Backstreet Boy AJ McLean is in rehab for the third time. Nick Lachey’s lifetime achievement is his former marriage to Jessica Simpson. Justin Timberlake quit music to pursue acting endeavors. Scary Spice was knocked up by Eddie Murphy. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want: to rewind to the days of the good old ‘90s pop groups. How can we possibly forget the timeless music provided by groups such as the Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, 98 Degrees and the Spice Girls? Whether you’re willing to admit it or not, we all know the words to many of their hits.

Yes, the tunes were extremely catchy and cheesy — but there was substance. Those boy bands could woo anyone. More than ‘Baby, baby, baby, oh like baby, baby, no’ ever could. Good job, Biebs. And with the influence of girl power, I learned important lessons. I mean, if you wanna be my lover, you’ve got to get with my friends. If you bug me, I’ll say goodbye. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

These groups existed without hiding behind autotune. When it came down to it, they were all good singers. You marveled at JT’s dreamy voice and envied the fact that you could never quite hit that note that Baby Spice could. OK, maybe that’s just me.

Also, one can’t forget the polished dance moves. The groups wowed us with their solid choreography while wearing almost identical outfits. They didn’t have to put on crazy costumes and push boundaries to gain attention. Just saying, Lady Gaga.

We’re lucky to have witnessed these talented performers. Unfortunately, all things must come to an end. So it’s time to say bye, bye, bye. But for me, it ain’t nothing but a heartache.

— Compiled by Colleen Bidwill, asst. feature editor, cabidwil@syr.edu

Published on January 16, 2011 at 12:00 pm