Backstreet’s back, alright! The Backstreet Boys just sent fans straight back to 1999 by recreating the music video for their signature hit “I Want It That Way” — and yes, the nostalgia hits immediately.
The legendary boy band surprised fans by releasing a brand-new vertical version of the iconic video 26 years after the original debuted. The updated clip mirrors the instantly recognizable airport setting that helped cement the song as a pop classic, complete with the group dressed head to toe in white and standing in front of a plane inside an airplane hangar.
The recreated video was shared across the band’s social media accounts, where fans quickly caught on that this wasn’t just a throwback, but a full-circle moment tied to the group’s ongoing celebration of their legacy. According to the Backstreet Boys, the idea came together while they were filming promotional content for their upcoming tour and felt a wave of late-’90s nostalgia wash over them.
“We were on the set of our tour promo production and started to really feel that 1999 nostalgia,” the group shared in the caption. They explained that the performance was captured in one continuous take at the end of two long days of shooting, calling the final result “pretty magical,” per Tribune.
Fans Say the Nostalgia Hit Hard
It didn’t take long for the comment section to fill up with emotional reactions from fans of all ages. Many longtime listeners said the recreated video instantly transported them back to their teenage years.
“My 16 years old self is crying with joy,” one fan wrote. Another added, “Made me feel a teenager again. I love them infinitely.” Others pointed out how the song continues to connect generations, with one fan commenting, “In this era my 42 self have the same favorite song with my 9 and 11 years old daughters.”
The video also doubles as a celebration of the group’s “Into The Millennium HOMECOMING: Live in Germany” residency, which recently added a new show scheduled for Oct. 6, 2026. Tickets for the residency are currently on sale through the band’s official website, per the group’s Instagram announcement.
By updating the visual in a vertical format, the Backstreet Boys managed to honor the original while adapting it for today’s social-first audience, proving the emotional pull of the video still works decades later.
Why “I Want It That Way” Still Hits After All These Years
Released in 1999 as part of the album “Millennium,” “I Want It That Way” became one of the Backstreet Boys’ biggest hits thanks to its soaring melody, heartfelt delivery and universal appeal. Written by Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson, the song was immediately recognized as something special, even though its lyrics famously raised a few eyebrows.
According to Billboard, executives initially worried the lyrics were too abstract, but the band ultimately pushed to keep the original version. That decision paid off. The song dominated radio airplay, topped charts internationally, earned Grammy nominations and became a defining anthem of late-’90s pop.
More than two decades later, the mystery behind the lyrics has only added to its staying power, allowing listeners to attach their own meaning to the song. As Carlsson once put it, “It’s an anthem that anyone can sing along with.”
And judging by the reaction to this recreated video, fans are still singing every word — exactly the way they want it.
