TEEN POP DEFINED

Ah, the annals of teen pop. The genre enjoyed its greatest renaissance to date in an unique time period from 1996 to 2002. "Wannabe" (Spice Girls, 1996) and "Complicated" (Avril Lavigne, 2002) serve as bookends for the countdown and both singles were pivotal points of the rise and demise of the teen pop boom. Within this six-year period, the music industry bombarded the market with groups and singers totally manufactured from formation to celebration. There are a small handful of artists who were not driven by the machine and there are some others who went on to even greater success but the majority will stay forever locked in time with clean-cut haircuts and trendy preppy attire. And that is the point of this countdown...to feature the best (and the worst) of these oh-so-crazy moments of pop culture and music. The teen-pop genre (especially from the late '90s/early '00s era) is split into five different flavors: First, there are the boy bands, usually four to five to a group. Each singer had a different appeal to the audience: the heartthrob, the serious one, the tough one, the shy one, and the weird one. Most groups incorporated harmonies within their package and some groups split their leads vocals equally while some put their weight into their best singers. Girl groups followed but were not quite as successful, partially due to younger girls desiring to idolize the men instead of the women. Then, there were the mixed-gender groups, with the women usually taking the lead in those groups. Pop princesses, however, were just as popular as the boy bands, and emphasized sex appeal to enhance their product. There are a fair number who are still active today. Meanwhile, there were less boys who can do it on their own as solo singers. In addition, there are the bubblegum groups, who were a little bit older in their early twenties and inserted crafty sexual metaphors and innuendos within their sugary sweet messages. There is a seventh category I will add – the "so bad, it's good" category. Some of the above music videos are so hilariously entertaining because it's amazing how much of a cringe factor they induce.

COUNTDOWN DEFINED

Rule No. 1: Every artist represented must have been manufactured to some degree. The focal point of any teen pop artist or group is generate money for their record company. Teen pop was serious business and the artists were guided (and somewhat controlled) by consultants from fashion to fan relations. In addition, outside producers and songwriters provided the genius behind the hooks. Merchandising appeal is a plus. Some artists eventually broke the mold and secured creative freedom but the majority were just puppets of the whole show. Rule No. 2: Every artist represented must have had their breakthrough in between 1996 and 2002. This rule disqualifies artists such as Ricky Martin [associated with Menudo], Robbie Williams [Take That], Joey McIntyre and Jordan Knight [New Kids On The Block] who were still teen idols in the late '90s but found their initial success in an earlier time. Rule No. 3: Artists and groups over the age of 25 are not invited. Youth is a powerful elixir and those over 25 have simply lost the mojo for mass market appeal. There were some artists were pushing their luck in this category. For example, Chris Kirkpatrick was in his late twenties in the heyday of the *NSYNC explosion. Rule No. 4: Songs represented must have a "pop" flavor. The teen pop genre incorporated elements from a variety of different music styles, and while the variety is appreciated on the countdown, the artists themselves must be "pop" on their very core. To keep a seperation between artists who crossover to teen pop, the line is drawn at what demographic is the artist's greatest appeal situated. For instance, there were teen R&B groups in the period (most notably, Destiny's Child) were known more for R&B than for teen pop. Rule No. 5: Songs must have charted somewhere in the world between the time of "Wannabe" and "Complicated". "Wannabe" (Spice Girls, 1996) and "Complicated" (Avril Lavigne, 2002) serve as convenient bookends for the countdown. "Wannabe" jumpstarted this era teen pop and ushered in a whole slew of artists and groups ready to make their mark. "Complicated" is teen pop at its core but the single was marketed as an "anti-teen pop song," the first obvious sign that the market was ready to breakaway from all the negative connatations of teen pop (to some), including the choreography and music emphasized by image rather than songwriting. Teen pop never died after "Complicated"; it just manifested itself into a different form, one of singer-songwriters with real guitars. This is where it stands today with The Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and Taylor Swift continuing the new era. Rule No. 6: Artists must have no set of singles within 4 positions of each other. In addition, no artist may not be represented more than once in the top 15. The method to this rule is to spread the wealth. Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, and Britney Spears were the forerunners of the genre, and thus had the best singles, so the rule keeps the countdown from having too much, too soon from those artists. In effect, this rule makes it not a countdown based solely on best songs but a weighted countdown designed to give a selection of artists more exposure in the countdown's top half. This rule is only broken once -- to allow a quartet of Steps singles to squeak in near the very end of the countdown.

START OF THE COUNTDOWN

1 2 3 4 Backstreet Boys Everybody (Backstreet's Back) *NSYNC I Want You Back Britney Spears Oops!...I Did It Again Christina Aguilera Genie In A Bottle 5 6 7 8 Hanson MMMBop LFO Summer Girls Mandy Moore Candy Five If Ya Gettin' Down 9 10 11 12 S Club 7 S Club Party Billie Piper Because We Want To Atomic Kitten I Want Your Love 98 Degrees Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche) 13 14 15 Dream He Loves U Not Jessica Simpson Irresistible All Saints Pure Shores

REST OF THE COUNTDOWN

# ARTIST TITLE 16. Backstreet Boys As Long As You Love Me 17. *NSYNC Bye Bye Bye 18. Five When The Lights Go Out 19. Hoku Perfect Day 20. Aqua Lollipop (Candyman) 21. Hanson Where's The Love? 22. Britney Spears Lucky 23. Aaron Carter Crush On You 24. Backstreet Boys Get Down (You're The One for Me) 25. *NSYNC Tearin' Up My Heart 26. Eden's Crush Get Over Youself 27. B4-4 Go Go 28. Britney Spears Sometimes 29. Billie Piper Girlfriend 30. *NSYNC U Drive Me Crazy 31. Mandy Moore So Real 32. Five Got The Feelin' 33. Backstreet Boys The Call 34. soulDecision Ooh, It's Kinda Crazy 35. Jessica Simpson A Little Bit 36. *NSYNC Pop 37. S Club 7 Don't Stop Movin' 38. Billie Piper Honey To The B 39 Backstreet Boys I Want it That Way 40. Britney Spears ...Baby One More Time 41. *NSYNC It's Gonna Be Me 42. Boyzone No Matter What 43. Westlife Flying Without Wings 44. Backstreet Boys Larger Than Life 45. Christina Aguilera Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You) 46. Britney Spears Stronger 47. Billie Piper She Wants You 48. *NSYNC I'll Never Stop 49. Spice Girls 2 Become 1 50. Mandy Moore In My Pocket 51. Backstreet Boys Shape Of My Heart 52. 2gether U+Me=Us (Calculus) 53. Willa Ford I Wanna Be Bad 54. O-Town Liquid Dreams 55. Britney Spears Born To Make You Happy 56. Five Slam Dunk Da Funk 57. All Saints Black Coffee 58. Aqua Barbie Girl 59. Dream This Is Me 60. Backstreet Boys Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) 61. S Club 7 Reach 62. Atomic Kitten Right Now 63. 98 Degreees The Way You Want Me To 64. Jessica Simpson I Wanna Love You Forever 65. bbMak Back Here 66. *NSYNC I Drive Myself Crazy 67. B*Witched C'est La Vie 68. Len Feelin' Alright 69. B4-4 Get Down 70. soulDecision Faded 71. Spice Girls Wannabe 72. O-Town All Or Nothing 73. Five Keep On Movin' 74. Britney Spears (You Drive Me) Crazy 75. ATC Around The World (La La La) 76. A*Teens Dancing Queen 77. Lil' Bow Wow Bounce With Me 78. *NSYNC Here We Go 79. Mandy Moore I Wanna Be With You 80. Steps 5, 6, 7, 8 81. Backstreet Boys More Than That 82. S Club 7 Never Had A Dream Come True 83. Aqua Bumble Bees 84. Five Rock The Party 85. Usher You Make Me Wanna 86. 98 Degrees The Hardest Thing 87. LFO Every Other Time 88. Sugababes Overload 89. Innosense Say No More 90. S Club 7 Bring It All Back 91. Christina Aguilera What A Girl Wants 92. Britney Spears From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart 93. Michael Fredo This Time Around 94. A1 No More 95. Five Let's Dance 96. M2M Don't Say You Love Me 97. Spice Girls Say You'll Be There 98. Another Level Freak Me 99. Whoa! Rub One Out 100. Avril Lavigne Complicated 101. Britney Spears I'm A Slave 4 U 102. Hanson Weird 103. Mandy Moore Crush 104. Backstreet Boys Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely 105. *NSYNC This I Promise You 106. bbMak Ghost Of You & Me 107. 98 Degrees Because Of You 108. Chrsitina Aguilera Reflection 109. Willa Ford Did Ya Understand That 110. O-Town We Fit Together 111. A1 Take On Me 112. Vitamin C Smile 113. Hanson This Time Around 114. Atomic Kitten Whole Again 115. 2gether The Hardest Part Of Breaking Up (Is Getting Back Your Stuff) 116. Delta Goodrem I Don't Care 117. Aaron Carter Not Too Young, Not Too Old 118. 3LW Playas Gon' Play 119. Spice Girls Holler 120. Westlife Uptown Girl 121. Josie & The Pussycats Three Small Words 122. *NSYNC Gone 123. Backstreet Boys We've Got It Goin' On 124. Usher My Way 125. Christina Aguilera I Turn To You 126. Hanson Thinking Of You 127. S Club 7 You 128. Boyzone When The Going Gets Tough 129. Backstreet Boys All I Have To Give 130. 98 Degrees My Everything 131. Britney Spears Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know 132. Vengaboys Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom 133. B2K Uh Huh 134. Hoku Another Dumb Blonde 135. Five We Will Rock You 136. Billie Piper Walk Of Life 137. Steps Tragedy 138. All Saints Under The Bridge 139. Aqua Doctor Jones 140. *NSYNC Girlfriend 141. Spice Girls Goodbye 142. Lil' Bow Wow Bow Wow Wow (That's My Name) 143. Backstreet Boys The One 144. Hanson If Only 145. All Saints Bootie Call 146. A1 Like A rose 147. Aaron Carter I Want Candy 148. Westlife My Love 149. S Club 7 Have You Ever 150. Backstreet Boys Drowning 151. Mandy Moore Candy 152. ATC Why Oh Why 153. Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey Where You Are 154. Christina Milian AM 2 PM 155. Britney Spears Overprotected 156. Boyzone A Different Beat 157. S Club 7 Two In A Million 158. Jump5 Spinnin' Around 159. Atomic Kitten You Are 160. Westlife When You're Looking Like That 161. bbMak Still On Your Side 162. LFO Girl On TV 163. 98 Degrees I Do (Cherish You) 164. Britney Spears The Joy Of Pepsi 165. *NSYNC God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You 166. A1 Ready Or Not 167. Spice Girls Spice Up Your Life 168. Westlife Fool Again 169. Aaron Carter Crazy little Party Girl 170. Five Don't Wanna Let You Go 171. Steps Stomp 172. 98 Degrees I Do (Cherish You) 173. All Saints Never Ever 174. Hanson I Will Come To You 175. Britney Spears I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman 176. Westlife I Have A Dream 177. S Club 7 Natural 178. Atomic Kitten Eternal Flame 179. Jessica Simpson I Think I'm In Love With You 180. A1 Summertime Of Our Life 181. Backstreet Boys I'll Never Break Your Heart 182. Boyzone Baby Can I Hold You 183. Mandy Moore Walk Me Home 184. Aaron Carter Aaron's Party (Come Get It) 185. Billie Piper Day & Night 186. Boyzone Words 187. A*Teens Super Trouper 188. Aqua My Oh My 189. Vitamin C Graduation (Friends Forever) 190. Westlife Swear It Again 191. M2M Mirror Mirror 192. Dreamstreet It Happens Everytime 193. 98 Degrees This Gift 194. B*Witched To You I Belong 195. Youngstown I'll Be Your Everything 196. Boyzone Words 197. *NSYNC For The Girl Who Has Everything 198. Sugababes Soul Sound 199. Aaron Carter How I Beat Shaq 200. Steps Deeper Shade Of Blue 201. soulDecision No One Does It Better 202. Westlife World Of Our Own 203. S Club 7 You're My Number One 204. B*Witched Blame It On The Weatherman 205. Spice Girls Who Do You Think You Are? 206. Billie Piper Something Deep Inside 207. Boyzone Picture Of You 208. A1 Same Old Brand New You 209. Lil' Romeo My Baby 210. A*Teens Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) 211. Five Closer To Me 212. Westlife If I Let You Go 213. Atomic Kitten See Ya 214. Steps Chain Reaction 215. Aaron Carter Oh Aaron 216. B*Witched Jump Down 217. Westlife I Lay My Love With You 218. Hear'Say Pure & Simple 219. Boyzone You Needed Me 220. Solid Harmonie I'll Be There For You 221. A1 Be The First To Believe 222. Spice Girls Move Over 223. Sugababes Run For Cover 224. Steps Better The Devil You Know 225. A*Teens Halfway Around The World 226. Hear'Say Everybody 227. All Saints Lady Marmalade 228. Scooch When My Baby 229. B*Witched Rollercoaster 230. Vengaboys We Like To Party (Vengabus) 231. Human Nature He Don't Like You 232. Natural Put Your Arms Around Me 233. Boyzone Isn't It A Wonder 234. Spice Girls Let Love Lead The Way 235. Five Until The Time Is Through 236. Steps Heartbeat 237. PYT PYT (Down With Me) 238. B*Witched I Shall Be There 239. Britney Spears Anticipating 240. A*Teens Upside Down 241. Spice Girls Too Much 242. Boyzone All That I Need 243. Atomic Kitten Follow Me 244. Steps Here & Now / You'll Be Sorry 245. Sccoch The Best Is Yet To Come 246. Human Nature When We Were Young 247. Sugababes New Year 248. Westlife Queen Of My Heart 249. A1 Everytime 250. Steps Lest Thing On My Mind 251. All Saints I Know Where It's At 252. B*Witched Jesse Hold On 253. Spice Girls Viva Forever 254. Human Nature Last To Know 255. B4-4 Endlessly 256. Steps One For Sorrow 257. On The Line All Stars On The Line 258. Toy-Box Tarzan & Jane 259. Solid Harmonie I Want You To Want Me 260. Hear'Say The Way To Your LOve 261. A*Teens Mamma Mia 262. Scooch More Than I Needed To Know 263. *NSYNC Together Again 264. Steps Say You'll Be Mine 265. 3LW No More (Baby I'ma Do Right) 266. Boyzone I Love The Way You Love Me 267. Skye Sweetnam Shattered 268. Spice Girls Stop 269. Steps Summer Of Love 270. Sky Love Song 271. VIP Just My Luck 272. Human Nature Whisper Your Name 273. Hear'Say The Way To Your Love 274. Steps Better Best Forgotten 275. Scooch For Sure 276. B4-4 Everyday 277. Sky Some Kinda Wonderful 278. Toy-Box Best Friend 279. Steps It's The Way You Make Me Feel 280. Steps Love's Got A Hold Of My Heart 281. Steps After The Love Has Gone 282. Steps When I Said Goodbye 283. Aaron Carter Surfin' USA 284. Dojour Back Door Lover 285. Daphne & Celeste U.G.L.Y.

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