Everyone remembers the white outfits. Honestly, if you close your eyes and think about the late nineties, you probably see five guys standing on a tarmac in baggy, monochromatic clothes. It’s a visual that has been burned into the collective consciousness of a generation. The I Want It That Way video song didn't just promote a single; it essentially codified what a boy band was supposed to look like for the next thirty years.
It’s weird, right?
There is no plot. There are no love interests. There isn’t even a clear reason why they are at the airport other than the fact that Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) looked cool on 35mm film in 1999. Yet, this music video has racked up over a billion views on YouTube, outlasting almost every other relic of the TRL era.
The Mystery of the Nonsense Lyrics
Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way: the song makes zero sense. You’ve probably spent years trying to figure out if they want it "that way" or if they don't want it that way. Max Martin, the legendary songwriter behind the track, wasn't a native English speaker at the time. He prioritized the "phonetic brilliance" of the words over their literal meaning.
The video doubles down on this ambiguity. Director Joseph Kahn, who has worked with everyone from Taylor Swift to Eminem, leaned into the abstract. When you watch the I Want It That Way video song, you aren't watching a story. You’re watching a mood. Kahn famously mentioned in interviews that the label wanted something "big," and nothing says big like the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
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- The song says "You are my fire."
- Then it says "The one desire."
- But then it says "I never want to hear you say... I want it that way."
Wait. So do they want it that way? Or do they hate it? It doesn’t matter. The visual of Nick Carter’s center-parted hair blowing in the wind at the airport hangar sells the emotion better than a dictionary ever could.
Behind the Scenes at LAX
Filming at a major international airport is a logistical nightmare. Even in 1999, before the world changed, getting a film crew, five superstars, and hundreds of screaming fans onto a tarmac was a feat of engineering. They filmed at the Tom Bradley International Terminal and a nearby hangar.
The "fans" at the end of the video? Those weren't all paid extras. Word leaked that the Backstreet Boys were at LAX, and real fans started showing up. The producers decided to just keep them. It added an authentic layer of "Beatlemania" that feels remarkably grounded compared to the glossy, high-budget CGI we see in videos today.
The wardrobe was a deliberate choice. In an era of neon and grunge leftovers, the decision to put AJ, Howie, Nick, Kevin, and Brian in all-white suits was a massive risk that paid off. It made them look like Greek gods of pop. Or perhaps just very stylish pilots. Either way, it created a high-contrast aesthetic that popped on the low-resolution cathode-ray tube televisions of the time.
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Why We Still Care Decades Later
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, but it’s not the only reason the I Want It That Way video song stays relevant. It’s the perfect parody target. From Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s famous lineup scene to blink-182’s "All The Small Things" video, the tropes established here are universal.
The "power walk."
The "reaching out to the camera" hand gesture.
The "formation" dancing that isn't actually dancing, but more like synchronized yearning.
The video captures a specific moment in tech history, too. You see the massive planes, but no one has a smartphone. There are no social media tags. It represents the peak of the "Mass Media" era where one video could capture the entire world's attention for three minutes and thirty-three seconds.
The Technical Brilliance of Joseph Kahn
While we joke about the lack of plot, Kahn’s technical execution was flawless. He used a lot of "long lenses," which compresses the background and makes the planes look like they are right on top of the singers. This creates a sense of scale. If they had filmed this in a studio with a green screen, it would have felt hollow. By being on the actual tarmac, the wind is real. The grit is real. The massive Boeing 747 looming behind them provides a physical weight to the music.
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Interestingly, the video was shot in April 1999 and premiered on MTV’s Total Request Live in May. It stayed at number one for weeks. It basically broke the show’s voting system.
How to Revisit the Magic
If you’re going back to watch it today, don’t just look for the memes. Look at the lighting. The transition from the interior airport shots—bathed in cool blues and metallic silvers—to the warm, golden-hour glow of the tarmac is a masterclass in color grading.
- Watch for AJ McLean’s sunglasses: A total 90s staple.
- Observe the "V" formation: This became the standard for every K-pop and Western boy band that followed.
- Listen for the key change: When the plane in the background seems to lift off right as the song hits its climax. It’s cinematic perfection.
The I Want It That Way video song remains a touchstone of pop culture because it didn't try to be "cool" in a gritty way. It embraced the melodrama. It understood that pop music is about feeling something big and inexplicable, even if you’re just standing in a parking lot for airplanes.
Next Steps for Pop Culture Junkies:
To truly appreciate the impact of this video, you should compare it side-by-side with blink-182’s "All The Small Things" to see exactly which shots they were mocking. Then, check out the 4K remastered version on the Backstreet Boys' official YouTube channel. The level of detail in the fabric of those white suits is surprisingly high-definition for a 27-year-old video. If you're a musician, try analyzing Max Martin’s "melodic math"—the song follows a very specific structural pattern that he still uses today for artists like Taylor Swift and The Weeknd.