Over spring break, I spent over 30 hours in the car. (It should have only been about 25 hours, but some of my travel companions had to make pit stops almost every hour on the hour — literally.)
If done right, road trips with friends make for some of the best memories. Of course, every road trip has a few essentials: a good book, snacks and, of course, a solid playlist. For us, that playlist was comprised of songs that could be listened to at any moment; that playlist was filled with songs we sang along to every single time.
At the top of that playlist was “Sucker” by The Jonas Brothers. Over the course of the week, it probably garnered at least 30 plays in Rachel’s Ford Taurus, closely followed by Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings.”
The boy band brothers announced their reunion on Feb. 28 and released “Sucker” the next day. The catchy song hit No.1 in sales and streams on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, making it the group’s first No.1 song, having topped out previously with “Burnin’ Up” at No. 5 in 2008.
During their six-year hiatus, Kevin, Joe and Nick all seemed to grow up a bit. Kevin and Nick both got married, and Joe is engaged. Kevin is now father to two daughters. Part of their comeback success can be attributed to the “Sucker” music video that was released along with the single. The video stars the three band members along with their significant others, making longtime fans simultaneously swoon due to sweetness and weep due to crushed dreams of marrying Joe.
With any major success, major criticism is sure to follow. While it was love at first listen for some of us, others were significantly underwhelmed. Some negative feedback I saw on Twitter included criticism for being “basic” and “typical.”
Here’s the thing: if you were expecting The Jonas Brothers, the prime example of a pop boy band, to be anything other than basic and typical, you should probably re- evaluate your expectations.
The Jonas Brothers were never a group aiming to stretch the boundaries of modern music. They never set out to challenge the norms. The Jonas Brothers are a band trying to make catchy pop songs.The Jonas Brothers are in the business of making bops, and they are good at what they do.
We all want to be unique at times, of course. Being the biggest fan of an unknown artist on SoundCloud is kind of fun, as is frequenting a secret burger restaurant hidden away in a gas station. However, liking something popular or well-known is just as valid of an opinion as liking something quirky or eccentric. Enjoying something as basic as the comeback single of a childhood boy band doesn’t make you lame.
So, if you don’t like The Jonas Brothers’ new song, that’s fine. All opinions are valid. I just hope you dislike the song itself, not the fact that it’s popular.
And if you’re like me, may your weekend be filled with “Sucker” on repeat. Enjoy without shame — it’s popular for a reason.
