American boy band Backstreet Boys celebrated 27 years of their hit song As Long As You Love Me from the album Backstreet’s Back (1997) on Monday.
“Don’t care who you are, where you’re from, what you did… Do you remember the first time you heard As Long As You Love Me? Celebrating 27 years of one of our most iconic tracks,” wrote the official Instagram handle of the band alongside a clip from the official video of the song.
As Long As You Love Me showcases a mix of pop, R&B, and harmonised vocals that defined the Backstreet Boys’ music. Written by Max Martin, the song's lyrical simplicity and sincerity immediately captivated audiences. The chorus’s memorable line, “I don’t care who you are, where you’re from, what you did, as long as you love me,” reflects the universal desire for acceptance and affection.
It charted in the top ten in many countries, including the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. It was not initially released as a single in the United States and became one of the group's signature tracks. It found a place in the Billboards Hot 100 Airplay chart and remained there for 56 weeks.
Formed in 1993 in Orlando, Florida, the Backstreet Boys celebrated 30 years in the music industry last year. The group consists of A.J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, and Kevin Richardson. It didn’t take long for record producers to notice them, leading to their first record deal in 1995. The following year, they released their debut album Backstreet Boys.
The band has won several awards including Grammys, Teen Choice Awards, and Billboard Music Awards. Some of their other iconic hits are I Want It That Way, Quit Playing Games, Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely, Everybody and Shape Of My Heart.
The most recent songs of the band include Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Nobody Else, Chances and No Place from the album DNA, released in 2019. They have also released their first christmas album A Very Backstreet Christmas in 2022.
The band performed in India in May 2023 as part of their DNA World Tour. The concerts in Mumbai and Delhi were attended by several Bollywood celebrities including Shraddha KApoor, Benny Dayal, Jacqueline Fernandes and Malaika Arora.