Even the biggest Backstreet Boys fans probably never knew these 15 facts

Why ‘I Want It That Way’ makes no sense

We know all the words and will happily sing along every time we hear it, but everyone knows that “I Want It That Way” makes as much sense as a screen door on a submarine.

Legend has it that lyrics like “Am I your fire? Your one desire? Yes, I know it’s too late, but I want it that way” can be blamed on the Swedish songwriter Max Martin, who didn’t speak English very well when he wrote the lyrics. 

Execs tried to step in to salvage the song, but it didn’t go down quite the way they planned.

“Well it’s funny, we actually were OK with the lyrics when we heard it first,” Nick Carter recently told the Huffington Post. “And then the president of JIVE records at that time ? I mean he’s a genius ? but he and some of the A&R people wanted to change the lyrics.”

“To make the song make more sense,” added Kevin Richardson.

“We hired some really well-known producers at the time to redo the song,” Carter continued. “So, there was another version of the song out there and then we listened to it back. Then, we as a group voted on it and said, ‘No.'”

Hindsight is 20/20, right guys?

They’ve been banned in China

In summer 2011, China announced that the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” was one of the 100 songs on a new list of hits that must be removed from music websites because they had not been submitted to the government for approval, according to The Guardian.

Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears were also placed on the blacklist that year.

…and Europe

BSB is also reportedly banned from multiple hotels in Europe, but not because of their own rowdy behavior.

Word has it that the Backstreet Boys fans are so crazy overseas, the hotels just don’t want to deal with the drama.

Brian Littrell had a falling out with Nick Carter

Littrell was practically a father figure to Carter, and the two were inseparable for many years.

But the gossip mill says that Carter felt threatened when Littrell married his wife Leighanne, and the new relationship caused a huge rift between them.

They’re No. 1

Gird your loins, ‘NSYNC fans, because you’re not going to like the information you’re about to hear.

According to Top10HQ, BSB is the most successful boy band of all time, with 130 million records sold. ‘NSYNC comes in at No. 7, with a measly 50 million albums sold.

A.J. was high in ‘The Call’ video

It’s not a secret that McLean has battled addiction, and apparently, he tried cocaine for the very first time right before the band filmed the video for “The Call.” 

Smokin’

McLean also used to smoke cigarettes back in the day, but quickly dropped the habit once he realized it was ruining his voice.

Littrell’s singing days might be numbered

The guys just announced their upcoming Vegas residency, but they have major concerns about Littrell’s ability to perform.

Turns out he has a condition that causes tightening around the vocal chords called vocal tension dysphonia. Ouch.

Kevin did a little turn on the catwalk

Before BSB got huge, Richardson was actually a model for Versace. That’s no small gig.

He also played Aladdin at Disney World. Hubba-hubba.

Ryan Gosling in BSB?

Oh, how different the world would be today if Ryan Gosling had become a Backstreet Boy instead of an award-winning actor. But it almost happened.

According to MTV, Gosling and A.J. McLean actually lived in the same Orlando apartment complex back in the day when Gosling was on The Mickey Mouse Club. McLean and Gosling were buds, and rumor has it, Gosling was in the running for Carter’s spot in BSB.

Howie was in ‘Parenthood’

If you look closely at the classroom scene in Parenthood (the 1989 movie, not the show), you’ll see a baby Dorough in one of his first entertainment gigs.

And Nick was in ‘Edward Scissorhands’

Blink and you’ll miss him, but Carter also got an early gig in the 1990 Johnny Depp flick, Edward Scissorhands. Carter was one of the little kids playing on a Slip’N Slide in the cookie cutter neighborhood. 

Porn, lots of porn

The guys would hang out at the recently deceased Lou Pearlman’s house in their early days, which sounds like a slightly smaller version of Neverland Ranch.

“Hanging over at Lou’s was like going to Disney Land. He had every freaking toy you could imagine,” McLean said in the BSB doc, Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of.

But toys weren’t the only thing Pearlman kept on hand. The members of the band also fondly recall raiding his porn stash.

“That was just kind of what young boys would do,” McLean added about the porn. “One night, all five of us were just — Lou was on a phone call or something — and the five of us were going through the laser disc shit and we found a porno, popped it on and it was just hilarious. We all just sat there and were watching it. That was Howie’s first time seeing a girl kiss a girl. It was almost like being in a fraternity. That was like a frat party minus the drinking and the chicks. It was just fun, you know.”

Their first gig was at SeaWorld

Before we knew it is a big no-no to go to SeaWorld, BSB actually had their first major performance at the amusement park.

They entertained teens at a 1993 grad night, and the lost footage is nothing short of ’90s amazingness.

The Flea Market Boys?

The name ‘Backstreet Boys’ was inspired by a backstreet flea market in Florida.

They went with BSB because “Flea Market’s back, alright!” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.