While Boy Bands may not be as culturally dominant as they were in their heyday –in the 90’s American boy bands such as New Kids On The Block, Backstreet Boys and N’Sync sold millions of records, sold out concert venues and became staples of Top 40 radio, the boy band phenom is here to stay –the latest rage is ”Want You Back” by the Australian group 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS)—like the boy bands before them, 5SOS delivers a flawless performance, polished production, great harmony, a smooth delivery, good songs, and yet, for all their perfection, they appear approachable…just young kids, boys in their early 20s, lamenting the girl who got away, sob sob, which makes it hard for Boomers to feel too much emotion and sympathy, but we can appreciate the suave delivery. Even if the lyrics are treacle-y to us, they are “real” to the teeny-bopper girls who are the boy bands fan base.
5SOS hit it big five years ago, when they toured Europe, Australia, and New Zealand with One Direction.
“Want You Back” is the first single from 5SOS’s upcoming album and it’s top 25 on the current Top 40 airplay chart.
In 1995 the group Take That shot to number one in Britain with their song “Back For Good.” It hit the Top 10 in the U.S., making them the first U.K. boy band of the decade to reach that milestone.