Backstreet Boys Revisit “I Want It That Way” with Classroom Instruments
The Backstreet Boys bring “I Want It That Way” to a compact, playful setting in this performance with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots. The song’s familiar vocal lines remain central while classroom instruments supply a deliberately modest accompaniment.
The Tonight Show’s official upload, published in June 2018, identifies the participants and their instruments. Its credits show how the ensemble divides a well-known pop arrangement among small percussion, simple melodic instruments and the group’s voices.
Brian Littrell contributes an apple shaker and woodblock alongside his vocals. Nick Carter plays tambourine, Kevin Richardson uses a güiro, AJ McLean plays maraca, and Howie Dorough handles coconuts. These choices make the musical setup part of the performance’s visual appeal.
Fallon’s contributions include bass drum, a Casio instrument and an apple shaker. Around him, members of The Roots add xylophone, melodica, ukulele, kazoos, bongos and triangle. The variety provides several ways to support a song without a conventional pop backing.
The arrangement works because the audience can still follow the melody and the singers’ relationship to it. Changing the accompaniment does not remove the song’s identity. It shifts attention toward the elements that remain recognizable under different musical conditions.
Watch the performance
Small instruments also change the apparent scale of the performance. A recording associated with polished production becomes something an audience can imagine being assembled in a room. The visual simplicity makes participation seem approachable while the ensemble still requires coordination.
Percussion plays an important role in that coordination. Shakers and tambourines can establish movement without occupying the same space as the voices. Short, bright sounds give the accompaniment definition while leaving the principal melody easy to hear.
The melodic instruments provide another layer of contrast. A ukulele or melodica has a different character from the sounds associated with a large pop production. Those differences create interest without requiring the singers to abandon the song’s established shape.
This is also a performance built around shared timing. The players need to enter together, maintain a pulse and support the vocal phrases. The lighthearted presentation makes those requirements easy to overlook, but they are part of why the arrangement holds together.
For listeners who know the song well, the format offers a useful comparison. Familiar material can sound different when its surroundings change. The audience recognizes the tune and then notices the unusual details in the accompaniment around it.
The presence of all five Backstreet Boys gives that comparison a clear connection to the original performers. They revisit their repertoire within the show’s recurring musical format, rather than leaving the entire reinterpretation to a separate cover ensemble.
Fallon and The Roots contribute a complementary role. Their instruments establish the setting and its playful character, while the group’s vocals connect the presentation to the recording that many viewers already know. Each part helps define the whole.
The classroom-instrument idea also makes the musical process visible. Viewers can see what a player is holding and connect a sound to a physical action. That visibility offers a straightforward introduction to how separate parts create an accompaniment.
The performance does not require a complicated concept to sustain interest. A familiar song, recognizable performers and an unexpected collection of instruments provide enough contrast. The arrangement’s coherence allows the visual joke and the music to work together.
Its continuing appeal lies in that combination of accessibility and craft. The instruments look simple, but the musicians still organize them around melody, rhythm and vocal phrasing. The format invites attention to both the playful presentation and the musical decisions underneath it.
The official Tonight Show video captures a recognizable pop song in a smaller sonic frame. Backstreet Boys, Fallon and The Roots preserve its central vocal identity while showing how classroom instruments can support a complete ensemble performance.
More videos to explore
The Backstreet Boys’ official “I Want It That Way” video offers the familiar pop presentation for comparison.
Ed Sheeran joins Fallon and The Roots for another classroom-instrument arrangement, this time of “Shape of You.”
Further reading: Performance background and source.
