The song was chosen to be the first single very early on, prior to any lyrics being written. debut, the group got started working on songs for their next album in late 1998. The music video received four VMA nominations, winning Viewer's Choice.Īfter the monumental success of their first two albums, as well as their U.S. 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 received famous parodies, including Blink 182 on their music video for 'All the Small Things', Big Time Rush on their music video for 'Like Nobody's Around', their music video for 'Worldwide', and The Wanted on their video for 'Walks Like Rihanna'. In the United States, the song peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for eight non-consecutive weeks, while it topped the Adult and Top 40 Mainstream 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. 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. It was later released on the group's greatest hits album, The Hits: Chapter One in 2001.Ĭritically, the song was met with positive reception, with many critics commending its catchiness, also calling it the pop ballad of the year.

The song was heavily played on the radio, with the video (directed by Wayne Isham) also being heavily played. The pop ballad talks about a relationship strained by matters of emotional or physical distance. The song was written by Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson, with Martin and Kristian Lundin producing. 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 the Backstreet Boys.

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