SOAP BOX: CARBON COPIES
*note: these are old views...damn, i was mean!*
I used to like NS (*N Sync) a bit. I’ll admit that. But that was before I was really into music, period. I heard a song, and liked it. Hell, I didn’t know the difference between The Artist (formerly known as blah blah blah…) and any of the present-day artists that were playing on the radio.
But then I got BSB’s U.S. CD. To tell u the truth, I hated every single song besides QPG and WGIGO...but these boys grew on me. And eventually, I headed out on the net to get their import CD’s...and found out that, unlike with a majority of my other CD’s, I could listen to almost the entire thing without hitting the "skip" button.
I used to see NS on TRL when it first started...I also saw BSB. All I thought of NS was "Oh, look, two Mickey Mouse club guys." I had no clue it was the start of a boy band era…Now, NS pisses me off. I’m sorry if you like them, but I they've really gotten to me at times. I’m using this page to let off steam what’s bottled up cuz I’ll explode if I don’t.
Let’s c how I can explain this...why they aggravate me...1) There’s no getting out of it, fan or not, it’s known that NS was the attempted replica of BSB. Lou said so himself. But note "attempted". Sure, they may have fame, but they aren’t the originals. I know, BSB isn’t the original (note: "new kids on the block", "jackson 5"...), but they were basically the 1st to spring up in the 90’s, and start the whole "boy band" thing again…ppl ask me why I like BSB and not NS...why like a copy?
2) The whole legal battle thing. Sure, u might feel sorry for them cuz Lou used them like he did the Boys, but notice they only realized that fact when BSB left Lou? And why Jive records? Out of every other company , why Jive? Don’t tell me it’s cuz of Britney.
3) They had to do 2 cover songs to fill up their U.S. album ("Sailing" and "Everything I Own"). I know BSB didn’t write their songs, but at least they weren’t desperate for some to fill up an album.
4) Anytime BSB is mentioned somewhere, usually NS’s name follows. I’m sorry, but why must they be joined at the hip? It’s not their fault, but if NS preaches that they are "different" from BSB, why are they always included when BSB is talked about?
5) The way they mostly win internet poles. I’m sorry if I’m not 7 years old with a whole lotta time on my hands to vote online. Admit it. NS’s fan base is usually younger when compared to BSB. I’m not saying BSB doesn’t have 7-year-old fans, but they have older ones - as in, over 30-year-olds, seriously--too. Look at TRl. I wish I had the time to request every day to keep the Boys at number one, but I don’t...it’s NS’s fans have that time.
6) On one FANatic, the girls gushed about how NS’s song was the best--they said it was written beautifully fit the girls perfectly. Sorry to break it to you, but NS didn’t write it. (yes, BSB haven’t written a majority of their songs, but I have yet to see this type of confession to them. However, if anyone said "that song you wrote changed my life" to the BSB, and they didn’t write it, yes, I would be pissed at their ignorance).
7) The way they pop up all over the place...MTV kareoke here, TRL host there...I wish the BSB weren’t so busy and had free time like that…but the Boys have lives, with tours, family, recordings, as well as vacations, and girlfriends..
8) The copying...OMG I could go on forever. I’ll try to split some things up...well, not COPYING, but the similarities in things that r driving me insane...
~ Sabrina. Need I say more? I never got to watch the one w/ BSB, but I did happen to glance at NS’s…interesting way of shoving them in at the end. Y were they even needed? Did ABC get a lot of ratings w/ BSB? (*cough* prolly...)
* The pay-per-view concert. The one after BSB’s. I know ppl are trying to make money...but...it’s just...AHH...
~ Didn’t they host MTV’s spring break a year after BSB?
* No offence to Gloria, I like her, but I dunno wut she saw in NS. And you know that they didn’t even record the song together? They met on the set of the video! For some reason, I feel good that BSB hasn’t done a recorded duet yet. First off, they’d be accused of copying NS (pffft HA)…I mean, they sang with Shania and Tony Bennet, which I think is better than a commercial single. And by the way, I know I’m not the only one that thinks this, but "Music Of My Heart" sounds too much like "The Perfect Fan" to me...
~ A final thing (so far) that made me furious was when I watched the WB awards and caught NS performing. One: they used the same MTV remix of "I want u back" cuz I guess the original version was getting old. Two: the "Bye, Bye, Bye" song. I was yelling at the TV. I’m not alone in my opinion, I know ppl who think this too--they attempted to do an NS style "Don’t Want You Back". I can sing DWYB’s lyrics to BBB as it plays...this scares me. It’s too similar to BSB’s song. And to top it off, it’s NS’s single. So, if BSB ever release DWYB as a single, guess who’ll get blamed by the general public - those who don’t own Millennium and/or don’t realize DWYB was recorded 1st - for being copy-cats!? ARGH Every time I turn on the radio I hear that friggin SONG!
* this really hit me....I thought u might like to c this. If u have Real Player G2…I present… *N Sync…singing "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" .
9) new comment...the whole shattering-bsb's-record thing. way to go, ns, way to go. but you know what? they asked their fans to help them break the record. bsb didn't have to. i heard of girls buying more than one copy on the 1st day "just becase".
10.) i was in germany for awhile...turned on the tv to come face to face with some NS video on some song that's not a single in the US. i watched the tv in horror and my friend asked me y i was upset seeing a BSB video. you know why? it was almost exaclty the same as "The One" vid...concert/backstage/video camera clips galore.
i do want to make a note that i do not hate each of the members of NS individually. Got that? Justin, JC, Lance, Chris, Joey...they're all fine in my book... NS is not.
yeah...i'm back. just to paste something here which i thought was very well written, for the most part. it gets better towards the end. have fun...Nsync or BSB? Source: Buffalo News
By Yan FangJune 27, 2000As a teenager, you find yourself facing many choices: academic life or social life, drugs or no drugs, sex or abstinence, Backstreet Boys or 'N Sync. Yes, that's right. Even if you don't think you'll ever have to choose between these two boy bands, you will one day find yourself at a party marauded by 12-year-old girls demanding to know which band is your favorite.And with a decision as weighty as this, you should be prepared with information that will allow you to make the obvious choice (a.k.a. the Backstreet Boys).
Now let's not kid ourselves; Backstreet and 'N Sync songs are pretty much the same. You've got the fast, high-energy dance beats about "rocking your body" or "getting down" and the slow, sappy love songs about "never breaking your heart" or "God spending a little more time on yooouuuu." Neither band writes its own songs, of course, but both certainly have worthy songwriters who know how to crank out the right rhythms and rhymes.
None of the boys play their own instruments either, but as each group consistently declares, their voices are their instruments. If you want to get technical about songwriting, however, the boys of Backstreet have more credits to their name than the fellas of 'N
Sync.Backstreet's Brian Littrell has written the lyrics for several songs that are not too far below the standard that Max Martin has set for the pop industry; "The Perfect Fan" and "Larger Than Life" ("Millennium") and "That's What She Said" ("Backstreet's Back") are only some of the songs Brian has contributed to.
Backstreet's Kevin Richardson earned songwriting credits by contributing to "Back to Your Heart" ("Millennium"). That's not to say that 'N Sync members haven't done creative work on some of their songs, but the 'N Sync creative contributions don't match the Boys'.
Although the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync always remind their public that their music is what's most important, we all know that boy bands are much more about looks and appearance than music. And in the beauty-oriented world in which we live, the Backstreet Boys have got 'N Sync beat.
Even on their bad days, the Backstreet Boys are more appealing. Backstreet was created before 'N Sync, and as such, the Boys were formed from the cream of the Orlando, Fla., crop.
Granted, the members of 'N Sync have significantly improved their looks since their first self-titled album, but there's only so much that cosmetologists and personal stylists can do.
Although Justin Timberlake is the obvious Nick Carter equivalent in 'N Sync, no substitute can be made for America's top blond pin-up boy. At least Timberlake has stopped bleaching his hair.
The appeal of Backstreet's A.J. McLean is very different from Carter's. Where Carter is the wholesome boy-next-door, McLean is the rebellious hottie all the girls crave.
Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick are the designated crazy, bold members of 'N Sync - although the copies are not as good as the original.
Like McLean, Backstreet's Howie Dorough sports a Latin look with his darker skin, brown eyes and curly dark hair. (Dorough, however, would never be found with multicolored hairdos or tattoos all over his body.)
Lance Bass is partly the Dorough equivalent in 'N Sync, but Dorough is better looking. Where Bass has a crooked smile that teeters on being a smirk, Dorough's seems genuine. And in the boy band industry where you don't even know if your teen idol's favorite movie is truly his favorite movie, authenticity is of utmost importance.
Brian Littrell's counterpart in 'N Sync would also partly be Bass. Littrell's relaxed and gentle personality parallels Bass'. Littrell, however, also has another equivalent in 'N Sync: J.C.Chasez. As Chasez and Littrell are both the principal singers and more outspoken members of their bands, they are very similar to one another in terms of personality and role in the groups.
Then there's Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson, whose dark hair and sharp jawline render him classically handsome.
Yet even when we look beyond the appearances of both bands, the Backstreet Boys exude a level of maturity that 'N Sync has yet to achieve. Where the Backstreet Boys have matured from their "Get Down" and "If You Want It To Be Good Girl (Get Yourself a Bad Boy)" Backstreet Boys days to more beautiful "I Want It That Way" and "The One" "Millennium" days, 'N Sync is still stuck in the teen pop world. Where "I Want It That Way" is more melodic and has been classified as soft-rock, "Bye Bye Bye" and "It's Gotta Be Me" is pure bubble-gum.
Furthermore, where the Backstreet Boys have performed with legitimate artists such as Sting and Tom Jones in VH1's Men Strike Back concert, 'N Sync has yet to perform in mature or established settings.
The Backstreet Boys' presentation is also more mature. Where 'N Sync revels in being wild and fun, the Backstreet Boys are
more aware of their presentation in both physical appearances and personality. When 'N Sync members coordinate outfits for award shows or celebrity events, they always end up looking too trendy, as if they are trying a little too hard to appeal to their teenage audience.Although both bands are musically similar, the maturity and good looks of the Backstreet Boys elevate them above the status of boy band from which 'N Sync is still trying to escape.