Hanson, one-hit wonder to some, lifelong obsession to others, is a great example of a tidbit of 90s culture that I somehow missed. I first heard about their biggest hit "MMMBop" by the time it had become an ironic punchline. 

 

This means that I come to Hanson as a stranger, as an adult, and about fifteen years behind everyone else. Nothing too unusual there, frankly.

 

I began by skimming the Wikipedia articles for the band, and for each individual Hanson. Surprisingly, for a band that has such a rabid and long-memoried fandom, their Wikipedia articles are quite bland, short, and "just the facts." I was hoping to at least learn if the boys had been raised as Fundamentalist Christians (as is my suspicion) but the only thing Wikipedia reveals about their childhood is the year and location of their birth. 

 

Bored, I move on to the "MMMBop" video. (I carefully coach myself: it's three Ms and then a capital B. Got it.)

 

The video shows a trio of straggly-haired blonde honey-voiced wholesome non-threatening everykids. They perform the song in a typical suburban living room, intercut with scenes in which they play and mug for the camera in several external settings. 

 

Their unflattering baggy clothes and oddly matching (shoulder length) hair styles may be an artifact of 90s styles. Or it could be an attempt to give them visual solidarity. I realize I will never be able to reliably tell them apart.

 

The video shows them engaged in wholesome, family-centric activities like rollerblading and playing on the beach. Has any teen boy ever thought, "I wish I could spend more time hanging out with my siblings on a Saturday afternoon?" Or gone four and a half minutes (the length of the video) without at least thinking about the existence of girls (who are entirely absent from the video)?

 

It's unnatural, is what it is.

 

I next stumbled across a recent video by the band. They have aged (haven't we all?) and it seems shocking to see them grown up. The lead singer has a weedy little mustache. The drummer never makes eye contact with anyone. The video and the song are both unimpeachably cheerful and wholesome. It could be an ad for breakfast cereal, or yogurt, or car insurance. 

 

It seems that Hanson is attempting to stage a comeback. Their music is still stuck in that 90s pop style that melds "Don't Worry Be Happy" with Gap commercial big-band swing. It's an awkward, untimely sound, but that's never stopped anyone from getting famous before.