Denver’s water department released an embarrassing Backstreet Boys parody video that featured tips for residents on how to limit water use during the summer.
A group of employees, also known as ‘Splashstreet Boys’, played the famous ’90s boy band and changed their 1999 hit ‘I Want It That Way’ to ‘I Water That Way’.
The catchy choreographed video featured five members of the company’s communications team, including Steve Snyder, Micky Boehm, Jimmy Luthye, Nathan Hayes and Jill Harclerode, who sported drawn facial hair.
The team was seen dancing, singing and wearing 90s-inspired costumes as they demonstrated how to properly water outdoors in the heat. They were cheered on by a group of rowdy fans and joined by a traveling toilet played by company manager Patrick McCoy.
The Backstreet Boys took to the company’s Instagram page and praised the parody: “You guys NAILED this.”
Five Denver Water employees starred in a music video parody of the Backstreet Boys’ ‘I Want It That Way’ to educate their community about proper summer irrigation techniques.
An employee, Jill Harclerode, is seen balancing on facial hair as she dances near a lake with her band, the ‘Splashstreet Boys.’
The video begins with a close-up of a lawn sprinkler just before the ‘Splashstreet Boys’ dramatically walk to the front of the Denver Water building.
A traveling toilet then approaches the camera before the camera focuses back on the performers.
“My garden needs water when it’s hotter,” one of the employees sings as the traveling toilet jumps up and down in slow motion.
“Believe on these dry days that I water that way,” he adds while another employee takes center stage to explain why “they want the grass to survive.”
As he sings his part, his band members dance around him as he says, ‘Concrete just doesn’t fly.’ That’s why I say, I water that way!’
The band then begins the song’s iconic chorus and lists the reasons why people should only water their lawns at a certain time of day.
Standing in front of a new backdrop, each member, dressed all in white, dances as they appear and disappear like in the original Backstreet Boys music video.
The video then shows one of the employees pouring water from a can onto the grass, just before doing a backflip. The lyrics begin to slow down and the background darkens.
‘I’m watering at night. This seems correct. I water that way,’ she sings as she pours more water onto the grass.
Another employee is seen wearing a patchwork denim bucket hat, a denim jacket and blue sunglasses.
The group heads to a nearby lake as they dance and sing on the shore.
Everyone sings: “Don’t water during the day, don’t water in the sun.” Tell me why?’
The group imitated the iconic ‘I Want It That Way’ music video and had a large group of fans surrounding them, shouting with large signs.
Denver Water employees nearly replicated that moment as they danced dressed all in white and even faded away.
The Backstreet Boys even saw the video and said the employees ‘NAILED’ it
The Backstreet Boys in the original video that was filmed at the Los Angeles airport in 1999
The band explains that if people water their grass and plants during the day, the water will evaporate. Harclerode then makes his grand debut as his co-workers dance around him.
“Now I can see you’ve taken the watering rules seriously, baby,” he sings.
‘So stop wasting water, start doing your part… The future is in your hands!’
He then sprays water and the toilet makes another appearance when the chorus returns.
Now, inside the company building, the group continues to dance and sing while ‘fans’ surround them with signs, imitating the iconic video.
Then an employee sings, ‘What’s Coloradoscape?’
‘More climate-friendly landscapes. More plants that like it in our state.’
Then they look into another state and say, ‘No, we’re not Kentucky.’ Drought never felt so good! I water that way.’
A member then approaches one of the fans and kisses his hand before telling people not to water more than three days a week and not to water from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A fan is seen holding a sign that says ‘HOA’ while crying and the band sings: ‘Someone tell the HOA (forget the HOA) I water that way.’
‘Fans’ are seen cheering the band on with signs that say: ‘Save water’ and ‘I love the bathroom’.
At the end of the video, an additional clip showed the company’s CEO, Alan Salazar (center), dancing and kissing the traveling toilet.
They are then joined by their group of fans and a security guard who joins in on the fun.
“You live in Colorado… You want it to be livable,” they sing.
‘I just wanna hear you say, I water that way,’ they sing as the video comes to an end.
In an additional clip at the end of the video, Denver Water CEO Alan Salazar joins in and says, “I water that way,” while kissing the toilet, scrubbing it, and then saying, “I’m going to regret it.” a lot of this.” ‘
As people laugh, one of the band members says, “We’re here.”
Commenters flocked to the parody video and reacted to the unique performance.
One said: ‘This is how tax money is spent!’
Another said: ‘Increases.’ You all get raises.’
“I have never been so motivated to be water conscious in my life,” one commenter wrote.
While some enjoyed the video, others made it clear that they disapproved.
‘Stop propping up the turf industry with these stupid grass ‘lawns’. Throw up,” one wrote.
“This was a waste of money,” said another.
