sammi says

Upon hearing about the tragic death of LFO lead singer, Rich Cronin, I went straight to YouTube to watch the “Summer Girls” music video. YouTube’s related video suggestions took me on a trip down memory lane. I ended up spending way too much time watching music videos from some of my old favorites and videos from some groups I haven’t thought about in years.

So here’s my list of the best (worst?) boy band songs of the late 90’s…

"Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"- Backstreet Boys, 1998

I could have easily put every single Backstreet Boys song from the late 90's on this list...It was very difficult for me to a choose a favorite so I chose the one with the best music video. Why were the Backstreet Boys trapped in a haunted house and transformed into monsters? I don't know and I don't care- this video is AWESOME! Some of my fondest pre-teen memories are watching the behind-the-scenes making of this music video with my friends and learning the moves to the dance break (at 3:50 in the video). You can't watch this and tell me you don't remember busting a move to this song.



"Tearing Up My Heart"- N'Sync, 1998

If you couldn’t tell from the previous song description, I was (am?) a die-hard Backstreet Boys fan and despised N'Sync. Before I bought into the manufactured competition between the two groups, I admit that I loved hearing "Tearing Up My Heart" on Radio Disney.



"Because of You"- 98 Degrees, 1998

Nick Lachey. Oh my god. So hot and the best voice. For some reason 98 Degrees wasn't really involved in the competition between Backstreet Boys and N'Sync. Was it because they lacked a 5th member? Because they didn't dance? The world may never know...but what I do know is that I really liked 98 Degrees.



"Summer Girls"-LFO, 1999

Amazing song with lyrical gems such as, "You like fun dip and cherry coke. I like the way you laugh when I tell a joke," "Like the color purple, macaroni and cheese. Ruby red slippers and a bunch of trees. Call you up, but what's the use. I like Kevin Bacon but I hate Footloose." This song made us white girls feel like we could rap.



"Hardest Part of Breaking Up (Is Getting Back Your Stuff)"- 2gether, 2000

MTV decided to capitalize on the boy band phenomenon with the spoof group, 2gether. How can you forget U+Me=Us? Looking back at it now, this song still cracks me up. The music video is perfect too...it definitely brings me back to the days of rushing home to see who would be the top video on TRL.



"Back Here"- BBMak, 1999

Aww, this is still a pretty solid pop song. I'm only a little ashamed to say that I still remember a lot of the lyrics.



"When the Lights Go Out"- 5ive, 1998

I can't say I really remember a lot about 5ive, but I definitely remember liking this song. It screams 90's.



"I Love You Came Too Late"- Joey McIntyre, 1999

I was a little too young to be a fan of New Kids on the Block but I was a fan of the group's solo endeavors. I couldn't help but fall victim to Joey Mac's baby blue eyes in "I Love You Came Too Late."



"Give it to You"- Jordan Knight, 1999

He wasn't nearly as cute as Joey Mac, but Jordan Knight's "Give it to You" was a TRL summer favorite.



"Can I Get Your Number (Girl Like You)"- No Authority, 2000

Hit me with those seven digits! This was one of those songs that I knew was dumb at the time but was so bad it's good.



"Liquid Dreams"- O-Town, 2001

Looking back at this song and music video I can't help but think, "Did this really happen?" It just proves how huge the boy band craze became and that we would literally listen to anything MTV threw at us. Four seasons later and MTV still hasn't learned that "Making the Band" just does not work.



"Mmm...Bop"- Hanson, 1997

I was never a huge Hanson fan but how could I make this list and not include "Mmm...Bop?" I still don't know what they're saying or what this song means but it's so much fun! They were the blonde, long-haired predecessors to the Jonas Brothers.



I’m sure there are some great (terrible?) songs I’ve overlooked. Let me know what I’m missing!

P.S.You’re welcome!

I'm fed up with everyone hating on Christina Aguilera claiming that she is ripping off Lady Gaga in her new video "Not Myself Tonight."

Christina's been pushing the boundaries of acceptable expression of sexuality since 1998. She's been dressing slutty since Lady Gaga was in grade school. She wasn't the first, and she won't be the last pop star to dress like a whore. Don't get me wrong, I love Lady Gaga, but truth be told, I've loved Christina longer.

I can certainly appreciate people, especially the younger crowd, seeing Lady Gaga as a great innovator and ground-breaking artist...And I wouldn't necessarily disagree. But I can also remember when Christina wore ass-less chaps, wrote a song called, "Dirrty," and showed up to award shows wearing ridiculous costumes.

When Lady Gaga first hit the radio with "Just Dance," I remember thinking, "Wow, she's going to blow up...She reminds me of Christina Aguilera." And she was a welcome replacement to fill my pop music needs while Christina got married and had a baby. But now Christina's back and I think we need to make room for our old favorite and quit pitting them against each other.

Has it occurred to anyone that Christina acting like other pop stars (or porn stars for that matter) in her video, "Not Myself Tonight," was intentional? It is called, "Not Myself Tonight," after all. The song title is not exactly an enigma. Perez Hilton, is one of Gaga's main supporters and is ripping Christina to shreds because of this video. Look at his side by side comparison of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" and Christina's "Not Myself Tonight." I don't know, I can certainly see some similarities, but I also think he's grasping at straws....Lady Gaga wore red, Christina wore red. Gaga's video featured a hot guy on a bed, clearly, groundbreaking in a music video. And somehow Lady Gaga made wearing sunglasses original. Please.

Here's a cheesy slideshow showing the long line of borrowed fashion trends on pop stars.

Can't we put on our favorite wig and leotard and all be friends?

It's also best to remember that while I'm insisting that Christina has done it all before Gaga, we have to remember that Britney and Beyonce have done it too, and Madonna did it before everyone else...

...and Christina is vocally superior to all of them.