It's Getting Hot in Here, It Must be 98°

 

 

 

Nick Lachey, Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons unite to create 98^°. Although the band had its hardship getting noticed, they finally got their break in 1997 when they were discovered back stage of a Boys II Men concert. This group of hunks are more than just pretty faces; not only do they harmonize perfectly, but that also co-write and produce their own albums. From romantic ballads to rapping, it seems like the talent is endless when it comes to these boys. They have sold over 10 million records and stole even more hearts. When thinking of their career “one envisions girls going out of their mind, screaming, fainting and crying at concerts, travelling around following idols, spending a vast amount of money and so on (Ihlemann, Lisbeth)”. The boys sing about love and romance which is on the mind of every pre-teen and teenage girl. Because of this, the lyrics are relatable to the fans. “The romantic discourse found in the lyrics that gives the girls two possibilities of identification: the subject position of the singer, who yearns for the loved one, and a position as the object of love and desire(Ihlemann, Lisbeth)”. The fans have a song to celebrate a first love or help them through their first breakup. Relating to the fans is a huge factor in having a lasting career. The more real the boys seem the more relatable they become to the fans. The boys are “not just representing it, they are living it(Stahl, Matthew)”. The boys also inspire their fans to follow their dreams. The struggle the band had before all of their success lets the fans know that with a little hard work they can accomplish their dreams as well. The main goal of the boys was to speak to their fans through their lyrics and inspire their fans by being a good example; lucky for us they totally succeeded!

 

 

By: Raely Chaney

"98 Degrees Biography." SING365.com. Universal Records, n.d. Web. 18 Nov 2012. <http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/98-Degrees-.
 

Ihlemann, Lisbeth. "Young." Sage Jounals. Sage Publications, 20 2006. Web. <http://you.sagepub.com/content/14/3/277>.

Stahl, Matthew . "Popular Music." Cambridge Jounals. Cambridge Univerity Press, 9 2002. Web. 18 Nov 2012. <http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext ?type=1&fid=134792&jid=PMU&volumeId=21&issueId=03&aid=134791&bodyId=&membershipNumber=&societyETOCSession=>.