Darius Rucker and Jimmy Fallon ‘Only Wanna Thank the Troops’ in Song [WATCH]
In the week leading up to Memorial Day (May 28), Jimmy Fallon has been inviting military members to attend tapings of The Tonight Show in New York City. On Thursday night's show (May 24), Darius Rucker used his appearance on the late-night talk show to speak directly to that crowd, and all members of the armed forces, with a rewritten version of one of his Hootie & the Blowfish hits, "Only Wanna Be With You."
Together with Fallon, Rucker turned the mid-1990s hit from his former band into a military salute titled "Only Wanna Thank the Troops." Readers can press play above to watch the pair's performance; Rucker and Fallon both played acoustic guitar as they sang the new version of the song, trading lines in each verse.
"Army, Coast Guard, Air Force and Marines / Here's to the Navy / For protecting all our seas," Rucker began, before Fallon took over for the next lines: "You serve with bravery / You serve with style / You serve with six-pack abs / I can barely run a mile."
Other verses of "Only Wanna Thank the Troops" touched on the sharp-looking military uniforms ("We're here to honor you and to perform / 'Cause you look so damn good in those kick-ass uniforms"), potential ways the country could honor its servicemen and -women ("Brave men and women is all I see / So let's pass a law that says our troops can drink for free") and encouragements to cut loose while in the Big Apple (however, Fallon and Rucker cautioned, "Don't get a bad tattoo"), many of which got big cheers from the Tonight Show crowd.
"Well, we owe it all to you," Rucker and Fallon sang in harmony at each chorus, "I only wanna thank the troops."
During his The Tonight Show appearance, Rucker also performed his latest single, "For the First Time."
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