What It's Like To Be A Hanson Fan In 2013

So, I’m standing with my friends outside of a venue last week, in line waiting to see a band I’ve now seen probably more than 20 times. As people walked by us on the busy street, they would look at the long line of people gathered, then up at the marquee, then back at us, then shake their heads and laugh. A few were even rude enough to comment with quips like “Hanson? Really?” or “You mean those kids? They’re still around?”

This is what its like to be a Hanson fan in 2013.

Reading articles can be a bit of a nightmare, too. News reports are often riddled with phrases like “boy band” and the band being compared to performers like the Backstreet Boys and N’Sync. These terms and comparisons make fans like myself wince, as they’re so misrepresentative of not only the band, but also their music in general.

via @HollyMatrimony

It’s been sixteen (!!!) years since “MMMBop”, the poppy-harmonic up-tempo chart-topper hit the airwaves. In 1997 the brothers Hanson were 11, 14 and 16 respectively. It makes sense that many would assume their music fell into the “teen pop” category that was so popular at the time.



Unlike their peers, however, Hanson’s music wasn’t manufactured pop churned out by songwriting teams and produced en masse. Although their chart-topping hit was about as bubblegum as they come, it was barely indicative of their body of work, which was more aligned with 50’s and 60’s rock than the likes of Britney Spears.

It’s safe to say that their biggest inspirations didn’t come from their musical peers, but from generations past, like the Beach Boys, the Jackson 5 and the Bee Gees. Talented musicians and songwriters in their own right, but, like Hanson themselves, often famed and remembered for the wrong things completely.

Most people assume that Hanson were a "One Hit Wonder" like many 90’s pop-rock outfits of the time. Surprisingly, at least 3 other songs from their 1997 debut album hit the Billboard charts, including “Where’s The Love” a pop-rock anthem about people needing to be more kind to one another, and “I Will Come To You” a sweet, melancholy ballad about finding the person you love most at all costs. Their video for “Weird” was directed by Gus Van Sant, one of the most prolific directors of our time.

While everyone was busy writing Hanson off as a one trick pony, many of their fans turned to the next big thing. Many of us did not.

We, the fans, stayed with them through a tumultuous crash of their first record label, Mercury Polygram, the last-of-its-kind label surfacing from the Motown years. We waited patiently as they did a 2 year-long world tour, and finally until they put out their next record “This Time Around” in 2000. An edgier, more adult record, it also found its way onto the charts, with singles like “This Time Around” and “If Only”.

Although the mainstream audience dropped off early, the music world still paid much attention to the band, with both critical and peer acclaim circling them often. They spent much of their early career collaborating with some of the best writers and producers of all time, including the Hudson Brothers and Stephen Lironi.

After Mercury Polygram shut down in 1999, the band’s catalog was sold off to the highest bidder, ultimately ending up in the hands of Rock-Rap Label, Island Def Jam. Although a prominent label with bands like Bon Jovi, The Killers and Jay-Z and other mainstream artists with a harder sound could’ve helped Hanson transition effectively from their dubbed “bubblegum pop”, they instead pushed the band to try to recreate their original fame. Since ‘This Time Around’ was already recorded and mastered, they simply had to package and shelve it. With almost zero promotion happening behind the scenes, the band’s earlier success quickly faded and their talent went to waste.

Coming from a music industry background, I can tell you with certainty that a great album does not a hit make. Some of the best albums in the world went years without any recognition and often were completely misjudged by distribution and labels.

You can learn more about Hanson’s struggle with Island Def Jam, and their ultimate appeal to leave the label and start their Indie upstart, 3cG Records on their documentary “Strong Enough To Break”.

Since 2003 Hanson has had their own backs, writing, recording, producing and promoting their music on their own independent label. Although many bands and artists would trade anything they could to reignite the flame of fame that once burned bright, I think these guys knew better. It’s better to be loved and adored by few than scorned by many, especially if it’s for entirely the wrong reasons.

So why stick around, fans? Why are you still here? Well… for starters, these guys are pretty damn talented. If you can get past the “they looked like girls” and “long blond hair” crap from the 90’s everyone tries to toss around, and really listen to their music, even the earlier stuff, you’re hard-pressed to find a song that isn’t well-written, produced and performed. See one of their live shows and their talent becomes undeniable.

Their foray into collaborations with other writers and musicians has only strengthened their skills. Writing songs with the likes of Carole King, Matthew Sweet, Bleu and Ed Robertson, they’ve introduced their fans to so much more than you could imagine.

Hanson also happens to be pretty freaking good at their business; the music business.

One of my “music business” professors used to say “Treat your art like a business, and your business like an art!” and what he meant was: put as much passion into what you create as how you brand and promote it. If you don’t hold up the business side, then the art side will fall away too. Pretty much from the get-go team Hanson embraced the Internet and their ability to connect with fans directly. They started an online fan club, which in 1998 was one of the biggest in the world, and to this day still thrives. They’ve figured out a way to create a merchandising business that even KISS may be jealous of, with everything from their own board game to their own beer, while still maintaining their own identity as a band. As they’ve grown into adults, had families and matured, so have their fans, and their business speaks to that.

seriously... Hansonopoly, people!

As I stood in line for the Hanson concert, watching as people laughed at us while they walked by, just for the very act of being in line at a Hanson concert, I thought to myself: Ha! If you only knew!

Hanson has a dedicated, strong fan base more than 15 years into their career because Hanson is dedicated to their fan base. (Although probably occasionally a bit frightened of some of them.) They release beautiful records like clockwork, tour the globe and spend over 200 days most years on the road, away from their families and friends, doing it all for the fans. They’ve inspired not just a fan base, but also a culture. Yes that sounds a bit crazy, but in the years since they’ve rocketed to the moon and back, they’ve also set up charities and created movements like Taking The Walk. Their dedication to causes they believe in, creating and inspiring change in others, is part of what it is to be a fan.

Although Hanson fans are spread across the globe, when someone asks me about my favorite musical artist, or one of my tattoos (yes, tattoos!) and I tell them I’m a Hanson fan, after the laughing stops someone usually says, “My _______ is a huge Hanson fan, too!” It’s like six degrees of separation. Everyone seems to know at least one.

Hanson Fans. We go places.

Ohh the old days. <3 td="">

That’s not because there are a ton of secret Hanson fans hiding in our midst (there are) but because we wear it proudly on our sleeves for all to see. When people say “OMG! You love Hanson, I love BSB still!” we politely roll our eyes at them and go on our merry way.

Being a “Hanson fan” isn’t just about liking a damn good band, it’s also about staying true to who you are, what you believe in, regardless of other people’s opinions or jabs. It’s about a community, being part of something that goes so far beyond yourself, and connecting with people who support you, even if its just in line ups at concerts. It’s about turning the music up loud and rolling the windows down.

Although it’s pretty annoying to have people laugh and question you as you simply wait in line to see a show, the most redeeming thing I’ve seen in a while happened that night, too. Like I said, I’ve been to a lot of Hanson concerts in my day, most of them are busy, jam-packed full of “super fans” like me, people (mostly ladies, for all you dudes looking for a date!) who’ve been there since Day 1 (or pretty damned close!) – but this show, it was different. -- There were so many people. People who clearly weren’t Hanson "fans", who maybe heard their new record and wanted to check them out, or people who have had super-fan friends like me drag them out to a show here and there. People who read Buzzfeed as much as I do. I could sense a change, not outwardly, but in general.

I think it will always be tough to self-identify as a Hanson fan, because that stigma probably won’t ever go away… but it’s nice to know that their fan base is once again growing, and the general population is starting to recognize just how under-appreciated these dudes are, because if anyone deserves it: Hanson does.