It’s tearing up my heart that the era of the boy bands came to a close so soon. Sure, there’s the Jonas Brothers and Bieber, but could they ever compare to the glory days of the ’90s, when the rivalry of ‘N SYNC and Backstreet Boys was at its legendary and epic climax? I think not, ladies. The current generation’s squeaky clean caterwauling just can’t compete with the good old dirty pop I grew up with. That’s why we’re having a retro old school Dick Contest. Crank up your iPod (or for those of you still in the last millennium, your CD players) and get ready for the battle of the boy bands!
These two mammoth, manufactured musical groups couldn’t quit playing games with our hearts for years. Which one deserved our irrational adoration and idol worship? Which one should we faint and swoon for at concerts in the nose-bleed seats? Who did we never want to say bye, bye bye to? Of course, back in the day, pre-teen hormones blocked nearly all analytical cognitive ability, but now that we’re older and (almost) wiser, we can easily size both groups up:
‘N SYNC |
BACKSTREEET BOYS |
|
| Members… | JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick | AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson |
| Swoony First Single | “I Want You Back“ | Europeans started tapping this with “We‘ve Got It Going On,” but in the U.S., we were a bit slow to catch on, it wasn’t until “Quit Playing Games with My Heart” that we were devoted fans. |
| Who knew… | Lance Bass was gay. Statistically, out of 10 guys, one of them would be. We still love him though, just not in that way. | Family connection! K evin Richardson and Brian Littrell are cousins and grew up singing together. |
| The baby of the group that everyone had a crush on… | Justin Timberlake, how could you resist the bleached-out curls and baby face? | Nick Carter, how could you resist the bleached-out bowl cut and baby face? |
| Downfall | Justin Timberlake’s unbridled ambition. He alone could bring sexy back. | The heyday may be over, but surprisingly, the group (minus Kevin) is still together. If we decided wars by last survivor, they’d be the winners. |
I don’t know about you, but I still lie awake driving myself crazy trying to decide between these two. The harmonizing, the dance moves, the jumbo-sized ’90s jeans and coordinated shirts, it’s just too much for a girl to handle!
Which singing sensations from the past had you screaming for more? Let us know in the comments below.
Just saw Backstreet Boys in NKOTBSB last weekend!! My boyband days continue!!!!
when i was younger and insisted i was straight (wow, for some reason all this nostalgia is stirring up gay memories), i told anyone who’d listen that i had a crush on Howie.
really, though.
i might actually have had an actual crush on Howie.