☝️ Key Points
- The song is about strong love and desire, expressed through the chorus 'You're my fire, The one desire'
- The romantic relationship in the song couldn't happen due to distance ('Two worlds apart') and unrequited love ('Can't reach to your heart')
- The singer's pain and disappointment over the situation is conveyed through the lines 'Ain't nothin' but a heartache... Ain't nothin' but a mistake'
- Over time, the relationship has changed ('Now I can see that we've fallen apart, From the way that it used to be, yeah')
- Despite the difficulties, the singer still holds onto his love and wants to maintain it ('I want it that way') despite all the perceived 'mistakes' and 'heartaches'
Interpretation
The song 'I Want It That Way' by the
Backstreet Boys is about a complicated love. In the opening lines of the song, 'You are my fire, The one desire', the singer expresses strong feelings for someone. This person is their 'fire', their only 'desire'. Despite these intense feelings, the two are 'two worlds apart' and cannot be together. The line 'Can't reach to your heart' suggests unrequited love.
The chorus 'Tell me why, Ain't nothin' but a heartache, Tell me why, Ain't nothin' but a mistake' shows the singer's pain and disappointment over the situation. They can't understand why the love is not reciprocated and see it as a 'mistake' and 'heartache'.
The lines 'Now I can see that we've fallen apart, From the way that it used to be, yeah' suggest that their relationship has changed over time and is no longer as it once was. Despite this change and distance ('No matter the distance'), the singer assures the loved one that they are still their 'one desire'.
The song ends with the repeated chorus, emphasizing the singer's strong longing and pain. Despite the difficulties and considering the relationship as a 'mistake' and 'heartache', the singer insists that they want it 'that way'. This suggests that despite everything, they still believe in love and are willing to fight for it.