Context

This line was sung by the Backstreet Boys in the song "I Want It That Way," written by Andreas Carlsson and Max Martin, from the album Millennium (1999).

In the late '90s, the most important question, other than if you were going to choose Squirtle, Bulbasaur, or Charmander as your starter in Pokemon Blue, was if you preferred *NSYNC or the Backstreet Boys. And one of the best (and saddest) Backstreet Boys songs was "I Want It That Way," a ballad about aching hearts, mistakes, and lost love.

This song is obviously great because nothing peps up a breakup song more than multi-part harmonies and shiny suits. Also, having a nice big jet to fly your boy band around is another way to get over heartbreak. We mean, it seemed to work for the Backstreet Boys.

That's what we call larger than life.

Where you've heard it

This song is an important part of any '90s-themed dance party and can instantly save your soiree from certain death.

Additional Notable References:

• British pop star Charli XCX did a special cover of "I Want It That Way" for the AV Club Undercover series.
• If you're more into buying and selling random junk on the internet, Weird Al did a parody of "I Want It That Way" called "eBay Song" in 2003.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

The Backstreet Boys are fabulous, but using a line from one of their songs to break up with someone is kind of terrible, so watch your context!