B is for Backstreet Boys, ‘NSYNC, Westlife, Daughtry, One Direction, Savage Garden and Boyzone
As I mentioned in my theme-reveal post, this month will be all about music and how it inspires my writing.
Backstreet Boys were the first boyband I listened to as a tween. (Tween: pre-teen, usually 10-12 years old.) Their music video of “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” made quite an impression. (See below.) Favourite album: “Black & Blue”. Favourite song: “I Want It That Way”. Check out the linked music video if you ever wondered why someone called a guy a “Backstreet Boy clone” like in “Princess Diaries”.
‘NSYNC were around the same time as Backstreet Boys. It meant that you had to choose a band and stick to them. (Ridiculous tween politics meant you could only love one boyband at a time.) I still have a favourite album, though: “No Strings Attached”. Favourite song: “Bye Bye Bye”.
Savage Garden weren’t that big, so you could listen to them without causing a riot. LOL. Their album “Affirmation” is still my favourite and “Truly, Madly, Deeply” is still my favourite song.
Then at a party, I heard Boyzone for the first time. Wow. Magic. They were moving off the scene, so no riots. My favourite album: “…by request”. Favourite song: “No Matter What”. The rest is TMI. (Too Much Information)
Westlife came onto the scene with a bang. They were on the radio, TV and magazines. You couldn’t turn but to bump into them. So I bought their first album. And so did every tween girl I knew. We sang their songs during breaks, danced to it at parties, cried to them… You get the idea. Honestly, I cannot choose a favourite album. But their debut is really good, and you won’t go wrong with the two following it: “Coast to Coast” and “World of Our Own” (the rest were a bit meh). If I have to choose my favourite song right now: “World of Our Own”.
One Direction. If you haven’t heard of them, then I think you don’t have a twitter account and that you have been living under a rock the past decade. Just like all the boybands before them, they had mega success and then let it go to their heads. (I’m sure you can name at least one member from each of the before named bands who’ve gone out on their own only to realise that it was the band that was famous, not them. The exception being Justin Timberlake of ‘NSYNC fame, of course.) Anyhow, I don’t have a favourite album, only a collection of favourite songs. The obvious choice for favourite song is “One Thing”, the song that brought them to my attention.
Grown-up boyband Daughtry still falls into this category for me: their songs are sweet, full of emotion and as melodramatic as all the other bands mentioned in this post. Favourite album: “Break the Spell”. Favourite song: “Crawling Back to You”.
So how do they feature in my writing? Obviously, if I want to tap into my own jumbled teen emotions, I just listen to them and memories come flooding back. And as I said before: they are sweet, full of emotion and melodramatic. As an author, that’s inspiration gold.
Word of the day: boyband
According to Collin’s English dictionary: boyband n an all-male vocal group created to appeal to a young audience.
I just love this music video!
Do you like any of the above mentioned groups? Do you have a favourite music group/artist that starts with a “B”?
I saw as I googled for fan pages that some of the older bands got back together… Thoughts?
What a collection! My daughter loved these–I think you’re older than her and younger than me so their appeal is broad. I definitely like them more than the rappers!
Yeah, rap isn’t my favourite either.
I’ve never really been into boy bands, but One Direction are kind of my guilty pleasure haha
Debbie
They are sweet 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Debbie.
Boybands! What a laugh. Thanks for some interesting comments on them – looking forward to what else you’re up to this month!
Thanks, Jemima 🙂
Ah, boybands – never really been a huge fan of most of the big ones, but I loved Savage Garden and find most of the others perfectly listenable too :). Busted have some great songs that are perfect background music and usually make me smile.
Tasha
Tasha’s Thinkings – Ghost Stories
LOL. Savage Garden makes for great background music when doing admin — keeps me sane (unless I’m more in a Linkin Park mood).
Ronel,
I was not much of a boyband listener. BSB and NSync had a song or two that I liked. Savage Garden I like better over these and Westlife & One Direction have some good songs but I couldn’t listen to them often. As for Daughtery, I can’t recall them, so I’m gonna have to check them out. Thanks for the mewsic share & visiting my A2Z Little Mermaid Art Sketch series feat. B for ‘BISHOP’!
Boybands appeal more to angsty tween girls anyway 🙂
Most of these weren’t my favorites – but Savage Garden and Daughtry – OMG so in love with both!
They definitely have broader appeal than the others on this list 🙂
Oh no, I can’t hear you over the Beastie Boys.
#SorryNotSorry
Is the defining trait of a boyband that it has multiple vocals (instead of a focus also on guitar, bass, drums, etc)? Or is it just the number of female vs male fans? Does it have to be pop music? These are things I wonder.
Going on what experience has taught me: it is about the amount of raving female fans (usually teenagers), usually multiple voices, and the music very emotive (and sometimes melodramatic) that fits in the pop genre.
Great punk band!
I’ve heard and liked the first half. I hadn’t heard Westlife, One Direction, or Daughtry so it was cool to listen to them. Thanks of the introduction.
I’m glad you found new music to listen to 🙂
I’ve never been much for boybands (I’m a 1980s gal, I just don’t fall into the right demographic, I suppose 😉 ). But I’m quite attached to Westlife because they were becoming really really famous right at the time when I lived in Ireland. It’s melancholy, I think.