New Kids on the Block vs. Take That vs. Backstreet Boys vs. *NSync

yeah i was too young to pay attention to stuff like that but "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" was their breakthrough US hit and the song that kicked off that whole TRL/teenpop era. i also remember there being a lot of confusion about it ("Backstreet's back? Back from where?") when of course by that time, BSB was already huge in Europe/Asia.

hilarious moment while out dancing a couple of years ago, watching a crowd of corporate jock types who would never have admitted to being BSB fans go absolutely apeshit after the DJ unexpectedly drops backstreet's back in the middle of a bosh-y electrohouse set.

no kidding - you play any BSB song at a bar or whatever and the place goes mental. 40 off-key people singing "I want it that way" at the top of their lungs. one guy who keeps jumping the "don't wanna hear you saaaaaaaaay" prechorus every fucking time (ok, it's me). I kinda dread to think of the kids who'll be doing this to One Direction in 15 years but this is kind of a unique thing to Backstreet from what I've seen, you play NSync or Britney or Xtina Aguila and people will roll their eyes out of their god damn heads at you.

I don't think anybody is rmde at NSync or Britney or Christina but "I want it that way" is a crown jewel in the pop canon and transcends the band and this poll

BSB were monstrously great from the get-go while *NSync became monstrously great as time went on

RIP 98 Degrees

roz and frogbs otm about BSB's effect on parties

"backstreet's back" is just...universal. every type of party, every type of person, it never fails to go down a storm.

Perhaps 99% universal.

98%

If we're going by songs, BSB. If we going on looks, Jordan Knight is the only one of these dudes I've ever found attractive.

Not enough Take That love itt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2ICtCO8TCw

If someone put 'Backstreet's Back' on at my house, I would be fairly fucking annoyed.

If we're going by songs, BSB. If we going on looks, Jordan Knight is the only one of these dudes I've ever found attractive.

otm plus "Give It To You" is the only song from that era I still listen to regularly.

gonna throw a vote to NSYNC on behalf of my 14yo self though.

I wish I hadn't voted so early on in this poll. Now I want to change my vote about every hour depending on whose song I'm listening to.

RIP 98 Degrees

they're touring with NKOTB this year iirc

And Boyz II Men, fwiw.

okay so 98 Degrees had EIGHT top 40 hits????? I thought they had two at most (a drippy ballad and "GIVE ME ONE MORE NIGHT/UNA NOCHE/FUCK ME, I'M BILINGUAL")

Yeah, that surprises me. I only remember two (probably the same two you remember).

I don't remember any of the 98 Degrees hits but for now I'm going to live under the assumption that those lyrics are verbatim.

for all the talk of the homoerotic, er, bent, of late nineties boy bands, 98 Degrees really came off like gunsels and ass-for-hire.

were O-Town supposed to be attractive?

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxkmiy6W3Y1ql7z4d.jpg

"Back for Good" is the best individual song, but BSB is the best overall.

Also underappreciated

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx7DC2xEs2U

xposts one of the 98 degrees guys went on to join chippendales so...

back when I actually bothered to watch the VMAs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfaF-Og3iP0

On January 22, 2013, the group appeared on The View along with New Kids on the Block and Boyz II Men to announce their joint tour that will take place in summer 2013.[18] This tour has been named "The Package" and the 12 members on tour (Boyz II Men with 3 members, NKOTB with 5 members and 98 Degrees with 4 members) jokingly refer to themselves as "The Dirty Dozen." The North American tour begins on May 31, 2013

Didn't B2M have four member? And didn't 98 Degrees have 3 members?

I can understand someone getting older and bowing out of B2M, but how did 98 Degrees recruit a NEW guy?

The Bulge Tour

Late '80s/early '90s teen idol group New Kids on the Block broke up years ago, but groupies are still talking about the former members. Jordan Knight, the biggest heartthrob of the group, is said to have a huge ego and is a selfish lover, says one lady who claims to have been with him. He's also rumored to have "played for the same team." Joey McIntyre is a pretty good lover but he can be an unfaithful dog, according to another lady who experienced him. Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood were the biggest sluts in the group, and they also had a taste for ethnic women.

Don't be fooled by 98 Degrees' nice-boy image because most of the guys in the group are just as slutty as rock stars with a raunchy image. Jeff Timmons likes to pick up strippers and Justin Jeffre can occasionally get fixated on his sex partners. Drew Lachey has a short-guy complex and loves all the attention he can get from attractive females. And "The Hardest Thing" that Drew's brother Nick Lachey could ever do is keep an erection for more than 10 minutes during sex. Word is that Nick is a quick shooter.

Members of the Backstreet Boys are some of the biggest playboys of the teen idol groups. A.J. McLean and Nick Carter are said to be the biggest sluts in the group. Nick is said to be very into the white stuff nicknamed "blow" and "snow." Groupies say that A.J. doesn't like to use condoms and he's a "backdoor" man. Kevin Richardson used to be a male slut but he's toned it down now that he's gotten married. Howie Dorough has a reputation of being a overall nice guy who likes to keep his love life very private. Meanwhile, religious married man Brian Littrell is the least likely to fool around with groupies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDcpXlttqq4

yeah i was too young to pay attention to stuff like that but "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" was their breakthrough US hit and the song that kicked off that whole TRL/teenpop era.

"Quit Playing Games With My Heart" was their first big US hit, "Backstreet's Back" was second.

98 Degrees always had 4 guys IIRC

Didn't B2M have four member?

Michael McCray left (at least ostensibly) for health reasons

lol why did I look at that acronym and think "Butt 2 Mouth? waht"

98 Degrees were never a going concern in my sphere, so I'm not surprised I was wrong about the number of members.

Sorry, Michael McCray. :(

I thought "Buggers 2morrow"

Meanwhile, religious married man Brian Littrell is the least likely to fool around with groupies

I knew it!

I dont know how many women over 18 were really in to these groups, now that I think about it

It's been a few years and they're all over 18 now.

Although if the number of women I know my age who want to smash Justin Bieber to tiny pieces is any indication, their appeal probably wasn't as limited as you suspect.

Brian Littrell is the least likely

"least likely" implies there's some wiggle room in there.

"Quit Playing Games With My Heart" was their first big US hit, "Backstreet's Back" was second.

huh was under the impression at the time that "Quit Playing Games" was bigger outside the states, but I just checked and it actually went to no. 2 on the charts. i still think of "Everybody" as the song that really made them huge though, prob because of the video.

East 17: Classic or Dud?

considering they namedrop NKOTB, surprised no one's mentioned:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHuGG_FsC20

Lead guy died of leukemia btw. :(

Yeah, I heard "Games" way more at the time. That song was everywhere. xxp

It's possible my relative perception of the two songs' popularity is influenced by the fact that the r&b station here played "Quit Playing Games" and never touched "Backstreet's Back".

eh they were both massive and inescapable IIRC

lol and mine because i lived on a diet of MTV xpost

Yeah, possibly. I just happened to have heard the one 1000 times that year and the other like 10 times that year.

on a related note this is insane

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Martin_production_discography