This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ arrival in the U.S. and the Fab Four’s legendary appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on Feb. 9, 1964. While the lads quickly distanced themselves from their largely fabricated image as mop-topped Beatlemania-inspiring dreamboats, their blueprint for a successful boy band–smart one (John Lennon), cute one (Paul McCartney), quiet one (George Harrison) and funny one (Ringo Starr)–lives on. Whether their successors played surf music, suave R&B, novelty songs or sugary ballads, here’s a look at the connections and characteristics that have defined five decades of adorable pop acts.
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WITH FEW SUBSTITUTIONS, THE FORMULA THAT KEEPS ON WINNING:
ULTRA-TALENTED, DREAMY HEARTTHROB
+
BAD BOY
HOMELY ONE
CUTE ONE
SHY ONE
+
THE PUPPET MASTER
Brian Epstein groomed the Beatles; Maurice Starr created New Edition and New Kids on the Block; Lou Pearlman invented Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync; Simon Cowell masterminded One Direction
IMAGE IS EVERYTHING
+
IT’S NOT ABOUT SALES, IT’S ABOUT TOURS AND MERCHANDISE
THE BEATLES
HEYDAY: 1962–1970
Beatlemania set off a merchandising frenzy that included a Flip Your Wig game, lunch boxes, figurines and serving trays
BEACH BOYS
HEYDAY: 1962–1975
SPIN-OFF: BRIAN WILSON
“Kokomo” hit No. 1 in November 1988, 24 years after the band’s first chart topper, “I Get Around”
THE MONKEES
HEYDAY: 1966–1970
SPIN-OFF: MICHAEL JACKSON
Michael Jackson outbid Paul McCartney for the publishing rights to some 200 Beatles songs in the mid-’80s
JACKSON 5
HEYDAY: 1969–1979
SPIN-OFF: MICHAEL JACKSON
THE OSMONDS
HEYDAY: 1971–1976
SPIN-OFF: DONNY OSMOND
In 1963 5-year-old Donny Osmond performed on The Andy Williams Show; in 2009 he won Dancing With the Stars
BAY CITY ROLLERS
HEYDAY: 1973–1976
NEW EDITION
HEYDAY: 1983–1988
SPIN-OFF: BOBBY BROWN
Bobby Brown said his earnings from New Edition tours and records amounted to “$500 and a VCR”
MENUDO
HEYDAY: 1981–1989
SPIN-OFF: RICKY MARTIN
Members cycled out when their voices changed or they got too old; Menudo had more than 30 members total
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
HEYDAY: 1988–1992
The band’s original name was Nynuk
BOYZ II MEN
HEYDAY: 1991–1997
Named after the New Edition song “Boys to Men”
BACKSTREET BOYS
HEYDAY: 1996–2001
The reunited Backstreet Boys sang at a 2013 Christmas concert in Washington, attended by the Obamas
98 DEGREES
HEYDAY: 1997–2001
SPIN-OFF: NICK LACHEY
Nick Lachey broke into reality TV on MTV’s Newlyweds with Jessica Simpson before hosting NBC’s The Sing-Off
‘N SYNC
HEYDAY: 1997–2002
SPIN-OFF: JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
‘N Sync fans bought 1.1 million copies of No Strings Attached on its first day in stores, making it the first album to hit seven-figure sales in one day
HANSON
HEYDAY: 1997–2000
BBMAK
HEYDAY: 1999–2003
BBMak’s breakout song, “Back Here,” initially made a bigger splash in the U.S. than in the band’s native England
JONAS BROTHERS
HEYDAY: 2005–2010
Their squeaky-clean image was “sugarcoated,” said Joe Jonas, who recently admitted to drug use
BIG TIME RUSH
HEYDAY: 2010–
THE WANTED
HEYDAY: 2010–2013
The Wanted Life on E! drew an audience of 1.7 million viewers
ONE DIRECTION
HEYDAY: 2011–
Fans bid $100,000 on eBay for a piece of Vegemite toast that member Niall Horan bit into in Sydney
START HERE
KEY
TOGETHER 5+ CONSECUTIVE YEARS
KNOWN TO PLAY OWN INSTRUMENTS
HAD NO. 1 HIT SINGLE IN U.S.
INCLUDED FAMILY MEMBERS
SPAWNED FROM TV
MADE CHRISTMAS ALBUM
AT LEAST ONE MEMBER ARRESTED
FAMOUS SOLO SPIN-OFF
HAD A COMEBACK TOUR
AMERICAN
BRITISH
BRITISH/IRISH
PUERTO RICAN
SCOTTISH
SOURCES: BILLBOARD.COM; BAND WEBSITES
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