Ten Underrated Songs of Backstreet

Sometimes I have months where I’m very inspired, as you can probably tell by all the posts this week. I suppose I could write them and hold off, hoard them so they’re spaced apart more. But I’m not that patient when it comes to writing. I love the instant gratification and I figure you guys will read it when you have time. Why hold back? Yesterday…I was getting ready for work and since it’s December, it’s crazy for me. So I was listening to my hyped up playlist where I try to get energized.

Everything But Mine came on, and I got a random thought about just how unappreciated that song is in the fandom. Whether it’s the lyrics or the vibe of the song itself, not to mention the vocals? Why don’t fans talk about this song more? It’s a freaking sleeper for most and it drives me nuts cause I adore it. It’s one of my favorite tracks from Unbreakable man and I want everyone to love it like I do. And since the Boys’ catalogue is so incredibly big and the fandom is so diverse, I decided to ask what songs you guys thought were the underrated gems. It was a whim.

And holy crap did you guys respond!

So I figured that warranted a blog post, which is why I’m here.

You guys gave me a SLEW of suggestions of what you feel are the underrated songs of BSB so I went through them and picked what I feel fit the description the best. What do I define as an underappreciated song? First off, no singles, obviously. If it’s a single it’s not a contender (so this rules out Just Want You To Know that got suggested a couple times, sorry!). It also can’t be a Backstreet Boy’s favorite song from their catalogue. (This does rule out 10,000 Promises in my case, as it’s Nick’s.) And it can’t be one that was formerly ignored but is suddenly praised among fans. Like for example…Undone which was absolutely underrated once but ever since it’s been on the Vegas residency setlist, fans have seen the light. Lastly, if a lot of fans say it’s ignored by the fandom – that probably means it’s not. I know that’s tricky, but if everyone thinks it’s underappreciated, suddenly it’s not, wouldn’t you say?

I decided to keep this to a list of ten, because I like that number.

1. Don’t Wanna Lose You Now – I saw this one suggested several times and I absolutely agree. When people start naming off their favorite BSB songs, this doesn’t usually make the list. I often don’t think of it myself. But it’s beautiful – simplistic and haunting in it’s way. The vocals speak for themselves. When most people think of Millennium you hear people talk about The One, or Don’t Want You Back, I Need You Tonight…it gets forgotten because that album is one of the best BSB have ever done. But take a minute and just listen to it again, and you’ll realize that this is a song the Boys should be performing more, because it’s beautiful.

2. Lift Me Up – I was pleasantly surprised when this song got mentioned a couple times. This is one of the many, many leaked songs from the Never Gone recording sessions. It’s one of my personal favorites but is usually forgotten. It was written by Darren Hayes of Savage Garden and offered to them, but in the end, Olivia Newton John ended up releasing the song instead. The song is just a song I think you need to hear when you’re having a bad day, it’ll make you smile and give you the pick me up you’re needing at the time. Admittedly it wouldn’t have suited the album had they chosen to keep it, but I still wish they had.

3. Missing You – This song is damn cheesy and it works. First off, can we talk about the harmonies on this one? This song ended up as a bonus track to certain versions of the Backstreet’s Back album so we’re going way back on this one. If you hear just ONE line of this song, you end up singing it for hours. Trust me, yesterday I was singing it through my entire shift because of one tweet I saw suggesting it make the list. I think because it’s yet another bonus track, people just don’t realize it’s out there. If you don’t know this song, please do me the favor of looking it up.

4. Like A Child – Most people like to talk about 10,000 Promises, including myself. This song is like the little brother that gets ignored to that song. Both are on the same album and back to back. Somehow though, no one really talks about this one. Not to mention, this song never made it to the US version of their debut album which is the biggest damn tragedy. Someone should track down the old Jive executive that made that decision and hit him for me. Cause what the hell? Brian’s voice soars on this song, and you can just listen to it forever. It was songs like this that had him dubbing him as the angel voice of the group – and deservedly so.

5. Evergreen – Another unreleased song, another moment when I’m scratching my head wondering why it got cut. This song is so different from anything they’d released! I sometimes think of it as the eccentric cousin to Trust Me in that it’s along that same vein but this one feels like they were experimenting. This song is quirky as shit and unique and it’s fun to sing. I wish it could’ve at the very least made it to an album. Why is it so ignored? I suspect it’s because it’s so different. Add on to the fact it never got released and it was during the Unbreakable era, arguably the time when they were fully under the radar? It was doomed. And it’s a shame.

6. She’s A Dream – This is my pick and I know most of you are going to disagree with me on this one. This Is Us is arguably their most debatable album along with Never Gone within the fandom. No doubt about it. And I know the lyrics can be a bit much in this song. That’s not why I picked it. Just take a moment and listen to the melody and harmonies within this song. THEY. ARE. SOLID. If lyrics were the end all, I Want It That Way wouldn’t be a hit. And live? C’mon. I’m not saying this song is the greatest they’ve ever done, but you have to admit they sound amazing on this track. And that’s why I think it’s underrated.

7. The Answer To Our Life – Why isn’t this song talked about more? It’s got a great message, it’s fun and upbeat… it could be the timing of the album it was on. Black and Blue wasn’t the easiest time for fans. But that’s guesswork on my end. The song is awesome and maybe one day the Boys will bring it back. I’m starting to think we need to just pitch the idea of a “Deep Cuts Tour” with none of the Greatest Hits and only the songs hardcore fans know exist. Think about it. How awesome would that be?

8. Close My Eyes – This one is another pick of mine. Most of the ones on this list are coming from the Unbreakable recording sessions and it’s not surprising. I’m in shock this song didn’t make the album. If you listen to lyrics I think you can tell they can really speak to this song and sing it with real conviction. They had a a hand in writing this, and their voices are everything. Their harmonies are haunting and can give you chills. I’m a bit surprised that no one mentioned this song but then again I guess it’s why I’m even more convinced it belongs on this list!

9. Light On – This song is harmonic bliss bottled up into one perfect song. I should go look up who did the producing and arranging on this song and send them a freaking fruit basket. When BSB first started, they always said they were first and foremost a vocal harmony group. Twenty years later and this song is one of the best examples that they still are. This song was only released as a bonus track in Japan. That was it. Why? No idea. I can’t even blame a record label for this one. So many fans, despite my best efforts to rave about this song forever, have no idea this song exists!

10. Song For The Unloved – The way this song was treated is a freaking crime. Easily on my Top Ten list of BSB songs they’ve ever done. And while I don’t know it’s fully underrated by BSB fans, I know it is by the Backstreet Boys themselves. To this day I think this song could’ve done so much had it made the main album and been released as a single. This is a song the entire world could relate to. This was a song that spoke to you and could reach people. The fact only the hardcore fans know of this song’s existence is enough to make me rage. Sigh. Tell me WHYYYY this song got left off of Never Gone.

So that’s it. Because I’m sure some of you don’t realize these beauties are out there, here is a playlist with all the songs on the list!

 

Do you agree? What would you say are the Top 10 most underappreciated BSB songs?

Comment below or hit us up on twitter at @thedarksidebsb!