Watch A Delightful, Spontaneous Backstreet Boys Sing-A-Long Break Out On The Subway
June 20, 2019, 10:17 a.m.
People say the subway doesn't work, but maybe it works perfectly?
Every now and again, the stars align and the hellscape of a NYC subway ride transforms into a delightful — dare we say only in New York — moment. This happened Sunday evening when rider Joel Wertheimer and other straphangers were encountered with an oft-dreaded underground scenario: a man entered the train listening to music without headphones. However, the moment and the song choice were both right on, and it turned into an instant group sing-a-long of the Backstreet Boys classic* "I Want It That Way."
Wertheimer, a civil rights attorney in New York, wrote of the experience: "Sometimes people and life surprises you and a little magic happens," noting he had a rough week.
He told Gothamist that he was on the 4 train running locally heading to Brooklyn when the moment unfolded, adding, "The thing that made my week tough was that I am a lawyer working for Layleen Polanco's family... Saturday had been the funeral. It was nice to see some of the best of New York after a week dealing with New York at its worst (Rikers)."
Had a really tough week and tonight I was the subway and some guy walks between train cars, shirtless, bumping a speaker. I wasn't in the mood for Showtime particularly. But sometimes people and life surprise you and a little magic happens. pic.twitter.com/S7o4282SOS
— Joel Wertheimer (@Wertwhile) June 17, 2019
Wertheimer told us "the song did go most of the way through. But I stopped recording because I wanted to be in the moment. The subway groaned when the guy got off before the song finished."
People say the subway doesn't work, but maybe it works perfectly? Without our ongoing collective despair down there, moments like this would seem less special, and may not happen at all.
*In 1999, the Backstreet Boys swept the MTV VMA awards, taking home four awards for this song. Twist: Gothamist's own John Del Signore was there on stage with them when they accepted one of those awards...
