After five years of simultaneously entertaining teenagers and violating the eardrums of anyone over 25 in equal measure, One Direction has lost its way.
Zayn Malik jumped ship in March to live while he’s young, and The Sun newspaper reports the U.K. X Factor finalists will split in March 2016.
1D are far from being the first darlings of the adolescent teenybopper crowd to top the charts for a prolonged period of time despite their cheesy song lyrics and occasionally questionable musical talent.
From Rollermania in the 1970s to the lost Directioners in 2015, here are nine boy bands whose posters once adorned the walls of teenagers across the globe.
5. Hanson
From: Oklahoma, U.S.
Members: Zac, Isaac and Taylor Hanson.
Years active: 1992 onwards.
Biggest hits: MMMBop (no. 1 U.S., Canada, U.K., and just about everywhere else), Where’s the Love (no. 27 U.S., no. 2 Canada, no. 4 U.K.), I Will Come to You (no. 9 U.S., no. 11 Canada, no. 5 U.K.).
Distinctive feature: That blond hair.
Worst ear-insulting tune: I Will Come to You.
Most cringe-worthy lyrics:
“Plant a seed, plant a flower, plant a rose. You can plant any one of those. Keep planting to find out which one grows. It’s a secret no one knows.”