FEATURE:
Too Good to Be Forgotten: Songs That Are Much More Than a Guilty Pleasure
New Kids on the Block - Step by Step
___________
THERE are some divisions when it…
comes to boy bands and girl groups. There are those who do not like any of them, whereas there are others who feel that some were a lot stronger than others. I tend to have more time and appreciation for girl groups and the music they made. I find that, when we look at groups like TLC, En Vogue and Destiny’s Child, they were cooler, funkier and boasted stronger material than, say, Take That. Blue or Westlife. I feel that there was a golden era for girl groups and boy bands. One can chart the phenomenon back to the 1960s; I feel the golden run ended by the 2010s. I feel there were some great tracks from boy bands. I like a lot of what Take That did in the U.K. One can say that the best boy bands, certainty of the 1980s and 1990s, came from the U.S. Think of *NSYNC, Boyz II Men, and The Backstreet Boys. The song that I am included today is from a group who started out in the 1980s but released this track in 1990. New Kids on the Block didn’t acquire the same sort of credibility as some of the girl groups and boy bands of the 1980s and 1990s. I think they were seen as a bit soft and lacking in any edge – not that many others had that much grit! For that reason, many of their tracks have been derided or seen as guilty pleasures. Whilst the fandom was predominately teenage girls, I feel New Kids of the Block’s music was broad enough to appeal to a wider demographic (the group are still together; their seventh studio album, 10, was released in 2013).
I do not like everything they did, though tracks such as Hangin' Tough are good. Step by Step is one of their better-known songs. I have seen some sites refer to the song as a guilty pleasure – one that is a bit lame or reserved for the fans. In terms of background, Wikipedia have us sorted:
“Step by Step" is a song by New Kids on the Block, released on May 10, 1990 as the first single from the album of the same name. It is the group's biggest-selling hit single. The lead vocals were sung by Jordan Knight. Danny Wood sang "Step 1", Donnie Wahlberg sang "Step 2", Jordan Knight sang "Step 3", Joey McIntyre sang "Step 4", and Jonathan Knight sang "Step 5".
"Step by Step" was initially recorded by one of Maurice Starr's other groups, The Superiors. It was released as a single in 1987 on Motown Records but it was not successful. The New Kids cover of the song on the other hand was a huge worldwide hit, becoming one of the biggest selling singles of 1990. The New Kids on the Block's cover spent three weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and was eventually certified platinum; it also spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Canadian Singles Chart, in total "Step by Step" spent five weeks at No. 1 in the North American charts. It also peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and was also a top 10 hit in the Australian, French, German, Irish and Norwegian charts.
Donnie Wahlberg's brother Mark Wahlberg appears in the video for this song.
Bill Coleman from Billboard wrote, "Unstoppable teen idols preview upcoming album of the same name with a perky pop/dance confection rife with disco-era string fills. The phenomenon continues." People Magazine said in their review of the album, that "the music, all written or co-written by the group's conceiver Maurice Starr, is in fact better in spots than on their previous effort", noting that the song is "funkier".
I think that one should not judge all boy bands or feel that the music is not worth listening to. If you are into other genres and bands, there are songs that will catch you by surprise or provide something you were not expecting. New Kids on the Block, despite not being one of the strongest boy bands, are definitely worth investigation. Step by Step is a catchy and fun song that should be heard. I want to end with an article from The Guardian. Published in 2016, they spoke with Rebecca Wallwork about her book, New Kids on the Block's Hangin' Tough (33 1/3). They question asked was whether we should remember New Kids on the Block:
“Where would we be without New Kids on the Block? Clean-cut and always ready to burst into harmonies or a complicated piece of choreography at a moment’s notice, they set the template for subsequent boy bands, first the Backstreet Boys and *N Sync, then One Direction. In America at least, New Kids breathed new life into teen pop music and stoked a newly rabid kind of pop fandom. Plus, they laid the blueprint for Lou Pearlman’s business model, which may have landed him in prison but also transformed the charts of the late 90s and early 00s.
The New Kids were influential. They mattered. Which is exactly what journalist Rebecca Wallwork set out to prove in her book, Hangin’ Tough. It’s part of the 33 ⅓ series that has seen different writers tackle a famous album. The books have ranged from Michaelangelo Matos on Prince’s Sign O’ the Times to Alex Niven on Oasis’s Definitely Maybe.
IN THIS PHOTO: New Kids On The Block circa 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: Michel Linssen/Redferns
There’s nothing ironic about her admiration of the album – she was a fan. “[I was] a Blockhead,” Wallwork explains over the phone. “I was a little late to the game with New Kids because I was in Australia. The Right Stuff is where I began, probably a few months later than the American Blockheads, but I’m still a fan to this day.” To give it its full title, You Got It (The Right Stuff) was NKOTB’s breakthrough hit. Released in 1988, it got to No 3 in the States and No 1 in the UK.
And Wallwork doesn’t use the term “fan” lightly: she’s met the band upward of 20 times (not including when she’s met members individually or as a music writer), and her Tumblr boasts photos of herself as a teen proudly posing by her NKOTB merch, proving the seriousness of her dedication and how long it’s lasted.
“I was 13 when I first saw [The Right Stuff] video, and it just seemed so cool and funky,” she recalls. “I hadn’t heard music like that before. And if you listen to it now, it still sounds kind of different. It doesn’t sound to me like Backstreet Boys or *N Sync or One Direction – it was dancey, they were driving around in a convertible picking up chicks, and I was like, ‘You look cool, I like this.’ They grabbed my eye, I’ll admit it. And then I really did love the music.
“And in a way, they were safe,” she adds. “Parents allowed their kids to become quite obsessed with them because it wasn’t a bad obsession.”
A sentiment anyone who’s dabbled in boy band culture (hi!) will understand. There’s safety in basking in a relationship you can dictate exclusively through your own frame of mind. There’s comfort in deciphering the meaning of lyrics, or poring over interviews and hoping the member you like implies he’s single. (Wallwork’s favourite member is Joe, by the way: “He was closest to my age - he seemed sweet.”)”.
I would advise people to listen to Step by Step if they need a boost. Go and check out other songs like Hangin' Tough. The album of the same name also features the hit, You Got It (The Right Stuff). Whilst the Step by Step album is not as strong, I feel there is enough in there to satisfy Pop fans. The title track has a definite infectiousness and spark. It is a song that is a little cheesy, yes, but it is definitely not a guilty pleasure. A single spin of Step by Step and you will find yourself singing it…
FOR a long time later.