'On the other hand, I like the original version. That's why they recorded the other version of the song with different words,' Smith answered a fan on an archived site he ran on the band until 2001.

According to the band's former keyboardist Tommy Smith, it's an alternate version that was recorded when many noticed the chorus for the Martin-written song didn't make sense. The band recorded a more romantic version of 'I Want It That Way.' It isn't the original version of the song. 'The track was co-written by Swedish songwriter Max Martin, who remains a one-man wrecking crew hit maker.'Ī screenshot from the music video for 'I Want It That Way.' It's an old video, so forgive the blurriness. 'Ultimately the song really doesn't really make much sense,' band member Kevin Richardson admitted to LA Weekly in 2011. The lyrics were written by a Swedish songwriter whose English at the time was rusty, according to Kevin Richardson The real mind-boggling question is why the Backstreet Boys didn't own up to that and tell Teigen the real story behind why those lyrics are so darn confusing. But honestly, you should stop analyzing the lyrics to this song because they were never supposed to make sense. You could argue that a guy is telling a girl that he doesn't want to hear her say he wants them anywhere but on the same page.

Then band member AJ McLean told Entertainment Tonight the lyrics mean 'whatever each individual's interpretation is.' '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.' 'Don't wanna hear you say that you want heartaches and mistakes… or to be 2 worlds apart,' the official BSB account tweeted.

The Backstreet Boys gave Teigen an answer that made everything more confusing for many. 'He wants to be the one to say it? Also what is 'it''? 'He doesn't wanna hear it because he is the one that wants it that way?' Chrissy Teigen tweeted in 2018, puzzled about the lyric's meanings. Then we get to the chorus, and we're completely lost. Cool.Ī little more muddy, but perhaps the girlfriend is suggesting in this situation the guy actually wants them to be 'two worlds apart.' Or maybe the girl is saying she wants to break things off. At this point, they're singing about wanting to be in a relationship with someone who sets their heart aflame.

Tell me why ain't nothin