One Direction. Real deal or just hype?

[DragonFire]

How is it that an act that came third in last year’s X-Factor UK is about to have the biggest + fastest selling single this year (UK), go number 1 in 8 European countries (estimated), but weren’t good enough to win? Ok, they are pretty cute and the Sony Music/Simon Cowell media machine has gone into overdrive so that will have some impact, but is that enough to make them into Superstars?

 

Oh, and the boys are headed Stateside soon, look out for them on X-Factor USA.

 

Here’s the debut single anyway…see what you think.

 

[Dark]

It's a catchy tune, and very teen-pop, but as we all know, being popular doesn't make someone 'good' (Twilight, anyone?) These guys have a following of teen girls -- an age group that is always looking for the next big thing, and that's what brings out the dollar signs in the music business. They're good-looking boys and diverse, so they're easy to market.

 

They're the next N'Sync/Backstreet Boys/Jonas Bros/etc. I don't think they're anything special. If they're still together in 5 years, maybe I'll reconsider.

[Dannsar]

The teen girl market as Dark said. It kept Jedward in waaaaaay past their exit date. This is a very big driver segment of the music industry these days. You don't have to be new and innovative, just new and bonny in the eyes of a market group just arriving at sexual awareness and having no institutional memory of the last big thing in the sector. Oh and lots of ITunes money to spend

[paya]

They look pretty generic to me. And the song evokes Friday, Friday...

[Mark92]

Hmmmm OK quite catchy and a couple of them are cute, but thats about it for my opinion. Wouldnt buy it or listen to it again.

 

Could be an ego boost to someone that needs it I guess *shrugs*

[John Doe]

Stateside.... they wouldn't survive out here. Boy bands are over and done with over here. Unless they are punkish and/or alternative in nature. I'm talking about the pop scene as that's where I would place them and unfortunately (or maybe very fortunately?) us Americans left boy bands back in the 90s.

[clumber]

Stateside.... they wouldn't survive out here. Boy bands are over and done with over here. Unless they are punkish and/or alternative in nature. I'm talking about the pop scene as that's where I would place them and unfortunately (or maybe very fortunately?) us Americans left boy bands back in the 90s.

 

 

Very much the same in the UK to be honeat. They sort of crop up every now and then, go big for maybe a year and then vanish.

 

Anyway, with the song... *shrug* fairly catchy and not too bad. Not sure whats with all the hating on teen girls though... my understanding of this music was that this is a load of early to mid-twenties queer dudes listening as well lol. (I will also add that there is no sight in the world more adorable than a couple of bears happily dancing to Backstreet Boys )

 

Martin

[Percivial]

So I heard one of them has a sex tape? I loathe boybands, but individually, they're ho t

[Abersloth]

The drum lift before the chorus pretty much ruined an otherwise tolerable song. Their songwriter/arranger is quite poor. If their voices are actually as good as they seemed, they should consider a different direction. A lot of their vocal timbre reminds me of R&B. Not this new crap they call R&B, but what R&B used to be. Actually, come to think of it, their vocal sound is hauntingly reminiscent of the smoky quality in Susan Tedeschi's voice. But yeah, kind of lackluster outside of she-teenyboppers.

[Zombie]

They can't be the "real deal" unless they write their own quality stuff and sing it well, live and without all the electronic tricks evident on this single. And do this consistently. Otherwise they're just hype. But this is a tried and tested business model for the music industry as pioneered by The Monkees in the 1960s. So, look out for a TV series featuring these cute popsters coming your way soon It seems the global juggernaut that is Simon Cowell is unstoppable.

 

But to answer Dragonfire's original question, the reason they didn't win is because the voting demographic of X-Factor is way different from the buying demographic for this type of stuff.

 

As for clumber's comment that boy bands "crop up every now and then, go big for maybe a year and then vanish", that depends on whether they turn out to be the real deal like, say, Take That. But on the basis of this vid I wouldn't bet your home on it. Or the dog's dinner come to that.

[DragonFire]

Stateside.... they wouldn't survive out here. Boy bands are over and done with over here. Unless they are punkish and/or alternative in nature. I'm talking about the pop scene as that's where I would place them and unfortunately (or maybe very fortunately?) us Americans left boy bands back in the 90s.

 

Ahem.

[W_L]

I miss girl bands like the Spice Girls, they were fun. Why ain't there a revival of that

 

Generic material for One Direction, but I don't think boy bands are completely dead in America. If they were, Glee would not have an audience ( ). Personally, I am much more pop-punk and punk rock type than I am pure pop. I also have graduated to southern rock a while back.

 

However, it's nice to hear something not sung by Justin Bieber even if it is more generic.

[Y_B]

Ew

[MJ85]

Ew

 

Well, "Ew"...at coming in just to say, "Ew".

[W_L]

Ew

 

Haha, Yang's afraid of girl bands.

 

I'll give you something nice "for you and your denial" :

 

 

That's my kind of music, a little pop, but mostly rock, plus there's a violin so I feel like I am a little cultured

[TrevorTime]

Going to see them June 17th at the Honda Center. And I get to hold my BF's hand in public; no one knows us in Anaheim.

 

My brother's GF gets the credit; she's the one who told me about them. Then I played them for Wyatt and he got hooked.

[XBadboyX]

My first thought when I first saw the music video for that song: "Oh great, five Justin Biebers.".

 

Then, I noticed they're singing about girls, which I definitely relate to.

 

To be honest if men sang about something other then loving/wanting/being wanted by girls or being horny for girls, maybe I would like music sung by men more. Until then, I'm sticking to techno.

[Celethiel]

I know someone who's in love with that band... and some of the singers :3 it's not me though I like the music from boy bands

[John Doe]

It seems my assessment was wrong. They [boy bands] are taking over the radio channels here.

 

There's another song I heard of the radio recently in the US, which I'm sure hit the European market much earlier... how does it go.... I can hear the tune but not the lyrics...

 

"I'm glad you came, glad you came." Repeats that a lot. Then theres a part where they (he) offers a girl a drink or something. Anyway I swear there's like 15 words totaled in the song and it's just repeated OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER again. I mean it was worst than the "Friday" song. The only reason it sounded good was the boys' voices were okay and the music was catchy.

 

I know it's a boy band from the UK, the DJ said something to that effect. I had to change the station back to my country music. It was awful. I'm not sure if it was One Direction or not but yeah...

 

Guess boy bands are coming back. I'm with XbadboyX.

 

Why not some other types of song where the whole band sings along with. A band that sings and play. <--- that was horrible. What I meant to say was: Brings the question, what's the difference between One Direction and Maroon 5? Regarding the term "band" I mean, not music. I mean if all members of Maroon 5 sang, would they be conisdered a boy band? If that's that case... yes I wished there were boy bands who sang songs like Maroon 5, or Fun. or Nickleback, or GYm Class Heroes or My Chemical Romance or well... yeah ...

[Y_B]

Gahhh I love Yellowcard

[W_L]

It seems my assessment was wrong. They [boy bands] are taking over the radio channels here.

 

There's another song I heard of the radio recently in the US, which I'm sure hit the European market much earlier... how does it go.... I can hear the tune but not the lyrics...

 

"I'm glad you came, glad you came." Repeats that a lot. Then theres a part where they (he) offers a girl a drink or something. Anyway I swear there's like 15 words totaled in the song and it's just repeated OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER again. I mean it was worst than the "Friday" song. The only reason it sounded good was the boys' voices were okay and the music was catchy.

 

I know it's a boy band from the UK, the DJ said something to that effect. I had to change the station back to my country music. It was awful. I'm not sure if it was One Direction or not but yeah...

 

Guess boy bands are coming back. I'm with XbadboyX.

 

Why not some other types of song where the whole band sings along with. A band that sings and play. <--- that was horrible. What I meant to say was: Brings the question, what's the difference between One Direction and Maroon 5? Regarding the term "band" I mean, not music. I mean if all members of Maroon 5 sang, would they be conisdered a boy band? If that's that case... yes I wished there were boy bands who sang songs like Maroon 5, or Fun. or Nickleback, or GYm Class Heroes or My Chemical Romance or well... yeah ...

 

I love Gym class heroes, my chemical romance, and have the newest nickleback album too.

 

As for boy bands, I don't know under 30 with boyish look would be a prerequisite. I mean, while I love Blink-182, no one is ever going to mistake them for a boy band even back in the 90's. There's a real difference between rockers, punks, and boy bands. Music might be just as pop based in lyrics, but their range usually is focused unless you are a fan of "Brand New", if you've heard all their albums like I have, you know what I mean

[VictoryPanda]

EVERY single day and I cant stand them. Theyre so generic and bland with an electric tune that every girl here seems to love. If I here one more thing about HARRY STILES and blah blah im going to go crazy. I dont even know if people like their music. It comes on everyday, but I just hear people talk about THEM. The Wanted included.

[DragonFire]

It seems my assessment was wrong. They [boy bands] are taking over the radio channels here.

 

There's another song I heard of the radio recently in the US, which I'm sure hit the European market much earlier... how does it go.... I can hear the tune but not the lyrics...

 

"I'm glad you came, glad you came." Repeats that a lot. Then theres a part where they (he) offers a girl a drink or something. Anyway I swear there's like 15 words totaled in the song and it's just repeated OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER again. I mean it was worst than the "Friday" song. The only reason it sounded good was the boys' voices were okay and the music was catchy.

 

I know it's a boy band from the UK, the DJ said something to that effect. I had to change the station back to my country music. It was awful. I'm not sure if it was One Direction or not but yeah...

 

Guess boy bands are coming back. I'm with XbadboyX.

 

Why not some other types of song where the whole band sings along with. A band that sings and play. <--- that was horrible. What I meant to say was: Brings the question, what's the difference between One Direction and Maroon 5? Regarding the term "band" I mean, not music. I mean if all members of Maroon 5 sang, would they be conisdered a boy band? If that's that case... yes I wished there were boy bands who sang songs like Maroon 5, or Fun. or Nickleback, or GYm Class Heroes or My Chemical Romance or well... yeah ...

 

The Wanted... oddly enough called Glad you Came!

 

[Mikelaing74]

They're easy on the eyes, but I think that's where it stops.

[MikeL]

It's a catchy tune, and very teen-pop, but as we all know, being popular doesn't make someone 'good' (Twilight, anyone?) These guys have a following of teen girls -- an age group that is always looking for the next big thing, and that's what brings out the dollar signs in the music business. They're good-looking boys and diverse, so they're easy to market.

 

They're the next N'Sync/Backstreet Boys/Jonas Bros/etc. I don't think they're anything special. If they're still together in 5 years, maybe I'll reconsider.

 

The Rolling Stones have been around for 50 years. Were they considered a boy band when they first started?