Backstreet Boys – Reading Between The Lines

On a recent roadtrip, Lindsay and I decided it would be fun to have a bit of a singalong. Since she had actually seen them in concert back in the day (I’m STILL jealous), I didn’t have any qualms putting Backstreet Boys: The Hits – Chapter One in the CD player. For the uninitiated, or for those with “musical taste”, Chapter One was essentially the Backstreet Boys’ first “greatest hits” album – I say “first”, because there’s bound to be another, even though they haven’t really had a “hit” since the albums covered by this disc. In any case, the odd thing about the collection is that the songs aren’t listed in any meaningful order – or are they? Usually, a common approach to these collections is to list the songs chronologically, so that you can hear the evolution of the artist’s sound. Here, however, they just jump around between the self-titled debut, Millennium, and Black & Blue. After a while, however, I began to see a narrative taking shape. After a closer listen, I decided to get down to what the collection was really trying to say.

1) I Want It That Way: It’s clear why this was the lead track, as this was hands-down their biggest hit. The song, however, makes no sense whatsoever. Sure, you can try to say that you know what it means, but even by pop standards, it makes no sense. This is further exacerbated by the fact that there’s a European cut that flips the script on the entire song – instead of “tell me why I never wanna hear you say”, it’s “tell me why I love it when I hear you say”. That version even changes up the lyrics. And no, it’s not a remix, as they’re both marketed as “I Want It That Way”. Talk about a cultural divide! So, bottom line is it’s a catchy tune, that heralded the release of their second album, Millennium, which broke the record for most units moved in one day (which was later surpassed by ‘NSYNC). Fine choice for #1 on the album.

2) Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) [Extended Version]:  Again, this placement is a no-brainer. While “I Want It That Way” was their biggest single, “Everybody” is the song that put them on the map. A lot of people don’t realize that this track wasn’t initially on their debut album. If you were one of the early birds to get the album, the track doesn’t exist. The song came out in the spring of ’97, as it was the lead single on their second European album, Backstreet’s Back. When the single took off, it was added to the later pressings of the US version. Anyway, as a career-making single, it’s fine at #2 on the disc.

3) As Long As You Love Me: This is where it gets interesting. By no means is this their next most successful single. Sure, it was popular, along with it’s face morph music video, but it wasn’t as big as some of the songs that would come on the next album. That’s where I start to notice a narrative. You can either decide they’re singing to their fans OR to a particular girl. Either way, the result’s the same. This is where the begging starts. Desparate to begin this courtship, BSB start pleading their case. They don’t care about past transgressions. She could’ve been a whore, a dancer, or a Mormon – it’s all forgiven as long as she loves them. This begging continues for the next four tracks:

4) Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely: Things don’t seem to be going so well for BSB. They’re feeling a little down in the dumps, but they’re not giving up yet. And they’re seeing dead people everywhere!

5) Quit Playing Games (With My Heart): Pulling themselves up by the bootstraps, BSB have decided that they’ve had enough, and they deserve better than what they’ve been getting. Girl, you’d better figure out if we’re gonna do this or not! I’m a MAN!

6) All I Have To Give: Uh-oh, they’re begging again. She must’ve caught them digging through her trash. They’re so distraught here that their grammar’s all over the place! “Does his gifts come from the heart?” And y’all wonder why she won’t return your calls! She was an English major!

7) Larger Than Life: A happier, bombastic tune. Not only do things seem better in the relationship, but it’s a thank you song. BSB realize they couldn’t have gotten here without her/us. Sure, it’s a thank you note to the fans, but it also works in a more intimate context. The video, however, had NOTHING to do with this, preferring 90s production values and creating a dance party on a space station. Sentiment’s still there…somewhere.

8 ) I’ll Never Break Your Heart: Now that everything’s going well, this is the “rose petals leading to the bedroom” song. BSB decided to turn down the lights for something a little romantic. A declarative song, they promise they’ll never do any wrong. It’s us, together forever baby!

9) The Call: AAANNNNNNDDD they fuck it all up. Apparently, the relationship was going too well, and they got bored. So, they decided to sing an entire song elaborating how they were now cheating. It would’ve seemed edgy had Usher not cornered the “boastful cad” market prior to the song’s release. Nothing indicates the peak of a career more than the moment the artist turns on his fans. Up to this point, BSB had declared their love for each and every young girl in the world. They’d begged and pleaded. Now, they’re telling all these girls how they’re cheating on them with their cuter, skinnier friend. You know, the one who goes down all the time. But don’t worry – they’ll be home when they’re done. BSB never quite bounced back from that boastful ditty.

10) Shape of My Heart: So, it seems she’s given the guys a second chance. After all, it was just that one time, and his phone really was dropping out – the battery was low! So now they’re back to begging. They’re apologizing without going into detail about what it is they did. It’s like a Hollywood press conference: “Looking back on the things I’ve done, I was trying to be someone. I played my part – kept you in the dark. Now, let me show you the shape of my heart.” Can’t you just see someone reading that, as Gloria Allred stands next to them?

11) The One: Now that the scandal has settled down, they’re back to making promises. Basically, they’re reiterating everything said in “I’ll Never Break Your Heart”, but to a peppier beat. If they were married, this is the part where they’d start talking about having another baby, ’cause that’ll solve alllllll their problems…

12) More Than That: A reiteration of promises. This is the kind of sentiment that follows her catching them looking at the babysitter the wrong way:

“Do you think she’s prettier than me?!! I see how you look at her!”

“No, baby! Who wants to be around pert breasts and a youthful outlook? Surely, you jest!”

13) Drowning: So, how does this tale end? Well, we don’t know. Instead of resolving the narrative, the album ends with “Drowning”. The trick to this song is that it’s really just BSB saying “Who do those O-Town kids think they are? Let’s show ’em how it’s done”. From a music theory perspective, Drowning is really just another interpretation of O-Town’s “All Or Nothing”, complete with the same piano intro. They’re really earnest about it, so as to keep us from realizing it’s the same song, but I know better!

So, I guess if you want to know whatever happened to this storied relationship, you’d have to buy their more recent albums. Yeah, I knew you didn’t care that much. You really should buy ’em, just to help Nick Carter buy a new trailer.