Innovations and Evolutions of Boybands

 The Innovations and Evolutions of Boybands

Boybands! Where to begin? They were such a pivotal part of my pre-teen and early teen years. From Boyz II Men, to N*Sync, The Backstreet Boys, B2K, and more, I was OBSESSED to say the least. While I had memorabilia from most of my favorite groups, N*Sync was my all-time favorite. I had everything from their CDs, to posters, bookmarks with the group members on them, a photo album that I put magazine clippings in, and t-shirts. I have tons of memories that include listening to their CDs in my room, or dancing with my friends while their music videos played on TV. There is no way I can talk about or think about my preteen and early teen years without mentioning my love for N*Sync at the time.

Their run on the boyband scene is legendary and the amount of hits they put out is nothing short of amazing. They were THAT boyband for so many girls. With songs like "Tearin' Up My Heart", "Bye, Bye, Bye", and "Gone" N*Sync stole the hearts of girls all over, including myself. I honestly cannot pick a favorite song by N*Sync, but one that sticks out to me the most would me "It's Gonna Be Me", which was written by Swedish songwriters Max Martin, Andreas Carlsson, and Rami Yacoub in 1999 and recorded in the US in 2000. The reason this song sticks out is because a show called "Making the Video" on MTV showed the behind the scenes and it was awesome watching how the video was made while feeling like you got to know the group members a little better. It was a fun video where they're pretending to be dolls in a toy store.

 

A particular part of the song that is really popular is the harmonies used for the lyric "gonna". It's an amazing build up to the bridge, which happens to be my favorite part of the song.

How Boybands Started

Now, although the term boyband didn't make its appearance until the 1980s, the appearance of boybands was much earlier than that. Boybands, which are defined as a group of men who create pop music and can sing and dance, actually began with barbershop quartets in the 1800s. Barbershop quartets began within the African American community and became popular amongst other cultures in the late 1800s and the early 1900s. Their style was acapella, and every group member had a particular vocal part.

 

Here's a YouTube video of the Mills Brothers singing "Rockin' Chair". This song was recorded in 1931 in the US.

One of the elements of the Mills Brothers version of "Rockin' Chair", is the instruments that you hear were all imitated. The group members mastered using their voices to imitate the sound of instruments for their music. Another element would be the tempo. Most songs sung by quartets has a slower tempo that gave a mellow and sophisticated feel.

Eventually, boybands grew to what we know them as today. A huge innovator on the music scene was a widely known group, who went by the name Jackson 5. I mean you may or may not have heard of them. Jackson 5 took the scene by storm in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, again before the boyband term was being used, with songs like " I Want You Back", "ABC", "Who's Lovin' You", and many many more. 

"I Want You Back", which was written by Barry Gordy Jr, Fonce Mizell, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards in 1969 in the US, was Jackson 5's first and biggest hit. Here's a YouTube video of Jackson 5 from December 14, 1969, performing "I Want You Back" on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Now with "I Want You Back", there's a difference with the elements I mentioned regarding "Rockin' Chair". Here, Jackson 5 is using a live band, with real instruments. Two of the group members are also playing the guitar and the bass. Also, you'll notice that the temp is much more upbeat. Giving its listeners the need to sing and dance along.

Here's another video of Jackson 5 showcasing their talent on The Carol Burnett Show from January 25, 1975.

Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson's (the lead of Jackson 5 who later went solo) music was such a big part of my childhood, thanks to my mom. She was and still is a huge fan of their music and was really upset when Michael Jackson passed away.

Throughout the 1980s, groups New Edition and New Kids on The Block held the spot for most popular boybands, setting the mold for modern day boybands as we know them. 

My favorite of the two would have to be New Edition, who is more of and R&B boyband. The group got their start 1982 and became very popular, very quickly, with hit songs like "Candy Girl", "Mr. Telephone Man", and "Can You Stand the Rain" to name a few. 

One of my personal favorites by New Edition would have to be "If It Isn't Love". If It Isn't love was written by Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam in 1988 in the US, which happens to also be the year I was born. My Mom has always been a big New Edition fan, and I can picture her dancing to this song while pregnant with me, seeing as how she knows all the dance moves from the music video.

The Rhythm of the drums throughout this song really sticks out to me. I'm not sure why, but it gets my shoulders going and my foot tapping. Also, the chorus is one that really sticks with you, especially if you know the dance moves from the music video. Once I hear,

If it isn't love

Why do I feel this way?

Why does she stay on my mind?

If it isn't love

Why does it hurt so bad?

Make me feel so sad inside

If it isn't love

I can guarantee that If It Isn't Love will be stuck in my head for the next 5 to 7 business days.

As we proceed into the 1990s, this is where the boyband craze really took off. As I mentioned before N*Sync was very popular during this time, along with groups like The Backstreet Boys and 98Degrees. Those boybands held it down for the pop charts, however the 90's and the early 2000's were great years for R&B boybands too. Groups such Jagged Edge, 112, Jodeci, Silk, and Blackstreet all had amazing runs throughout their careers. 

 

Although not as big as they were in the 90s, boybands have continued to show success with groups like the Jonas Brothers in the 2000s, One Direct in the 2010s, and BTS who debuted in 2013.

As the years progress and music continue to be everchanging, it will be interesting to see if the boyband craze will ever reach the heights, it did during the 90s and early 2000s.

Work Cited

“Jackson 5 – ‘I Want You Back.’” Classic Motown, 2 Feb. 2018, classic.motown.com/story/jackson-5-want-back/. 

“The Mills Brothers.” The Vocal Group Hall of Fame, vocalgroup.org/inductees/the-mills-brothers/#:~:text=The%20brothers%20began%20performing%20at,actual%20instrument%20the%20group%20used. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024. 

Bowenbank, Starr. “Billboard Explains: The Magic of Boy Bands.” Billboard, Billboard, 9 Feb. 2022, www.billboard.com/music/music-news/billboard-explains-boy-bands-1235029089/.

Crowhurst, Ruby. “The History of BOYBANDS.” Rubyonmusic, rubyonmusic, 2 Oct. 2021, www.rubyonmusic.com/post/the-history-of-boybands.

 

“New Edition – If It Isn’t Love.” Genius, genius.com/New-edition-if-it-isnt-love-lyrics. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.

It’s Gonna Be Me by ’n Sync - Songfacts, www.songfacts.com/facts/nsync/its-gonna-be-me. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.

 

Music Analysis #2 - "Dance Dance"

 

    When I was around 14 or 15, I heard a song on MTV called "Dance Dance" for the first time and little did I know that it was going to change my life. Later that day, when it was my turn to get on the computer, the first thing I did was google that song I heard earlier so I could find out who the band was and download their music IMMEDIATELY. I had an iPod at the time, and once I found out who Fall out Boy was, I went straight to Apple Music and download their first album "Take this to your Grave" and their second album "From Under the Cork Tree", which is the album with "Dance Dance" on it, and is in my top 10 favorite albums of all time. 

Lyrics

    Written in the US in 2005 by the groups band members Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, Andy Hurley, and Joe Trohman, "Dance Dance" was inspired by their various experiences with love and heart break. 

[Bridge] Dance, dance

"We're falling apart to half time

Dance, dance

And these are the lives you love to lead

Dance, this is the way they'd love

If they knew how misery loved me"

    According to Beat Crave this part of the song suggests that while the relationship might be in a negative space there is still time to save it, but for now let's forget about the troubles and dance like they don't exist (Allison The meaning behind the song: Dance - dance by fall out boy).

Tempo

    Now, don't let the topic of the song defer you, because "Dance Dance" is just that, a song that makes you want to dance. It shows the quirkiness of the bands personality and is just overall a fun song. The energy around this song is one that cannot be ignored and makes me get out of my seat every time I hear it. It is an upbeat song with a tempo of 114 BPM, making it perfect those days you need some movement and a little pick me up. 

Beat

     If the beat to a song is essentially the pulse, which gives it life, then the intro to "Dance Dance" does just that. The intro starts with a strong and, for those that love the song, a very recognizable drumbeat, that pulls me in and makes me bob my head as if I was a character from "Night at the Roxbury".

Duration 

    This song is on its own is 3:00 minutes long, but with the music video it is 4:38 long, and I'm literally dancing from start to finish.

Melody

    Patrick Stump, who is the lead vocalist for Fall out Boy, starts the song with a calm melody over the intense beat happening in the into. During the course of the song, the melody intensifies during the bridge and chorus and continues to fluctuate throughout the song. 

Here's a link to check out the chords and melody for "Dance Dance"

Work Cited

Allison, Stan. “The Meaning behind the Song: Dance - Dance by Fall out Boy.” Beat Crave, 2 May 2024, beatcrave.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-dance-dance-by-fall-out-boy/. 

“BPM and Key for Dance, Dance by Fall out Boy: Tempo for Dance, Dance.” SongBPM, songbpm.com/@fall-out-boy/dance-dance#:~:text=Dance%2C%20Dance%20is%20a%20song%20by%20Fall,Out%20Boy%20with%20a%20tempo%20of%20114%20BPM. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

“Dance Dance by Fall out Boy Chords and Melody.” Hooktheory, www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/fall-out-boy/dance-dance. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.