The Backstreet Boys appeal lies in the selling of sincerity

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Nov 17, 2099 Source: Kansas City Star Submitted By: *~G-Rok ~* By TIMOTHY FINN - The Kansas City Star Date: 11/15/99 22:15 IOWA CITY, Iowa -- If you think the biggest force in pop music is only on the minds of teen-age girls and the parents who underwrite their shopping sprees, you've underestimated the Backstreet Boys phenomenon. On a recent, chilly November evening, the B-Boys have sent a few tremors through this staid college town and a university acclaimed for its writing program and wrestling teams. Two hours before the Boys are due on stage at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena, eight or nine young ladies have commandeered a downtown tavern. The sound system blares tunes from "Millennium," the Boys' latest, megaplatinum album (8 million copies sold in 24 weeks), and the ladies, each wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with "Backstreet Boys," are gathered around a table. Some drink beer, some smoke cigarettes, most sing along to every tune. "So what's the drinking age in Iowa -- 14?" the bartender is asked. "Uh, no," she says andlaughs. "Those are college girls." Then, shaking her head, she sighs. "I don't get it." She doesn't elaborate on what exactly she doesn't get: the Backstreet Boys, or how on earth they appeal to females who have already declared their academic majors. But if you look beyond their derivative pop tunes, their predictable choreography and their charm-school manufacturing, you'll "get" a few things, mainly why the Boys have become the biggest thing in pop music since Michael Jackson. More than this The Boys' biggest sin, their critics will tell you, is what they have wrought upon the recording industry. Once the "Backstreet Boys" album went multiplatinum on the Boys' soon-to-be-former label Jive Records (11 million sold in two years), every other record label feared the worst: getting caught up Dawson's Creek without a paddle. At the same time, consumer spending statistics showed that teen-age girls were the biggest economic juggernaut in America, so media executives started going after them and the reported $60 billion they shell out each year. In the recording industry, the result was a barrage of B-Boys clones, among them N' Sync, 98 Degrees and one of the openers at Carver-Hawkeye, EYC. An hour or so before the main event, the three buffed, bare-chested EYC dudes are prancing about the stage, generating some polite hoots. But for the most part the crowd, which has filled this arena early, is biding its time. Like most stops on this tour, the Iowa City show sold out faster than an episode of "Party of Five." In fact all 785,000 tickets for the entire 39-stop North American tour, which went on sale on the same day, were gone in less than two hours. Here in Iowa City, the sellout crowd is pretty homogeneous: a few fathers and grandparents; a smattering of teen boys; lots of mothers, many of whom, it turns out, are fans posing as chaperones; and countless women of college age, many with dates who can't wipe chagrin off their faces. But mostly the place is packed with excited young girls, most 5 to 18 years old, nearly all with some Backstreet product attached to their fidgety selves. About 9:15 p.m. the lights go out and a deafening tsunami of screams fills the arena. It's show time. Tonight, though, the Backstreet Boys are definitely not in sync: One of the guys has a wounded wing. Four of the Boys descend on wires from the rafters, snowboards fettered to their feet. Kevin Richardson (recently crowned People magazine's sexiest pop idol), though, emerges from the bowels of the stage, his arm in a sling. He never explains the injury, but you can bet anyone plugged into one of the umpteen-hundred B-Boys Web sites knows he got it snowboarding. After some "Star Wars" theme music and some military choreography, each member of the group takes his spot on the pentagonal stage and rips into "Larger Than Life," the souped-up, sugar-pop funk tune that opens "Millennium." The song is a thank-you note to their fans, and though it would be silly to explore too deeply the substance of any of these songs, it's worth considering how most fit into the Boys' carefully crafted persona. The five guys in this group, ages 19 to 27, were chosen based on their looks, their voices and their footwork, probably in that order. But if all it took were looks and moves, EYC or 98 Degrees or Boyzone could sell a million tickets in two hours. There's something more going on, something beyond the hype and market-tested business plans. Yearlings and yearnings The music, of course, is vital. The band's primary songwriter, Max Martin, writes groovy, melodic music -- instantly likable, derivative dance tunes that grab the youngest part of this fandom, right down to the 5-year-olds. What attracts the adolescent girls, though, seems to be something a little more complicated. They may be the most economically empowered demographic in America, but teen-age girls, as many behavorial experts will tell you, also are most in need of some emotional empowerment, some self-esteem, especially when it comes to dealing with boys. The B-Boys' tunes provide that in syntax that is simply and ambiguously about love, commitment and romance, but not really about sex -- unless you want it to be. Lines like, "It's gotta be you, all the way," or "You keep doing things I like; you got me hypnotized," could be about puppy love or bedroom moves, which might be where the college women fit in. The insinuation: Sex is a stage of love and romance, a possibility, a potential consequence; and saying "no" or "wait" is OK, no matter how many cherries he throws atop his "pretty please." Now you might prefer something less prim and smarmy, but chances are you're not 14, virginal, insecure and getting bombarded with sexual messages and images from virtually every medium out there, not to mention from your sexually active peers. The Boys provide a refuge from the storm of impulses and unsolicited information: a place where a yearling libido can catch its breath; a step away from the soft-core, grope-and-grind raunch of Eminem, Limp Bizkit, Lil' Kim or Puff Daddy. The Boys do more than soft-pedal sex. They also practice gender equality. Not coincidentally, women play conspicuous roles in the live show as backup dancers but particularly in the band. Add all that up and you'll "get" why so many of the mothers in the crowd look so appeased. The Boys and their creators, by the way, are well-aware of mom's role in all of this love and commerce. Thus the most cloying number of the evening, "The Perfect Fan." Brian Littrell wrote that song for his mother, and when they perform the tune, each Boy escorts a mom and her daughter on and around stage for the duration of the song. You can't get much cornier than that, but then again Littrell is probably sincere about it. He's the one who thanks God the most during the introductions (they all do), and backs it up by quoting Scripture in both albums' liner notes. Playing the spirituality card is a no-brainer when you're trying to cast the widest net possible, but it apparently strikes a chord: When Littrell's angelic face appears on the video screens, it prompts by far the loudest shrieks all night, louder even than blond cover boy Nick Carter's or People's choice Richardson's. Be here now The show lasts nearly two hours, comprising 19 songs and about six costume changes. During "Quit Playing Games," the four who aren't wearing a sling attach themselves to cables and boogie, flip and fly high above the crowd. The Peter Pan metaphor is apt: The Backstreet Boys are a phenomenon, a tornadic spectacle, one that one day will subside. But for now they are here in a big way, and if their primary purpose is to make a ton of money for themselves and their financial backers, then so be it. But let us acknowledge one consequence of their hard work: For a couple of extravagant hours, they made adolescence, for all its trials and torments, seem like an exciting place to be. To reach Timothy Finn, pop music writer for The Star, call (816) 234-4781 or send e-mail to tfinn@kcstar.com Comment on this item. Next Item: A Mother's Ode to the Backstreetboys Prev Item: Readers respond to "Crushed: Backstreet Boys Disappoint"