HANSON, ALL GROWN UP

By | January 29, 2013

Esquire

Sixteen years ago, a few long-haired teen brothers threw together some nonsense on top of a catchy riff to birth the song “MMMBop,” which you are likely now humming. But, like a fine wine and a beautiful woman — and unlike the Backstreet Boys “Quit Playing Games,” and, possibly, Mark Morrison’s “Return of the Mack,” both of which charted higher in 1997 — the song and the group, Hanson, have gotten better with age. Their voices are mature and a fourth lower, and the bubblegum pop has been stripped out of their most recent acoustic rendition.

And in between the nonsense lie thoughtful questions about the relationships we cultivate, like what will happen “when you get old and start losing your hair,” which, by the way, none of the brothers have despite nine kids among them. So yes, it’s okay to nod your head, tap, and even quietly singalong to “MMMBop,” if you weren’t already doing so, if for no other reason than because the Hanson boys, now men, proved it’s possible to grow up normal, healthy, and happy under music’s spotlight. And because it’s still a damn catchy tune. [via Buzzfeed]

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Read more: Hanson, All Grown Up – Esquire http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/hanson-all-grown-up-15035686#ixzz2JPgQAyJk

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