The Backstreet Boys played a central role in the development of many a young lady—and gentlemen—in their middle and high school years. No one over the age of 30 could have possibly avoided hearing the crooning ballad “I Want It That Way” at least one awkward dance function in a school gymnasium. They were the sound of a very specific era. Apparently, that sound included a remixed fart.
In a TikTok starring AJ McClean on the Backstreet Boys account, he tells the story of a tune called The Call, a less beloved classic. He reveals that the song includes a bodily release.
“When we were making the song ‘The Call,’ we were all in the studio recording our parts,” he said. “Howie was singing his harmony ‘ha ha ha, ha ha ha’ and ‘blurrrrp.’ Howie literally broke wind. Right in key. Right on the beat. And Max Martin thought it was the funniest thing he ever heard and decided it was too good to press delete. He literally put it in the song, the final mix you have all heard for the last 20 years. It’s mixed in musically as either a bass sound or synth sound. Howie’s gas is a piece of musical genius.”
Apparently Howie from the @backstreetboys farted while recording “The Call” and Max Martin turned it into a sound in the song.
This changed the “gotta go” line for me pic.twitter.com/3K5blVU80b
— Kirbie “Baby Yoda Stan” Johnson (@kirbiejohnson) June 29, 2020
If you can’t immediately recall the sounds involved in this story, here it is for your personal review:
This isn’t actually a huge secret. As Buzzfeed News reports, the group shared this story in a 2017 interview with Billboard:
“I’m sure there were a lot of beverages consumed back in the day. It’s one of those kind of things… Everybody at that age — especially Nick [Carter] — was constantly passing gas, just being young 20-year-old guys doing guy locker room kind of stuff. And coincidentally, I got in the booth, was breathing in really heavily singing my part, and I guess some extra air kind of came out. It made everybody laugh, and Max decided to take that and sample it to turn it into the ‘dun dun dun, dun dun dun dun.'”
And yet it’s still rocking people:
— (@Firesign1988) June 29, 2020
Haha never will be able to hear the song the same
— Mlkensy1547 (@mlkensy1547) June 30, 2020
I am sure Howard wanted this announced. LOL #gottago https://t.co/FkaCLNOQfw
— ღ Just Me¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (@Lanner4BSB) June 29, 2020
In my 20+ yrs of being a fan how did I never know this ?!?! I’ll never be able to listen to that song and not laugh now. Is that why he always laughs during the song ?!?!? Especially in Vegas residency https://t.co/j7IMvGXNxw
— Joycee (@JoyceeLau) June 30, 2020
Didn’t know I needed this. https://t.co/OvOSuYgLYz
— Rebekah PetroRoy (@RebekahPetroRoy) June 30, 2020
I’m not that surprised by the Backstreet Boys farting on their platinum records, but this does make me wonder what other random gassiness has found its way into pop music over the years. Anything can be music, if you have the ability to hear it!