I'm Really Excited That Boy Bands Are Making a Resurgence

That probably sounds sarcastic, but I am pretty excited. There's been a boy band void since the '90s that I didn't even know I wanted filled until I watched some of last week's Saturday Night Live. One Direction, a British boy band that I knew of by name but not music, was the musical guest. My first reaction was: They look alike, are they brothers? My next reaction was: Oh gee, they don't sing that well live. But my third reaction was: Damn, what a catchy chorus, I'm going to listen to this again even though I'm a little ashamed to do it.

It made me nostalgic for the Backstreet Boys. Upon the second listen, I realized that was because it practically IS a Backstreet Boy's song. "One Thing" is a remake of "I Want It That Way." For real, when One Direction sings "I need that one thing" or any variation of that, try singing the lyric "I want it that way" just as you remember it from 1999. It fits perfectly. That's not a condemnation, though. If you're in a boy band, you should be trying to sing something as close to "I Want It That Way" every time.

I checked Billboard to see if One Direction is charting, and they are in fact at #4 with another song. It's not quite as good (probably because it's not a direct Backstreet ripoff), but it is about a girl who doesn't think she's pretty, while the boys think she's beautiful. What a brilliant way to get teenage girls in their awkward phase to think they have a chance with famous, cute singers. That's gonna make them some serious money.

The #3 song on Billboard is "Glad You Came" by The Wanted, another Brit boy band. It's pretty hokey, but… I like it. It came on the radio recently, and I didn't change it. And with a considerate sentiment like "I'm glad you came" - that's not a boy band, that's a gentleman band.

While I was on a boy band roll, I tried listening to #5, Justin Bieber's "Boyfriend", but it is legitimately awful. And no, I'm not just saying that in order to protect my credibility by being anti-Bieber. I mean, have you been reading this post?


Since sugary pop music isn't all just young boys, I then also listened to #10, Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe". Previously, I had seen a lot of joking references to it on Tumblr, so I figured it was some sort of Rebecca Black-like thing, not a top ten song. Indeed, it has stupid lyrics, a stupid video… but it's also pretty fun. The odds of me playing it again are more than a Maybe.

Some of my friends are at Coachella right now seeing talented, respected musicians, yet I've spent the weekend learning (and largely liking) the latest in teeny-bopper music. I'm making great strides at being a grownup.