So, The Backstreet Boys Finally Admitted That 'I Want It That Way' Makes No Sense

It's almost two decades old, but the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" is still a glorious trip down the vortex of nostalgia. But have you ever stopped to wonder: What exactly is this pop gem actually about? 

Well, it turns out the comeback band don't have an answer for that because Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean and Brian Littrell didn't even know what it meant in the late '90s when they released the song.

In a new interview with the Huffington Post in promotion for their recent partnership with Chex-Mix, the surprise 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival performers spilled a little on the song's backstory, admitting that the Max Martin-produced cut didn't make much sense at the time. 

"Well it's funny, we actually were OK with the lyrics when we heard it first," Carter revealed. "And then the president of JIVE records at that time ― I mean he's a genius ― but he and some of the A&R people wanted to change the lyrics."

"To make the song make more sense," Richardson added.

BSB ended up hiring some producers to "redo the song," but decided that the original rendition of the future pop hit was the better choice. "I don’t think that it would have ended up the way that it did had we gone with the proper version. I guess you could say, you know, the one that made sense," McLean said.

If you want more Backstreet Boys, click here for details on how you can watch the band on the Honda stage at the iHeartRadio Theater LA. Take a listen to both versions of "I Want It That Way" below!

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