We aren’t deciding who are the best technical singers, we’re going for overall impact, and from the costumes to the stage show (THEY PRETENDED TO BE DOCTORS), *NSYNC checks every box.
For me, that’s a significant *N SYNC edge: Backstreet Boys may be able to harmonize with the best of them, but - barring the excellent “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” - their dance tracks fall short. *N SYNC showed they were equally adept at stirring ballads (“God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You”) as well as upbeat dance tracks (“No Strings Attached”).
BACKSTREET BOYS NO STRINGS ATTACHED ALBUM FULL
Sure, *N SYNC didn’t give their fans as many albums as Backstreet Boys did theirs, but the three they did put out were pop perfection: tight harmonies, catchy choruses, and iconic music videos full of dance moves still so instantly recognizable that one need only move their arm in a horizontal motion across their body while bringing their fingers and thumb together and apart to elicit approval at any bar or karaoke situation in which one might find themselves. To dub Backstreet Boys the preeminent boy band of the era is a mistake on par with walking out of the house in matching all-denim outfits with your significant other. I was pretty sure I was going to marry Nick Carter for a time, so on a deep emotional level I understand where you’re coming from.īut. SPEAKING OF… I rocked out hard to Millennium, and Backstreet Boys was one of the first albums I ever bought. Anyone who isn’t currently in a 7th grade IM war can admit that the bands are of course very similar, both contributing to the apex of teen pop at the turn of the millennium. The Evolution of Boy Bands, From The Osmonds to Zayn Malik: A TimelineĮRIN: Wow, you’re really tearin’ up my heart here, Jason.įirst of all, I want to second your point that we’re both fans of both bands (and I’ve had this debate at previous jobs as well). Is it not yours, Erin? If not, tell me why. It’s the boy band song that people who hate boy bands still admit is pretty great. So I guess that’s where my argument starts: you can keep your “Bye Bye Bye” and “It’s Gonna Be Me,” because to me, “I Want It That Way” was unequivocally the high point of that boy band era. Everything about the construction of “I Want It That Way” and its video is so simple, so clean, and yet so memorable, that whenever anyone brings up the boy-band era of the late 90’s/early 00’s, my mind immediately goes to that one song - and by extension, the feeling of watching it on TRL, of the day Millennium came out, of realizing that these dudes were rock stars in a way that 11-year-old me never imagined rock stars could be. lurches his body forward during “It’s too-o-o la-ate!”, the “Kisses For Kevin” sign being waved around during the final chorus. The word “iconic” gets tossed around too much by modern music fans, but everything about the “I Want It That Way” song and video felt instantly iconic: that opening couplet, the powder-white suits, the way A.J. There were big hits that devoured their TRL competition in those first few months - “…Baby One More Time,” of course, and I see you, Kid Rock’s “Bawitdaba”! - but when the video for Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” came out in April 1999, it felt like the teen-pop tsunami that had been gathering for months had finally crashed ashore. I watched MTV’s Total Request Live every day after school for years beginning at the end of 1998, basking in the mayhem of Times Square and Carson Daly’s black nail polish. I know you have no doubt in your mind that *N SYNC was the superior turn-of-the-millennium boy band, in the same way that I cannot fathom giving anyone other than Brian, A.J., Nick, Howie and Kevin the modern boy band crown.
There is no “last place” in this competition, only second place.Īnd we are both positive that we know which quintet belongs in first place. I am not an *N SYNC hater in any regard - who could ever hate the reason that the name “Chris Kirkpatrick” is forever burned into our brains? - and I know that the shape of your heart is geometrically accustomed to include lots of BSB love. JASON: Okay before we begin, Erin, full disclosure: we both wholeheartedly love the music of Backstreet Boys and *N SYNC. Top 20 Essential Boy Band Songs | 10 K-Pop Boy Bands You Need To Know
0 kommentar(er)
