It’s hard to go near the subject of boy bands without mentioning the Backstreet Boys. The Orlando-based vocal group was an integral pillar of the ‘90s pop machine and continues to succeed today. This year marks the 20th anniversary of their début Backstreet Boys, and the band shows no sign of stopping anytime soon; in fact, they’re currently working on their eighth studio album. That much music means that they’ve left a plethora of music videos in their wake–some better than others. From the snoozer performance video “Drowning”, to high concept selections like “The Call”, or “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back),” here’s our ranking of every Backstreet Boys music video.
- “DROWNING” (2001)
Straight performance video in which the band sings in a dramatic way outside of some monuments and a church. Yawn.
- “INCONSOLABLE” (2007)
“Inconsolable” is the first video they did without Kevin (during what we call, “The Lost Years”), though it doesn’t look very different from the rest of the performance-based videos. This one has a blue filter, features an eclipse, and doesn’t leave much of an impression in its wake. Womp.
- “HELPLESS WHEN SHE SMILES” (2007)
This one looks a lot like both “Incomplete” and “Inconsolable,” only this time the band is hanging out in Joshua Tree National Park. It provides for pretty visuals and a slightly more memorable video than the others–but not much.
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- “MORE THAN THAT” (2001)
A performance video where they flip between the desert and the high-speed traffic footage (think the “2 Become 1” video) on a giant screen while the boys sing. Occasionally, AJ drives a convertible. This was the video that kicked off a string of straight performance videos of the boys in various locales.
- “IN A WORLD LIKE THIS” (2013)
Kevin returns! And so does the desert backdrop! It’s an uplifting song with a bright video. Shots of the band are interspersed with images of couples watching the Moon landing, 9/11, and the overturn of Prop 8 on television.
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- “ANYWHERE FOR YOU” (1997)
This one looks like a cross between the opening credits for Beverly Hills 90210 and the ones for Dawson’s Creek. Just stuff you already know.
- “I’LL NEVER BREAK YOUR HEART” (1995)
Imagine the video for Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name” (if you can’t immediately visualize this, click this link and remedy that immediately) and you’ll pretty much get the setting for this one. Subtract the sassy poses and add the patented boy band ~feelings~ and exposed chests, of course. By all means, this is also a performance video, but the camera work moving between all the different rooms makes it just dynamic enough to be interesting. Note: there is a European version of this video where the boys are at a ski resort.
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- “BIGGER” (2009)
A lighthearted video that shows the Backstreet Boys experiencing Japan and spending time with people there.
- “INCOMPLETE” (2005)
Sadly, we’ve moved past coordinated dances in favor of another straight performance video in the desert. The band sings their lyrics to the sky in angst. However, the shots of Kevin playing piano are well done and add a little something new.
- “LARGER THAN LIFE” (1999)
Considering its proximity to the release of the first Star Wars prequel, it’s no surprise that “Larger Than Life” throws the boys into space. “It’s like the Clone Wars, but with dancing,” as my sister describes it. The beginning is an unfortunate mix of unnecessary CGI and interesting Star Wars allusions, but it gets better by the end when the boys come back together for their dance sequence. As usual.
- “ALL I HAVE TO GIVE” (1998)
There’s a lot of room and costume changes, but “All I Have to Give” is pretty much a performance video, though with a surprising amount of dance for a slower jam. Besides the vile oversized leisure suits, the fashion isn’t too bad by ‘90s standards.
- “I STILL…” (2006)
A lot of ~feelings~ in an alley. Oh, also in a bar. This one earns some points for the moment where Kevin reaches behind the bar and pours himself a drink. Kevin, I think bartenders generally frown upon that sort of thing.
13.“THE ONE” (2000)
“The One” stands as the band’s only clip video, showing backstage and performance footage from the Millennium Tour. Inoffensive, but a bit boring comparatively.
- “STRAIGHT THROUGH MY HEART” (2009)
Vampire hunters! The boys are performing in an underground club, where a bad vampire stalks her latest prey. They end up taking her outside to turn to dust, where they reveal themselves to be Daywalkers–good vampires who hunt bad ones. This is the least Backstreet Boys video on the list, making it pretty unique. NGL, it doesn’t hurt that it reminds me of Fall Out Boy’s “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More Touch Me” video.
- “GET DOWN (YOU’RE THE ONE FOR ME)” (1996)
This video looks like a bumper for the Disney Channel. The boys are dancing in a circle on a giant half disco ball. They’re surrounded by wall-to-wall TV screens featuring girls dancing, who eventually float out of the screens and fly around their heads. It’s so weird, but what a great dance routine. Note: this one was heavily featured on Much Music, which we all know now as Fuse.
- “JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW” (2005)
Shot in a filter that makes the entire video look like a shitty home movie, the “Just Want To Know” video follows the boys as fans of the ‘80s metal band Sphynkter, who are wreaking all sorts of havoc before the concert. They also play Sphynkter! It’s an unexpected direction for them, and I give them props for commitment to comedy.
- “SHAPE OF MY HEART” (2000)
Having the boys be part of a play’s table reading is an inventive, different way to present a performance video, and make it stand out. However, why the intensely blue filter? Inquiring minds.
- “SHOW ‘EM (WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF” (2013)
This most recent entry into the Backstreet Boys canon showcases each of the Backstreet Boys singing against a simple black background. The simplicity of the video shows off their maturity, demonstrating that they transcended the very cheesy ‘90s boy band era and carried on.
- “AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME” (1997)
The boys sing, dance with chairs, and wear a bunch of different costumes as part of an audition with a bunch of ladies. Halfway through the video, the boys get the clicker and switch places, changing them into people who look like stunt doubles for the Spice Girls. It’s bright, colorful, and fun.
- “QUIT PLAYING GAMES WITH MY HEART” (1996)
“Quit Playing Games with My Heart” marks the start of the Backstreet Boys’ MTV successes. This iconic video features the boys commiserating in a park together–that is, before it starts raining and their shirts all just rip open at the same time! What a boy band thing to happen. This would be where Nick Carter perfected his heavy angst moves: squinting and making weird hand motions at the camera.
- “THE CALL” (2001)
Following the storyline of the song, “The Call” shows the guys in pursuit of a girl they met in a club, hoping to hook up with her even though they have girlfriends. Unfortunately, that girl is in cahoots with the girlfriend, and they’ve amassed an army of girls to go against them all! That escalated quickly.
- “WE’VE GOT IT GOIN’ ON” (1995)
The Backstreet Boys’ debut music video wants to make sure you know it was the ‘90s: a boy band doing a synchronized dance routine in an underground club, denim jackets layered under leather jackets, Kevin Richardson rocking the dreaded mushroom cut, and AJ McLean’s insistence on wearing sunglasses inside. With a lot of energy and fun, the Backstreet Boys were putting a stake in the ground of pop music with this one, though it may not be as memorable as later videos.
- “I WANT IT THAT WAY” (1999)
Ushering in the Millennium era, “I Want it That Way” is probably the most iconic of all Backstreet Boys videos–so much so that Blink-182 parodied it in their “All the Small Things” video, not six months later. You’d be hard-pressed to find a millennial who doesn’t recognize the scenes outside of the plane, surrounded by screaming fans. The only weird part that I noticed, when watching it seventeen years after it premiered, was the weird heavenly light that shines behind the boys when they’re inside the airport. Are we insinuating that they’re dead? What a twist.
- “SHOW ME THE MEANING OF BEING LONELY” (1999)
In their darkest video, the Backstreet Boys are each watching separate, somber scenes unfold. Littrell watches as doctors attempt to save a patient–one being played by himself–alluding to his lifelong heart defect. Kevin is watching a video of him and his deceased father playing, when he was little. A girl runs at Howie but disappears before she reaches him, representing his sister who died of Lupus. The video is also dedicated to songwriter Denniz PoP, who passed away from cancer that year. It’s deeply personal, holds a somber tone, and is very well executed.
- “EVERYBODY (BACKSTREET’S BACK)” (1997)
One of the best music videos in history, period. The fact that video director Joseph Kahn didn’t just mic drop after this is amazing to me. There’s nothing about this video that I don’t like–it has an amazing concept, turning the boys into the classic movie monsters of their nightmares and ending on a fabulous dance number with the band and all the girls in the video. From Kevin’s half-and-half makeup turning him into both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, to their insistence of putting Nick in a non-sexy mummy costume, the wardrobe team outdid themselves on this one. As did the boys, who developed the concept and bankrolled it themselves when the label refused to take a risk on it, according to Entertainment Weekly‘s interview with the band for their 10th anniversary. The clever concept and tight dance routines make “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back), the best of the Backstreet Boys.
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