I needed this…
Over the weekend, Luke Combs headlined the massive Stagecoach festival in Indio, California, but it wasn’t his main performance that’s getting all the attention… it was the moment when 90’s boy band The Backstreet Boys brought out the country superstar for a rendition of their mega hit “I Want It That Way.”
During their late-night set at the Palomino tent, Brian Littrell brought Combs back out to thousands of screaming fans as they all belted the boy band classic (I’m not sure that’s a thing, but I’m an unashamed 90’s boy band lover so I’m going with it). Of course, “I Want It That Way” was released in April of 1999 as the lead single from their third studio album, Millennium. It was written by Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson, and became an anthem of 90’s girls everywhere.
You really couldn’t turn on the radio, or walk into any mall or store without hearing it, and I can’t even tell you how many times I played it on CD or scanned the channels to hear it on the radio when I was younger… it’s one of those songs that shaped a generation, love it or hate it, and they nailed this performance of it with Combs.
“I Want It That Way” was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Song and Record of the Year. The pop ballad obviously became their signature song, and commercially it reached the number-one spot in more than 25 countries. In the U.S. in particular, the song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for eight non-consecutive weeks, while it topped the AC and Mainstream Top 40 charts.
The Backstreet Boys shared video of the performance on Instagram, and if you’re anything like me and have deep ties to loving this song as one of your first favorite heartthrob ballads, please check it out:
“Stagecoach magic. I Want It That Way ft Luke Combs. Thank you all for making our first one incredible!”
Stagecoach magic, indeed… when I say I want more pop/country music collaborations (I don’t think I’ve ever said that, actually, but I digress…), this is what I mean. There’s also something so endearing about seeing Combs, a certified country boy, belting his heart out to a pop ballad with a boy band like this. I’m so here for it:
I’ll have this stuck in my head for the rest of the day now, and I’m totally okay with that…
“I Want It That Way”
Luke also recently debuted a couple of new songs while playing at his Nashville bar Category 10, and he has been working on a new album that will hopefully drop sometime this year:
@whiskeyriff @Luke Combs #whiskeyriff ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff
