian. Their label Jive decided that
the first single should be We've Got it Going On,
a song that had some zest to it. They sent
it out to radio stations worldwide in August 1995, followed
by a single release in stores the following month, and
it virtually did nothing at home in the US.
(10:00):
As Howie would tell Billboard at the time there wasn't
any group like us out there before us was the
new kids on the block, and we were told by
several people that there was a backlash that came about
after them, that radio didn't want another group of a
bunch of boys. The term boy band was created over
in Europe, and we were scared of that coming across
(10:21):
to America with us, which inevitably it did. We always
wanted just to be considered a vocal harmony group.
But that's not how Americans saw them, and the lukewarm
response to we've got it going on sure seemed like
America didn't care about boy bands, that they were a
thing of the past. But a funny thing happened with
Backstreet Boys. Other countries cared. Europe still loved them some
(10:46):
boy bands, and the song climbed the charts in countries
like France, Germany, Austria.
Switzerland and even the UK radio programmers in Canada heard
about this and began playing Backstreet Boys 2, especially in Quebec.
In fact, it is widely suggested that CJFM, a radio
station in Montreal back then known as Mix 96 and
(11:08):
now Virgin 959, helped break Backstreet Boys in North America.
But while they were being ignored back home in the US,
Backstreet Boys were blowing up in Europe, especially Germany, where
their second single, I'll Never Break Your Heart had gone gold,
selling more than 250,000 copies. German fans couldn't get enough
(11:30):
of Backstreet Boys and voted them the favorite.
International Group of the Year. Here they are appearing on
Viva Germany, a free to air music channel where they
introduce themselves and just how young they were. My name
is AJ and I'm 17 and I'm Brian and I'm 20.
I'm Kevin and I'm 23. I'm Howie D and I'm 21.
(11:50):
I'm Nick and I'm 15.
15. And what about school? I mean, we'll have a
tutor come on the road with us, which is a
qualified teacher. Yeah, and then our rifles will be sent
back to the school. This would suck for them too,
because you could just imagine them trying to brag about
(12:10):
their success to their friends and they'd be like, we're
really big in Germany. Yeah, sure you are, Nick.
A couple more singles followed, Get Down, You're the one
for me and Quit playing Games with My Heart, which
were followed by their self-titled debut album in early 1996.
Released in every country but Canada and the US, Backstreet Boys,
the album, later nicknamed the Red Album, would go platinum
(12:34):
and immediately sell 500,000 copies in, you guessed it, Germany.
Just before they released the album in Canada, Backstreet Boys.
played their first Canadian concert at the International Balloon Festival
in Quebec, which, if you didn't know, is Canada's largest
hot air balloon festival. When the boys took the stage,
they were shocked to see 85,000 people singing along to
(12:58):
their songs. Years later, AJ McLean would tell the Huffington Post,
it was really groundbreaking for us. We used to come
back to the US and call it No family.
And because we would go from being on tour in
Europe for thousands of people to coming home to no one.
But we had been focusing a lot on France, which
is where it started to leak back to the French-speaking
(13:19):
provinces of Canada. Then slowly it made its way to
Toronto and filtered down into the US. Detroit, New York,
and Chicago were some of the first US cities to
play us on the radio, and I know it leaked
down from their friends upstate in Canada.
So Canada holds a really special place for us because
it was a huge asset in infiltrating the Backstreet Boys
(13:41):
into the US. Backstreet Boys would spend the end of
1996 and the beginning of 1997 touring across Quebec, eventually
leading them to their first show in Toronto. That same
day in January, they would make their first of many
visits to the Much Music building, where many screaming Canadian
fans were waiting for them.
(14:02):
Big buzz. There's one
You know why? I'll tell you why. Backstreet Boys are.
Speaking to VJ Rick Campanelli, the boys discussed how frenzied
the response had been in Canada.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Girls fainting when you were in uh uh was it
Quebec last year at a mall doing something at a
mall that fainted and made the headlines on that on that.
That's amazing. And you're huge in in Quebec. You're getting
uh like people are starting to pick up on you
all across from coast, but I think you've been, uh,
you've sold 500,000 in Canada. Is that that's that's pretty
(14:41):
amazing and 350.
What what draws the French people to the Backstreet Boys? Well,
I think with with our music, we, it started in
Europe and I think it came from France and the
magazines and stuff and and and that's how I came
to Quebec first before it got everywhere else because we've
(15:02):
been so busy in Europe, we haven't even had a
chance to promote in the United States yet and that's
what we're getting ready to do.
It hasn't been released.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Unfortunately for the group, the album release in the US
would be pushed back for many months. In fact, the
Red album would never receive a proper release in the states,
but the boys kept their momentum going by touring across
Europe and Canada over the first half of 1997.
Backstreet Boys were becoming the biggest thing in music for
young Canadian girls thanks to the constant airplay on Much Music.
(15:39):
The impact the nation's music station had on the rise
of Backstreet Boys in Canada did not go unnoticed by
the group. AJ would tell the Huffington Post about one
major appearance they made, saying, We surprised all our moms.
By flying them out, the TV station was in the
middle of downtown Toronto, and 15 to 20,000 fans showed up.
They were in the streets surrounding the building, and there
(16:01):
were pictures, autographs, screaming, crying. It was such an overwhelming
feeling of wow, this is actually happening, and that was
a moment in Backstreet history I don't think any of
us will forget.
Backstreet boys, come on, let's hear it.
As Jive and Backstreet Boys were gearing up to reintroduce
the group to the US market, the label suggested they
(16:22):
put out a new song written and produced by super
producer Mutt Lang called If You Wanna Be a Good Girl,
Get Yourself a Bad Boy as the first single from
the new version of their album. However, the boys disagreed
with the label and argued against the song, which they
felt was one of the worst ones they had recorded.
While the song would still end up on the album,
in April, they released Quit Playing Games with My Heart,
(16:45):
now featuring Nick, which would eventually become a huge hit
for them, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
To date, it's Backstreet Boys' highest charting song ever, which means, yes,
they have never had a number one hit in America.
Isn't that mind blowing? My mind is blown.
They may have been #2 on the charts, but they
(17:07):
were #1 in our hearts.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Yeah, we're gonna do a little bit more R&B because
the style of music, the mainstream in America is a
little bit more R&B as comparison to Europe and some
other places where it's more popular like producers like Babyface
and yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
That was Howie during a much music interview in early
1997 explaining what the plan was for Backstreet Boys and
the release of their first album in the US. Now
there has always been a bit of confusion over
What happened with Backstreet Boys and their first album in
the United States. As I mentioned earlier, when they first
debuted and released We've Got it Going On, the song
(17:43):
tanked in their home country. Their label Jive immediately put
plans on hold for the group in America and focused
on breaking the group in virtually every other country in
the world. But come 1997, a plan was in place.
Backstreet would record some new songs and Jive would repackage
their debut album.
As an exclusive release just for American fans, but here's
(18:06):
where the confusion comes in. At the same time they
were looking to release this different version of their self-titled album,
Jive had another new album by the group to release
everywhere else. So instead of just putting out their second album,
Backstreet's Back, the label basically took the best songs from
their first two albums and made them into a compilation
for the US. 6 songs from the 1996 Backstreet Boys album.
(18:29):
And 5 from Backstreet's Back. Still with me? To make
matters even more confusing, both the US and international albums
had the same image of the group on the cover. Wait,
there's more. The first single from the album was a
brand new song called Everybody Backstreet's Back. You know the dance.
It became a massive hit and had a cool Halloweeny
(18:51):
video where Brian was a werewolf, Howie was a vampire,
and Kevin was like,
Either Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or Two Faced from Batman,
not sure, but there was resistance about releasing a song
where Backstreet's proclaiming that they're back when in the US,
they were really only introducing themselves. So Jive released it
as a single worldwide, but not immediately in the US
(19:15):
because everybody Backstreet's Back was left off of the US
version of the album. So tough luck for all of
the American.
Fans who bought the album for that song. Naturally, when
the song became a big hit in Canada, it started
getting airplay on radio stations in all of the border cities,
and eventually Jive released it as a single in the
US while later adding it to the album after it
(19:38):
had sold out of its first million copies. Thanks to
the success of bubblegum pop groups like Spice Girls and Hansen,
Backstreet Boys experienced phenomenal
Success once they were properly introduced to the United States market.
In the summer of 1997, Kitty bopper music was all
the rage everywhere, and immediately they were compared to the
(20:00):
boy bands before them like New Kids on the Block.
Here is Kevin at a press conference explaining why Backstreet
Boys were not the next new kids.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Even though a lot of people compared us to new
kids on the block, that's something that
That we feel like set us apart is our vocals. Um,
you know, we're a vocal group. Um, I think New
Kids on the Block were an incredible phenomena, and they
had tons of success all over the world. They were
great entertainers, but I, I think they'd be the first
(20:30):
ones to admit that they weren't a vocal group.
And that's something that we are. Um, we're 5 singers.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Backstreet albums were selling in big numbers all over the
world though, thanks in part to working with current and
future hit makers such as Mutang, Dennis Pop, not his
real name, Max Martin, and PM Don. The American version
of Backstreet Boys would eventually sell more than 13 million copies,
while Backstreet's Back would sell more than 10 million copies worldwide.
(20:58):
With half of that total coming from Europe and a
cool million from Canada. Now the entire world was celebrating
Backstreet Mania, and while for the time it seemed like
Backstreet Boys had the entire boy band market to themselves,
a number of new boy bands began making their debuts.
Lou Pearlman had another male vocal group ready to go
(21:19):
called NSYNC. Not far behind them was 98 Degrees and LFO. Backstreet.
Couldn't help but notice that after all their hard work
convincing the music industry that they were the real deal,
there were now all of these new boy bands looking
to take a piece of the pie they had
baked.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
It is flattering to us like how I said, but
in a way it's kind of frustrating at the same
time that we, we, it did take a while for
us to break the doors down at radio stations, um,
at the different music channels to play our videos and
stuff and
It's like once um something becomes successful, it's like every
(21:56):
record company has to get their version of, of that
successful thing that's happening at the time and it
It floods the market and oversaturates it and it's kind
of frustrating to me, but at the same time, I
think it also keeps everybody in check and keeps the
quality level up because there is kind of a little
(22:16):
competition
factor.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Just as Backstreet Boys were riding high and about to
embark on their first major world tour that included the US,
the group experienced a scare when doctors discovered that Brian
had a.
genital hole in his heart causing it to enlarge to
dangerous proportions. The group began the Backstreet's back tour but
took a break to allow Brian to undergo open heart
(22:39):
surgery and spend 8 weeks recovering. When the group returned
to the stage, paramedics were standing by during each concert
to assist Brian if he required oxygen or suffered from
any kind of health complications. Things weren't about to get
any
Better for Brian, he discovered there were massive discrepancies in
what the band earned and what they were paid by
(23:01):
their manager Lou Pearlman. Brian pointed it out to his
manager and asked him to make it right, but his
request went ignored, so he hired an attorney and filed
a lawsuit against Lou Pearlman and Transcontinental for misappropriation and
concealment of revenues generated by the group. The suit alleged
that Perlman had only paid members of
(23:22):
Backstreet Boys $300,000 of the $10 million they made between
1993 and 1997, Perlman argued that he invested $3 million
in Backstreet Boys upon their launch in 1993. At first,
the other members questioned Brian about his motives, even asking
him if he was trying to break up the band.
(23:43):
But soon after, Howie, Kevin, and AJ would all later
join Bryan's lawsuit.
In an interview with Yahoo, members explained how they came
to recognize there was something fishy going on, with Brian saying,
I remember doing two sold out European shows. I get
home and I've got $88,000 in my bank account. That
was more than I'd ever seen in my life, but
(24:05):
on the other hand, why wasn't it 3 or 4
times that? Then I started doing the math.
Added Kevin, Lou was taking 1/6 of everything. He was
taking a 25% management commission and he was being recouped
all of his expenses. That's called triple dipping, and as
a manager, it's a breach of fiduciary duty and it's illegal.
(24:27):
Lou was pinning us against each other. I own the name,
I own the copyright, your next album won't come out.
Eventually the boys received compensation through multiple settlements, but more
lawsuits would be launched.
Astonishingly, Perlman would stay on as their manager. He would, however,
relieve Johnny and Donna Wright as the boys' day to
(24:47):
day managers. On top of all that, the group would
also suffer multiple personal losses that year. Dennis Pop, who
helped write and produce some of the group's biggest hits,
died in August 1998 after a bout with stomach cancer.
Howie's older sister Caroline passed away from a battle with
lupus while two members of Kevin's.
(25:08):
The family also died. 1998 would be the hardest year
in Backstreet Boys' history, but they would use this adversity
to become one of the biggest artists on the planet
in less than one year. Backstreet Boys didn't waste any
time in getting back into the studio to make their
next album, but just before they did, the city of
(25:28):
Orlando honored the Five Boys for raising $250,000 in relief
for the victims of a devastating tornado.
The area they were awarded the key to the city,
and October 7th was declared Backstreet Boys' Day in Orlando.
Weeks later, they flew to Sweden to team back up
with Max Martin, but the group were feeling the pressure
(25:49):
early on in the process. Kevin would tell Elle, we
had just finally broken in the United States. This was
going to be our 3rd album in Europe, but it
was only gonna be our 2nd album in the United States,
so there was a lot of pressure, a lot of
anticipation for our 2nd.
Record. Max Martin and Andreas Carlson played them a demo
for a song called I Want It That Way. It
(26:12):
was different from the usual Backstreet Boys songs in that
it wasn't an R&B style ballad or an energetic dance
pop song. Instead, the song leads in with a soft
guitar riff that was unlike anything else they'd done before.
The boys immediately loved it. They could hear that it
was a bona fide hit. There was just something about
(26:32):
it that seemed off.
Ultimately, the song doesn't really make much sense. Kevin would
tell LA Weekly, there are a lot of songs out
there like that that don't make sense, he continued, but
make you feel good when you sing along to them,
and that's one of them.
Part of the problem was that songwriter Max Martin being
from Sweden, primarily spoke Swedish, so English was not his
(26:54):
first language, and so something was lost in translation, but
because the song was so good, the label brought in
Mutt Lang to try and rework it to make more sense.
I had a chance to talk about this with Howie D.
Before I get to that, uh, here's how I imagine
my teenage self would have reacted to me getting to
(27:14):
talk to a Backstreet boy.
Anyway, here is Howie telling me about how that all unfolded.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
When we
recorded the song, um, I remember after us singing it,
it was like, OK, this is interesting. It doesn't make 100%
sense when you listen to the lyrics, but there's a
good flow to it. I wonder what's gonna happen with this.
And sure enough, um, our record label asked for us
(27:43):
to allow Matt Lang.
Uh, to come in and do a rewrite on the song.
And actually, believe it or not, that song, the rewrite
is gonna be on the, the new, uh, released Millennium
record as well. That's one I considered one of the demos.
But yeah, so anyway, so we rerecorded the song with
the new lyrics that made a bit more sense, but
it was so interesting how music is just has a
(28:05):
way of its own, just, you know, hitting you or
not hitting you. And the lyrics.
No, no, nothing against the lyrics, but the lyrics actually
lost the feel of the music. And so us along
with the record label, discussed it in depth and said,
you know, we're willing to gamble with this song. And
(28:26):
even though it doesn't make 100%, you know, sense, our
most grammatically correct English, let's go with it, because it
has the feel. And look, lo and behold, it's our
Speaker 1 (28:36):
biggest song. The group believed that everything else about the song,
it's potent hook.
Strong melodies, the different styles of arrangement, and the vocal
performances from the group mattered more than a nonsensical lyric.
But just in case you were wondering what the difference
is between the two versions, here's my basically best friend
Howie breaking it down.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
It's the words. So the music was exactly the same.
I think it was, um, instead of tell me why
it was.
No goodbyes. Um, and so, I never wanna hear you say,
I want it that way. I think it was, I
love it when I hear you say, I want it
that way.
So it definitely gave it a different bit of a twist.
I mean, it made it more of like a love song, uh,
(29:19):
for a person. Uh, but now like I say, the,
the angriness of the lyrics being so kind of out
there and not knowing, it kind of leads up to
anybody's interpretation of what they, what they want the song
to mean to them.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
How he's actually right about that. The lyrics making little
sense actually become a real talking point and perhaps even
a selling point for fans when the song was released.
On April 12, 1999. When you sing those words, go
ahead and try it. They don't really work, but isn't
that part of the fun? And while people quickly picked
up on the lyrical gaffe, nobody really cared. I Want
(29:54):
It That Way felt like a different kind of boy
band song. It had a maturity running through it. It
had one of the most irresistible hooks ever. It had
a defining opening line.
That would make it immediately identifiable, not to mention the
(30:15):
refrain of Tell me why in the chorus. It's my
go to karaoke song for a reason, and yes, I
do sing all the parts. I Want It That Way,
had everything going for it, which explains why it became
a smash hit upon its release. It was everywhere on
the radio, on MTV, and much music, nonstop. It topped
(30:35):
the charts in the UK.
Europe, specifically Germany, Italy, and Switzerland, and reached number 2
in Canada, Australia, and their home away from home, Sweden. Surprisingly,
I Want It That Way only reached number 6 on
the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, but it essentially
went to number 1 on other charts like Top 40, uh,
(30:56):
pop and Adult Contemporary. The song would also earn Grammy
nominations for Song of the Year, Record of the Year,
and Best Pop Performance.
By a duo or group with vocals. All of a sudden,
Backstreet Boys weren't just a boy band, they had become
the male vocal group they aspired to be. They had
put out a song that legitimized their craft. A large
(31:18):
part of the song's success was its music video shot
at LAX by director Wayne Isham. The video featured the
boys performing their new song in different parts of the airport,
including outside the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
Which they filled with smiling and crying fans holding up
signs with messages like kisses for Kevin and Nick. Fans
(31:41):
were invited to attend the video shoot through a contest
held by Kiss FM in Los Angeles. One of those
fans who won, Laurie Miono, would tell Billboard, I had
a suspicion that the radio host Jo Jo Wright was
playing some sick April Fool's prank on us, but once
there we were bussed into the hanger. I can't even
describe the
Thrill of hearing their new song for the first time
(32:03):
in their presence. The boys were so sweet throughout, chatting, hugging,
and taking pictures with fans. The video was so big
in pop culture that the group have since been memorialized
at LAX. If you visit the airport just outside the
Tom Bradley International Terminal, is a giant pillar with the
faces of AJ, Brian, Howie, Kevin, and Nick, all welcoming
(32:24):
visitors to the City of Angels. I Want It That
Way would be no.
for 4 MTV Music Video Awards in 2000 and take
home Viewers Choice. That same year, it would also win
them a Much Music Video Award for People's Choice favorite
international group, but perhaps even more important than that was
in how the video was parodied by Blink 182 for
(32:45):
their song All the Small Things just a few months later.
That song would become a big hit too, with a
lot of its success having to do with the video,
which spoofs multiple boy band videos.
You may remember hearing all of that in last season's
episode of Encore, where we shared the story behind that song.
Within months, Backstreet Boys' humongous hit was already influencing the
(33:05):
work of other artists, though it would take Weird Al
Yankovic another 4 years to give the boys the ultimate
tribute with his parody song, eBay. My house is filled
with this crap, shows up in bubble wrap.
Every day what I bought on eBay. What an honor
(33:29):
that must have been and to have me sing it now.
So that one, there are a few really like heavier tunes.
This one is, is a, we really like it. Like
we've all been kind of like, yeah, it's really catchy,
really catchy, the first thing, but uh there's a couple
of other ones there that are a little bit harder hitting.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
And so why did you choose to go
with that one for the first saving those, you know,
don't wanna.
Give everything we got at a bridge and the harder stuff.
So it's a good bridge. Like you say, you hit
them off right off the very being with something different.
Sometimes people are like, yeah, they like it, and sometimes
if they don't like it, then they may not get
(34:06):
the rest of the album.
It's, it's like coming out with Backstreet's back straight from
the get-go on the last album. As great of a
song and it symbolic for the group, it might not
have been the right choice straight off the bat. So
quit playing games you up and it's a really radio
loved record, and then that's when you come in with
the
You know, the
knockout.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
That was the Backstreet Boys explaining to Much Music's Rachel
Perry why they chose I Want It That Way as
the lead single for Millennium, the second Backstreet Boys album
according to Americans, and the third Backstreet Boys album according
to the rest of the world. Released on May 18, 1999,
Millennium went on to sell more than 24 million albums worldwide,
(34:47):
making one of the best selling albums of all time.
10 million of those copies sold would come from the US.
Alone in 1999, making it the highest selling album of
that year. Critics were still skeptical of the group, but
both Entertainment Weekly and Spin awarded it minus grades, singling
out I Want It That Way as the bubblegum ballad
(35:08):
of the year and so candy it will hit your
pleasure center and the pop charts. What music writers thought
didn't really matter though. Backstreet would embark on the Into
the Millennium Tour one month after the release of the album,
selling out 1.
15 shows that they played in 84 international cities. To date,
(35:28):
I Want It That Way has been streamed nearly 2
billion times on Spotify, and that was just by me. Uh,
while the video has been viewed more than 1.6 billion
times on YouTube, it is without a doubt Backstreet Boys'
signature song, and it's never really gone away. Every now
and then it floats back into the public's consciousness when
(35:48):
one of the members is interviewed, and of course they
are asked about the song or it appears.
On lists like Rolling Stone's 100 greatest pop songs of
all time, it was number 10, or Complex's 30 Best
Boy Band songs where it came second after NSYNC's Bye
Bye Bye, which I totally disagree with. I could do
an entire other podcast about that. But it was also
(36:09):
on my favorite list, the 19 greatest key changes in
music history by Shortlist.com, where it was ranked number 5.
I suppose Cisco's Thong Song may have had the better
key change, sure. The song was also singled out.
A genre transcending classic by Rolling Stone in its readers'
poll of the best boy bands of all time. In
(36:30):
case you are wondering, and I know you are, here
is the top 5 in that poll at number 5, NSYNC.
Number 4, the Jackson 5. Number 3, New Kids on
the Block. Number 2, The Beatles. Interesting move in calling
them a boy band. But at number 1, Backstreet Boys. Yes,
you heard it, folks. Backstreet Boys are better than the Beatles.
(36:50):
I've always said that. But the best thing about the
See if I want it that way is just how
casually it appears in pop culture 1015, 20, even 25
years after its release. As I mentioned earlier, there was
a hilarious cold open to an episode of Brooklyn 99
where Andy Samberg's character Jake Peralta, he has perps in
a police lineup sing I Want It That Way to
(37:11):
help a victim identify the suspect's voice. I heard him.
He was singing along to the music at the bar.
Do you remember what he was singing? I think it
was that song I Want It That Way Backstreet Boys.
I'm familiar. OK.
Number one, could you please sing the opening to I
Want It That Way? Really? OK. Naturally, Sandberg can't contain
himself in the moment. It is so good. Remember Arthur,
(37:34):
the beloved animated, anthropomorphic aardvark. The video for I Want
It That Way was featured in an episode where Arthur's
sister DW imagined the boys as bunnies and aardvarks, a
classic moment in television history, and it stole the show
in Magic Mike.
XXL when Joe Maganello performed a striptease to I Want
(37:55):
It That Way in the convenience store. Cheetos and water, anyone? Uh,
it has also been used to sell everything from flaming
hot Doritos and Chipotle to the Samsung Galaxy and Downy
Rinse and Refresh. Naturally. Out of nowhere, the song went
viral just because Chrissy Teigen posted about it on Twitter
when she was pondering what the meaning was behind it,
(38:16):
you know, like we all have. In 2018.
The supermodel and entrepreneur, she tweeted out to the universe,
I never want to hear you say I want it
that way cause I want it that way. He doesn't
want to 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? It seems they
both want it the same way, but are fighting over
(38:38):
who gets to say they want it that way. Luckily
for Chrissy, Backstreet Boys put her mind at ease and
issued a response later that day, tweeting,
Don't want to hear you say that you want heartaches
and mistakes or to be two 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.
(39:00):
Perhaps the coolest and most convincing way in which I
want it that way, proof that it transcends genres and
generations came when Backstreet Boys performed their hit at the
Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary concert special this year. The Backstreet.
The crowd was filled with comedy's biggest names like Amy Poehler,
(39:21):
Seth Meyers, Adam Sandler, Kristen Wiig, Jon Hamm, Maya Rudolph,
and Paul Rudd, to name a few, all of whom
were singing their hearts out. And, OK, Pedro Pascal wasn't singing,
but the smile on his face, he was experiencing so
much joy in that very moment. But most surprising was
when Brian shoved the mic into Jerry.
Seinfeld's face and forced him to sing ain't nothing but
(39:43):
a mistake. I gotta say that was gold, Jerry, gold.
To commemorate the phenomenal success of Millennium in the summer
of 2025, Backstreet Boys will be taking their show to
the state of the art sphere venue in Las Vegas.
There they will present their music as a visual spectacle
and make it an immersive experience while
(40:03):
Taking their fans on a trip down memory lane by
performing the Millennium album and fan favorites. In addition to that,
they're also re-releasing the album as Millennium 2.0, featuring additional tracks,
including the long awaited alternate version of I Want It
That Way, otherwise known as No Goodbyes. So finally, people
will be able to hear the official and correct version
(40:25):
of I Want It That.
And truly decide which way they actually want it. But
I have a feeling I know which way it's gonna go.
I'm Ruby Carr and you've been listening to Encore and
the story of Backstreet Boys. I want it that way.
Thank you so much for listening and new episodes every Thursday,
so make sure you like and subscribe. Do we still
say that on podcasts? Encore is an iHeart Radio Canada podcast.
(40:50):
Download the free I Heart Radio app and subscribe.
Hey, it's Miles Galloway, and it's time for a new
season of Encore. Wait, let me do that again.
Hey, I'm Ruby Carr, your brand new host of Encore,
and I am so excited to be kicking off this
new season with one of my all-time favorite songs. This
(00:20):
is the story of Backstreet Boys. I want it that way.
You know the songs just making people feel something. It's
been a pleasure to work on this song with her,
but do you know the history to struggle making any
kind of record? I don't always have the direction or concept.
This is Encore, an in-depth look at the stories behind
the music. Here's Iart Radio's Ruby Carr. Boy bands.
(00:44):
They really don't get much credit for being musicians, performers,
and entertainers, but from the Jackson 5 in the mid-1960s
to the current global phenomenon that is K-pop, boy bands
have been a huge moneymaker in music for decades now.
At the same time though, they have also been subjected
to plenty of ridicule, disparagement, and even hatred. I went
(01:07):
to see Backstreet Boys.
A few years ago, and they took out their instruments
and said like, whoa, we're the Backstreet Boys. We're not
supposed to have instruments. So even they get in on
the joke. I mean, I get it. The boy band
was essentially a music industry creation with the sole purpose
of capitalizing on the love and devotion of young girls
and their allowances, and they were good at that. Do
(01:29):
you remember the Cat Street Boys shirt from Northern Getaway?
That was fire. I wish I still had it.
Ah, anyway, the boys in these bands were almost always
reduced to being puppets, to just sing and dance to
the music that was mostly written, recorded, and, to use
a dirty industry term, manufactured by professional songwriters and musicians.
(01:51):
This music was designed to be a perfect product that
girls of the tween and teen variety just could not resist.
And how could we? Dreamy boy.
singing sickly sweet pop songs about being in love while
they maneuver, synchronized, choreographed dance moves, irresistible, but not exactly
something that appealed to all demographics. However, there is one
(02:15):
song that goes against the grain that breaks all of
the rules, and for the past quarter century has been
an exception to everything I just said. It is a
song that had the
of grown men like Adam Sandler, Paul Rudd, Jerry Seinfeld,
and Jon Hamm singing along to it on live television
like true stands when it was performed at the Saturday
(02:36):
Night Live 50th anniversary concert this past February. It has
been used countless times in movies and TV shows. Shout
out to that amazing opening scene in Brooklyn 99, literal chills.
It has been covered, sampled, and paired.
to no end, let's face it, because you can't deny it.
It is the one true boy band song that virtually
(02:59):
everyone on earth gives a pass to. No, you know what,
it's more than that. It is a song that everyone
flat out loves, whether they will admit it or not.
And that song is I Want It That Way by
Backstreet Boys. Boys, the boy band of all time, the
Backstreet Boys. Please welcome the Backstreet Boys.
To quote Rolling Stone, it is a genre transcending classic.
(03:22):
The story of Backstreet Boys began in Orlando, Florida in
the early 1990s and actually involves a blimp hanger. Yes,
I said a blimp hanger. Despite accusations of being a
manufactured pop group, the members of Backstreet Boys knew each
other before they were officially brought together by manager Lou Pearlman.
Howie Dero and AJ McClain first met as teenagers through
(03:44):
a shared vocal coach. Both would attend auditions where they
met a younger aspiring singer by the name.
Of Nick Carter. The three soon discovered that they could
pull off some serious harmonizing together, and they began to
sing with each other. Meanwhile, a pair of cousins in Lexington,
Kentucky named Kevin Richardson and Brian Luttrell had grown up
singing in church choirs and local concerts since they were kids.
(04:08):
Kevin would leave Kentucky to go work at Disney World
in Orlando as a tour guide and focus on his music.
In 1992, Perlman placed an ad in the Orlando.
Looking to put together a musical group of teenage boys
with the look of new kids on the block and
the sound of Boyz II Men. Not creepy at all, Lou.
One of the first people to reply was the mother
(04:30):
of AJ McLean, who arranged for her son to audition
for Pearlman in the music mogul's living room. AJ impressed Pearlman,
and he was invited to be the first member of
the group. Not long after, he held an open casting
call for singers and dancers at his yup, blimp.
Hanger in Kissimmee, Florida. Sorry, but I think I need
to point out that Lou Pearlman had possession of a
(04:52):
blimp hanger because he owned Airship International LTD, a manufacturer
of non-rigid airships, otherwise known as blimps. But I digress.
Perlman was so impressed by what he heard from Kevin, Nick, Howie,
and another singer named Buck Parsons that he invited them
to join a day in the group, which was christened
Backstreet Boys as a tribute to the city of Orlando's.
(05:15):
Backstreet flea market. While the group's members were decided they
weren't final, a few months in, Buck Parsons decided to
leave the group. Years later, in a blog post, he
would write, after several months of living the life of
an up and coming pop music star, one week before
our first photo shoot, I walked into the office of
our manager and quit. I told him very simply that
(05:36):
I was not called to be an entertainer, but that
I believed God was calling me to be a minister.
Parsons would also
Claimed that 2 years later, Perlman approached him to join
another boy band he was assembling called NSYNC, but once
again he decided to follow his faith. After learning of
Parson's departure, Kevin called up his cousin Brian and told
(05:57):
him to fly into Orlando to audition on April 20, 1993,
Brian Luttrell was officially named the fifth and final member
of Backstreet Boys, a date that would forever be marked
as the group's day of birth.
Now, before I go any further, I might as well
point out something obvious. Some of the members like Kevin
and Howie were already men in their 20s at this point,
(06:20):
so you may be asking yourselves why did they go
with Backstreet Boys over Backstreet men or less age-specific backstreet
guys or backstreet dudes. Well, it's most likely because alliteration
works when you're trying to sell a product, and you know,
those other names are ridiculous. But years later, AJ would
explain the
Main reason telling the Chicago Tribune boys is kind of
(06:44):
like a slang term. You've got the Beach Boys, they're
in their 50s and 60s, and they're still boys, so
we'll always be Backstreet Boys for the duration of this group.
And there you have it. Almost immediately the boys were
put to the test. Just two weeks after forming, they
played their first official concert on May 8th, 1993 at
SeaWorld of all places. It was grad night. Oh, Pearlman
(07:08):
brought
And Johnny and Donna Wright, a couple of pro managers
to handle the day to day schedule of the group.
They performed at amusement parks, fairs, schools, and malls around
Florida to help build up their chemistry and fan base.
Mercury Records showed some interest in signing Backstreet Boys. However,
their artist John Mellencamp allegedly threatened to leave Mercury if
(07:31):
his label began signing boy bands. Well, John, not cool,
but not long after Backstreet Boys.
Impressed record execs at Jive Records after performing at a
high school in Cleveland and signed the group then and there.
Within a year of forming, Backstreet Boys had a record
deal and were on their way to becoming superstars, but
(07:51):
it wouldn't happen overnight. In June 1995, the members of
Backstreet Boys flew to Stockholm, Sweden to work at Sharon's
studios with producer Dennis Pop, not his real name, and
his protege, a young rock musician turned producer.
named Max Martin, who had achieved some success with homegrown
pop act Ace of Base. To the boys, these Swedes
(08:13):
looked like heavy metal guys plucked out of Metallica, but
they were ready to help. Along with British songwriter Herbert Critchlow,
Pop and Martin had written a song for the young
boy band called We've Got it Going On, a cocky
dance pop track they felt would serve as a proper introduction.
They ran into a problem when 15 year old Nick was.
(08:35):
Able to sing because he was right in the middle
of puberty and his voice was changing at the time.
He would tell Billboard, I was definitely going through puberty
at the time. My voice, where it was at, was
good for certain songs, but then other ones not so much.
It was a very strange time for me, but it
only took the boys 2 days to record the song,
(08:55):
leaving them with more studio time than they needed. Luckily,
Pop and Martin had another song ready for them to
record called Quit Playing Games with My Heart.
Once again, Nick wasn't able to contribute vocals, so Brian
sang both verses himself. A few things about that. The
song would initially be released as a single and on
the album featuring Brian singing the verses. However, in the video,
(09:17):
Nick lip syncs to Brian's voice. It wasn't until a
year later that Max Martin would fly over to Los
Angeles to record Nick's part of the song. Eventually this
version of the song would be included on the re-releases
of the first.
Backstreet Boys albums and because the other members were tired
and had gone back to the hotel, the only voices
(09:38):
to appear on Quit Play Games with My Heart were
those of Kevin and Brian. Their label Jive decided that
the first single should be We've Got it Going On,
a song that had some zest to it. They sent
it out to radio stations worldwide in August 1995, followed
by a single release in stores the following month, and
it virtually did nothing at home in the US.
(10:00):
As Howie would tell Billboard at the time there wasn't
any group like us out there before us was the
new kids on the block, and we were told by
several people that there was a backlash that came about
after them, that radio didn't want another group of a
bunch of boys. The term boy band was created over
in Europe, and we were scared of that coming across
(10:21):
to America with us, which inevitably it did. We always
wanted just to be considered a vocal harmony group.
But that's not how Americans saw them, and the lukewarm
response to we've got it going on sure seemed like
America didn't care about boy bands, that they were a
thing of the past. But a funny thing happened with
Backstreet Boys. Other countries cared. Europe still loved them some
(10:46):
boy bands, and the song climbed the charts in countries
like France, Germany, Austria.
Switzerland and even the UK radio programmers in Canada heard
about this and began playing Backstreet Boys 2, especially in Quebec.
In fact, it is widely suggested that CJFM, a radio
station in Montreal back then known as Mix 96 and
(11:08):
now Virgin 959, helped break Backstreet Boys in North America.
But while they were being ignored back home in the US,
Backstreet Boys were blowing up in Europe, especially Germany, where
their second single, I'll Never Break Your Heart had gone gold,
selling more than 250,000 copies. German fans couldn't get enough
(11:30):
of Backstreet Boys and voted them the favorite.
International Group of the Year. Here they are appearing on
Viva Germany, a free to air music channel where they
introduce themselves and just how young they were. My name
is AJ and I'm 17 and I'm Brian and I'm 20.
I'm Kevin and I'm 23. I'm Howie D and I'm 21.
(11:50):
I'm Nick and I'm 15.
15. And what about school? I mean, we'll have a
tutor come on the road with us, which is a
qualified teacher. Yeah, and then our rifles will be sent
back to the school. This would suck for them too,
because you could just imagine them trying to brag about
(12:10):
their success to their friends and they'd be like, we're
really big in Germany. Yeah, sure you are, Nick.
A couple more singles followed, Get Down, You're the one
for me and Quit playing Games with My Heart, which
were followed by their self-titled debut album in early 1996.
Released in every country but Canada and the US, Backstreet Boys,
the album, later nicknamed the Red Album, would go platinum
(12:34):
and immediately sell 500,000 copies in, you guessed it, Germany.
Just before they released the album in Canada, Backstreet Boys.
played their first Canadian concert at the International Balloon Festival
in Quebec, which, if you didn't know, is Canada's largest
hot air balloon festival. When the boys took the stage,
they were shocked to see 85,000 people singing along to
(12:58):
their songs. Years later, AJ McLean would tell the Huffington Post,
it was really groundbreaking for us. We used to come
back to the US and call it No family.
And because we would go from being on tour in
Europe for thousands of people to coming home to no one.
But we had been focusing a lot on France, which
is where it started to leak back to the French-speaking
(13:19):
provinces of Canada. Then slowly it made its way to
Toronto and filtered down into the US. Detroit, New York,
and Chicago were some of the first US cities to
play us on the radio, and I know it leaked
down from their friends upstate in Canada.
So Canada holds a really special place for us because
it was a huge asset in infiltrating the Backstreet Boys
(13:41):
into the US. Backstreet Boys would spend the end of
1996 and the beginning of 1997 touring across Quebec, eventually
leading them to their first show in Toronto. That same
day in January, they would make their first of many
visits to the Much Music building, where many screaming Canadian
fans were waiting for them.
(14:02):
Big buzz. There's one
You know why? I'll tell you why. Backstreet Boys are.
Speaking to VJ Rick Campanelli, the boys discussed how frenzied
the response had been in Canada.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Girls fainting when you were in uh uh was it
Quebec last year at a mall doing something at a
mall that fainted and made the headlines on that on that.
That's amazing. And you're huge in in Quebec. You're getting
uh like people are starting to pick up on you
all across from coast, but I think you've been, uh,
you've sold 500,000 in Canada. Is that that's that's pretty
(14:41):
amazing and 350.
What what draws the French people to the Backstreet Boys? Well,
I think with with our music, we, it started in
Europe and I think it came from France and the
magazines and stuff and and and that's how I came
to Quebec first before it got everywhere else because we've
(15:02):
been so busy in Europe, we haven't even had a
chance to promote in the United States yet and that's
what we're getting ready to do.
It hasn't been released.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Unfortunately for the group, the album release in the US
would be pushed back for many months. In fact, the
Red album would never receive a proper release in the states,
but the boys kept their momentum going by touring across
Europe and Canada over the first half of 1997.
Backstreet Boys were becoming the biggest thing in music for
young Canadian girls thanks to the constant airplay on Much Music.
(15:39):
The impact the nation's music station had on the rise
of Backstreet Boys in Canada did not go unnoticed by
the group. AJ would tell the Huffington Post about one
major appearance they made, saying, We surprised all our moms.
By flying them out, the TV station was in the
middle of downtown Toronto, and 15 to 20,000 fans showed up.
They were in the streets surrounding the building, and there
(16:01):
were pictures, autographs, screaming, crying. It was such an overwhelming
feeling of wow, this is actually happening, and that was
a moment in Backstreet history I don't think any of
us will forget.
Backstreet boys, come on, let's hear it.
As Jive and Backstreet Boys were gearing up to reintroduce
the group to the US market, the label suggested they
(16:22):
put out a new song written and produced by super
producer Mutt Lang called If You Wanna Be a Good Girl,
Get Yourself a Bad Boy as the first single from
the new version of their album. However, the boys disagreed
with the label and argued against the song, which they
felt was one of the worst ones they had recorded.
While the song would still end up on the album,
in April, they released Quit Playing Games with My Heart,
(16:45):
now featuring Nick, which would eventually become a huge hit
for them, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
To date, it's Backstreet Boys' highest charting song ever, which means, yes,
they have never had a number one hit in America.
Isn't that mind blowing? My mind is blown.
They may have been #2 on the charts, but they
(17:07):
were #1 in our hearts.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Yeah, we're gonna do a little bit more R&B because
the style of music, the mainstream in America is a
little bit more R&B as comparison to Europe and some
other places where it's more popular like producers like Babyface
and yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
That was Howie during a much music interview in early
1997 explaining what the plan was for Backstreet Boys and
the release of their first album in the US. Now
there has always been a bit of confusion over
What happened with Backstreet Boys and their first album in
the United States. As I mentioned earlier, when they first
debuted and released We've Got it Going On, the song
(17:43):
tanked in their home country. Their label Jive immediately put
plans on hold for the group in America and focused
on breaking the group in virtually every other country in
the world. But come 1997, a plan was in place.
Backstreet would record some new songs and Jive would repackage
their debut album.
As an exclusive release just for American fans, but here's
(18:06):
where the confusion comes in. At the same time they
were looking to release this different version of their self-titled album,
Jive had another new album by the group to release
everywhere else. So instead of just putting out their second album,
Backstreet's Back, the label basically took the best songs from
their first two albums and made them into a compilation
for the US. 6 songs from the 1996 Backstreet Boys album.
(18:29):
And 5 from Backstreet's Back. Still with me? To make
matters even more confusing, both the US and international albums
had the same image of the group on the cover. Wait,
there's more. The first single from the album was a
brand new song called Everybody Backstreet's Back. You know the dance.
It became a massive hit and had a cool Halloweeny
(18:51):
video where Brian was a werewolf, Howie was a vampire,
and Kevin was like,
Either Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or Two Faced from Batman,
not sure, but there was resistance about releasing a song
where Backstreet's proclaiming that they're back when in the US,
they were really only introducing themselves. So Jive released it
as a single worldwide, but not immediately in the US
(19:15):
because everybody Backstreet's Back was left off of the US
version of the album. So tough luck for all of
the American.
Fans who bought the album for that song. Naturally, when
the song became a big hit in Canada, it started
getting airplay on radio stations in all of the border cities,
and eventually Jive released it as a single in the
US while later adding it to the album after it
(19:38):
had sold out of its first million copies. Thanks to
the success of bubblegum pop groups like Spice Girls and Hansen,
Backstreet Boys experienced phenomenal
Success once they were properly introduced to the United States market.
In the summer of 1997, Kitty bopper music was all
the rage everywhere, and immediately they were compared to the
(20:00):
boy bands before them like New Kids on the Block.
Here is Kevin at a press conference explaining why Backstreet
Boys were not the next new kids.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Even though a lot of people compared us to new
kids on the block, that's something that
That we feel like set us apart is our vocals. Um,
you know, we're a vocal group. Um, I think New
Kids on the Block were an incredible phenomena, and they
had tons of success all over the world. They were
great entertainers, but I, I think they'd be the first
(20:30):
ones to admit that they weren't a vocal group.
And that's something that we are. Um, we're 5 singers.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Backstreet albums were selling in big numbers all over the
world though, thanks in part to working with current and
future hit makers such as Mutang, Dennis Pop, not his
real name, Max Martin, and PM Don. The American version
of Backstreet Boys would eventually sell more than 13 million copies,
while Backstreet's Back would sell more than 10 million copies worldwide.
(20:58):
With half of that total coming from Europe and a
cool million from Canada. Now the entire world was celebrating
Backstreet Mania, and while for the time it seemed like
Backstreet Boys had the entire boy band market to themselves,
a number of new boy bands began making their debuts.
Lou Pearlman had another male vocal group ready to go
(21:19):
called NSYNC. Not far behind them was 98 Degrees and LFO. Backstreet.
Couldn't help but notice that after all their hard work
convincing the music industry that they were the real deal,
there were now all of these new boy bands looking
to take a piece of the pie they had
baked.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
It is flattering to us like how I said, but
in a way it's kind of frustrating at the same
time that we, we, it did take a while for
us to break the doors down at radio stations, um,
at the different music channels to play our videos and
stuff and
It's like once um something becomes successful, it's like every
(21:56):
record company has to get their version of, of that
successful thing that's happening at the time and it
It floods the market and oversaturates it and it's kind
of frustrating to me, but at the same time, I
think it also keeps everybody in check and keeps the
quality level up because there is kind of a little
(22:16):
competition
factor.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Just as Backstreet Boys were riding high and about to
embark on their first major world tour that included the US,
the group experienced a scare when doctors discovered that Brian
had a.
genital hole in his heart causing it to enlarge to
dangerous proportions. The group began the Backstreet's back tour but
took a break to allow Brian to undergo open heart
(22:39):
surgery and spend 8 weeks recovering. When the group returned
to the stage, paramedics were standing by during each concert
to assist Brian if he required oxygen or suffered from
any kind of health complications. Things weren't about to get
any
Better for Brian, he discovered there were massive discrepancies in
what the band earned and what they were paid by
(23:01):
their manager Lou Pearlman. Brian pointed it out to his
manager and asked him to make it right, but his
request went ignored, so he hired an attorney and filed
a lawsuit against Lou Pearlman and Transcontinental for misappropriation and
concealment of revenues generated by the group. The suit alleged
that Perlman had only paid members of
(23:22):
Backstreet Boys $300,000 of the $10 million they made between
1993 and 1997, Perlman argued that he invested $3 million
in Backstreet Boys upon their launch in 1993. At first,
the other members questioned Brian about his motives, even asking
him if he was trying to break up the band.
(23:43):
But soon after, Howie, Kevin, and AJ would all later
join Bryan's lawsuit.
In an interview with Yahoo, members explained how they came
to recognize there was something fishy going on, with Brian saying,
I remember doing two sold out European shows. I get
home and I've got $88,000 in my bank account. That
was more than I'd ever seen in my life, but
(24:05):
on the other hand, why wasn't it 3 or 4
times that? Then I started doing the math.
Added Kevin, Lou was taking 1/6 of everything. He was
taking a 25% management commission and he was being recouped
all of his expenses. That's called triple dipping, and as
a manager, it's a breach of fiduciary duty and it's illegal.
(24:27):
Lou was pinning us against each other. I own the name,
I own the copyright, your next album won't come out.
Eventually the boys received compensation through multiple settlements, but more
lawsuits would be launched.
Astonishingly, Perlman would stay on as their manager. He would, however,
relieve Johnny and Donna Wright as the boys' day to
(24:47):
day managers. On top of all that, the group would
also suffer multiple personal losses that year. Dennis Pop, who
helped write and produce some of the group's biggest hits,
died in August 1998 after a bout with stomach cancer.
Howie's older sister Caroline passed away from a battle with
lupus while two members of Kevin's.
(25:08):
The family also died. 1998 would be the hardest year
in Backstreet Boys' history, but they would use this adversity
to become one of the biggest artists on the planet
in less than one year. Backstreet Boys didn't waste any
time in getting back into the studio to make their
next album, but just before they did, the city of
(25:28):
Orlando honored the Five Boys for raising $250,000 in relief
for the victims of a devastating tornado.
The area they were awarded the key to the city,
and October 7th was declared Backstreet Boys' Day in Orlando.
Weeks later, they flew to Sweden to team back up
with Max Martin, but the group were feeling the pressure
(25:49):
early on in the process. Kevin would tell Elle, we
had just finally broken in the United States. This was
going to be our 3rd album in Europe, but it
was only gonna be our 2nd album in the United States,
so there was a lot of pressure, a lot of
anticipation for our 2nd.
Record. Max Martin and Andreas Carlson played them a demo
for a song called I Want It That Way. It
(26:12):
was different from the usual Backstreet Boys songs in that
it wasn't an R&B style ballad or an energetic dance
pop song. Instead, the song leads in with a soft
guitar riff that was unlike anything else they'd done before.
The boys immediately loved it. They could hear that it
was a bona fide hit. There was just something about
(26:32):
it that seemed off.
Ultimately, the song doesn't really make much sense. Kevin would
tell LA Weekly, there are a lot of songs out
there like that that don't make sense, he continued, but
make you feel good when you sing along to them,
and that's one of them.
Part of the problem was that songwriter Max Martin being
from Sweden, primarily spoke Swedish, so English was not his
(26:54):
first language, and so something was lost in translation, but
because the song was so good, the label brought in
Mutt Lang to try and rework it to make more sense.
I had a chance to talk about this with Howie D.
Before I get to that, uh, here's how I imagine
my teenage self would have reacted to me getting to
(27:14):
talk to a Backstreet boy.
Anyway, here is Howie telling me about how that all unfolded.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
When we
recorded the song, um, I remember after us singing it,
it was like, OK, this is interesting. It doesn't make 100%
sense when you listen to the lyrics, but there's a
good flow to it. I wonder what's gonna happen with this.
And sure enough, um, our record label asked for us
(27:43):
to allow Matt Lang.
Uh, to come in and do a rewrite on the song.
And actually, believe it or not, that song, the rewrite
is gonna be on the, the new, uh, released Millennium
record as well. That's one I considered one of the demos.
But yeah, so anyway, so we rerecorded the song with
the new lyrics that made a bit more sense, but
it was so interesting how music is just has a
(28:05):
way of its own, just, you know, hitting you or
not hitting you. And the lyrics.
No, no, nothing against the lyrics, but the lyrics actually
lost the feel of the music. And so us along
with the record label, discussed it in depth and said,
you know, we're willing to gamble with this song. And
(28:26):
even though it doesn't make 100%, you know, sense, our
most grammatically correct English, let's go with it, because it
has the feel. And look, lo and behold, it's our
Speaker 1 (28:36):
biggest song. The group believed that everything else about the song,
it's potent hook.
Strong melodies, the different styles of arrangement, and the vocal
performances from the group mattered more than a nonsensical lyric.
But just in case you were wondering what the difference
is between the two versions, here's my basically best friend
Howie breaking it down.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
It's the words. So the music was exactly the same.
I think it was, um, instead of tell me why
it was.
No goodbyes. Um, and so, I never wanna hear you say,
I want it that way. I think it was, I
love it when I hear you say, I want it
that way.
So it definitely gave it a different bit of a twist.
I mean, it made it more of like a love song, uh,
(29:19):
for a person. Uh, but now like I say, the,
the angriness of the lyrics being so kind of out
there and not knowing, it kind of leads up to
anybody's interpretation of what they, what they want the song
to mean to them.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
How he's actually right about that. The lyrics making little
sense actually become a real talking point and perhaps even
a selling point for fans when the song was released.
On April 12, 1999. When you sing those words, go
ahead and try it. They don't really work, but isn't
that part of the fun? And while people quickly picked
up on the lyrical gaffe, nobody really cared. I Want
(29:54):
It That Way felt like a different kind of boy
band song. It had a maturity running through it. It
had one of the most irresistible hooks ever. It had
a defining opening line.
That would make it immediately identifiable, not to mention the
(30:15):
refrain of Tell me why in the chorus. It's my
go to karaoke song for a reason, and yes, I
do sing all the parts. I Want It That Way,
had everything going for it, which explains why it became
a smash hit upon its release. It was everywhere on
the radio, on MTV, and much music, nonstop. It topped
(30:35):
the charts in the UK.
Europe, specifically Germany, Italy, and Switzerland, and reached number 2
in Canada, Australia, and their home away from home, Sweden. Surprisingly,
I Want It That Way only reached number 6 on
the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, but it essentially
went to number 1 on other charts like Top 40, uh,
(30:56):
pop and Adult Contemporary. The song would also earn Grammy
nominations for Song of the Year, Record of the Year,
and Best Pop Performance.
By a duo or group with vocals. All of a sudden,
Backstreet Boys weren't just a boy band, they had become
the male vocal group they aspired to be. They had
put out a song that legitimized their craft. A large
(31:18):
part of the song's success was its music video shot
at LAX by director Wayne Isham. The video featured the
boys performing their new song in different parts of the airport,
including outside the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
Which they filled with smiling and crying fans holding up
signs with messages like kisses for Kevin and Nick. Fans
(31:41):
were invited to attend the video shoot through a contest
held by Kiss FM in Los Angeles. One of those
fans who won, Laurie Miono, would tell Billboard, I had
a suspicion that the radio host Jo Jo Wright was
playing some sick April Fool's prank on us, but once
there we were bussed into the hanger. I can't even
describe the
Thrill of hearing their new song for the first time
(32:03):
in their presence. The boys were so sweet throughout, chatting, hugging,
and taking pictures with fans. The video was so big
in pop culture that the group have since been memorialized
at LAX. If you visit the airport just outside the
Tom Bradley International Terminal, is a giant pillar with the
faces of AJ, Brian, Howie, Kevin, and Nick, all welcoming
(32:24):
visitors to the City of Angels. I Want It That
Way would be no.
for 4 MTV Music Video Awards in 2000 and take
home Viewers Choice. That same year, it would also win
them a Much Music Video Award for People's Choice favorite
international group, but perhaps even more important than that was
in how the video was parodied by Blink 182 for
(32:45):
their song All the Small Things just a few months later.
That song would become a big hit too, with a
lot of its success having to do with the video,
which spoofs multiple boy band videos.
You may remember hearing all of that in last season's
episode of Encore, where we shared the story behind that song.
Within months, Backstreet Boys' humongous hit was already influencing the
(33:05):
work of other artists, though it would take Weird Al
Yankovic another 4 years to give the boys the ultimate
tribute with his parody song, eBay. My house is filled
with this crap, shows up in bubble wrap.
Every day what I bought on eBay. What an honor
(33:29):
that must have been and to have me sing it now.
So that one, there are a few really like heavier tunes.
This one is, is a, we really like it. Like
we've all been kind of like, yeah, it's really catchy,
really catchy, the first thing, but uh there's a couple
of other ones there that are a little bit harder hitting.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
And so why did you choose to go
with that one for the first saving those, you know,
don't wanna.
Give everything we got at a bridge and the harder stuff.
So it's a good bridge. Like you say, you hit
them off right off the very being with something different.
Sometimes people are like, yeah, they like it, and sometimes
if they don't like it, then they may not get
(34:06):
the rest of the album.
It's, it's like coming out with Backstreet's back straight from
the get-go on the last album. As great of a
song and it symbolic for the group, it might not
have been the right choice straight off the bat. So
quit playing games you up and it's a really radio
loved record, and then that's when you come in with
the
You know, the
knockout.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
That was the Backstreet Boys explaining to Much Music's Rachel
Perry why they chose I Want It That Way as
the lead single for Millennium, the second Backstreet Boys album
according to Americans, and the third Backstreet Boys album according
to the rest of the world. Released on May 18, 1999,
Millennium went on to sell more than 24 million albums worldwide,
(34:47):
making one of the best selling albums of all time.
10 million of those copies sold would come from the US.
Alone in 1999, making it the highest selling album of
that year. Critics were still skeptical of the group, but
both Entertainment Weekly and Spin awarded it minus grades, singling
out I Want It That Way as the bubblegum ballad
(35:08):
of the year and so candy it will hit your
pleasure center and the pop charts. What music writers thought
didn't really matter though. Backstreet would embark on the Into
the Millennium Tour one month after the release of the album,
selling out 1.
15 shows that they played in 84 international cities. To date,
(35:28):
I Want It That Way has been streamed nearly 2
billion times on Spotify, and that was just by me. Uh,
while the video has been viewed more than 1.6 billion
times on YouTube, it is without a doubt Backstreet Boys'
signature song, and it's never really gone away. Every now
and then it floats back into the public's consciousness when
(35:48):
one of the members is interviewed, and of course they
are asked about the song or it appears.
On lists like Rolling Stone's 100 greatest pop songs of
all time, it was number 10, or Complex's 30 Best
Boy Band songs where it came second after NSYNC's Bye
Bye Bye, which I totally disagree with. I could do
an entire other podcast about that. But it was also
(36:09):
on my favorite list, the 19 greatest key changes in
music history by Shortlist.com, where it was ranked number 5.
I suppose Cisco's Thong Song may have had the better
key change, sure. The song was also singled out.
A genre transcending classic by Rolling Stone in its readers'
poll of the best boy bands of all time. In
(36:30):
case you are wondering, and I know you are, here
is the top 5 in that poll at number 5, NSYNC.
Number 4, the Jackson 5. Number 3, New Kids on
the Block. Number 2, The Beatles. Interesting move in calling
them a boy band. But at number 1, Backstreet Boys. Yes,
you heard it, folks. Backstreet Boys are better than the Beatles.
(36:50):
I've always said that. But the best thing about the
See if I want it that way is just how
casually it appears in pop culture 1015, 20, even 25
years after its release. As I mentioned earlier, there was
a hilarious cold open to an episode of Brooklyn 99
where Andy Samberg's character Jake Peralta, he has perps in
a police lineup sing I Want It That Way to
(37:11):
help a victim identify the suspect's voice. I heard him.
He was singing along to the music at the bar.
Do you remember what he was singing? I think it
was that song I Want It That Way Backstreet Boys.
I'm familiar. OK.
Number one, could you please sing the opening to I
Want It That Way? Really? OK. Naturally, Sandberg can't contain
himself in the moment. It is so good. Remember Arthur,
(37:34):
the beloved animated, anthropomorphic aardvark. The video for I Want
It That Way was featured in an episode where Arthur's
sister DW imagined the boys as bunnies and aardvarks, a
classic moment in television history, and it stole the show
in Magic Mike.
XXL when Joe Maganello performed a striptease to I Want
(37:55):
It That Way in the convenience store. Cheetos and water, anyone? Uh,
it has also been used to sell everything from flaming
hot Doritos and Chipotle to the Samsung Galaxy and Downy
Rinse and Refresh. Naturally. Out of nowhere, the song went
viral just because Chrissy Teigen posted about it on Twitter
when she was pondering what the meaning was behind it,
(38:16):
you know, like we all have. In 2018.
The supermodel and entrepreneur, she tweeted out to the universe,
I never want to hear you say I want it
that way cause I want it that way. He doesn't
want to 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? It seems they
both want it the same way, but are fighting over
(38:38):
who gets to say they want it that way. Luckily
for Chrissy, Backstreet Boys put her mind at ease and
issued a response later that day, tweeting,
Don't want to hear you say that you want heartaches
and mistakes or to be two 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.
(39:00):
Perhaps the coolest and most convincing way in which I
want it that way, proof that it transcends genres and
generations came when Backstreet Boys performed their hit at the
Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary concert special this year. The Backstreet.
The crowd was filled with comedy's biggest names like Amy Poehler,
(39:21):
Seth Meyers, Adam Sandler, Kristen Wiig, Jon Hamm, Maya Rudolph,
and Paul Rudd, to name a few, all of whom
were singing their hearts out. And, OK, Pedro Pascal wasn't singing,
but the smile on his face, he was experiencing so
much joy in that very moment. But most surprising was
when Brian shoved the mic into Jerry.
Seinfeld's face and forced him to sing ain't nothing but
(39:43):
a mistake. I gotta say that was gold, Jerry, gold.
To commemorate the phenomenal success of Millennium in the summer
of 2025, Backstreet Boys will be taking their show to
the state of the art sphere venue in Las Vegas.
There they will present their music as a visual spectacle
and make it an immersive experience while
(40:03):
Taking their fans on a trip down memory lane by
performing the Millennium album and fan favorites. In addition to that,
they're also re-releasing the album as Millennium 2.0, featuring additional tracks,
including the long awaited alternate version of I Want It
That Way, otherwise known as No Goodbyes. So finally, people
will be able to hear the official and correct version
(40:25):
of I Want It That.
And truly decide which way they actually want it. But
I have a feeling I know which way it's gonna go.
I'm Ruby Carr and you've been listening to Encore and
the story of Backstreet Boys. I want it that way.
Thank you so much for listening and new episodes every Thursday,
so make sure you like and subscribe. Do we still
say that on podcasts? Encore is an iHeart Radio Canada podcast.
(40:50):
Download the free I Heart Radio app and subscribe.
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