MMMBop - Single Version

One of the catchiest songs ever written, "MMMbop" is surprisingly profound lyrically. What's it all mean? In a Songfacts interview with Zac Hanson, the drummer explained: "What that song talks about is, you've got to hold on to the things that really matter. MMMBop represents a frame of time or the futility of life. Things are going to be gone, whether it's your age and your youth, or maybe the money you have, and all that's going to be left are the people you've nurtured and have really built to be your backbone and your support system."

The group first released this song on an independent album (also called MMMBop) in 1996. This version has that inescapable chorus but is a lot more mellow, without the record-scratching sound that runs through it, adding a modern flavor. The song helped get Hanson, a band of three brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma, a record deal with Mercury. It was released as their first single in 1997, when Isaac Hanson was 16 years old, Taylor was 13, and Zac was 11. The song quickly became a huge worldwide hit, getting constant airplay on radio stations and MTV, and going to #1 in 27 countries.

Experienced songwriters like Desmond Child, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil worked on the album, but "MMMbop" was written entirely by the Hanson brothers. They were trendsetters in this regard, as years later, young singers like Michelle Branch and Alicia Keys who could write their own songs became very popular. And the next big band of brothers, the Jonas Brothers, certainly owe a debt to Hanson. Their marketing stressed their songwriting and musicianship to show they were singing their truth.