You are my fire
The one desire Believe when I say
I want it that way
But we are two worlds apart
Can't reach to your heart
When you say
That I want it that way
I want it that way
But we are two worlds apart
Can't reach to your heart
When you say
That I want it that way
Chiang Kong, Thailand - Huay Xai, 7/9/11
It's 1am at Hanoi Karaoke Bar in Huay Xai, Laos and two dozen Lao teens are wondering why one short, bearded foreigner is ruining their Saturday night with a tone deaf, fingernails-on-the-chalkboard rendition of the Backstreet Boys' "I Want it That Way."
Well, the selection was slim -- the only other English songs I could find were "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, "Every Breath You Take" by the Police, and "Material Girl" by Madonna. And "That Way" has some sort of brilliance in its ability to top the charts despite lyrics and a harmony that could have been composed by a basset hound.
Plus, once the song ends, the locals are so impressed that they toast me with their Beer Laos. Or maybe they're just happy for the song to be over and their eardrums to stop bleeding.