A repost from themoshiediaries.com about how one Backstreet Boys song, What Makes You Different ,helped the author get over the culture shock of moving to Saudi Arabia.

Why this is my Overall Favorite Backstreet Boys Song

I don’t have a story like this. However, I like the song for two reasons. First, I liked the message because it was so counter-cultural. You hardly anyone talks about inner beauty, much less in pop culture. Two, I can relate to the subject of the songs, especially the following lyric. I know sometimes you feel like you don’t fit in/And this world doesn’t know what you have within. There are things like my problems with my disability that remind me of that. I what I call have the high-functioning curse. I am never sure of what I can and cannot do. Others misunderstand My behavior, which seems entirely ok for me. I struggle with hiding it because of what society expects. However, I want to be myself, too, so people can accept or reject me for who I am from the start. That is the irony of being different. Society only celebrates it when it is acceptable. Oddities are relegated to the back.

More about the song itself

Of course, like the song’s subject, the song did not receive much attention. Like so many of their excellent songs, it was a regional bonus track. This was on the 2001 rerelease of Black and Blue. Luckily for the rest of us, it was also on the Princess Diaries soundtrack. Unfortunately, they only performed this song on the Black and Blue tour, as far as I know. There are very few fan-made videos and nothing official beyond the a capella clip featured in the post. It only comes up again in a duet version that Howie and Brian perform at one of Howie’s Lupus foundation benefits in Japan.

This Backstreet Boy song is also a treat for Howie Dorough fans since he rarely got any lead opportunities before Kevin Richardson’s departure in 2006. I am not surprised that Brian Littrell co-leads this since he’d most likely share the song’s sentiment. It is just a shame it has not received more attention. There are even very few fan-made videos with this, so much less anything official. And AJ Mclean once again comes in on the bridge like he did on Quit Playing Games(With My Heart)

A High school acquaintance inspired Howie to write the song. He told the story behind the song in a Chicken Soup For The Soul book. The story is also on the Chicken Soup for the Soul website behind a paywall, unfortunately. . Whether you are a fan or not, I am sure you will like it and find similar inspiration.

Duet version at Howie’s Lupus foundation fundraiser in Japan

Related

Backstreet Boys Inspirational Song Post on my LiveJournal where I mention this song

Backstreet Boys inspirational songs: magaretnahmias — LiveJournal

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12 thoughts on “A Backstreet Boys song that made a difference.

  1. Its like you read my mind! You appear to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is excellent blog. A great read. I’ll certainly be back.

    1. Good because my first COVID piece was not that clear to somoneone. Images improve SEO but they can affect loading. But I try to use them when possible.

  2. Did you use the same theme ? I chose the Writers Blogily for the colors and because it display well on mobile.

  3. Woah! I’m really enjoying the template/theme of this website. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s very difficult to get that “perfect balance” between usability and visual appeal. I must say you’ve done a great job with this. In addition, the blog loads extremely quick for me on Internet explorer. Exceptional Blog!

    1. Word Press themes are designed to be simple. It is a matter of choosing the right one for your site. And that balance is why I am constantly tweaking the appearance of my site. I also want to streamline for SEO purposes which include loading time. I am glad it loaded well for you since one service I used said it was an issue. Thanks for confirming that I am on the right track.

  4. Incredible! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a entirely different subject but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Great choice of colors!

    1. Did you use the same theme ? I chose the Writers Blogily for the colors and because it display well on mobile.

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