I Want It That Way was released in 1999 by the American boy band Backstreet Boys as the lead single from their album Millennium. Written as a polished pop ballad, it became one of the group's signature songs and a defining hit of the late nineties. Its simple chorus stayed widely quoted, sung and parodied for decades, moving easily from radio and music television into memes, singalong videos and social edits where a short excerpt instantly signals earnest romantic longing.