<ul class="menu">
  <li><a href="#">h</a></li>
  <li><a href="#">g</a></li>
  <li><a href="#">i</a></li>
  <li><a href="#">p</a></li>
  <li><a href="#">l</a></li>
  <li class="bg"></li>
</ul>

@font-face {
    font-family:'HeydingsCommonIconsRegular';
    src: url('http://ianfarb.com/random/heydings_icons-webfont.eot');
    src: url('http://ianfarb.com/random/heydings_icons-webfont.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
         url('http://ianfarb.com/random/heydings_icons-webfont.woff') format('woff'),
         url('http://ianfarb.com/random/heydings_icons-webfont.ttf') format('truetype'),
         url('http://ianfarb.com/random/heydings_icons-webfont.svg#HeydingsCommonIconsRegular') format('svg');
    font-weight: normal;
    font-style: normal;

}

* {    margin: 0;
  padding: 0;}

body   {  background:#e5e5e5;}

.bg {
  position: fixed;
  z-index: -1;
  top: 0;
  right: 0;
  bottom: 0;
  left: 0;
  transition: .25s;
  pointer-events: none;
}

li
{  list-style:none;
   }

li a
    { display:block;
      float:left;
      width:20%;
      padding:25px 0;
      text-align:center;
      font-family: 'HeydingsCommonIconsRegular', Helvetida Neue, sans-serif;
      font-weight:700;
      letter-spacing:1px;
      font-size:40px;
      color:#fff;
      background:#ccc;
      text-decoration:none;
      text-transform:uppercase;
      text-shadow:2px 2px 0 rgba(0,0,0,.25);
      transition:.25s;}

li a:hover  {
      margin:-10px 0 0 0;
}

.menu
    {  width:500px;
       margin:60px auto 0 auto;
       border-radius:10px;
       overflow:hidden;}
       
.menu li:first-child a {  background:#ffca6d !important;}
.menu li:nth-child(2) a {  background:#ff6d6d !important;}
.menu li:nth-child(3) a {  background:#6dffb9 !important;}
.menu li:nth-child(4) a {  background:#6dcaff !important;}
.menu li:nth-child(5) a {  background:#ec6dff !important;}

.menu li:first-child:hover ~ .bg {
  background: #ffca6d;
  
}
.menu li:nth-child(2):hover ~ .bg {
  background: #ff6d6d;
}
.menu li:nth-child(3):hover ~ .bg {
  background: #6dffb9;
}
.menu li:nth-child(4):hover ~ .bg {
  background: #6dcaff;
}
.menu li:nth-child(5):hover ~ .bg {
  background: #ec6dff;
}
    

External CSS

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External JavaScript

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