Five Reasons to Give Hanson Another Try

By Devin Desjarlais Mon., Aug. 30 2010 at 8:00 AM

Categories: Useless Lists

For a hot minute in the late '90s, three brothers from Oklahoma with long, blond hair and the last name Hanson got momentarily famous for singing about things that didn't even make sense ("MMMBop"), selling millions of copies of Middle of Nowhere, snagging Grammy nominations, and, most enviably, kicking Carson Daly in the balls.

But then almost everyone forgot about Isaac, Taylor and Zac -- even though they're still making music now via their own independent label, 3CG Records. Hanson's heading back to Fort Lauderdale for the first time in 10 years, playing at Revolution November 6, and according to this diehard fan, there are lots of reasons to attend -- we list five below.

Devin Desjarlais

Taylor in Orlando, 2008.

5. They're all about the fans.

Small media has problems getting interviews with Hanson. It's not because they have big heads. They just reserve their time for the fans. You can get a meet-and-greet if you're a fan club member but that's the most difficult way to get up close. The easiest? Walk with them before every concert. That's how I got my college notebook signed.

4. They're humanitarians, and you can help.

The single "Great Divide" on Hanson's fourth studio album The Walk was recorded in Africa and proceeds were donated to AIDS relief. To keep up the good will Hanson teamed up with TOMS Shoes. If you buy a pair of TOMS at the concert, the American company will donate another pair to kids in need.

3. They're family men.

Two years ago at a House of Blues show, I stretched my neck and locked eyes with Penny, Taylor's daughter. She was clad in her PJ's, hair in braids, and obviously ready for bed. Yes, they're all married. Yes, they all have kids. And yes, the whole gang comes along on tour.

2. Their songs have aged well.

Hanson re-recorded Middle of Nowhere in 2007. That means they're 90s' hit MMMbop as well as "Where's The Love" and "Man from Milwaukee" sound more adult. If you're looking for something a little more new check out "Penny & Me."

Wikipedia Commons

Cover of Hanson's first independent album, Underneath.

1. They're still mad adorable.

The brothers chopped their locks long ago and the shorter do's fit their sexy style. Zac briefly tried growing it back out but thankfully realized long hair is only cute on girls, kids, and Shih Tzus.

Tags:

Hanson, Middle of Nowhere, Revolution

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Wow, calm down Hanson fans! We should be grateful that Devin wrote and published a positive article about a band we so adore, rather than nit-picking about minor inaccurate details. Good work, Devin!
In response to "1. They're still mad adorable," I would just like to say that I (along with many other fans) PREFERRED Zac's hair long. I mean, he's sexy either way, but I have a think for his long locks.
I completely agree with Anonymous and Jessica. Devin, this article is written with such lack of knowledge I feel like it shouldn't have been written at all. I've been to three shows this tour and I'm fairly certain that you can no longer order TOMS at Hanson concerts, but you can order them directly through tomsshoes.com. The entire Hanson clan does not tour with the guys at all times (although they were around for the first leg of this most recent tour). And the way the guys look has nothing to do with their quality of music, and therefore should not be a reason to "give Hanson another try".
Devin, I want you to repeat after me: "13 years and 5 albums later, this band deserves better than a condecending article that disperportionatly focuses on what the public already knows about them, and not on their music today, or in-between, or the nuanced evolution of their musicianship from album to album, not to mention their EPs and non-album tracks." I mean it; say all that out loud right now. Enough's enough. One thing's for sure...this was NOT written, as you claim, by a "diehard fan." Perhaps a casual fan who checks in once every 7 years, and thinks the first thing that pops up on their Google search (Penny & Me) is a new song. True fansons can tell the diffrence between one of their own, and someone lightly brushing up on them for the purposes of a half-hearted article. I'm glad you got your notebook signed, but the walks are NOT the time or the place for that. Finally, if me or Anonymous above seem a bit harsh, just imagine for a moment if YOUR favorite band got the same shallow review.
Thanks for the additional information. You're right about Penny & Me. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.
And when I said "the comment above" I meant the first, obnoxious comment.
1st of all, Probably should have included WAY more about their humanitarian efforts..like including WHY they walk before every concert...although they ARE amazing to their fans,the walks are not for fans to have free meet and greets. the barefoot walks are for a cause. what about takethewalk.net and how they donate a dollar for every person that walks before concerts, and how people can organize their own walks through the website and they will STILL donate. 2nd, pretty sure they were big for more than "a hot minute". 3rd, Penny &Me is NOT a new song, nor is it ABOUT Taylor's daughter. Penny was born after the song, Taylor named her FOR the song. Penny& Me is from Underneath, which was released in 2004..They have since put out two albums, one of which's single "Thinking Bout Something" made it to the top 10 on the VH1 video countdown and is getting a lot of attention for the recreation of the dancing in the street scene from the blues brother movie. This is happening now.. And finally, pretty sure Hanson nor their fans care if people (like the comment above) give them another chance. They have a huge fan base which is probably more dedicated and musically educated than any other fan base in the country. They play sold out shows every night. Pretty sure they're fine. Sorry, but I'm a journalism major and I'm a stickler for getting facts/angles correct when writing about a subject.
Well, considering as how in 1997 Hanson topped the Village Voice Pazz and Jop, a very prestigious critics poll which is not exactly the domain of pre-teen girls,I would say that yes, there was a "first try". Any more questions?
Doesn't "another try" imply that there was a first try not exclusive to pre-teen girls?