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14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?We analyzed 14,015 chord transitions and ranked the 100 most repeated ones. Even the first 10 will transform your practice routine. The top transition appears in 23% of all songs.

Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way Ukulele Chords

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

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

YouEmaremyCfireGtheEmone Cdesire.G
EmBelievewhenCIGsay,EmIwantitDthatGway.
ButEmweareCtwoGworldsEmapart,can’tCreachGtoyourEmheart.
WhenCyouGsay,thatEmIwantitDthatGway.
TellmeCwhy,ain’tnothin’butaDheartache.
TellmeCwhy,ain’tnothin’butaDmistake.
TellmeCwhy,IneverwannaDhearyouGsay.
EmIwantitDthatGway…
AmEmIyourCfire,yourEmoneCdesire.
YesIEmknowit’sCtooGlate,butEmIwantitDthatGway.
TellmeCwhy,ain’tnothin’butaDheartache.
TellmeCwhy,ain’tnothin’butaDmistake.
TellmeCwhy,IneverwannaDhearyouGsay.
EmIwantitDthatGway…
EmNowIcanseethatwe’reGfallingapart.
FromtheCwaythatitusedtoAmbe,Dyeah.
NoEmmatterthedistance,IGwantyoutoknow.
ThatCdeepdowninsideofDme…
YouCaremyDfireEmtheCone Ddesire.Em
YouCare,youare,youDare,youGareEm(IwantDit…)
DDon’twannahearyou(say)
DAin’tnothin’butaE7heartache
DAin’tnothin’butaE7mistake
DIneverwannaE7hearyouAsay
F#mIwantitE7thatAway
TellmeDwhy,ain’tnothin’butaE7heartache.
TellmeDwhy,ain’tnothin’butaE7mistake.
TellmeDwhy,IneverwannaE7hearyouAsay.
F#mIwantitE7thatAway,tellmeDwhy.
Ain’tnothin’butaE7heartache.
DAin’tnothin’butaE7mistake.
TellmeDwhy,IneverwannaE7hearyouAsay.
F#mIwantitE7thatAway.
Cause,F#mIwantitE7thatAway.
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on the ukulele.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master ukulele today with the 100 most repeated chord transitions from 14,015 analyzed.
ArtistBackstreet Boys
AlbumMillennium
GenresPop
Year1999
KeyEm
DifficultyIntermediate

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

Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way on ukulele 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

Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram
Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram

Switching from Em to C:

  1. While playing Em, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
  2. Lift your ring finger from C string fret 4 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 15 times.

Em to C

2. C → G chord transition

Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram

To move from C to G:

  1. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
  2. Place index finger on C string fret 2.
  3. Place middle finger on A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 9 times.

C to G

3. G → Em chord transition

Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram

Here's how to move from G to Em:

  1. Lift your index finger from C string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on C string fret 4.

This transition appears in the section, played 15 times.

G to Em

4. Em → D chord transition

Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram
Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram

Here's how to move from Em to D:

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to C string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from C string fret 4 and place it on E string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 6 times.

Em to D

5. D → G chord transition

Switching from D to G:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 8 times.

6. C → D chord transition

To move from C to D:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 10 times.

7. C → Am chord transition

To move from C to Am:

  1. While playing C, lift your ring finger from A string fret 3.
  2. Place middle finger on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section.

8. Am → D chord transition

Switching from Am to D:

  1. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on G string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on E string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section.

9. D → E7 chord transition

Here's how to move from D to E7:

  1. Slide your index finger on G string from fret 2 to fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on C string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from E string fret 2 to A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 9 times.

10. E7 → F#m chord transition

Here's how to move from E7 to F#m:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 6 times.

11. F#m → D chord transition

Switching from F#m to D:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 6 times.

12. E7 → A chord transition

Here's how to move from E7 to A:

  1. While playing E7, lift your ring finger from A string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on C string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 7 times.

13. A → F#m chord transition

Switching from A to F#m:

  1. Keep index finger on C string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on E string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

14. A → D chord transition

Switching from A to D:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

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 Ukulelearn.
  • I Want It That Way contains 6 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how I Want It That Way connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After D, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (28%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 28%
    • D → Em: 17%
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (27%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → C: 27%
    • Em → G: 18%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains extracted from real songs. See which songs use each chain, learn the finger transitions, and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.