Ain’t It Funny How The Backstreet Boys’ New Song “Hey”… Takes Us Back To A Simpler Time

Now that the dust has settled a bit in the frenzied land of Backstreet Boys, I can sit and really let this song sink in the way I’ve been wanting to for over a week. As if the Sphere announcement wasn’t enough to have all of us freaking out, they’d dropped this song out of nowhere. I literally mean nowhere. No one knew this was going to be released to all platforms on Valentine’s Day! Usually we’re more prepared. I think that’s the other reason I needed a moment. We always get told when new music is coming, but not this time.

And I know what people might say here, that it’s not technically new. But listen! This song never leaked and was never officially released – that means it’s new where it counts. I knew about the song though, if I’m being completely truthful. I was lucky enough in 2019 to attend this livestream announcing the DNA World Tour. During that recording, Brian mentioned his favorite song from the DNA sessions wasn’t even making the album. A song they thought was very special, named Hey. The group promised we’d hear it someday, that they haven’t forgotten it, even if it wasn’t the right time then to release it. Funny that it was talked about during their original Vegas residency. Now here we are with a new Vegas residency with them releasing the song for the album inspiring it, Millennium 2.0.

Here we are, full circle.

Also, I love how the Boys always keep their promises.

Listening to the song, I instantly fell in love. Truly. I immediately understood Brian’s frustration in the fact that Hey was at the time, stuck in the vault. There’s a simplicity to the song itself. An honesty that all of us can relate to. I mean it’s weird to think about how a word, a greeting, can change over time. In the same way a stranger’s face can become the face that you never want to look away from. How the face of your love can sometimes tragically shift to the face that causes nothing but heartbreak. A word, just a word, but with so many different meanings as time goes on. This song is a song of regret, a wistfulness and wish to go back in time for a moment.

How fitting, that they chose to have this song go on Millennium 2.0 because, really, this project is a trip into the past. It fits the beauty of that album.

Ain’t it funny how “Hey”
Becomes “How are you?”
Becomes “I’d love to”
Becomes “I want you and need you” and then
Becomes “I love you”
Becomes “I hate you”
Becomes “I never wanna see you again”
Woah, oh, I wish we could back to
“Hey”

I think that’s why I really love the lyrics of this so much. Unlike with the Boys solo work, I don’t always do a real deep dive on the lyrics of their songs. I recognize that as a group it can’t get as personal as a solo project because there’s five sets of thoughts, opinions, and artistic truth in the mix. But this? These lyrics are really touching and honest. I looked up who was behind them and it’s no surprise to me that it’s Andy Grammer. He’s the same artist who gave DNA the iconic song Passionate. Man, we owe a lot to Nick and Andy sharing a season together on Dancing With The Stars.

Vocally, good God I could rave forever. This song exemplifies my favorite things about the Backstreet Boys as a whole. The beginning hits Brian’s strengths, this was recorded when the group adapted to his known vocal condition. The transition from Boy to Boy is seamless, I almost don’t realize it’s Howie immediately after. Nick comes in soaring on the first chorus with the power vocals he’s known for. Each Boy gets a moment to shine, which isn’t always the best choice but on this song it doesn’t feel forced as it has sometimes in the past. But I think it’s later on, when they’re all blending on the chorus that I love more than anything midway through the song.

All five harmonizing will forever create a magic that can’t be matched. Period. This is why they are the international sensation that they are. This is what brought them to where they are today. It’s why despite having a soft spot for the Kevin-less albums, I will forever say the group is at their best as five. That is the group at their strongest and their voices together bring a beauty that no other group does. The way they blend is just pure ear candy. Hey brings that classic Backstreet Sound that we as a fandom know and have loved for multiple decades now.

Knowing they’re going to be singing this live for the Into The Millennium Residency? It brings chills. Those vocals, those harmonies, live at the Sphere which has acoustics like no other venue? Pretty sure that’s what heaven sounds like.

I can’t wait.