New Kids on the Block: my one and only boy band obsession
I got it all out of my system at eight years old, people.
No thank you Take That, no ta East 17, not a chance Boyzone, Westlife, Boyz II Men. I had one short blast of being a teenybopper and then ditched it all for Annie Lennox and Crowded House. From eight to 48 in a heartbeat.
But boy, what a boy band.
Released in 1988, You Got It (The Right Stuff) was NKOTB’s breakthrough hit. It went straight to number one in the UK. Their album, Hanging Tough, went on to sell 17 million copies wordwide. Their huge success set a template that would be replicated by bands like *N Sync and The Backstreet Boys for years to come.
NKOTB were on the verge of being dropped from Columbia when their new songs — which svengali Maurice Starr had allowed them more creative input on — started to pick up traction on US radio stations. One big publicity push later, they landed a spot opening for Tiffany on her tour. The Right Stuff flew to the top of the charts, swiftly followed by I’ll Be Loving You (Forever). NKOTB were asked back to open for Tiffany a second time. But they’d become so successful she ended up opening for them.
Their appeal may have mystified the critics, but to fans like me it was irresistible. There’s no denying The Right Stuff has all the hallmarks of a great pop song. Upbeat and danceable, an “oh-oh-ohhh” singalong chorus and a throwaway verse over an insistent beat.
Listen to it again — you’ve got to admit it doesn’t sound like anything that came after it. Let’s face it, Westlife could NOT have pulled this off:
Then there’s that iconic video. Shot in black and white, moody as a Levi’s ad. The New Kids wear baggy clothes, lark around in a muscle car and bust out synchronised dance moves in a 1950s diner.
To my eight-year-old eyes, this whole package was cooler than a Thundercats lunchbox. NKOTB looked like a gang you wanted to be a part of. And they were CUTE.
Wow, were they cute. This is my first and only real recollection of looking at a cassette inlay and trying to decide which one looked the nicest (Jordan or Jon? I could never decide).
Sadly, my brief NKOTB obsession ended after a few hundred plays of Hanging Tough. As I approached my teens I acquired a stereo with a repeat button and instantly became bored of throwaway boy band pop. The songs just wore out in my brain once I could play them over and over at will. Yes, the boys were pretty but the music no longer stoked my fire.
Anyway, I’d figured out a secret that none of my peers had. There was no need to suffer mediocre music to enjoy the male form! Simply blu-tack Keanu posters to your walls and put on a Paul Simon record to enjoy the best of both worlds.
The Right Stuff indeed.
I wrote this post as part of the #write52 project. You can find out more about what that is and sign up for the newsletter right here.
I’m Penny Brazier, a freelance writer and content sort. If you’re looking for a copywriter in 2020, get in touch. I’ve got the right (word) stuff. Baby.
