Thanksgiving is upon us and if there's one thing that's filling the minds of Americans everywhere, it's food. And what pairs better with delicious food than, well, delicious music? Whether you're looking forward to smashing pumpkins for warm pumpkin pie, adding some jelly to your roll or making sauce out of cranberries, we have music that will satisfy your appetite. Or at least give you some new ideas for your Thanksgiving menu.

In honor of the biggest eating holiday of the year, we present you a tasty selection of appetizing artists, plus a side dish of edible songs.

Appetizing Artists

Main Dishes:
Chickenfoot
Lamb Of God
Paul McCartney And Wings
Meat Loaf
Meat Puppets

Supporting Sides:
Black Eyed Peas
Bowling For Soup
Korn
The Cranberries
Salt-N-Pepa
Spice Girls
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Smashing Pumpkins
Jelly Roll Morton

Encore Desserts:
Fiona Apple
Blind Melon
Cake
Cream
Humble Pie
Moby Grape

Seasoned Songs

Main Dishes:
"All That Meat And No Potatoes," Fats Waller
"Fried Chicken," Nas Featuring Busta Rhymes
"Jambalaya (On The Bayou)," Hank Williams
"Hot Tamales," Santana
"Ham 'N' Eggs," A Tribe Called Quest
"Soul Food," Goodie Mob
"Pork Chop Sandwich," ZZ Top

Supporting Sides:
"Green Onions," Booker T. & The MG's
"Sixteen Saltines," Jack White
"The Honey Roll," Elton John
"Cornflake Girl," Tori Amos
"Diced Pineapples," Rick Ross
"Peaches," The Presidents Of The United States Of America
"Gray (For My Mashed Potatoes)," Dee Dee Sharp

Encore Desserts:
"American Pie," Don McLean
"Birthday Cake," Rihanna Featuring Chris Brown
"Cherry Pie," Warrant
"Cinnamon Girl," Neil Young
"Orange Crush," R.E.M.
"Raspberry Beret," Prince
"Pour Some Sugar On Me," Def Leppard
"Ice Cream Man," Van Halen

What's your favorite recipe for a mouthwatering artist or song? Let us know by commenting below.

After nearly a decade in the commercial wilderness, Prince seemed determined to bring his music back to the masses with his 28th studio effort. While announcing its release, the Paisley Park legend had one thing to declare: "School's in session."

Eschewing the jazz fusion sound of his previous releases in favor of a more mainstream blend of pop, R&B, funk, and soul, Musicology proved to be a valuable lesson. It returned the megastar to the upper reaches of the Billboard 200, earned five GRAMMY nominations (and two wins), and reasserted Prince's place on the touring ladder. Even the previously dismissive critics came back on board, with Rolling Stone declaring it "as appealing, focused, and straight-up satisfying an album as Prince has made since who can remember when."

And while Prince was always a prolific artist, it seems Musicology was highly inspirational for the Purple One himself, too. Just two days after the album's release, Prince dropped both his 29th studio effort, The Chocolate Invasion, and his 30th, The Slaughterhouse, exclusively online.

Of course, it's the major label release that has become the more notable part of his remarkable oeuvre. Musicology paved the way for a string of further late-career classics and revived the legacy that's still going strong nearly ten years after his untimely death.

In honor of Musicology's 20th anniversary, here's a look at how Prince's masterclass reaffirmed his status as an artistic genius.

It Saw Prince Return To His Best Form… 

After three albums of jazz fusion (The Rainbow Children, Xpectation, N-E-W-S) and the piano-heavy One Nite Alone..., it appeared as though Prince was no longer interested in the melting pot of sounds that defined his imperial phase. But Musicology showed his polymathic tendencies were still intact.

Channeling the acts he explicitly namechecks (James Brown, Earth Wind and Fire, Sly and the Family Stone), the opening title track was the slickest, funkiest thing he'd put his mononym to in years. Accompanied by one of his most provocative videos, "Cinnamon Girl" harks back to the classic roots rock of the Rolling Stones, while the epic ballad "A Million Days," Marvin Gaye-esque soul of "Call My Name," and jam session "If Eye Was the Man in Ur Life" all further helped the record to live up to its "no boundaries" pre-release claims.

…And Also Saw Him Return To Lyrical Form 

It wasn't just on a musical level that Prince flourished. Whereas its predecessor was largely focused on his conversion to the Jehovah's Witnesses, Musicology's lyrics embraced more universal themes — from the domestic bliss of "Reflection" ("Did we remember to water the plants today") to infidelity drama "What Do U Want Me 2B."

Prince's sublime storytelling abilities are perhaps best showcased on "Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance," a money versus love debate involving a gigolo and a much older socialite. He also proved he could still tackle serious issues with "Cinnamon Girl," the story of a mixed-race youngster impacted by post-9/11 paranoia. Gossip hounds, however, will be most intrigued by "Life O The Party," which appears to take a blatant pot shot at one of his fellow '80s superstars ("My voice is getting higher/ And I ain't never had my nose done/ That's the other guy").

It Brought Him Back To The Charts

Prince had been one of the dominant Billboard 200 artists of the 1980s with Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, and the Batman OST all reaching No. 1. But thanks to the record company dispute that inspired his name change to an unpronounceable squiggle, uncommercial release strategies (several albums were only available via his NPG fan club) and the general law of diminishing returns, his chart appeal started to wane from the mid-1990s onward. In fact, 2001's The Rainbow Children peaked no higher than 109!

However, issued through Columbia (his first major label release since Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic on Arista five years earlier), Musicology completely reversed his fortunes. Reaching No. 3, it became the star's first top 10 album since 1995's The Gold Experience and his highest charting since 1991's Diamonds and Pearls.

It Pioneered A New Sales Strategy 

In 2017, more than a third of the year's Billboard 200 chart-toppers benefited from ticket bundles, a release strategy in which a chart-eligible free copy of a new album is given away — when manually redeemed — with each concert sale. This included The Killers' Wonderful, Wonderful, Shania Twain's Now, and Kenny Chesney's Live in No Shoes Nation, the latter becoming the first live album to reach the spot in seven years.

While this was the technique's commercial pinnacle, the idea was actually first instigated by Prince. Indeed, proving that he could still be ahead of the curve in his fourth decade as an artist, Musicology was automatically made available to anyone attending Musicology Live 2004ever for no extra charge. This accounted for 125,000 copies (roughly 25 percent) of the 632,000 sold in its first five weeks. In fact, the experiment proved to be so successful that Billboard decided to change its rules to avoid the potential for chart manipulation.

It Gave Him Further GRAMMY Glory 

Keen to remind everyone of his inimitable talents in time for Musicology's release, Prince graced the GRAMMYs stage just two months beforehand and, with a little help from Beyoncé, brought the house down. The two generational icons kicked off the ceremony with a spellbinding medley which included the former's "Purple Rain," "Let's Go Crazy" and "Baby I'm a Star" and the latter's "Crazy in Love."

The following year, Prince was back as a five-time nominee. Not only were they his first R&B nominations in nearly a decade, but his two wins — for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Call My Name" and Best Traditional R&B Performance for "Musicology" — marked the Purple One's first GRAMMY wins since 1987.

It Set The Stage For A Trio Of Now-Classic Releases 

Prince certainly didn't waste the goodwill earned from his surprising commercial renaissance. In 2006, the Purple One achieved another major milestone when 3121 became his first album ever to debut atop the Billboard 200, knocking off the soundtrack from Disney phenomenon High School Musical in the process. Named after the address of the house he was renting during its recording, Prince's fourth U.S. chart-topper also spawned his first Hot 100 entry in seven years with the funky "Black Sweat."

Prince followed it up with 2007's No.3-peaking Planet Earth, a record controversially released for free as a Sunday newspapercovermount in the UK, but in the more traditional way this side of the Atlantic. And this particular golden period was wrapped up in 2009 with Lotusflow3r, a Target exclusive triple album also designed to showcase the talents of his latest protege Bria Valente, which reached No. 2. Without Musicology paving the way, this trio might not have attained late-classic status.

It Restored His Reputation As A Must-See Live Act 

While Prince had always remained a popular live draw no matter his commercial success, his touring presence since the start of the century had been a little unpredictable. His supposed 'world tour' of 2003 was largely confined to Australia; his One Nite Alone... run the year previously was more jazz club than regular gig, and 2001's A Celebration was reportedly cut short over a record company dispute.

Musicology fully restored him to must-see status. Its accompanying trek, which plotted 77 dates across 55 U.S. cities, sold over 1.4 million tickets, grossing a whopping $87.4 million along the way to become the most lucrative of 2004 — and the highest-grossing tour of Prince's career. Its success allowed Prince to launch a record-breaking 21-date residency at London's O2 Arena and the lengthier, guest-heavy Welcome 2 tour, during which he was joined on stage by everyone from Whitney Houston to Whoopi Goldberg.

It Fearlessly Embraced His Past 

Contrary to his previous array of jazz fusion albums, Musicology suggested Prince was now content to reconnect with his chart-topping megastar past. Its title track even concludes with some radio station surfing featuring snippets of "Kiss," "Little Red Corvette," and "If I Was Your Girlfriend."

It was a similar story with its accompanying tour. Giving exactly what his fans wanted, the set lists were largely comprised of his greatest hits, with his new album only getting a nod on a handful of occasions.

The Musicology era was Prince's way of showing that he hadn't forgotten why everyone fell in love with him in the first place, while simultaneously extending his creative legacy. Whether looking back at all of its accolades or checking out all of the celebrations on Prince's official Instagram page, it's clear that Musicology remains a vital part of the Purple One's catalog 20 years on. 

Behind 'Diamonds and Pearls' Super Deluxe Edition: A Fresh Look At Prince & The New Power Generation’s Creative Process

After shaking up the rap game with a breakout verse on the Main Source’s "Live at the Barbeque," a 17-year-old, chip-toothed MC named Nasir "Nas" Jones was crowned a prophet. His silk-smooth delivery and poetic rhymes on the 1991 jam were reminiscent of hip-hop greats like Kool G Rap and Rakim.  

The verse — which included the line "Verbal assassin, my architect pleases. When I was 12, I went to hell for snuffin’ Jesus" — bestowed heavy expectations on the Queens native. While Nas was discovered by Main Source’s Large Professor, the young MC was soon drawing the attention of music label heads who wanted to ink a deal with the emerging artist. 

"I must have rewinded that [verse] like a hundred times," former 3rd Bass rhymer MC Search said in the 2014 documentary Nas: Time Is Illmatic. "This Main Source album is brilliant, but who’s that kid? It almost felt like within a week, everybody wanted to know who that guy was." 

Through Nas’ connection with Search, he found a home at Sony Music’s Columbia, and notched another memorable verse on 1992’s "Back To The Grill." But on April 19, 1994, Nas delivered the greatest debut in rap history: Illmatic. 

Thirty years later,. Nas’ masterful stroke of poeticism and the gritty boom-bap loops on songs "It Ain’t Hard to Tell," "The World Is Yours," and "N.Y. State of Mind" still resonate. The album also revived the fleeting dominance of NY rap, and unexpectedly inspired other rappers to release albums with their baby pictures on the cover. Its influential power, and the amalgam of musical forces that threaded the album together, made Illmatic one of the definitive East Coast rap albums of the golden age. Few hip-hop albums have been as widely heralded for as long as Illmatic.

The landmark project chronicled Nas’ life growing up in the Queensbridge housing projects while helping restore the influence of East Coast rap on a now bicoastal scene. By '94, the West coast was taking the reins for the first time in the genre’s history. In Southern California, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle popularized G-funk, which soon permeated the airwaves and topped the Billboard charts. Alternative West Coast acts like Oakland's Souls of Mischief and South Central's the Pharcyde were also establishing firm ground.

The mecca of hip-hop was no longer atop the leaderboard, but with his first full-length release, Nas was inspired to reclaim New York’s dominance and rekindle Queenbridge’s spark from the late 1980s. "I had to represent," Nas said in a 2019 interview with Drink Champs. "The pressure was on the borough and my project. And just getting into the game, you had to have something to say, so I definitely had to push the pen hard because, if not, it would’ve never [flown]."

Queensbrige is home to the largest housing project in the U.S., and birthed pioneers like MC Shan, Marley Marl, and the fearsome Juice Crew. They fell to South Bronx’s KRS-One and the Boogie Down Productions collective in the infamous "Bridge Wars," which left the Long Island City section seeking a new heir. And Nas, inspired by the lyrical warfare, took up the mantle. 

Nas and Large Professor hired legendary producers DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, L.E.S, and others to work on Illmatic. They set the sonic lines, and Nas filled the gaps in spoken word form. 

Read more: A Guide To New York Hip-Hop: Unpacking The Sound Of Rap's Birthplace From The Bronx To Staten Island

From their first studio session together, Q-Tip knew Nas’ skills were unlike any other he’d seen before. "You automatically knew," the A Tribe Called Quest legend (and fellow son of Queens) said in an interview with Red Bull Music Academy. "When Large Professor first played him for me, I heard him on the Live at the Barbeque,’ but then Large [Professor] played me his s— and I was like, ‘This dude is crazy, you know what I’m saying?’ I knew it was going to be the impact it was."

The project was a storybook of lived experiences, even down to the iconic album cover. Nas peeled back the layers of street violence, mass incarceration, and generations of disenfranchisement throughout the 10-track LP. "Memory Lane (Sitin’ in da Park)" and "One Time 4 Your Mind" transported listeners to the hardened corners of Queens, where the air was filled with marijuana smoke and the distant whispers from street hustlers. 

On the Tri-State anthem "N.Y. State of Mind," Nas’ creative equilibrium was at full balance. In Time Is Illmatic, Nas said the song’s early placement on the LP was intentional. He knew it would "bring [listeners] to hell and back." 

"One Love" captured the pain of incarceration, with Nas’ descriptive story of distrust and heartbreak overlaying a chillingly euphoric beat. The AZ-assisted "Life’s a Bitch" is a celebratory toast to survival, and "It Ain’t Hard to Tell" is a masterful showcase of braggadocious rap. 

The topics that I talk about were topics that were around before ‘Illmatic’; streets, social economic status, people’s struggles," Nas told Clash magazine. "I just told it crazy real, and it just talks about how to live in the circumstances and goes beyond, dreaming at the same time. Never just stay in the situation that you’re in."

The album was showered with praise upon release, with the Source blessing the album with a highly-coveted five-mic review. The rare score was administered by  former Hot 97 radio personality and then-Source intern Minya Oh, who declared it one of the best albums she had ever heard. "Lyrically, the whole s— is on point. No cliched metaphors, no gimmicks. Never too abstract, never superficial."

The rave responses didn’t initially translate to album sales. Ilmatic debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard 200, only selling around 60,000 copies in its first week. The low sales were attributed to pre-Internet leaks, with renderings of Illmatic in circulation up to a year before its official release date, according to Clash. The standout singles also failed to scratch the charts. 

Illmatic eventually sold more than two million copies, but the underwhelming start surprised DJ Premier. "We knew it was going to be that big of a deal, that’s why I never understood why it didn’t go like super platinum quick," Premier said to Mass Appeal. "I thought it was going to be super fast and it didn’t. I thought this one was going to be a big platinum album."

But three decades after its release, Illmatic influenced several generations of rap stars and retained its status as one of the best albums in rap history. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the album no. 44 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Large Professor, who continued to work with Nas on later albums, said Illmatic is a pillar of hip-hop history. "It’s one of the roots of the tree of hip-hop because a lot of styles came from that. A lot of rhyme styles. He got people thinking outside of the norm," the producer said to HipHopDX in 2014. The stuff that he was rhyming was just crazy, man. But, it’s definitely one of the roots that hold the tree of hip-hop up strong." 

Nas’ contributions has placed him among the best MCs of all time, and justifiably so. He’s continued to deliver No. 1 albums and hit singles throughout the decades, and scored his first GRAMMY Award for Best Rap Album in 2021 after more than a dozen nominations. 

While Nas no longer listens to Illmatic and avoids celebrating the project, telling Haute Living that it’s "corny" to continue championing one album when he’s done so many others. But fans’ continued admiration for the album proves that his early goals were met. The reputation of East Coast rap and Queensbridge was restored, and Nas’ legacy will forever be immortalized. Mission accomplished, Esco. 

'Run-DMC' At 40: The Debut Album That Paved The Way For Hip-Hop's Future

While in a studio, Andrew Watt bounces off the walls. Just ask Mick Jagger, who once had to gently tell the 33-year-old, "Look, I can deal with this, but when you meet Ronnie and Keith, you have to dial it down a little bit."

Or ask Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard. "He really got the best out of [drummer] Matt [Cameron] just by being excited — literally jumping up and down and pumping his fist and running around," he tells GRAMMY.com.

As Watt's hot streak has burned on, reams have rightly been written about his ability to take a legacy act, reconnect them with their essence, and put a battery in their back. His efficacy can be seen at Music's Biggest Night: Ozzy Osbourne's Patient Number 9 won Best Rock Album at the 2023 GRAMMYs. At the last ceremony, the Rolling Stones were nominated for Best Rock Song, for Hackney Diamonds' opener "Angry."

On Pearl Jam's return to form, Dark Matter, due out April 19. Who was behind the desk? Take a wild guess.

"You want to see them live more than you want to listen to their albums, and they have the ability to look at each other and play and follow each other. I don't like my rock music any other way, as a listener," Watt tells GRAMMY.com. "All my favorite records are made like that — of people speeding up, slowing down, playing longer than they should."

As such, Watt had a lightbulb moment: to not record any demos, and have them write together in the room. "They're all playing different stuff, and it makes up what Pearl Jam is, and singer Eddie [Vedder] rides it like a wave."

If you're more of a pop listener, there's tons of Watt for you — he's worked with Justin Bieber ("Hit the Ground" from Purpose), Lana Del Rey ("Doin' Time" from Norman F—ing Rockwell) and much more. Read on for a breakdown of big name rockers who have worked with Andrew Watt.

Pearl Jam / Eddie Vedder

Watt didn't just produce Dark Matter; he also helmed Vedder's well-received third solo album, Earthling, from 2022. Watt plays guitar in Vedder's live backing band, known as the Earthlings — which also includes Josh Klinghoffer, who replaced John Frusciante in the Red Hot Chili Peppers for a stint.

The Rolling Stones

Dark Matter was a comeback for Pearl Jam, but Hackney Diamonds was really a comeback for the Stones. While it had a hater or two, the overwhelming consensus was that it was the Stones' best album in decades — maybe even since 1978's Some Girls.

"I hope what makes it fresh and modern comes down to the way it's mixed, with focus on low end and making sure the drums are big," Watt, who wore a different Stones shirt every day in the studio, has said about Hackney Diamonds. "But the record is recorded like a Stones album."

Where there are modern rock flourishes on Hackney Diamonds, "There's no click tracks. There's no gridding. There's no computer editing," he continued. "This s— is performed live and it speeds up and slows down. It's made to the f—ing heartbeat connection of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Steve Jordan.

"And Charlie," Watt added, tipping a hat to Watts, who played on Hackney Diamonds but died before it came out. "When Charlie's on it."

Iggy Pop

Ever since he first picked up a mic and removed his shirt, the snapping junkyard dog of the Stooges has stayed relevant — as far as indie, alternative and punk music has been concerned.

But aside from bright spots like 2016's Josh Homme-produced Post Pop Depression, his late-career output has felt occasionally indulgent and enervated. The 11 songs on 2023's eclectic Watt-produced Every Loser, on the other hand, slap you in the face in 11 different ways.

"We would jam and make tracks and send them to Iggy, and he would like 'em and write to them or wouldn't like them and we'd do something else," Watt told Billboard. "It was very low pressure. We just kept making music until we felt like we had an album." (And as with Pearl Jam and Vedder's Earthlings band, Watt has rocked out onstage with Pop.

Ozzy Osbourne

You dropped your crown, O Prince of Darkness. When he hooked up with Watt, the original Black Sabbath frontman hadn't released any solo music since 2010's Scream; in 2017, Sabbath finally said goodbye after 49 years and 10 (!) singers.

On 2020's Ordinary Man and 2022's Patient Number 9, Watt reenergized Ozzy; even when he sounds his age, Ozz sounds resolute, defiant, spitting in the face of the Reaper. (A bittersweet aside: the late Taylor Hawkins appears on Patient Number 9, which was written and recorded in just four days.)

Maroon 5

Yeah, yeah, they're more of a pop-rock band, but they have guitars, bass and drums. (And if you're the type of rock fan who's neutral or hostile to the 5, you shouldn't be; Songs About Jane slaps.)

At any rate, Watt co-produced "Can't Leave You Alone," featuring Juice WRLD, from 2021's Jordi. Critics disparaged the album, but showed Watt's facility straddling the pop and rock worlds.

5 Seconds of Summer

When it comes to Andrew Watt, the Sydney pop-rockers — slightly more on the rock end than Maroon 5 and their ilk — are repeat customers. He produced a number of tracks for 5 Seconds of Summer, which spanned 2018's Youngblood, 2020's Calm and 2022's 5SOS5.

Regarding the former: Watt has cited Youngblood as one of the defining recording experiences of his life.

"I had started working with 5 Seconds of Summer, and a lot of people looked at them as a boy band, but they're not," Watt told Guitar Player. "They're all incredible musicians. They can all play every instrument. They love rock music. They can harmonize like skyrockets in flight. They just were making the wrong kind of music."

So Watt showed 5 Seconds of Summer a number of mainstays of the rock era, like Tears for Fears and the Police. The rest, as they say, is history.

Elton John

A year after Britney Spears was unshackled from her highly controversial conservatorship, it was time for a victory lap with the God of Glitter. What resulted was a curious little bauble, which became a megahit: "Hold Me Closer," a spin on "Tiny Dancer," "The One" and "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" that briefly launched Spears back into the stratosphere.

"Britney came in and she knew what she wanted to do," Watt recalled to The L.A. Times. "We sped up the song a little bit and she sang the verses in her falsetto, which harkens back to 'Toxic.' She was having a blast."

Blink-182

Watt has also worked with pop/punk heroes Blink-182 — but not after Tom DeLonge made his grand return. He produced "I Really Wish I Hated You" from 2019's Nine, back when Matt Skiba was in the band.

Where in the rock world will this tender-aged superproducer strike next? Watt knows.

Songbook: The Rolling Stones' Seven-Decade Journey To Hackney Diamonds

When the Backstreet Boys released "I Want It That Way" on April 12, 1999, they likely had no idea how beloved their smash hit would still be a quarter-century later.

Written by the Swedish powerhouse team of Andreas Carlsson and Max Martin, "I Want It That Way" is undoubtedly BSB's signature hit, particularly thanks to its memorable undulating melody and its long-debated cryptic meaning. But perhaps the most surprising part of the song's legacy is how it has resonated across genres — from a TikTok cover by Korn to a hip-hop sampling by Lil Uzi Vert.

As the Backstreet Boys celebrate the 25th anniversary of "I Want It That Way," take a look at how the song has been diversely covered, lovingly lampooned and karaoke jammed by an array of voices in the business.

Weird Al Yankovic (2003)

When the king of parody songs selects one to skewer, you know it's an iconic song. Weird Al Yankovic paid tribute to the largeness of the Backstreet Boys classic when he used "I Want It That Way" as the basis of a song called "eBay" in 2003.

Yankovic's chorus replaces the original's with, "A used pink bathrobe/ A rare mint snow globe/ A Smurf TV tray/ I bought on eBay." The Backstreet Boys send up appears on Yankovic's album Poodle Hat, which won Best Comedy Album at the 2004 GRAMMYs.

One Direction (2013)

Three years One Direction formed on "The X Factor," the five lads — Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson — included a cover of "I Want It That Way" on their 2013 concert set lists, the young boy band paying homage to the ones that came before them. Though their English accents poked through at times, their version was loyal to the original, and got their crowds singing along.

"Glee" (2013)

Poking fun at the presumed rivalry between *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, a medley of the former's "Bye Bye Bye" and "I Want It That Way" was featured in Season 4, Episode 16 of "Glee." In the episode — aptly titled "Feud" — choir director Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) and glee club heartthrob Finn (Cory Monteith) face off in an epic boy band battle, which ultimately proved the groups' respective music was more cohesive than divisive.

Brittany Howard and Jim James (2016)

The lead singers of Alabama Shakes and My Morning Jacket covering a boy band classic. It doesn't sound real, but Brittany Howard and Jim James did just that in 2016 when they recorded "I Want It That Way" for an animated short cartoon called "A Love Story."

Released by the fast food chain Chipotle Mexican Grill, the clip was part of a creative campaign to showcase the company's focus on natural ingredients. Howard and James highlight the poignancy and versatility of the song by adding lush string arrangements and dramatic beats.

Backstreet Boys x Jimmy Fallon and The Roots (2018)

The 2018 live performance of "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots for "The Tonight Show" is arguably the sweetest rendition of the song — and not just because they're using a mini xylophone, baby tambourine and other toy classroom instruments. It's even more endearing than the previous collaborations between Fallon and Backstreet Boys: a barbershop singing version of Sisqo's "Thong Song" and a "Bawkstreet Boys" version of "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," with everyone dressed like fluffy birds.

The 1975 (2020)

British rockers The 1975 performed a fairly faithful cover of "I Want It That Way," hitting all the high notes at several of their 2023 world concert tour stops. But it's not the first time frontman Matty Healy has hinted at the Backstreet Boys' influence on his band: he told Pitchfork in 2020 that "College Dropout-era Kanye West meets Backstreet Boys" was part of their veritable moodboard at the time when working on their own song called "Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)."

Lil Uzi Vert (2020)

In 2020, Lil Uzi Vert released a rap song called "That Way" that includes a refrain of "I want it that way" sung to the tune of the Backstreet original, but with an AutoTune twist. From there, the lyrics become quite a bit naughtier than anything the BSB guys have uttered in any song.

"I don't know how [the idea of] Backstreet Boys got involved in this song, I really don't," the song's producer Supah Mario told Splice at the time. "I think it was all Uzi. But it was a game changer."

The interpolation was so good, in fact, that Nick Carter even invited Lil Uzi Vert to collaborate: "Now you're gonna have to be featured on our next album bud," he tweeted upon the song's release.

Korn (2022)

Fans of Korn know that the nu metal band has a sense of humor, but few could've expected that Jonathan Davis and crew would post a TikTok of themselves singing "I Want It That Way" in 2022.

"I never wanna hear you say… 'Worst Is On Its Way,'" reads the caption on the post, a tongue-in-cheek reference to Korn's 2022 song of the same name.

Backstreet Boys responded on the app via a hilarious Duet video with Nick Carter. In the video, Carter — who sports fabulous metal eye makeup and a long silver wig — doesn't actually say or sing anything, he just drops his jaw in amazement.

Backstreet Boys x Downy (2022)

Downy hired the Backstreet Boys to poke fun at "I Want It That Way" with the now-viral "Tell Me Why" commercial in 2022. All five members — Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, AJ McLean and Kevin Richardson — appear as a Backstreet Boys poster on the wall that comes to life, using the "tell me why" hook of their hit to engage a woman doing laundry in a conversation about washing her clothes.

As Saatchi group account director Jen Brotman told Muse at the time, the nostalgic ad also spawned some memories for the folks working on the ad campaign.

"The moment [BSB] stood in front of the camera, they rehearsed 'I Want It That Way' just to get the notes right, and we felt like we were getting serenaded on set," Brotman recalled. "We couldn't believe how emotional we all got — there may or may not have been tears in some eyes. The song has always been a karaoke favorite of the team, so we knew which 'tell me whys' we wanted them to hit, and we still can't get it out of our heads."

Ed Sheeran (2023)

When he fancies singing a bit of karaoke, Ed Sheeran loves leaning on "I Want It That Way," as the star showed at his favorite Nashville bar in July 2023. A patron caught him on camera and his happiness level is undeniable when belting out this enduring pop classic.

As Sheeran told CBS News a few months later, he grew up on the pop hits of everyone from Backstreet Boys to Britney Spears. But what he said about "I Want It That Way" specifically may be the best way to describe its long-lasting impact: "You can't be in a bar, a couple of beers in, and 'I Want It That Way' comes on and not be like, 'This is a good song.' You can't."

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