Source: Buffalo News
By Yan Fang
June 27, 2000
As a teenager, you find yourself facing many choices: academic life or social life, drugs or no drugs, sex or abstinence, Backstreet Boys or 'N Sync. Yes, that's right. Even if you don't think you'll ever have to choose between these two boy bands, you will one day find yourself at a party marauded by 12-year-old girls demanding to know which band is your favorite.
And with a decision as weighty as this, you should be prepared with information that will allow you to make the obvious choice (a.k.a. the Backstreet Boys).
Now let's not kid ourselves; Backstreet and 'N Sync songs are pretty much the same. You've got the fast, high-energy dance beats about "rocking your body" or "getting down" and the slow, sappy love songs about "never breaking your heart" or "God spending a little more time on yooouuuu." Neither band writes its own songs, of course, but both certainly have worthy songwriters who know how to crank out the right rhythms and rhymes.
None of the boys play their own instruments either, but as each group consistently declares, their voices are their instruments. If you want to get technical about songwriting, however, the boys of Backstreet have more credits to their name than the fellas of 'N Sync.
Backstreet's Brian Littrell has written the lyrics for several songs that are not too far below the standard that Max Martin has set for the pop industry; "The Perfect Fan" and "Larger Than Life" ("Millennium") and "That's What She Said" ("Backstreet's Back") are only some of the songs Brian has contributed to.
Backstreet's Kevin Richardson earned songwriting credits by contributing to "Back to Your Heart" ("Millennium"). That's not to say that 'N Sync members haven't done creative work on some of their songs, but the 'N Sync creative contributions don't match the Boys'.
Although the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync always remind their public that their music is what's most important, we all know that boy bands are much more about looks and appearance than music. And in the beauty-oriented world in which we live, the Backstreet Boys have got 'N Sync beat.
Even on their bad days, the Backstreet Boys are more appealing. Backstreet was created before 'N Sync, and as such, the Boys were formed from the cream of the Orlando, Fla., crop.
Granted, the members of 'N Sync have significantly improved their looks since their first self-titled album, but there's only so much that cosmetologists and personal stylists can do.
Although Justin Timberlake is the obvious Nick Carter equivalent in 'N Sync, no substitute can be made for America's top blond pin-up boy. At least Timberlake has stopped bleaching his hair.
The appeal of Backstreet's A.J. McLean is very different from Carter's. Where Carter is the wholesome boy-next-door, McLean is the rebellious hottie all the girls crave.
Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick are the designated crazy, bold members of 'N Sync - although the copies are not as good as the original.
Like McLean, Backstreet's Howie Dorough sports a Latin look with his darker skin, brown eyes and curly dark hair. (Dorough, however, would never be found with multicolored hairdos or tattoos all over his body.)
Lance Bass is partly the Dorough equivalent in 'N Sync, but Dorough is better looking. Where Bass has a crooked smile that teeters on being a smirk, Dorough's seems genuine. And in the boy band industry where you don't even know if your teen idol's favorite movie is truly his favorite movie, authenticity is of utmost importance.
Brian Littrell's counterpart in 'N Sync would also partly be Bass. Littrell's relaxed and gentle personality parallels Bass'. Littrell, however, also has another equivalent in 'N Sync: J.C. Chasez. As Chasez and Littrell are both the principal singers and more outspoken members of their bands, they are very similar to one another in terms of personality and role in the groups.
Then there's Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson, whose dark hair and sharp jawline render him classically handsome.
Yet even when we look beyond the appearances of both bands, the Backstreet Boys exude a level of maturity that 'N Sync has yet to achieve. Where the Backstreet Boys have matured from their "Get Down" and "If You Want It To Be Good Girl (Get Yourself a Bad Boy)" Backstreet Boys days to more beautiful "I Want It That Way" and "The One" "Millennium" days, 'N Sync is still stuck in the teen pop world. Where "I Want It That Way" is more melodic and has been classified as soft-rock, "Bye Bye Bye" and "It's Gotta Be Me" is pure bubble-gum.
Furthermore, where the Backstreet Boys have performed with legitimate artists such as Sting and Tom Jones in VH1's Men Strike Back concert, 'N Sync has yet to perform in mature or established settings.
The Backstreet Boys' presentation is also more mature. Where 'N Sync revels in being wild and fun, the Backstreet Boys are more aware of their presentation in both physical appearances and personality. When 'N Sync members coordinate outfits for award shows or celebrity events, they always end up looking too trendy, as if they are trying a little too hard to appeal to their teenage audience.
Although both bands are musically similar, the maturity and good looks of the Backstreet Boys elevate them above the status of boy band from which 'N Sync is still trying to escape.