Songoftheday 6/5/22 -I always try to be the flyest kid on the block, the popular one with the rising stock...

 

 

"Aaron's Party (Come Get It)" - Aaron Carter

from the album Aaron's Party (Come Get It) (2000)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (two weeks)

Weeks in the Top-40: 3

 

Today's song comes from Aaron Carter, the younger brother of Nick Carter of the insanely popular at the time boyband the Backstreet Boys. After his brother's success, Aaron, who as a child was performing in school, was picked up as a solo act first by the German label Edel, who had handled the Backstreet Boys' European debut. Carter released his self-titled debut album in 1997, at just ten years old. His first single was a remake of the dance-pop hit from the Jets "Crush On You", which originally came out a year before he was born (!). It was a big success, reaching the top ten in Germany (#5), Switzerland (#5), Austria (#6),Norway (#7), the UK (#9), and Australia (#9), but neither the album nor the single got much notice in the States yet. Deservedly, it's dreadful. A second song from the set, "Crazy Little Party Girl", somehow scored a second top ten in Britain at #7 and Norway at #10, while doing it for the first time in Sweden (#7) and Denmark (#10). 

Fast forward three years, and with his brother's group making serious bank in America, Jive signed Carter on for his sophomore album Aaron's Party (Come Get It) in 2000. The title track, written by producers Brian Kierulf and Josh Schwartz, was released as a single, and hoo-boy it's a thing. With a groove blatantly pilfered from Young MC's "Bust A Move" coupled with the kid getting in trouble with parents trope Will Smith mined as the Fresh Prince over a decade ago, this is clearly a product made for an audience that hasn't made the sixth grade yet. And it worked, with MTV's promotion of the comically bad music video, coupled with the power of the new children's programming like Nickelodeon, Aaron found himself not only with a top-40 single, but a hugely selling album to boot...

"Aaron's Party" made the American pop top-40 in September of 2000. Despite Aaron's previous track record overseas, this song was only a minor hit in the UK (#51) and the Netherlands (#74). The Aaron's Party album, released in September as the single was peaking, went all the way to #4 on the Billboard 200 sales tally, going on spend well over a year on the list and selling over two million copies. 

Another song from the album, a cover of the Strangeloves by way of Bow Bow Bow song "I Want Candy", reversed his fortunes internationally, getting to #6 in Germany, #10 in Sweden, and #31 in the UK. That wasn't promoted in the States; instead of that Brit-centric cover the record company went for the celebrity name-check with the horrid "That's How I Beat Shaq". Despite basketball star Shaquille O'Neal in on the music video, the song tanked down at #96 on the pop Hot 100 in Billboard magazine.

Carter returned with his third effort Oh Aaron in 2001. The album went to #7 on the Billboard 200 and sold over a million, but that was mostly due to residual pre-teens as well a Nick showing up for a duet on the record. There wasn't any hit singles from the album either in American or internationally. The same happened the following year with Another Earthquake, which stopped at #18 on the Billboard 200. At least in 2002 he had a British top-40 hit with "Leave It Up To Me" from the Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius kids flick at #22. At this point Jive let Carter go.

For the next decade Carter was more known for reality shows like House Of Carters with his brothers and sisters, and Dancing With The Stars. But more known for his drug abuse, women problems, and pseudo-coming out headline grabs. He released a new album, Love, independently in 2018. He's put out some singles, most recently "Blame It On Me" this year. But a publicizing stint on the show Naked Boys Singing in Las Vegas was nixed after he refused to get vaccinated from COVID, so basically fuck this guy in general. 

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Here's the future basket case in concert in Louisiana...

Up tomorrow: This Xscaped singer settles your doubts.