RS Essentials: The 20 Best Backstreet Boys Songs

For many, Backstreet Boys epitomize teenage-pop; For others, they didn’t think cheese and instead just heard timeless melodies and harmonies for the ages. I fall somewhere in between. Unlike most boy bands where one singer breaks out, the joy for many has been to see Backstreet Boys stay strong, stay together and stick in it for the long haul.

So it was music to our teenage ears to hear that BSB will return to India this May and we’ll all get to sing along to the hits we grew up listening to, some with pride, while others in hiding. Thankfully we can do it all together now.

The band has had so many iconic hits and songs that become a part of the very fabric of pop culture, it is hard to pick and choose the best of the best, but we’re doing that just here. Let the debating begin!

20. “More Than That”

“More Than That” was a hit for Backstreet Boys in 2001, the third single from their fourth studio album Black & Blue,  co-written by Adam Anders. The song which showcased the band in their prime is probably better known as the first real success for Anders who would go on to become the executive music producer for Glee and many a Disney Channel hits and artists.

19. “Helpless When She Smiles”

An underrated gem from the Unbreakable era, “Helpless When She Smiles” is quintessential BSB but with a twist. The song is both heartbreaking but also incredibly mature, making for a perfect balance of what made them stars in the first place and how we see them, and ourselves now.

18. “If You Stay”

Back in the day, you could be a predominantly white boy band and still make it on the soundtrack of a Jamie Foxx film Booty Call. Yup, 1997 gave us the comedy film and this oh-so-sensual ditty by the very very young Backstreet Boys. While the song works and gives Color Me Badd a run for the harmonies, it is strange to think how young the Boys were and how adult the song actually was for them!

17. “Try”

Arguably the best single from the 2013 LP In A World Like This, “Try” is truthful in its earnest rawness, something that seemed perfectly fitting for the Boys as they tried to maintain their relevance while continuing to expand their discography. Co-written by the criminally underrated James Morrison, the song works because it is soulful without feeling gimmicky or commercial.

16. “We’ve Got It Goin’ On”

So new jack swing is as dated as it can get and hearing the Backstreet Boys get lit, Nineties style feels both strange but also kind of endearing. At a time when there wasn’t really the same level of animosity that complemented appropriation and artists could just be what they wanted to be, even if it was manufactured, “We’ve Got It Goin’ On” isn’t problematic culturally – it’s just pure nostalgia now.

15. “Bigger”

It had been a while since Max Martin shared his brilliance with BSB but in 2009 when This Is Us released, there was “Bigger” – the highly underrated guitar-driven single that sadly, had any other artist released then, would have been a massive hit. While Backstreet Boys have been contempt with their career ups and downs, it is a shame that their mature sound and their mature pop hasn’t gotten the same level of appreciation. Here’s hoping they perform this live and we all give this gem another shot!

14. “Inconsolable”

Backstreet Boys went further down the pop/rock route with 2007’s “Inconsolable” from their Unbreakable LP. The single is big and perfectly fit into the new Top 40 space occupied by the likes of rock bands who knew how to play soft, given that boy bands were no longer a thing and hip-hop/R&B was a lane the Boys were very happy to have evolved past by this point in time.

13. “Drowning”

It hadn’t been even five years and BSB already released their first greatest hits album The Hits – Chapter One in 2001 – that goes to show just how many hits they cranked out in such a short amount of time. “Drowning,” the new single from the compilation was everything we expected from a BSB ballad – heartfelt lyrics, beautiful harmonies and melodies we can sing along to – but there was also something more here, a little darker perhaps. The single felt like the first sign of what was next to come – a band accepting that their meteoric rise may soon begin to fade but they won’t drown because they’ve seen the light.

12. “I’ll Never Break Your Heart”

At the time of release, Boyz II Men were at the height of their popularity and R&B ballads were golden. “I’ll Never Break Your Heart” pays tribute to that legacy and while lyrically it may feel a bit over the top, for that timeframe, that era, it’s a fitting tribute.

11. “The One”

Brian Littrell co-wrote this hit single with Max Martin and the result was an upbeat ride that added a bit of a more personal touch to an era otherwise plagued by hitmakers sitting far, far away. “The One” may not have been the best of the Millenium era but it showcased the much-desired growth the band was seeking.

10. “The Call”

With a soap opera-like story unfolding, this single — unlike any of the previously released by the band — stood out bigly. Signs of maturity and ingenuity exist here that might have confused some listeners (especially the teens) but the song is actually a great tale! I would argue that the remix produced by the Neptunes (yes, Pharrell and Chad Hugo!) and featuring a rap from Pusha T of Clipse (credited as Terrar) is the highlight!

9. “Shape Of My Heart”

The “Black & Blue” era began with this Top 10 hit. While it wouldn’t match up to their earlier first singles, “Shape Of My Heart” is still a genuine charmer thanks to the Boys vocals and the heart-on-my-sleeve lyrics.

8. “Incomplete”

“Incomplete” showcased a much more mature and a far less “produced” Backstreet Boys.

The first single from their Never Gone album, the pop-rock ballad was a deliberate step away from the Max Martin school of hits but it worked big time thanks to the solid production and emotionally-charged lyrics. In many ways, the single feels like a cover of a Bryan Adams song and that’s a compliment!

7. “Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely”

The third single from their third album Millenium came out just around the same time as we saw the Latin explosion hit the pop charts. That “tinge” helped to elevate the single from feeling like just another ballad to seeming more mature, more up with the times and of course, those harmonies! “Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely” perhaps is the prettiest of BSB songs ever and the Boys never sounded as in sync (no pun intended) as they did for this under four-minute ballad.

6. “All I Have To Give”

An early BSB ballad that felt more R&B than pop, “All I Have To Give” was written and produced by Full Force. Unlike many of their other tracks at the time, the guitar-laced single really showcased the harmonies the Boys could bring, making for a winning combination and another Top 10 hit across the globe. 

5. “Larger Than Life”

While not exactly trying to recreate the magic of their other upbeat masterclass (you’ll see it further down!), “Larger Than Life” lived up to its title. BSB never charted particularly well with their upbeat tracks but that’s where the music videos got to help them shine and this was no exception. At the height of their commercial success and with one of the largest music video budgets at hand, the single felt cinematic – making for one of the most memorable visual hits of the band’s career.

4. “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)”

1997 gave us two back-to-back ballad gems and they both happen to place right after one another on this Best Of list. “Quit Playing Games” released first and perfectly encapsulated the teenage dream sensibility. Bizarrely enough, it is the highest charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 for the band (this peaked at #2) as in that era, only commercially released singles were able to chart. A great pop song, yes but this was more a victory for songwriter/producer Max Martin, who would then go on to becoming one of the greatest hitmakers of our modern times.

3. “As Long As You Love Me”

One notch above is BSB’s follow-up release, the hit “As Long As You Love Me.” While musically similar, the lyrics of the single had a bit more heft and vocally, the boys got to shine even more here, making for a more timeless message that instantly gets you to sing along by the time you reach the chorus. It’s also the first time the Boys had control as far as their music video image and it shows. In the visual, they got to showcase their individual strengths and the band’s chemistry.

2. “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”

BSB always knew how to bring the cheese but there’s no denying that as soon as that beat drops, who doesn’t rock their body, right? Not even meant to be part of their debut U.S. album, the song became a smash in Europe and its popularity drove execs to add the single to the re-release. Unlike our #1 pick, this single really got a boost from its “Thriller”-inspired music video by Joseph Kahn. In fact, in many ways, the video was ever larger than the single, as the track stalled at radio but the video has gone on to live forever and was permanently immortalized in the Seth Rogen-Jay Baruchel hit film This Is The End.  

1. “I Want It That Way”

Sure, no one will probably ever know what “that way” means, but does it matter? There’s really no other song that showcases Backstreet Boys at their absolute best than this. Both critically and commercially one of their most successful singles, the track earned the group Grammy nominations for both Record and Song Of The Year (losing both to “Smooth” by Santana featuring Rob Thomas) as well Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (lost to Santana featuring the Product G&B for “Maria Maria.”) Having surpassed a billion views for its music video, the song is iconic in every way imaginable – it’s no wonder why the song continues to rank in every “All Time” list as one of the best pop singles ever.