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14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?The 100 most repeated chord transitions extracted from thousands of songs. Even the first 10 will transform your guitar practice routine.

Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsEm, C, G, D, Am, E7, F#m, A
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram
  • Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram Fingering: 2-4-4-2-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram
  • Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

[Opening]
You [Em]are my [C]fire [G]the [Em]one de[C]sire. [G]
Belie[Em]ve when [C]I [G]say, [Em]I want it [D]that [G]way.
But [Em]we are [C]two [G]worlds [Em]apart, can’t [C]reach [G]to your [Em]heart.
When [C]you [G]say, that [Em]I want it [D]that [G]way.

[chorus]
Tell me [C]why, ain’t nothin’ but a [D]heart[Em]ache.
Tell me [C]why, ain’t nothin’ but a [D]mista[Em]ke.
Tell me [C]why, I never wanna [D]hear you [G]say.
[Em]I want it [D]that [G]way…

[verse 2]
Am [Em]I your [C]fi[G]re, your [Em]one [C]de[G]sire.
Yes I [Em]know it’s [C]too [G]late, but [Em]I want it [D]that [G]way.

[chorus]
Tell me [C]why, ain’t nothin’ but a [D]heart[Em]ache.
Tell me [C]why, ain’t nothin’ but a [D]mista[Em]ke.
Tell me [C]why, I never wanna [D]hear you [G]say.
[Em]I want it [D]that [G]way…

[verse 3]
[Em]Now I can see that we’re [G]falling apart.
From the [C]way that it used to [Am]be, [D]yeah.
No [Em]matter the distance, I [G]want you to know.
That [C]deep down inside of [D]me…

[verse 4]
You [C]are my [D]fire [Em]the [C]one de[D]sire. [Em]
You [C]are, you are, you [D]are, you [G]are [Em](I want [D]it…)

[Closing]
[D]Don’t wanna hear you (say)
[D]Ain’t nothin’ but a [E7]heart[F#m]ache
[D]Ain’t nothin’ but a [E7]mis[F#m]take
[D]I never wanna [E7]hear you [A]say
[F#m]I want it [E7]that [A]way

[chorus]
Tell me [D]why, ain’t nothin’ but a [E7]heart[F#m]ache.
Tell me [D]why, ain’t nothin’ but a [E7]mis[F#m]take.
Tell me [D]why, I never wanna [E7]hear you [A]say.
[F#m]I want it [E7]that [A]way, tell me [D]why.

[chorus]
Ain’t nothin’ but a [E7]heart[F#m]ache.
[D]Ain’t nothin’ but a [E7]mis[F#m]take.
Tell me [D]why, I never wanna [E7]hear you [A]say.
[F#m]I want it [E7]that [A]way.
Cause, [F#m]I want it [E7]that [A]way.

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SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistBackstreet Boys
AlbumMillennium
GenresPop
Year1999
KeyEm

How to play I Want It That Way on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way on guitar requires 8 chords and 14 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

I Want It That Way uses these transitions most often: Em → C (15), G → Em (15), and C → D (10). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with Em - C chord transition.

1. Em → C chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

To move from Em to C;

  1. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
  2. Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 3.
  3. Place index finger on B string fret 1.
Em to C

2. C → G chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from C to G;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
C to G

3. G → Em chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

To move from G to Em;

  1. While playing G, lift your index finger from A string fret 2.
  2. Lift your middle finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
G to Em

4. Em → D chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

To move from Em to D;

  1. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
  2. Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 3.
  3. Place index finger on G string fret 2.
Em to D

5. D → G chord transition

To move from D to G;

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

6. C → D chord transition

To move from C to D;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

7. C → Am chord transition

To move from C to Am;

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

8. Am → D chord transition

To move from Am to D;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.

9. D → E7 chord transition

To move from D to E7;

  1. While playing D, lift your ring finger from B string fret 3.
  2. Slide your index finger on G string from fret 2 to fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to A string fret 2.

10. E7 → F#m chord transition

To move from E7 to F#m;

  1. While playing E7, lift your middle finger from A string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on A string fret 4.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 4.

11. F#m → D chord transition

To move from F#m to D;

  1. While playing F#m, lift your pinky from D string fret 4.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 4 to B string fret 3.
  4. Place middle finger on E string fret 2.

12. E7 → A chord transition

To move from E7 to A;

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on B string fret 2.

13. A → F#m chord transition

To move from A to F#m;

  1. While playing A, lift your middle finger from G string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from B string fret 2 to A string fret 4.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 4.

14. A → D chord transition

To move from A to D;

  1. Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger on B string from fret 2 to fret 3.

I Want It That Way chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in I Want It That Way.

  • I Want It That Way includes 117 chord transitions, 14 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • I Want It That Way contains 6 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how I Want It That Way connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 29%
    • D → Em: 17%
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (17%).
    • Em → C: 26%
    • Em → G: 18%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.