The verses feel overstuffed and ordinary, and the chorus isn't nearly as satisfying. Makes more sense, doesn't it? But here's the thing: The song isn't as good. No more lies (ain't nothing but a mistake) No goodbyes (ain't nothing but a heartache) So if the lyrics don't make sense, why are they even there? "There are a lot of songs out there like that that don't make sense," Richardson theorizes, "but make you feel good when you sing along to them, and that's one of them." Surely is, and the point is driven home by an existing alternate version of the song with more coherent lyrics-a much simpler love song, with a much more comprehensive chorus: Instead, you get the group rebuffing the song's recurring refrain entirely, declaring that they hope their beloved never makes the titular declaration. The first two lines, addressing the love in question as a "heartbreak" and a "mistake" are in line with the progression of the verses until that point, but you'd expect it to then lead to another sort of "even still, I want it that way" conclusion at chorus's end. The chorus would appear to be in direct opposition to the rest of the song. Tell me why (I never want to hear you say) Tell me why (Ain't nothing but a mistake)
Tell me why (Ain't nothing but a heartbreak)
making for a powerful message of passion overruling (or at least battling) practical difficulties.īut then, the chorus throws a wrench into things: Still, at least there's the original fire and desire keeping things together. But as the song goes on, it becomes kind of a bummer, as what seemed to start out as a wedding-type eternal-love declaration is troubled by distance-probably geographical, more likely emotional, but troubling enough that it's already seen as "too late" for the relationship. The "I want it that way"s serve as connectors between the verses, always referring back to the happiness and warm feelings (no pun intended) of the original verse and its "fire"/"desire" feelings. The phrase "I want it that way," which ends not only the song's opening stanza but every subsequent stanza throughout the song (including in the chorus), is similarly devoid of inherent meaning, but it's used recurringly as a kind of conclusive phrase, always calling back to those first two lines, as the song gets gradually more despairing in nature: Does it work? Well.do you still remember all the words to the song? When it comes to pop megahits, 99% of the time, big and obvious is the name of the game-you want your song to be easily digested by as much of the population as possible, so why risk alienating your audience by making your song difficult to understand? What "I Want it That Way" does is to sacrifice obvious coherence in favor of lyrics that sound good and strike as instantly memorable, even if they don't add up to a clear thesis statement, and trusts that the melody and emotion of the song will be enough to get the point across. Songs as popular as "I Want It That Way" don't usually traffic in ambiguities. Quick question for you: What is the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way," one of our Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time contestants, about? Don't bother prepping a whole essay on the subject or anything-we'll have that covered for you soon enough-but if you were to summarize the lyrical content of "I Want it That Way" in one sentence, how would you do it? Would you be able to do it at all? Would you have to sing through all the lyrics to yourself first? Even if you know all the words by heart, have you ever actually stopped to consider what they mean? And perhaps most importantly: Do you have any clue what "That Way" is?