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MMMBop

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Wikipedia article




{{Infobox song

| name = MMMBop

| cover = Hanson-mmmbop.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Hanson

| B-side = Where's the Love

| album = Middle of Nowhere

| released =

| recorded =

* 1995 ('MMMBop', '3 Car Garage' version)

* 1996 ('Middle of Nowhere' version)

| venue =

| studio =

| genre =

* Pop rock

* teen pop

| length =

* 4:28 (album version)

* 3:58 (single version)

| label = Mercury

| writer =

* Isaac Hanson

* Taylor Hanson

* Zac Hanson

| producer =

* Dust Brothers

* Stephen Lironi

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title = Where's the Love

| next_year = 1997

| misc =

}}

"'MMMBop'" is a song written and performed by American pop rock band Hanson. It was released on April 15, 1997, as the lead single from their debut full-length studio album, 'Middle of Nowhere' (1997). The song was nominated for two Grammys at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards and is the band's most successful single to date. "MMMBop" was a major success worldwide, reaching number one in at least 12 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The song was voted the best single of the year in 'The Village Voice' Pazz & Jop critics poll, while also topping critics' polls from such media as 'Rolling Stone', 'Spin', and VH1, and was ranked number 20 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s", as well as number 98 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the Past 25 Years".

Background and composition



The song originally appeared on the 1996 independent album 'MMMBop' with a slower tempo, but was reworked as an upbeat pop track by hit producers the Dust Brothers. This became the hit version. In an August 2004 interview with Songfacts, Zac Hanson explained the song's origins:

"MMMBop" is written and composed in the key of A major.

Critical reception



Larry Flick from 'Billboard' wrote, "The rush of youth-driven acts on radio accelerates with the onset of this candy-coated pop confection. Try to imagine what the Jackson 5 might sound like with the accompaniment of a skittling funk beat and scratchy faux-grunge guitars, and you will have a clear picture of where Hanson is coming from. Initially it's a mildly jarring combination, but it's ultimately quite cool. Factor in an instantly catchy chorus, and you have the making of a runaway smash." A reviewer from 'Daily Record' noted, "They're about half the age of the Spice Girls, but Hanson can sing, play their own instruments and string a sentence together. It must be their American upbringing.""Charts Slot". 'Daily Record'. June 6, 1997. Retrieved December 1, 2020. British magazine 'Music Week' rated the song four out of five, stating that "media attention is sky high for these three Tulsa brothers, aged 11, 14 and 16. And this cutesy, catchy pop song is the ideal debut single to cash in on that interest." Ian Hyland from 'Sunday Mirror' gave the song eight out of ten, commenting, "Teenage brothers from America who sound a bit like Sheryl Crow on helium. You'll love this at first, but in a few weeks you'll be kicking the TV in whenever their smiley faces appear."Hyland, Ian (May 25, 1997). "Tune in to Six of the Best by Radiohead Tune into Six of the Best; Preview: Music". 'Sunday Mirror'. Retrieved December 1, 2020. David Sinclair from 'The Times' concluded, "No 1 in America and all over British radio like a rash, it sounds like a gilt-edged pop standard already."Sinclair, David (May 31, 1997). "The week's top pop releases; Records". 'The Times'.

"MMMBop" was voted the best single of the year in 'The Village Voice' Pazz & Jop critics poll, while also topping critics' polls from such media as 'Rolling Stone', 'Spin', and VH1, and was ranked number 20 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s", as well as number 98 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the Past 25 Years". In 2021, 'Rolling Stone' ranked it as the ninth-best boy band song of all time.

Music video



A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by American film, television and music video director Tamra Davis. It features the Hanson brothers singing and playing their instruments in a suburban living room. In between, there are clips of them entering a cave, ending up on a beach. Other scenes show them playing around in a city, dancing on the Moon, driving a car or appearing in old footage of Albert Einstein.

Track listings



All songs were written by Isaac Hanson, Taylor Hanson, and Zac Hanson. Additional songwriters are noted in parentheses.

* 'US and Australian CD and cassette single'

# "MMMBop" (radio version) 3:50

# "MMMBop" (Dust Brothers mix) 4:29

* 'US 7-inch single'

:A. "MMMBop" 4:27

:B. "Where's the Love" 4:12

* 'US 12-inch single'

:A1. "MMMBop" (Berman Brothers club mix) 5:14

:A2. "MMMBop" (Berman Brothers club instrumental) 5:14

:B1. "MMMBop" (soulful club mix) 5:27

:B2. "MMMBop" (Berman Brothers radio mix) 3:17

:B3. "MMMBop" 4:27

* 'UK CD single'

# "MMMBop" (single version) 3:50

# "MMMBop" (album version) 4:27

# "MMMBop" (Dust Brothers mix) 4:29

# "MMMBop" (Hex mix) 3:25

* 'UK cassette single and European CD single'

# "MMMBop" (single version) 3:50

# "MMMBop" (album version) 4:27

* 'Japanese CD single'

# "MMMBop" (single version) 3:59

# "MMMBop" (album version) 4:27

# "MMMBop" (Dust Brothers mix) 4:29

# "MMMBop" (dub mix) 4:20

Charts



Weekly charts



Year-end charts

{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (1997)

!Position

|-

!scope="row"|Australia (ARIA)

|5

|-

!scope="row"|Austria (3 Austria Top 40)

|7

|-

!scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)

|11

|-

!scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)

|14

|-

!scope="row"|Canada Top Singles ('RPM')

|4

|-

!scope="row"|Canada Adult Contemporary ('RPM')

|39

|-

!scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)

|10

|-

!scope="row"|France (SNEP)

|12

|-

!scope="row"|Germany (Official German Charts)

|16

|-

!scope="row"|Iceland (slenski Listinn Topp 40)

|76

|-

!scope="row"|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)

|18

|-

!scope="row"|Netherlands (Single Top 100)

|18

|-

!scope="row"|New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)

|4

|-

!scope="row"|Romania (Romanian Top 100)

|31

|-

!scope="row"|Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)

|6

|-

!scope="row"|Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)

|10

|-

!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)

|11

|-

!scope="row"|US 'Billboard' Hot 100

|12

|}

Decade-end charts



Certifications



Release history



Notable cover versions



Twenty years after the first recording of "MMMBop", approximately 93,000 cover versions of the song were counted by MTV reporter Patrick Hosken in March 2016, as represented on YouTube. The Hansons told Rebecca Milzoff at 'Vulture' that they had not heard any good cover versions, because "People can't sing the chorus right. Most of the time they syncopate it wrong," according to Isaac Hanson. Later that year, Postmodern Jukebox recorded a cover in the style of 1950s swinging doo-wop with four male singers; picking up 1.5 million views on YouTube in the first year. In July 2019, the official Hanson Twitter feed shared a video by Scary Pockets, a band founded by keyboardist Jack Conte. The Scary Pockets version was fronted by Lucy Schwartz on lead vocals, and Adam Neely covered the electric bass.

References



Category:1996 songs

Category:1997 debut singles

Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles

Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles

Category:Hanson (band) songs

Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles

Category:Mercury Records singles

Category:Music videos directed by Tamra Davis

Category:Number-one singles in Australia

Category:Number-one singles in Austria

Category:Number-one singles in Denmark

Category:Number-one singles in Germany

Category:Number-one singles in Hungary

Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand

Category:Number-one singles in Scotland

Category:Number-one singles in Sweden

Category:Number-one singles in Switzerland

Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles

Category:Song recordings produced by Dust Brothers

Category:Songs written by Isaac Hanson

Category:Songs written by Taylor Hanson

Category:Songs written by Zac Hanson

Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles

Category:Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles

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