Okay, I know it's even been said even by the writers that this song had no deep meaning and was made by sacrificing coherence for flow, but to me the song can be put into perspective despite the nature of its conception:
This song is sung from the perspective of the guy in a relationship, and when he says "I want it that way", it's always after a line like "you are my fire, the one desire" - he's saying he wants that passion to remain, that's the "way" he wants it to stay:
You are, my fire,
The one, desire,
Believe, when I say
I want it that way
...
Am I, your fire?
Your one, desire,
Yes I know, it's too late,
But I want it that way
(In the first section, the guy says that girl is his fire and only desire, and that this is the way he wants it to stay - "[he wants] it that way". In the second section, he asks the girl whether or not he is her "fire" and "desire", whether he means as much to her as she does to him - he wants that to be that case, hence the reason why "I want it that way" comes right after "Am I, your fire Your one, desire". The line "Yes I know, it's too late" explains why the song sounds so melancholy - the singer is desperately crying out in vain the whole time in hopes of saving a relationship that is inevitably about to end.)
On the other hand, the "way" that is depicted in "... you say, 'I want it that way'" represents the way the girl in this relationship wants things to be. ... And how exactly does SHE want things to be? Well, she wants the relationship to end - she wants to break up. You can see evidence of this in every section of the song that ends by referring to the girl's "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
(This is the first time the song mentions "you" - aka the girl in the song's relationship - saying "I want it that way" instead of "I", which refers to the guy in the song's relationship. "But we are two worlds apart" is referring to the couple's inability to see eye to eye in the relationship, which follows into "Can't reach to your heart when you say, 'I want it that way'", which paints a scene where the guy is trying to get the girl to reconsider her breakup decision, but he is unable to because she has made up her mind about splitting up - she's decided that she wants it "that way". You'll notice a trend in which the girl's "that way" always follows a bunch of lines that imply a breakup situation in the next few examples from the song.)
Tell me why,
Ain't nothin' but a heartache,
Tell me why,
Ain't nothin' but a mistake,
Tell me why,
I never want to hear you say,
I want it that way
(The guy in the relationship exclaims "Tell me why" because he wants to know why the girl is breaking up with him, he is desperate to stay together. "Ain't nothing but a heartache, ain't nothing but a mistake" is the girl's view on what the relationship is to her; she sees the relationship as a mistake that is only causing heartbreak - this is clarified later in the part of the song that goes:
"Don't want to hear you say, Ain't nothin' but a heartache, Ain't nothin' but a mistake, (Don't want to hear you say), I never want to hear you say,
I want it that way"
This section of the song implies that the girl is the one saying "Ain't nothing but a heartbreak" and "Ain't nothing but a mistake", lines that I previously mentioned are referring to the hopelessness of the relationship. And finally we get "I never want to hear you say, I want it that way", which restates the guy's wish for the girl to stay in the relationship.)
At the very end, there is the final line "'Cause I want it that way" which is used as a follow-up to "I never want to hear you say, (Never want to hear you say it), I want it that way" - this means that the guy ("'Cause I want it that way") wants the girl not to insist on breaking up ("I never want to hear you say ... I want it that way"). It's a final line which echoes a line that is used throughout the song, which does the job of driving the message of the song home - that the guy simply doesn't want the relationship to end - while keeping the overall lyrical deliberation simple enough so that the song remains catchy.
I appreciate the arrangement of the simple phrases in this song, it really illustrates the nature of the situation the song depicts; the lyric writers definitely know how to put simple to work. Sometimes, after all, simple is the best choice.
I hope this helped some of you; though I'm sure this will all be obvious to some of you, hopefully some of my examples established the song's meaning a bit more clearly for you. Enjoy your day! (or night)
^ It's a bit wordy because I took my time supporting everything I said with evidence from the song, but if you read it and agree with it, Rate it Up so people can easily find it! :)
^ It's a bit wordy because I took my time supporting everything I said with evidence from the song, but if you read it and agree with it, Rate it Up so people can easily find it! :)
Okay, I know it's even been said even by the writers that this song had no deep meaning and was made by sacrificing coherence for flow, but to me the song can be put into perspective despite the nature of its conception:
This song is sung from the perspective of the guy in a relationship, and when he says "I want it that way", it's always after a line like "you are my fire, the one desire" - he's saying he wants that passion to remain, that's the "way" he wants it to stay:
You are, my fire, The one, desire, Believe, when I say I want it that way ... Am I, your fire? Your one, desire, Yes I know, it's too late, But I want it that way
(In the first section, the guy says that girl is his fire and only desire, and that this is the way he wants it to stay - "[he wants] it that way". In the second section, he asks the girl whether or not he is her "fire" and "desire", whether he means as much to her as she does to him - he wants that to be that case, hence the reason why "I want it that way" comes right after "Am I, your fire Your one, desire". The line "Yes I know, it's too late" explains why the song sounds so melancholy - the singer is desperately crying out in vain the whole time in hopes of saving a relationship that is inevitably about to end.)
On the other hand, the "way" that is depicted in "... you say, 'I want it that way'" represents the way the girl in this relationship wants things to be. ... And how exactly does SHE want things to be? Well, she wants the relationship to end - she wants to break up. You can see evidence of this in every section of the song that ends by referring to the girl's "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
(This is the first time the song mentions "you" - aka the girl in the song's relationship - saying "I want it that way" instead of "I", which refers to the guy in the song's relationship. "But we are two worlds apart" is referring to the couple's inability to see eye to eye in the relationship, which follows into "Can't reach to your heart when you say, 'I want it that way'", which paints a scene where the guy is trying to get the girl to reconsider her breakup decision, but he is unable to because she has made up her mind about splitting up - she's decided that she wants it "that way". You'll notice a trend in which the girl's "that way" always follows a bunch of lines that imply a breakup situation in the next few examples from the song.)
Tell me why, Ain't nothin' but a heartache, Tell me why, Ain't nothin' but a mistake, Tell me why, I never want to hear you say, I want it that way
(The guy in the relationship exclaims "Tell me why" because he wants to know why the girl is breaking up with him, he is desperate to stay together. "Ain't nothing but a heartache, ain't nothing but a mistake" is the girl's view on what the relationship is to her; she sees the relationship as a mistake that is only causing heartbreak - this is clarified later in the part of the song that goes: "Don't want to hear you say, Ain't nothin' but a heartache, Ain't nothin' but a mistake, (Don't want to hear you say), I never want to hear you say, I want it that way" This section of the song implies that the girl is the one saying "Ain't nothing but a heartbreak" and "Ain't nothing but a mistake", lines that I previously mentioned are referring to the hopelessness of the relationship. And finally we get "I never want to hear you say, I want it that way", which restates the guy's wish for the girl to stay in the relationship.)
At the very end, there is the final line "'Cause I want it that way" which is used as a follow-up to "I never want to hear you say, (Never want to hear you say it), I want it that way" - this means that the guy ("'Cause I want it that way") wants the girl not to insist on breaking up ("I never want to hear you say ... I want it that way"). It's a final line which echoes a line that is used throughout the song, which does the job of driving the message of the song home - that the guy simply doesn't want the relationship to end - while keeping the overall lyrical deliberation simple enough so that the song remains catchy.
I appreciate the arrangement of the simple phrases in this song, it really illustrates the nature of the situation the song depicts; the lyric writers definitely know how to put simple to work. Sometimes, after all, simple is the best choice.
I hope this helped some of you; though I'm sure this will all be obvious to some of you, hopefully some of my examples established the song's meaning a bit more clearly for you. Enjoy your day! (or night)
^ It's a bit wordy because I took my time supporting everything I said with evidence from the song, but if you read it and agree with it, Rate it Up so people can easily find it! :)
^ It's a bit wordy because I took my time supporting everything I said with evidence from the song, but if you read it and agree with it, Rate it Up so people can easily find it! :)