Clip of New York subway riders singing a Backstreet Boys hit went viral – and the band was thrilled
A video of commuters belting out ‘I Want It That Way’ was viewed more than 2.5 million times and eventually made its way to the group that first sang the tune.
Had a really tough week and tonight I was the subway and some guy walks between train cars, shirtless, bumping a speaker. I wasn't in the mood for Showtime particularly. But sometimes people and life surprise you and a little magic happens. pic.twitter.com/S7o4282SOS
— Joel Wertheimer (@Wertwhile) June 17, 2019
In a scene that would seem straight out of the movies, commuters on a New York subway broke into the Backstreet Boys’ I Want It That Way, filling the car with happy vibes. And even if they weren’t all exactly in tune, they lightened the day a little – both for themselves for people around the world who watched the clip on social media.
A video of the singalong was posted on Twitter by Joel Wertheimer, whose bio says he is a civil rights attorney. He said that he witnessed the scene (and perhaps participated in it) after a “really tough week”.
His video shows a man playing the song on a loudspeaker, and other commuters joining in. “Sometimes, people and life surprise you and a little magic happens,” Wertheimer wrote in his tweet.
The feeling was echoed by many others on social media.
A friend posted this on Facebook and it just warms my heart. #NYC #backstreetboys #subway https://t.co/hunJNZmdwJ
— Allison Intrieri (@AllyIntrieri) June 22, 2019
We all needed this video this week. Sometimes humankind takes a break from being disappointing and terrible and does this instead. 💫 https://t.co/evE6qWRZLz
— Ren (@Phelpsie88) June 23, 2019
The clip even reached the creators of the song, the Backstreet Boys. “We live for moments like this,” the band wrote on Twitter.
We live for moments like this 🙌🖤 https://t.co/30ghKwteA5
— Backstreet Boys (@backstreetboys) June 18, 2019
You can watch the original song here: