Ever since New Kids on the Block (NKOTB, if ya nasty) crooned their way onto the popular music scene in the 1990s, the musical staple known as the “boy band” has evolved into a larger-than-life cultural phenomenon that has transfixed tweens for several generations. With the recent re-emergence of boy band popularity fostered in groups like One Direction and The Wanted, these groups have continued to make teenage girls emit the shrill sounds only they can produce; the progression of the styles and fads that boy bands adapt has only helped establish the genre as arguably one of the most influential in music history.
This “evolution” has inspired all sorts of sub genres of boy bands – there are the baby-faced newcomers (One Direction is rapidly rising), the sensitive older sexpots (à la 98 Degrees or The Wanted) and everything in between.
The cute crooners and smooth steppers that populate the boy band genre have become part of an important musical progression that has changed the music industry, arguably for better and worse.
The key to the boy band success? There are many.
From mass marketing, to simple video staples, there is, by now, a set series of steps that can ensure a pop music victory.
Here are a few of the more notable fads that, both in the past and in the present, have established many superstars:
1. Maintain the “Five Member Formula”
Most of the more successful groups, particularly NKOTB, *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, fulfilled a five-member quota, with each member being fitted with a discernible “trait.” For example, *NSYNC’s Justin Timberlake and BSB’s Nick Carter became the “heartthrobs” of their respective groups, earning the more high-pitched, sickly sweet solos in the singles.
The bad boys, like NKOTB’s Donnie Wahlberg and BSB’s A.J. McLean, garnered squeals through their soulful sections.
While these guys were stealing the spotlight, each group always had one to two “backup” members (I mean, does anyone even recognize the name Danny Wood?).
Yet, the number five became a staple in maintaining the immaculately choreographed balance that triggered boy band hysteria. (Just watch any NSYNC video and try to pinpoint just when Timberlake wasn’t in the very front.)
2. Establish A General Group Style
Fashions come and go (and sometimes return), but boy bands (and their stylists) have taken it upon themselves to highlight the trendiest clothes as a whole, yet still coincide with each guy’s “trait.” The combination of leather jackets and tight jeans showed the “Hangin’ Tough” side of NKOTB, but only Wahlberg was “bad” enough to don a Public Enemy tee under the frayed sleeves.
During NSYNC’s “No Strings Attached” tour, with the boys acting as marionettes on stage in a nod to the now famous album cover, the bedazzled rip-away vests and pants (for easier transitions from song to song, of course) were sported by all, but only Timberlake was allowed to cover his curly locks with an equally jeweled bandana, signifying him as the teen phenomenon “trendsetter.”
Also, when a video treatment called for a shirtless scene, not all members would be baring their chests. In BSB’s oldie but goodie “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” video, everyone but the “thoughtful” Brian was slowly sliding through the rain with open shirts, lamenting about a troublesome lady friend.
Whatever the style, boy bands have been known to make the combination of rambunctious and ridiculous irresistible to fans.
3. Whatever You Do, Hide The Innuendo with a Wink or Smile
Let’s face it: At a young age, many young girls couldn’t distinguish the lascivious lyrics of some of the biggest pop songs, so easily hidden by slick beats and smooth singers.
Besides, if fans weren’t so (annoyingly) persistent with buying the records and memorabilia, would parents have had any other choice than to submit to their child, ignoring the hidden messages?
Albeit, many fans (myself included) were too young to properly understand just how raunchy the lyrics and subsequent choreographed thrusts were.
We were just excited that the guys were so intent on their craft (and just how cute they were doing it!).
Thus, the guise of sly winks and sweet smiles became a crucial aspect of staying on top of the pop music game.
Without it, who knows how many moms would have let their child listen to the records?
There are many aspects, facets and eras of the boy-band phenomenon, and it continues to spawn new trends and fresh faces.
However, in a digitally competent music age, groups like One Direction and The Wanted will have to adapt to the mass market in a highly different way than the CD-based groups of the late 1990s.
Additionally, with time-tested bands like 98 Degrees and the super-combo of NKOTBSB trying to light an old flame by embarking on “reunion” tours, the age of the boy band continues to be a prevalent force in the music industry.
Only time will tell just how powerful the impact of the boy band will be on culture for years to come.
When popular bands like New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys combine to form a supergroup, the result is a resurgence of the genre: Boy bands are here to stay.
One Direction recently performed on "Saturday Night Live" and "The Today Show." American audiences definitely love the cute British boy band.
