It’s not news that the Jonas Brothers are back together. This time, they’re more grown up, more mature. And so are their fans – the same fans that gushed over them as pre-teens and sang their hearts out to every song, braces glinting with each word.
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Sure, the trio has new music. However, nothing beats the early Jonas Brothers tunes – anthemic pop bangers full of hooks and youthful charm – that captured our hearts then and live rent-free in our heads now. Those are the songs that take you back to a middle school dance, a tunic-jeans combo, and a locker that boasted Tiger Beat cutouts of either Nick, Joe, or Kevin.
Here are 10 early Jonas Brothers songs for when you’re in the mood for a throwback.
10. “Mandy”
The lead single from the Jonas Brother’s 2005 debut, It’s About Time, “Mandy” introduced the trio to the world.
Mandy always knows exactly what I’m / Thinking and she’s always on my mind / And now, I’m never gonna let her go / ‘Cause Mandy always knows, the racing tune goes. Said to be about a family friend and longtime childhood companion of the brothers’ who briefly dated Joe, “Mandy” is about the one you never forget.
9. “When You Look Me In the Eyes”
If the heart is always searching / Can you ever find a home? the Jonas Brothers ask in “When You Look Me In the Eyes.”
From their self-titled sophomore album, the song is a youthful, but earnest pop ballad with lyrics that would make any 2007-era pre-teen squeal.
8. “That’s Just the Way We Roll”
And I know we get a little crazy / And I know we get a little loud / And I know we’re never gonna fake it / We are wild, we are free, we are more than you think / So, call us freaks, but that’s just the way we roll, belt the brothers in “That’s Just the Way We Roll.”
In the song, they sing about waking up on roofs, whales in pools, and dance-battling it out against fellow boy band Hanson for an overall good-time anthem about being, well, the Jonas Brothers.
7. “Pom Poms”
More to love when your hands are free / Baby put your pom poms down for me / Come on shake it up 123 / Baby put your pom poms down for me, plays the more mature of the Jo Bros’ hits.
“Pom Poms” is an upbeat brass band-tinted cheerleader pop tune with irresistibly singable lyrics that emit from a more grown-up group. The song was the lead single off their planned 2013 album, however, the brothers split before the project was released.
6. “Lovebug”
The charmingly plucky “Lovebug” is a puppy-lovable acoustic tune from the trio. With lines like I can’t get your smile out of my mind and I think about your eyes all the time, the 2008 staple brings about all the feels.
5. “Paranoid”
Reminiscent of ’90s Britpop, 2009 single “Paranoid” has the same bright, catchy shoegazing quality of their boy band predecessors from across the pond. The guitar-driven tune is a stark contrast from their earlier work as their lyrics begin to show age and growth.
4. “Hold On”
The band’s 2007 track “Hold On” is quintessential Jonas Brothers.
“In my humble opinion, this is the song that epitomizes what Jonas fans are all about,” the band’s drummer, Demian Arriaga, told American Songwriter of the energetic tune. “I always say that it’s a privilege to be a tiny part of something that means so much to so many people and whenever we play this song it’s for me the song that connects the most. People cry, they jump, they hold their hearts—it’s a unique experience to witness all that from the stage.”
3. “Year 3000”
Did you even have an adolescence if you can’t sing “Year 3000” word-for-word? No futuristic bop bops harder than this 2006 staple.
2. “S.O.S.”
Ooh, this is an S.O.S / Don’t wanna second guess / This is the bottom line, it’s true / I gave my all for you / Now my heart’s in two / And I can’t find the other half / It’s like I’m walking on broken glass / Better believe I bled, plays the melodramatic, but undeniably singable “S.O.S.”
Scorned lyrics, urgently ripping arrangement, and biting vocals, the brother’s 2007 banger is an unforgettable essential in their early catalog.
1. “Burnin’ Up”
Arguably the most essential of the Jonas Brothers’ hits is “Burnin’ Up,” which peaked at No. 5 on Billboard‘s Hot 100. The hormone-fueled tune à la 2008 has soundtracked many a formative year with its fiery lyrics, dance beats, and rocksteady arrangement.
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