Welcome to the Coming Around Again podcast, the new member of the Pop Shop family, where host Andrew Unterberger and a variety of guests will be discussing notable anniversaries being celebrated in the music world.
This week, Coming Around Again takes on Hanson’s iconic pop smash “MMMBop,” which was released as a single 20 years ago last Saturday (April 15). With its mercilessly catchy chorus and sunny power-pop production, the song rocketed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and cemented the trio of teenage brothers (Taylor, Zac and Isaac) as one of the biggest new acts of 1997.
Billboard contributor Dan Weiss calls in to Coming Around Again first this week to discuss two pieces he wrote for the extended Billboard family commemorating Hanson’s anniversary: a 20-years-later remembrance of the song for Stereogumand a list of the band’s 11 best non-“MMMBop” songs for Billboard. Dan shares his Hanson-related memories with the pod, and discusses why “MMMBop” was both a darker and more alt-rock-rooted jam than we might remember two decades on.
Then, Spin writer Anna Gaca stops by to talk about her experiences interviewing the band at South By Southwest back in March. Anna talks about the band’s evolution over the years, how their grooming habits made them stand out from the pack at SXSW, and how the Hanson-branded Mmmhops IPA has been received within the beer community.
Listen below, and be sure to check back every Thursday to see which classic artists, albums and songs are Coming Around Again!