Why The Backstreet Boys Should Be Re-Recording and Re-Imagining

Hello there!

So this has been something that’s popped in my brain a few times ever since BSB have released the “reimagined” I Want It That Way but I haven’t written my thoughts on for one reason or another. Something just kept coming up I suppose, within the fandom or real life. But I wanted to write today so here I am, letting my hands clickety-clack across my keyboard. Hopefully you agree. And if you don’t, well you can comment below and we can discuss it! I like debating things as long as we’re all kind about it, you know? I’m sure you’re wondering though, what sparked me to write about this now?

Taylor Swift did.

Okay, I’m not like a hardcore fan of hers or anything. Though a few friends I follow on Twitter are. And of course there was a lot of buzz about her re-recording of her Fearless album. The reason why, for those who may not know (I myself had to look it up) she’s doing it because she doesn’t own the rights to her own songs, essentially. Record labels suck. BSB fans know this because well, we all hated Jive for their bullshit over the years. By re-recording the songs she gets rights to the new versions without having to deal with the strings attached after her old label sold the rights to her songs to someone she hates.

Now see, I think the Boys should do this. Maybe not for the same reasons but their voices have changed in a lot of ways over the years. Imagine a mature Nick recording a new version of I Need You Tonight for example? They could change up the solos since not all the voices have held up in the same ways. Maybe hearing Kevin being showcased in a solo for Undone, one of his favorite songs, or a solo for 10,000 Promises instead of Brian? We know he could. I still remember him singing that solo live in Frankfurt. There’s so many possibilities here. Admittedly I think one of the strongest opportunities would be to get the Kevin-less albums with Kevin mixed in. Think about it.

Kevin.

On.

Wait for it…

Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon.

Right? That song is a freaking diamond hidden in their “underground” years so to speak. Let’s revive it! Give it new life! What about a new version of As Long As You Love Me? More acoustic, maybe even folksy. I remember when a “country” version of Drowning floated around, it wasn’t really country but…what if they redid it and went into that genre with the song now? It certainly lent itself to it and really, the Boys have prove they can do any genre. A good example of playing with sounds would be this version Kevin and Brian did at the Kentucky hall of fame. My friend to this day has an mp3 of this because she loved it so much and I can see why.

There’s so many ways this could go. The best part is that this could be an easy enough project to do during quarantine. No having to seek out new songs or anything. Obviously they’d have to rearrange, record, and reproduce. I’m aware of that but still, this still might be easier than constructing a completely new album. *cough*Christmas Album*cough*. It’s definitely doable at least, even with coronavirus still being what it is. Because I don’t know when tours will come back, no one does. Why not make this a project in the meantime? They’ve definitely showcased they can sing live from five different locations and still blend. Not to mention I feel like this gives them the opportunity to re-record the unreleased songs and actually release them and no Kevin, I’m not talking about the ones that leaked online. I’m talking about this master list of songs that never reached any of our ears!

What was great about the reimagined I Want It That Way was hearing their current vocals and a different take on the song. Though they definitely could’ve taken it further in mixing up the solos or swapping genres completely while still capturing the original magic of the song, I appreciated the fact they did in fact go for a fresh look on what is arguably their biggest hit of their career. The way I see it is, for example like the two versions that exist for Song For The Unloved. You have the upbeat version and you have the slower and more soulful version. Both are beautiful and make you feel but in different ways. Throw in changing up the solos and you have a pretty good idea of what I’d love to see here. Think about a slowed down version of say…Don’t Go Breaking My Heart?

Creatively speaking, this could be a gold mine to explore their past with fresh eyes.

I don’t know if the Boys will see this. Every time I make sure to say that but hell, sometimes they do.

But hopefully they do and if so, they consider it.

We’d love to see it.