© 2025 NPR Illinois
The Capital's Community & News Service since 1975
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Get involved now! ProtectMyPublicMedia.org Make the call.

All That Matters Is That You Get Hyped: The Enduring Power Of Boy Bands (Rebroadcast)

Jin, Jungkook, RM, Jimin, and J-Hope of the boy band "BTS" have the number one single in the U.S. right now, with "Dynamite."
Jin, Jungkook, RM, Jimin, and J-Hope of the boy band "BTS" have the number one single in the U.S. right now, with "Dynamite."

The K-Pop boy band BTS topped the charts this fall with a number-one single. 

The Tiny Desk concert they recorded for NPR Music broke the series record for most YouTube views in a day – only 25 minutes after it was posted. 

But the boy band phenomenon isn’t new. 

It goes back. 

We mean, way back. 

You can find the screaming fans, perfectly-styled hair and matching dance moves in almost every decade. 

These bands were rockin’ even in the 1950s.

Why do we love boy bands so much? And what does it say about us that we do? And what makes a boy band a boy band — not just boys in a band?

Copyright 2021 WAMU 88.5. To see more, visit WAMU 88.5.

Avery Kleinman