The 90s were all about boy bands. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the best boy bands that saw their primary success and public profile during the 1990s.
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00:00Backstreet's back, all right!
00:02Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best boy bands that saw their primary success and public profile during the 1990s.
00:11This means groups that formed in the late 80s or continued on into the early millennium are totally fair game.
00:17Turn your back to me, baby
00:22Number 10, Hanson
00:24Boom, bop, pretty, bop, bop, do, bop
00:27Long-time fans of Hanson may feel inclined to argue against their inclusion on a list such as this one.
00:32This is primarily down to the fact that this trio of siblings are genuine musicians and songwriters,
00:38and don't quite fit the typical meaning of boy band as we've come to know the term today.
00:43Where's the love? It's not enough
00:47Make the world go round and round and round
00:51However, this band dynamic isn't one that's limited only to the 1990s,
00:55with groups like the Cowsills, the Jackson 5, and the Osmonds taking this formula back decades.
01:01Never stop, never die, they just keep on poppin' how they multiply
01:08So we feel Hanson deserves a spot on this list because of their talent,
01:12and because these catchy earworms were composed by the brothers themselves.
01:16Cause we'd be like to rule the wind and the cloud
01:21To the real world, just to play it out to the crowd
01:26This is no mean feat after all, and it's helped the music of Hanson both endure and mature.
01:32Boom, bop, pretty, bop, bop, bop, do, bop, do, bop
01:40Number 9, Bell Biv DeVoe
01:42The origins of Bell Biv DeVoe actually date back to the incarnation of another vocal group, New Edition.
01:52I told her I'd never fall in love, but now I know better
01:56That group's success occurred primarily during the 1980s,
02:00but ex-members Ricky Bell, Michael Bivens, and Ronnie DeVoe would go on to enjoy success of their own into the 90s.
02:06The legacy of Bell Biv DeVoe is probably most closely associated with the hit single Poison.
02:11That girl is poison
02:15As well as the group's keen fashion sense.
02:18This combination of style and substance allowed Bell Biv DeVoe to retain artistic credibility,
02:23while also possessing enough visual flair to appeal to the youth market as a boy band.
02:28Tell me to lose my mind
02:35Number 8, Five
02:37The United States wasn't the only country to obtain a lock on the boy band industry.
02:41Britain possesses a long and storied history of mop-top lads coming across the pond to invade and captivate the hearts of young fans.
02:53Five was simply an updated take on this sort of approach,
02:56a preened and polished group that held managerial connections to the Spice Girls.
03:00Everybody get up
03:05Their American success may not be comparable to either these ladies or that 60s British invasion,
03:11but Five still managed to hit it big at home.
03:13I wanna get it on baby
03:20Singles like When the Lights Go Out and If You Gettin' Down also proved that members could write or co-write their own hits.
03:26So baby come to me
03:29When the lights go out
03:32Number 7, 98 Degrees
03:34You're my sunshine after the rain
03:39You're the cure against my fear and my pain
03:43The life cycle of a boy band almost inevitably involves the singling out of certain members for stardom.
03:48This could involve a solo singing career a la One Direction's Harry Styles,
03:52We know it's not the same
03:55or acting slash reality show appearances.
03:58You and I have eaten tuna like this before.
04:00Why is it called Chicken by the Sea or In the Sea?
04:05Chicken of the Sea is the brand.
04:07Oh.
04:08This is where Nick Lachey and 98 Degrees come into the picture,
04:11since it was the former's marriage to singer Jessica Simpson that allowed both of them to expand beyond music.
04:17I do cherish you
04:23This isn't to say that 98 Degrees didn't enjoy plenty of success as a musical group, of course,
04:28with the sibling relationship of Nick and Drew Lachey bringing a unique dynamic to their stage presence.
04:33Elsewhere, songs like Because of You and The Hardest Thing earned 98 Degrees massive chart success to boot.
04:39It's the first thing I'll ever have to do
04:44To look you in the eye and tell you I don't love you
04:50Number 6, Boyzone
04:52No matter what they call us
04:57However they attack
05:00It's probably doubtful that those behind the casting process for Boyzone thought ahead much when it came to the group's name.
05:05The intent here was very clear, laid out in black and white with the idea to create an Irish take that.
05:12Get your will and let me down
05:16You mess me up and you turn my life around
05:20And this was exactly what producer and manager Louis Walsh achieved when he gathered up a group of handsome fellas
05:26to sing old school covers and modern originals across Irish pubs and TV programs.
05:30Boyzone's first three albums and the By Request compilation disc sold millions of copies
05:36and managed to increase the band's profile both at home and abroad.
05:39My life began with you
05:43So yeah, the boys in Boyzone eventually grew up to become men,
05:47but Manzone, Guyzone, or even Blokezone don't really have the same ring to them, do they?
05:52What becomes of the broken hearted
05:58Who had love that's now departed
06:02Number 5, Take That
06:04How deep is your love
06:06The original success of Britain's Take That burned brightly
06:09to the tune of three highly successful albums released in quick succession.
06:14Cause we're living in a world of fools
06:18Breaking us down
06:21We all know how invested fans of boy bands can get,
06:24so when news broke that Take That was splitting up in 1996,
06:27a helpline was actually set up by Samaritans to deal with this crisis.
06:31Of course, we possess the benefit of hindsight to know that Robbie Williams' departure would lead to an equally successful solo career.
06:37And through it all
06:41She offers me protection
06:44Of love and affection
06:47While Take That would eventually reunite without Williams in 2005,
06:51and then back with him in 2010.
06:53She's back for good
06:56Whatever I'm wrong
06:57Just tell me the song and I'll sing it
07:00The band's fans never forgot them through all these years,
07:03and were apparently just glad they were, wait for it, back for good.
07:07I want you back, I want you back
07:10You see I want you back for good
07:13Number 4, New Kids on the Block
07:16Gonna put you in a jams with a funky song
07:18This one's tough because the New Kids on the Block did achieve a lot of their success during the 1980s,
07:23but thankfully their momentum carried them along enough into the following decade and beyond to merit their inclusion on this list.
07:30Step by step
07:32Ooh baby
07:34Gonna get to you girl
07:37Because what grouping of boy bands would be complete without mentioning just how huge a phenomenon NKOTB was back in their day?
07:45I've got to have you all just for me
07:48Their 1990 album Step by Step featured two top ten singles, as well as an expansive world tour.
07:58The New Kids were also co-writing more songs at this point, and playing their own instruments.
08:04Remember when we said girl please
08:12This allowed their more mature follow-up, Face the Music, to incorporate more diverse musical influences such as R&B.
08:18Tonight, tonight, tonight
08:24Number 3, Boys to Men
08:26Said we'd be forever
08:31Said it never dies
08:34It's probably disingenuous to immediately dismiss the intrinsically hooky nature of pop music and boy band material as ineffectual or without merit.
08:43After all, even restrained, structured pop tunes can be difficult to write.
08:48No
08:55Boys to Men turned their melodic, sensitive, and sincere style of vocal pop harmony into an art form.
09:01Can somebody tell me how to get things back the way they used to be
09:09This was achieved primarily upon the backs of their ballads like End of the Road, On Bended Knee, and I'll Make Love to You.
09:16Yes, I'll make love to you like you want me to
09:21Boys to Men could also swing and groove with the best of them, however, and helped underline the fact that pop music can be a unifying and transformative genre.
09:29I belong to you
09:32Number 2, NSYNC
09:34Tearing up my heart when I'm with you
09:38But when we are apart, I feel it too
09:43The question every boy band fan was asking at the start of this video is probably clear.
09:48Which out of the big two is gonna take the top spot?
09:53Well, it's NSYNC who receives the silver medal this time around,
09:56but that does nothing to detract from how generations of pop music fans grew up with these boys as their musical soundtrack.
10:05The legacy of NSYNC managed to launch a successful solo career for Justin Timberlake.
10:09So if I get jealous, I can't help it
10:14Even if we feel that J.C. Chazet was the better singer.
10:17Sorry, Justin.
10:23As well as various reality, acting, and charity work for NSYNC dudes Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, and Chris Kirkpatrick.
10:30All I ever wanted, baby
10:34All I ever needed
10:37Is it too much to close this entry out by saying
10:41Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
10:45LFO, these light funky ones had some memorable hits.
10:48I like girls that wear Abercrombie and Finch
10:51I'd take her if I had one wish
10:54O-Town, from reality show obscurity to chart success.
10:57Cause I want it all
11:00On nothing at all
11:03BB Mac, Britain strikes boy band gold yet again
11:07Until you're back here, baby
11:11There's a feeling inside
11:14I want you to know
11:16Westlife, a dark horse boy band pick from Ireland
11:20So I say a little prayer
11:23You know my dreams will take me there
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11:49The music of the Backstreet Boys frankly defined the landscape of 90s teen pop.
11:54But make no mistake, it didn't come and go with the era, or should we say the millennium.
11:59Tell me why it ain't nothing but a farce
12:03Tell me why
12:05No, there is an entire generation of adults that still look back upon the group's music with limitless nostalgia.
12:11Everybody
12:15Rock your body
12:18This love and devotion goes far beyond mere looks, which fade, or even talent, which can be manipulated or impersonated.
12:26Said simply, the Backstreet songs were not just better, they were the best.
12:31I pray for this heart to be unbroken
12:37From Everybody Backstreet's Back to Incomplete, it's a murderer's row of hits.
12:42I want it that way
12:47Cause I want it that way
12:53Who's your biggest boyband crush then or now? Let us know in the comments.
13:09Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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