lip top 10: ’90s pop groups

Image: Kura Kun

If, like me, you were a girl who grew up in the ’90s, pop groups were where it was at. Not to say that if you were a boy growing up in the ’90s you also weren’t into pop groups, but I don’t really want to speak to something that I have no experience in. So this fortnight, we’re taking a trip down memory lane and reliving all those bands that went off at school discos. I know you had choreographed dances to the hits – don’t try to pretend otherwise.

1. S Club 7
There ain’t no party like an S Club party. These guys were my absolute favourite – I owned two singles! They seemed to achieve more success with their TV show than with their music. But for a band that was my absolute favourite, I didn’t seem to know a great deal about them, considering I had no idea of that show’s existence until the band had broken up after a solid five years of producing something like three hits. Like every ’90s pop outfit they had a reunion tour last year, which was totally like how they were ten years ago. It was awesome: a whole two members were involved. :S

2. Backstreet Boys
Backstreet’s back, alright! No, really, they are releasing an album next month. They released four albums in what I consider to be their heyday, 1996-2000, and after a hiatus, have released three more since 2005. Did anyone know about this? I was 15 in 2005. Was I now too old for them, or too young for their new target market?

3. ‘N Sync
Remember the clip for ‘Bye, Bye, Bye’ where they were all puppets on a string and it was so cool and then you pretended to be a puppet on a string but you just looked a bit silly but didn’t really care? …just me? Okay, so they were no Backstreet Boys but they are pretty much responsible for Justin Timberlake being all surly and successful nowadays.

4. Human Nature
If you say you never once listened to Human Nature you are a dirty liar. Okay, I’ll meet you halfway. You listened while your Mum was playing the CD. That may be worse.

5. Savage Garden
Garggghh Savage Garden were awesome. Remember ‘The Animal Song’? It was deep. ‘Animals and children tell the truth, they never lie. Which one is more human? There’s a thought – now you decide.’ ’’Truly, Madly, Deeply’, anyone? ‘To the Moon and Back’? ‘I Knew I Loved You’? I actually learnt that one on the piano!

6. Spice Girls
I don’t even know where to start with the Spice Girls. But you know what I do know? I know what really really really want.

7. Westlife
Did you know that Westlife didn’t actually disband until last year? Brian McFadden jumped off that sinking ship years before. I actually don’t recall them having original hits, but their version of ‘Uptown Girl’ was the first I heard. Sorry, Billy Joel.

8. 5ive
Everybody get up singing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 will make you get down, down. Remember that guy who called himself Abz? Actually, I don’t either.

9. Hanson
Mmm bop bop do wa wop do wop dibby da da do wah do di da da dooooo. Something like that, right? They were just three dreamy brothers with dreamy blond hair. Fun fact – they released an album ten days ago. I’m not even kidding.

10. Aqua
‘Barbie Girl’, ‘Doctor Jones’ and ‘Lollipop’. I’m actually a little sad for all of us who loved that shit. I say ‘us’. I confess that I was one of them. These songs freaking went off at school discos – along with Steps’ ‘5, 6, 7, 8.’

Anyone missing from the list, Lipsters?