Everybody loves a New Kids On The Block.

(1984-1994, 2007-)

   First off I'd just like to say that I'm pretty sure I was born in the wrong generation. Boy Bands nowadays really can't compare to their forefathers; the expectations are far too big to even try. Of course, they have evolved over time originating out of barbershop quartets to young preteens with good looks. I guess there's something about a group of good-looking boys who sing and dance to songs about love and whatever else they find that rhymes, that causes for a great change in the music industry. I realize that New Kids On the Block is not the first or biggest group to come out of this genre, but they can certainly get my point across. And I love them, so ha.

   Let's start with a little history lesson. Boy Bands were starting to get their foot in the door, especially with the way the young female preteens were responding. Music producer Maurice Starr was looking for the next big thing after his last hit, New Edition when he found fifteen year old, Donnie Wahlberg in Boston, Massachusetts. He proved to have "all the ingredients of an entertainer" with his skills as a rapper, a singer and a break-dancer. (NKOTB Biography) From there Donnie reached out to Danny Wood, his best friend, Jordan Knight, his onetime schoolmate with an exceptional falsetto who then told brother Jonathan Knight about the group. The four asked their neighborhood friend Jamie Kelly and thought that they were ready to take on the world. However, due to the death of Jamie's father, his lack of concentration caused him to be dismissed from the band. Starr replaced Kelly with twelve year old, Joey McIntyre who added the 'Michael Jackson' factor with his voice, but was alienated by the original four because he replaced their friend. They soon got over this minor drama and the five became the New Kids On The Block who would go on to sell millions, breakup, and then reunite to continue the beautiful sound and look of a "boy band". 

   Now, I'm here to talk about how I believe Boy Bands have influenced our generation and the music industry in general. In the above clip you can see pretty much the basic elements of every boy band to ever live. We've got the grunge 90's look, bright layered clothing and shaggy hair, the intense choreographed dance moves that usually include all the boys facing the crowd and pointing at some point, and the catchy song with simple lyrics that gets stuck in everyone's heads for days. Their smooth melodic voices all blend together in perfect harmony that melt the girls hearts while they're being serenaded to by these gorgeous young boys. The concept of the whole Boy Band idea is really quite genius and NKOTB portrays it with such excellence. It was a crossover genre in a number of ways. Electronic elements and sounds were a prominent focus, paired up with the drums to start the beginning of most songs. Performing is very important to this industry, so the ability to dance to the music was an important factor in each piece and made the rhythms and tempo upbeat for the most part. Rap was also starting to arise during the mist of this century, and with Starr's last group being New Edition his main connections were in black radio and NKOTB was "originally targeted to black audiences". (Fenske) I think that explains the demeanor in which Donnie holds himself in the video below. The crazy teenage girl fan base (Blockheads was their tag) was most important because it created a great market for so many companies; merchandise, concert sales, artists, security, the list can go on and on. We all know it feels good to be apart of something bigger than ourselves, and what better way is there than fan-girling it up with your best girlfriends at a concert? That's a rhetorical question, we all know the answer.  

      New Kids On The Block had quite the record going for them, selling 80 million records worldwide, being named Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, Group in 1990, and living successful lives at such young ages. However, as said in their interview above, they wouldn't always be together and broke up in 1994. Their fans began having kids who were interested in the next new thing. There was no big ordeal, it was just time for them to grow up and lead their own lives for a while. They knew a bond like theirs, where they literally grew up down the street all of their lives and grew up together, could not be broken and that they'd always have each others back. Which is precisely the reason why it was so easy to get back together in 2007! And what a comeback they've made, joining forces with the Backstreet Boys and becoming NKOTBSB for a show to remember. How is it that Boy Bands can just return like nothing has changed? It's not the music, because I believe that that factor will always change; but Sarah Fenske puts it pretty perfectly, "It's about remembering the way we were -- those junior-high days when so many of us loved nothing more than this band, when you could dream of marrying Jordan Knight and fully believe it really would come true."

By: Kelli Valdez

. "NKOTB Biography." Sing365.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov 2012. <http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/New-Kids-On-The-Block-Biography/97BD9D09E797E576482568B90021795D>.

Fenske, Sarah. "Ten Things We Learned About New Kids on the Block From Their New Biography."LAWeekly. LAWeekly, 16 2012. Web. 18 Nov 2012. <http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2012/10/new_kids_on_the_block_book.php>.