Hanson Revives ‘MmmBop’ For ‘Greatest Hits’
Remember the song “MMMBop” from the late ’90s? Well, Hanson brought it back on July 7, on an episode of ABC’s summertime series called “Greatest Hits.”
The song debuted on the MMMBop album at the beginning of the brothers’ music career, and it made its way to the Middle of Nowhere album in 1997. “MMMBop” was one of the top 100 songs of the late 1990s, and it was so catchy that it earned Hanson award nominations and won the hearts of many ’90s teens.
E! News spoke with Hanson about the revival of the hit song, and Taylor provides some insight into the attention the performance has drawn.
“I think we broke onto the pop culture scene as young kids and I think people make that connection and have that association. I think a lot of the ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe it’s been this long since a song came out’ is that people see themselves. They go, ‘Oh my gosh, has that much time passed?'”
Zac, the youngest member of Hanson (although not the youngest of all the Hanson siblings), seemed pleased, and a bit amused, by the fan responses, not only to the “MMMBop” 20th anniversary, but also to the fact that time has carried them into their thirties.
“In the end, it’s still a compliment because people are using you as a point of reference and usually it’s something that says, ‘Oh, I remember that person, I remember that band, I remember that song and that makes me feel good, that makes me feel good about myself, that time period was good and wow, I’m really far from that.’ It’s a positive association relating to the past.”
Yes, it’s really been 20 years since Hanson released “MMMBop”: https://t.co/eOJsVDi2cb pic.twitter.com/XF2mjnh61x
— E! News (@enews) July 8, 2016
Zac also said that the band is proud of their history.
“We have never run from our past. We definitely still sing ‘MMMBop’. When we do concerts, we still play old songs.”
Next year marks the 25th anniversary of Hanson as the band the world knows.
In an interview posted by Us Weekly, Hanson confessed that they have a small bone to pick about many of the “MMMBop” cover variations. Isaac clarified the reason.
“You know why? People can’t sing the chorus right. Most of the time they syncopate it wrong.”
I just fangirled so hard my heart stopped beating. Hanson’s ‘MMMBop’ goes doo-wop in Postmodern Jukebox cover https://t.co/cdraSX5n6x
— Cindy Shadrick (@cindyshadrick) July 8, 2016
Although this is not a comeback, Hanson admits that this 20th “MMMBop” anniversary, and their band’s upcoming 25th, is a big deal to the brothers. They’re adding new tunes to their repertoire of seasoned favorites.
“We’re doing random shows around the US. What we’ve really got our sights on is next year, and 20 years since our first record, which we’re really excited about.”
Besides the anniversaries happening for Hanson, the band also has other projects in the works. Isaac gives a peek into some of their plans.
“We have a new EP that we’re wrapping up that’s called, ‘Play’ that’s about to release. We just put out an annual EP that we do for our website every year so that’s actually really fun. They’re called, Loud and Play, and it’s a really fun collection of songs. And then we’re also doing random shows around the U.S.. What we’ve really got our sight on is next year, and 20 years since our first record. We’re really excited about it.”
Zac is also excited about Hanson’s future.
“Next year we turn 25 as a band, and so we’re working on the next album, working on the ways we want to celebrate a quarter century of making music together. And that all will sort of lead towards new stuff. Because it’s about what’s next. That’s the reason we keep going as a band.”
Here’s to another 25 years, Hanson, and many more replays of “MMMBop.” Your own versions, of course, not cover renditions!
[Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images]
