3 Pop Songs From 1997 That Showcased the Power of Boy Bands

The 1990s were a wild decade. The era began with grunge and gangsta rap—truly, we opened the 90s with some depressing songs—and then it took a big shift towards the end. Out were the dark tunes and in were bright, saccharine pop. For those who loved glitzy, produced music, this was your time to shine! What a time to be alive!

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And it’s this span that we wanted to highlight below. We wanted to dive into three pop songs from 1997 that showcase both the power of pop and the value of boy bands. Because 1997 was the year boy bands broke into popular culture. Like we said, what a time to be alive! Indeed, these are three pop songs from 1997 that show the power of boy bands.

“Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” by The Backstreet Boys from ‘Backstreet’s Back’ (1997)

While The Backstreet Boys are the talk of pop culture today with their all-white shows at the Las Vegas Spheres, the band broke in a major way some three decades ago. In the 90s, the Backstreet Boys were the first boy group to make it big. While collectives like New Kids On The Block and Boyz II Men came before them, the Backstreet Boys took the boy band idea to the next level. If you loved the end of the 90s boy band renaissance, you can thank this quintet. And their breakout hit “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” kicked it all off.

“Tearin’ Up My Heart” by *NSYNC from ”N Sync’ (1997)

While the Backstreet Boys started the late-90s boy band renaissance, it was *NSYNC who took it to another level. The Backstreet Boys were beloved, but *NSYNC was an obsession. Thanks to the group’s star Justin Timberlake, who went on to have a famous solo career, *NSYNC was the literal poster band for boy groups. They were incredibly popular, and it all began with their amorous hit, “Tearin’ Up My Heart”.

“MMMBop” by Hanson from ‘Middle Of Nowhere’ (1997)

There are boy bands and then there’s Hanson. The family trio from Oklahoma hit the stage in a major way thanks to their silly, harmonious offering, “MMMBop”, which boasted a chorus of nonsense words. But sometimes it’s that sort of gimmick that garners big attention, and that’s just what this trio of brothers got in the middle of the decade. While they may not have broken out like the Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC, you can’t talk 90s boy bands without mentioning these three bros.

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