The Rise of Boy Bands
Boy bands were very popular during 1999 and probably bigger than they had been compared to any other year during the 1990s. Boyzone topped the charts twice, first with a remake of a Billy Ocean song, "When the Going Gets Tough", made for Comic Relief and then with a remake of Canadian singer Anne Murray's hit "You Needed Me". Their album By Request, containing both chart-toppers along with the million-selling "No Matter What" from 1998, topped the albums chart for nine weeks and became the most successful album in their career. With six #1 singles to their name, they unofficially disbanded with both Ronan Keating and Stephen Gately going on to solo success. Keating reached #1 with his debut single "When You Say Nothing At All" later in the year; it was featured in the soundtrack to the hit movie Notting Hill.
5ive scored their first number one single with "Keep On Movin'" after numerous consecutive top ten hits. Their peak of popularity as a boy band was short-lived as many more successful groups eclipsed them. A1 were another British boy band who joined the music scene during the year, scoring three top ten singles, including "Be The First To Believe" and "Summertime Of Our Lives". Their album fared less well, only reaching number 20 on the charts.
American boy bands were also very successful in the UK during the course of the year, with *NSYNC scoring two top ten hits, though their album only made number 30. With seven consecutive top ten singles behind them, The Backstreet Boys made number one with "I Want It That Way". The song was taken from their album, Millennium which sold millions worldwide and made number two in the UK.
Despite these successes, all boy bands paled in comparison to Westlife, managed by Ronan Keating. Their first four singles ("Swear It Again", "If I Let You Go", "Flying Without Wings" and "I Have a Dream/Seasons in the Sun") all entered the charts at number one, equalling the record set by B*Witched earlier in the year. "Flying Without Wings" was voted The Record of the Year by the public in the annual ITV poll, and Westlife's debut self-titled album reached number two in the charts.
Read more about this topic: 1999 In British Music, Developments
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