I Want It That Way

"I Want It That Way" is a song by American boy band Backstreet Boys. It was released on April 12, 1999, as the lead single from their third studio album, Millennium. It was written by Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson, while Martin and Kristian Lundin produced it. The pop ballad tells of a romantic relationship strained by emotional or physical distance.

Critically, the song was met with a positive reception, with many critics commending its catchiness and calling it the pop ballad of the year. 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. 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".^[2]

"I Want It That Way" is the Backstreet Boys' signature song, and commercially it reached the number-one spot in more than 25 countries,^[3] including Austria, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The single topped the Eurochart Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks.^[4] 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 AC and Mainstream Top 40 charts.

The song has been widely covered and parodied by a range of artists, including other boy bands such as JLS and One Direction. Likewise, its music video, directed by Wayne Isham, received many parodies, most notably by Blink-182 in their music video for "All the Small Things". The original music video received four VMA nominations, winning Viewer's Choice. In 2021, "I Want It That Way" became the group's first music video to reach one billion views on YouTube.^[5]