Boy Crazy

Back - Index - Submissions - Backstreet.net RSS News Feed - What is RSS?

Date: Nov 25, 2099
Source: LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER
Submitted By:
Y

Published Sunday, November 21, 1999, in the Herald-Leader

By Rich Copley

HERALD-LEADER ARTS WRITER

Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson grew up quietly in the Bluegrass. Next weekend, they return as conquering heroes, members of the world-famous Backstreet Boys, the five-man vocal group rounded out by Orlando, Fla., singers Nick Carter, A.J. McLean and Howie Dorough.

Because it's a hometown-hero story, some people around these parts wonder how big the Backstreet Boys actually are.

Well, check this out:

  • The Backstreet Boys' U.S. debut album was the third highest-selling saucer of 1998.
  • The follow-up, Millennium, set a record for fastest-selling album in the first week of release: 1.1 million copies.
  • The group just signed a new contract with Jive Records worth $60 million.
  • A quick Yahoo! search reveals 125 World Wide Web sites devoted to the group.
  • But the Backstreet Boys' overwhelming appeal is best summed up by the experts. No, not grizzled rock critics, but teen-age girls who have propelled the group to the pinnacle of pop music.

``Their music is great, and they like things I like,'' says Amber Lowery, 14, a Bourbon County High School freshman. Amber has filled the walls of her bedroom with Backstreet Boys photos and she has started to plaster them on her ceiling. ``Brian is a Christian, like I'm a Christian. Nick likes the water, and A.J. loves McDonald's.''

Danielle Johnson, a Tates Creek High School freshman who is still ticketless for the Lexington concerts, says, ``I was really impressed when I started reading the `thank yous' in the Millennium CD. Brian quoted the Bible and said some really good stuff. It wasn't like, `Thank you to all the little people I stepped on on my way to the top.' ''

Cara Larkin, 14, an eighth-grader at the School for Creative and Performing Arts, thinks ``the average little girl would say they're really cute, but I also think they're really talented.''

And, says Cara's mother, Christy: ``They're really good role models. These guys try to set an example.''

Christy Larkin, a 46-year-old interior designer, is a lifelong music fan. She says she can't remember the teen-age female population swooning over a band like this since the Beatles inspired a collective shriek from the world in the mid-1960s.

So what do the Fab Four and the Fab Five have in common?

``You've got the teen-age sex symbols, then you've got the distinct multiple-personalities so that every girl has someone they can relate to,'' says Timothy Scheurer, a pop culture expert at Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio.

``But overall, it's a different kind of phenomenon,'' he said. ``The Beatles were revolutionary in addition to hugely popular. The Backstreet Boys aren't terribly revolutionary, and you get the sense they won't last very long.''

That's the charge that has dogged BSB: They're just good-looking singers who don't write songs or play instruments, and their 15 minutes of fame are about up.

To be fair, Littrell and Richardson have songwriting credits on Millennium, and all five are reportedly dabbling with instruments.

``We've been dealing with the criticism of being a flash-in-the-pan or the flavor-of-the-month,'' Littrell says. ``But we've been a flavor-of-the-month for many months, and we're thankful for that. We've been together going on seven years. It's just amazing all the things that we have accomplished, and plans for 2000 are gonna be even better.''

And their most loyal fans think they'll be listening to Backstreet Boys for years to come.

``As long as they pay attention to the music and keep their heart in the right place, I think they'll be around for a long time,'' Danielle says.

Adds Amber: ``They've been around seven years now; I don't see why they won't be around longer. I know I'll keep their albums and their pictures forever.''

Pop culture writer Heather Svokos contributed to this story.

Comment on this item.

Next Item: Where Are The U.S. Singles?
Prev Item: Local and vocal: Tates Creek singers backup band

Back - Top - Home - Contact - Privacy

Translate To: Spanish German French Italian Portuguese Japanese Korean Chinese

This is a fan site. This is a Backstreet archive. This is Your site.

Serving fans since 1997.