Songoftheday 10/7/20 - You have so many relationships in this life only one or two will last, you go through all the pain and strife then you turn your back and they're gone so fast...

 

 

"MMMBop" - Hanson

from the album Middle Of Nowhere (1997)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (three weeks)

Weeks in the Top-40: 20

 

Today's song of the day comes from the pop group Hanson, a trio of brothers Taylor, Isaac, and Zac Hanson. Hailing from Tulsa, Oklahoma, the siblings had been performing in the Christian kids music scene, and recording a couple of independently released records before getting discovered by manager Chris Sabec. Signed to Mercury Records, their first single on the label was a reworked version of a song from one of their earlier sets. "MMMBop", written by the brothers, was produced by "the Dust Brothers" (Michael Simpson and John King), who had made a name for themselves helming the Beastie Boys' seminal Paul's Boutique album as well as a few records with alt-rock king Beck. With their clout, and seamless transformation of the original into a Jackson-five style retro-rock nugget, made this nerdy band seem oh so cool at the time...

 

"MMMBop" became Hanson's first and by far biggest hit, spending three weeks at the top of the American pop chart in May of 1997. The single also climbed to #5 on Billboard magazine's Adult Top-40 radio chart, and even crossed over to the older-skewing Adult Contemporary format list at #21. Internationally, the single was just as massive, topping the charts in the UK, Canada, Germany, Australia, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, New Zealand, Denmark, and Hungary. It also made the top ten in the Netherlands (#2), Norway (#2), Spain (#3), France (#4), Finland (#4), and Iceland (#8). The Middle Of Nowhere album crested at #2 in America, going on to sell over four million copies, and topped the albums sales list in the UK, Germany, and Australia. At the Grammy Awards in 1998, "MMMBop" was nominated for two categories in Record of the Year (which Shawn Colvin won for "Sunny Came Home") and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (that Jamiroquai took for "Virtual Insanity"). The trio also were up for Best New Artist, which they lost to Paula Cole. 

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Here's the original "MMMBop" which was on their second indie set MMMBop, which was much more lowkey and dour, and you can tell the work the Dust Brothers did helping the brothers shine...

Next up, the band live in concert in their native Tulsa, touring behind their Middle Of Nowhere album...

 

and the boys at the Grammys...

Here's an acoustic take from their 2004 tour...

and lastly, from a show in 2018...

Up tomorrow: Soul singer comes with a gift.