weird way, and undeniably unforgettable. And frankly, we wouldn’t want it any other way." Kevin Richardson, a member of the band, explained in an interview that, "Ultimately the song really doesn't make much sense." Richardson also wrote that co-writer Max Martin's knowledge of English was limited at the time. "There are a lot of songs out there like that don't make sense but make you feel good when you sing along to them, and that's one of them," Richardson commented in an interview. In 2018, the band seemed to reverse course regarding the depth of the song's lyrical content, at least in part. In response to Chrissy Teigen on Twitter, the official Backstreet Boys Twitter account attempted to clarify the song's meaning of "it," among other points of confusion: "Don’t wanna hear you say that you want heartaches and mistakes... or to be 2 worlds apart. We don’t want you to want “it” that way - that's the way we want it... for you to not want it that way." Critical reception "I Want It That Way" was met with positive reception from most music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic picked the song as a highlight on Millennium, calling it an "infectious song that will be enough to satisfy anyone craving more, more, more". In a review of the compilation The Hits – Chapter One (2001), Erlewine further declared that the song "transcend[ed] their era." Jim Farber of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the track "ranks as the bubblegum ballad of the year. It's so likable, it doesn't matter that the group's voices are the sonic equivalent of warm milk." Legacy "I Want It That Way" became one of the Backstreet Boys' signature songs and one of the most praised songs by the group. Rolling Stone listed Backstreet Boys at number one on their Readers' Poll: The Best Boy Bands of All Time, writing that "the five-piece scored several huge hits, but their 1999 smash 'I Want It That Way' is a genre-transcending classic". While listing the 10 biggest boy bands from 1987 until 2012, Billboard placed the band at number two, writing that, "They tallied up six Hot 100 top 10 hits including well-loved tunes like 'I Want It That Way' and 'Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)'. "I Want It That Way" was also placed at number two on Complex list of The 30 Best Boy Band Songs.