Sometimes I Watch Backstreet Boys...

...music videos while I write. (My writing suffers but my heart soars.)

The chair routine in "As Long As You Love Me," gets me every time.

Sometimes...I MISS BOY BANDS...

...or maybe I miss being 13 years old? But seriously? To all my fellow 22 year olds out there, was that not an amazing era in music? (The Boy Bands of my generation are groups like NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, Five, O-Town, etc. Unfortunately, girls my age caught the boy band train when Boyz II Men, All 4 One, and New Kids on the Block were getting off.)

Top 10 Boy Band Memories:

10. When Nick Carter went through his "fat years," I defended him. I loved him anyway. Try explaining that to a group of evil, blonde, rabid NSYNC fans. I could have died or at least lost a limb if I weren't such an amazing Ninja.

9. Is it bad to pray for love? Is it bad to pray for a BSB member to join my faith, look past our age difference, and marry me? If so, I never actually did that.

8. I have a song for every first:

First Crush = Quit Playing Games with My Heart by BSB
First Boyfriend = Bye Bye Bye by NSYNC
First Kiss = Shape of My Heart by BSB
First Breakup = All or Nothing by O-Town or I Want You Back NSYNC depending on the situation.
First Time I Had to Shop in the Women's section because I grew out of Girls sizes: I Want It That Way by BSB

7. Please read the lyrics for the the Backstreet Boys song "We've Got It Going On" below:

"Everybody groove to the music/everybody jam/oh oh hey/we've been waiting so long/just can't hold it back no more/creeping up and down now/it's time for me to let it go/if you really wanna see/what we can do for you ah/s___ the crazy w_________/sing it."

Until I googled these lyrics five minutes ago, I had no idea what they were singing in those blanks so when singing along in the 7th grade, I would slur my words together so my friends couldn't tell that I didn't know them. If you watch the music video on youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcWngQVAMHc and fill in the blanks without googling the lyrics, I will give you a prize. Also watch for the "shoot the basketball" dance move. They really have great form.

6. I attended at least three, possibly four, Backsteet Boys concerts. I was deaf for a minimum of 24 hours after each show but the ringing in my ears was definitely worth it.

5. Sometimes my Dad would take us to an electronics store and let us kids choose a couple of CD's. This is when CD's were still acceptable. So one time, I threw in the single by 5ive titled "Baby, When the Lights Go Out." It slipped through the cracks (phew) and I would secretly listen to it in my room at night. I didn't really understand what they were talking about but I knew it was naughty and feared the wrath of Janae, my mother.

4. When Lance from NSYNC came out of the closet, I called my friend and yelled, "In your face!" I felt kind of bad afterwards when she informed me that her husband just left her for a man....

That wasn't a true story but can you imagine? Whoa. My life isn't that bad after all.

3. Overalls. All Boy Bands, true Boy Bands, have a music video where every member is wearing overalls. Some of them have one strap undone. Oh, that was always the hottest. I wasn't rebellious enough to wear my overalls like that.

2. I was determined to be a pop singer after I heard "I Swear" by All 4 One for the first time. Anyone seen that video lately? The 90's really weren't all that flattering.

1. This past October, yes, October 2007, the newest BSB album came out and on my way to work, I stopped by Virgin Megastore in Times Square to buy one. The Backstreet Boys were there earlier that morning signing copies of "Unbreakable." I tried to convince a dear friend of mine to come stand in line with me at 4 am but she bailed on me due to midterms and I wasn't going alone. So when I got to Virgin Megastore a few hours later there were a few lingering BSB fans. They were roughly my age but all of them were unfortunate looking. It really made me rethink this love. Is it time to move on? Time to put away my childish memories? Am I that homely?

FYI: The new CD was ok. A few classic BSB tunes and a few that were homelier than their fans. Recently, I tried to listen to their first album all the way through. It was hard. Like running a marathon barefoot. Like climbing a mountain with no hands. Like eating over cooked scrambled eggs without any salt. Barf.

If you love Boy Bands, don't be embarrassed. It was in the past. They served their purpose. Love them, leave them, but never forget what they did for you. (Or just watch their old music videos on youtube once in a while. They are all there.)

Love,
Jenna

P.S. I know I've given a lot of love to Boy Bands in this but let's not forget about my girls...The Spice Girls that is. Girl Power!