I Want It That Way: key, vocal range and notes
Brian Littrell of Backstreet Boys sings I Want It That Way in F♯ minor at 99 BPM. The melody spans F#3–B5, about 2.4 octaves, and 82% of the time stays between G#3 and A4 — comfortable for mezzo-sopranos in the original key. Difficulty: 62/100, hard.
- Key
- F♯ minor
- Vocal range
- F#3 – B52.4 octaves
- Sits mostly
- G#3 – A482% of singing time
- Highest note
- B51 time, first at 3:06
- Difficulty
- 62hard, out of 100
Notes of I Want It That Way on the keyboard
Every note the vocal line touches. The brightest keys are the ones you hold most of the time.
The melody uses 9 different notes: F#, G#, A, A#, B, C#, D, D#, E.
The whole song, note by note
The vocal melody from the first word to the last. Each colored block on top is one phrase: blocks with the same letter sing the same melody. I Want It That Way has 4 phrases but only 4 different melodies — learn those and you know the whole song. Tap a letter to see where it comes back.
Notes and syllables as on the Vocaberry song screen: a line joins the notes of one syllable.
- Highest note
- B5 at 3:06. Each one is short — 0 seconds in total.
- Lowest note
- F#3 at 0:58, 1:03, 1:36, 1:41, 1:53. Keep it relaxed, don't push the low end.
- Biggest jump
- 25 semitones, B5 → A#3; first at 3:06.
- Longest note
- B3, held for 1.6 s at 3:27.
- How much singing
- 2:43 of 3:29: 303 notes in 4 phrases.
- Tempo
- 99 BPM — slow enough to learn line by line. Vocaberry Karaoke lets you change the tempo.
How long each note is sung
Seconds of singing on each note across the whole song.
Intervals: how the melody moves
Every move from one note to the next inside a phrase — 275 in total. Steps are easy to sing in tune, wide leaps are where most people miss the note.
- 68% of the moves are repeated notes or steps — the melody mostly walks rather than jumps.
- The most common move is major 2nd (90 times). The fifths mostly go down (1 up, 13 down).
- The widest jump is 25 semitones, 1 time — 0 up, 1 down. Practise it slowly: the far note has to land exactly in tune.
The best key for your voice
The smallest key change that puts I Want It That Way in the comfortable part of each voice type. Don't know your type? Take the free vocal range test.
| Voice | Change | Key | You'd sing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bass | −16 semitones | D minor | D2G4 |
| Baritone | −12 semitones | F♯ minor | F#2B4 |
| Tenor | −8 semitones | B♭ minor | A#2D#5 |
| Contralto | −4 semitones | D minor | D3G5 |
| Mezzo-soprano | original key | F♯ minor | F#3B5 |
| Soprano | +4 semitones | B♭ minor | A#3D#6 |
Sing I Want It That Way in your key. Vocaberry Karaoke shows which note to sing and whether you hit it. Key and tempo adjust to your voice.
Get Vocaberry Karaoke
What's your range? Sing a few notes in the online test: it finds your lowest and highest notes and your voice type.
Test my rangeSongs with the same range as I Want It That Way
If I Want It That Way fits your voice, these will too: the same lowest and highest notes and the same middle.
More Backstreet Boys songs
Key, range and difficulty of other Backstreet Boys songs in Vocaberry. All Backstreet Boys songs and Brian Littrell's vocal range →
| Song | Key | Range | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| As Long As You Love Me1997 | Key C | E3G4 | medium · 47 |
| Everybody1997 | Key B♭m | C#3A#5 | very hard · 77 |
| Shape of My Heart2000 | Key E♭ | A#2C5 | medium · 57 |
| Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely1999 | Key F | D#4C6 | medium · 50 |
| Larger Than Life1999 | Key Cm | G3C5 | medium · 43 |
| Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)1996 | Key D | E3F#4 | medium · 43 |
Questions about I Want It That Way
What key is I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys in?
I Want It That Way is in F♯ minor at 99 BPM. If it feels too high or too low, change the key: a bass lowers it 16 semitones (D minor); a baritone lowers it 12 semitones (F♯ minor); a tenor lowers it 8 semitones (B♭ minor).
What is the vocal range of I Want It That Way?
The vocal line goes from F#3 to B5 — 2.4 octaves. 82% of the singing time stays between G#3 and A4.
What is the highest note in I Want It That Way?
B5. It comes 1 time, first at 3:06, always for a moment: altogether 0 seconds out of 163 seconds of singing.
Is I Want It That Way hard to sing?
It is rated hard — 62 out of 100 in Vocaberry. The range is wide (2.4 octaves); the tricky part is the jump of 25 semitones down to A#3.
Can a woman sing I Want It That Way?
Yes, in another key: a contralto lowers it 4 semitones (D minor); a mezzo-soprano can sing it in the original key; a soprano raises it 4 semitones (B♭ minor). Vocaberry Karaoke lets you change the key and tempo of a song.
Notes, range and timing come from the vocal transcription used in Vocaberry Karaoke; the key and difficulty are Vocaberry's. Voice type ranges are the ones Vocal Range uses.