We all remember specific songs, specific bands, that touched our lives at one point in time, one distinct period where events corresponded with a soundtrack of rhythms and voices.
Those songs that I would sing off-key in the backseat of my parent’s car while they lunged for the headache medicine, songs that I would dance to during sleepovers with my friends in our matching Spice Girls T-shirts, songs that played at every girl’s birthday party circa 1997-2004.
This stretch in time was known as the Boy Band Era, and for any 6-15 year old girl at the time, it truly was a beautiful thing. Attractive men set out to purely make little girls melt and sing along to catchy hooks followed by even catchier choruses, with a bit of synchronized dancing thrown into the mix.
Although those days looked as though they were finally behind us, it looks like boy bands are back with the newest cream of the crop, One Direction.
One Direction is comprised of four British lads and one Irish fellow ranging from the ages of 18-20. The five members separately auditioned for The X-Factor in season seven and after each of them were denied as individuals, they formed a group and in the end, came in third place altogether.
Simon Cowell, judge and creator of The X-Factor, saw more in them than a third place act and signed them to his recording label, Syco Entertainment. Since their big release in Sept. of 2011, the band has been doing more than just selling records, they’ve been setting them.
One Direction has been named the first group from the UK to debut at the top on the music charts for their first album “Up All Night,” accomplishing something neither The Beatles nor The Rolling Stones ever did. They’ve sold 12 million records including eight million singles, three million albums and one million DVDs within a single year.
Another massive step in their career paths this year was winning three Moonmen at the Video Music Awards on MTV on Sept. 4, where the awards are won solely on the votes of fans.
Their following? Obviously none other than a mass audience consisting of mostly 6-15 year old girls, just like the good old days.
One Direction is pretty hard to avoid, no matter which direction you decide to look.
When it comes to the new takeover of this boy band, students at Bucks agree that this era may be coming back.
Brooke Logan, 20, a communications major, “I personally love it. It reminds me of when I was younger and how they had the Backstreet Boys and N*Sync constantly playing on the radio. It’s nice to know that younger generations will get a similar experience like I had when I was a kid, it’s something that reminds me of old memories and I hope it will do the same for the children listening.”
Stefan Gigliotti, 21, major undecided, put other valid input into the boy band return. “It gives the youth a healthy outlet for a fun night out with friends. I’d rather have my little cousin go see One Direction than Lil’ Wayne any day.”
Radio and television has become cluttered with explicit language and messages with underlying and extremely inappropriate themes. When I’m with my nine year old cousin and hear her singing “S&M” by Rhianna or “Take It Off “by Ke$ha, I get thoroughly concerned with what she might be learning or rather, not learning, from this music.
As for One Direction, I hope they stick around a little while longer to give girls the ability to listen to music suitable for their age level, not to mention make more songs I can sing along to loudly in my own car like “What Makes You Beautiful” and “One Thing.” Let’s just hope that the boys of 1D stay on the right path and none of us have to see them on MTV’s Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in the near future.