7 Boy Bands I Couldn't Help Liking ...

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Although the Beatles came a long, long way from their matching outfits before the band split, they were technically one of the original boy bands, if not the OG. They went far deeper than bubblegum pop after a while, but even when they were all about poppy ballads like “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and “From Me to You,” they were the stuff.

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I don’t listen to the new songs; I don’t want the new songs; I didn’t even care about them getting back together. I’d rather see Donnie Wahlberg on “Blue Bloods” and forget that I ever loved that doughy d-bag, Jordan Knight. There are still times when I want to hear their squeaky voiced little love songs though. I’m particularly a fan of their second album. Lalalalalala, tonight!

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Oh yeah, I admit it. I didn’t own an ‘N SYNC album but I watched all their videos and sang along on the radio. They were part of a late 1990s trifecta including 98 Degrees and the Backstreet Boys, but they were the only one of the three I could stand. Fun fact: I was a Lance Bass girl rather than a Justin girl – but like JT’s solo career quite a bit. Or well, I liked it, when it was still relevant.

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This is embarrassing for personal reasons. Namely, I’m never going to hear the end of this at home, because I’ve been denying it to the Better Half for four years now. But yeah, okay, I liked Hanson. I actually like some of their later stuff more, the stuff they’ve done recently included, but yeah, I rocked out to some “MMMBop.” What?

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I still love Boyz II Men. I adored their first album but their second album was my favorite. Their homage to “Yesterday” is beautiful, “I’ll Make Love to You” is stupendous, and “Water Runs Dry” still makes me cry. And if you’re running to fill up your iPod right now, don’t forget “End of the Road.”

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I loved LFO because they were just a little sarcastic and sardonic. They were like Blink-182 lite. I was so sad to hear about Rich Cronin’s death in September! Sure, the band had already broken up, but I think they could have perhaps gotten their act together and really worked it as a group for the new millennium.

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Okay, to be fair, I was not a fan of New Edition when they were actually popular. I believe my tastes ran more towards the Sesame Street songs at that time. But I got into Bobby Brown later in life (because he did the Ghostbusters 2 theme song, what?), and became briefly obsessed with everything he ever did – including his work with NE. Also, their drama is the bomb.

You guys cannot leave me hanging. This goes way beyond guilty pleasure bands. Come on, tell me: what boy bands made you scream, and which member was your favorite?