August 14, 2017

‘Backstreet Boys’ + ‘Backstreet’s Back’ Albums Celebrate 20 Years Since Release

When a band has been together for 24 years, there’s a lot of milestones to celebrate and for the Backstreet Boys, this weekend was no exception.

This past weekend, the group celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of their self-titled first US release and Backstreet’s Back, their second release overseas. The US album, including singles such as “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”, “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)”, and “As Long As You Love Me”, would ultimately launch the Boys into worldwide stardom that they were already experiencing in Canada and Europe.

“As little kids growing up, you always hope to have success in your home country. That’s where your pride is, you know? It was so crazy how it happened everywhere else first. I think it was meant to be that way, looking back on it. It really seasoned us to come back home, to really be ready for America,” Howie told Billboard in an interview with the rest of the group reflecting on the release.

Backstreet Boys and Backstreet’s Back both hold a lot of beginnings for Kevin, Brian, Howie, Nick and AJ. The video “Quit Playing Games” caught the attention of MTV and the video for “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” earned the group their first MTV Video Music Award (thanks partly to the direction of a then unknown Joseph Kahn). The albums also marked the group’s beginning of a long history with Max Martin, who is now a huge icon in the pop music industry.

“Max has created so many memories for us, being part of it growing through history,” Brian stated in the same interview.

Martin has definitely had a hand in the greater part of the Backstreet Boys’ song catalog – sometimes even making music out of ….Howie’s flatulence? Who knew!

The Boys spent the anniversary of the release in Chicago on their last Smooth Tour appearance with Florida Georgia Line, performing to a sold out audience at Wrigley Field. If that doesn’t spell success, we don’t know what does.