Today, I stumbled across an article entitled from CNN “Back Street Boys are Back ( alright!) with New Hit Single “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”

The title of the article and its topic set me to reminiscing about the late 90s – 2000s boy band rage.

Boy Bands were a mainstay in the late 90s and early 2000s. They continue to be popular in Japan. MTV, VH1, and Fuse were bombarded with videos with groups, such as NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, 98 degrees and the other various boy bands.

Girl lined their wall like religious shrines with images of these bands. Often, these images were cut out from various magazines the girls were subscribed to.

One wondered if their walls were created from the cut-outs and posters because often after all the posting and the hanging there was more magazine print left per-wall-ratio after their plastering.

One Boy Band even had a hit series.  I cannot remember which one currently. I know there were also girls a part of the band. So, it was not a pure boy band, however, it was the same style really. I wish I could remember the name of that series. My sister probably remembers. She used to watch that show all the time.

I also believe the Backstreet Boys had a short running comic drawn by Nick Carter – one of the group members.

There were also reality series, such as “The Making of the Band” – a show designed to create new and upcoming boy bands. From what I can tell, most if not all failed to take off. I am not sure if the bands showcased and engineered on these shows were legit or fodder to create the newest episode from.

Well, either way, it created good and safe fodder for preteen and teenage girls to watch.

It could be argued the first Boy Band was Boys to Men. There was also Menudo. I am not familiar with Menudo – Puerto Rican boy group formed in the late 70s. So, I am not going to discuss them at length and ill resort to this passing reference. Groups like Menudo and Boys to Men were one of the first of the modern boy group genre. Well, one of the first – at least in terms of style.

The proof is there because in an interview with boy bands, such as Backstreet Boys and NSYNC they always mentioned Menudo, Boys to Men, or New Kids on the Block as influences. Well, I should say the record companies were influenced by these groups and said “You pretty boy. Go wear this. Go sound like this. You go say this” Their response off-course was “Yes sir. Yes, sir. Yes Sir.”

Thinking about these interviews, I am not sure if any of the answers any of the Famous boy group members gave, during there interview, were legitimate or engineered to create an alluring environment for preteen and teenage girls.

The questions of these interviews were silly bits, such as, What is your favorite food? What is your favorite place for a first date, etc?

I am not criticizing this. Record labels are in the business of making money and if this provides the flow of cash for more creative artists. Then their choices to implement these sorts of decisions are sound.

Essentially, Boy Bands are a cappella groups. The focus is on harmonious vocals.

A Cappella was originally a style of religious worship music used as part of Christian and Jewish worship. Gregorian Chant is considered to be a type of a cappella music.

They are song and dance. They are not meant to be creative. Records companies churn out boy Bands and their focus has always been garnered toward the preteen-teenage female audience.

There is nothing wrong with this state of affairs.

When I was growing up, these groups were accused of being gay. Well, anything geared toward a female audience was called gay.

It was a catchall phrase for anything not macho. No, it did not make sense. Especially, since the only bit that could make someone gay is screwing other men or being sexually attracted to other men.

There was a popular song around that time, which parodied the Backstreet Boys song “I Want it That Way” entitled “Which Backstreet Boy is Gay?”

The widespread media behind these groups is incredible.  I think the most incredible thing about it was the amount of money invested in merchandise. We had boy band backpacks, fanny packs. Essentially, any paraphernalia you could think of.

There was even a manufactured feud between Backstreet Boy fans and NSYNC fans.  I do not remember the reason for the feud. I also do not understand the mind of the preteen or teenage girl. Nonetheless, the feud existed.

It may have been on the level of my superhero can beat up your superhero among young boys.

The level of hype was like a second Beatlemania.