You stole the sun from my day

It's the week of the boy band-esque ballad (at some point in the future, they'll be a special about another sort of ballad, but writing about those songs is going to require more planning)! For the next five days, I'll be providing evidence that I do not dislike all ballads (although given that I like the ridiculously MOR ballad "Burn," that proof probably isn't necessary). However, I'm trying to avoid anyone who's really famous or successful internationally--so, no Take That, no Westlife, no 'N Sync, no Blue, and think of this as the Backstreet Boys memorial list if you will, as they would easily dominate in an open competition. It's also worth noting that this isn't a "best of" list, just some random good songs that fit this category.

You might be able to argue with me about Point Break in regards to fame--after all, they released a bunch of singles from 1999 to 2000--but they don't seem to crop up on lists of the most famous boy bands too often (though it might just be my US perspective influencing my perception). The three person group was a spinoff of the TV show Byker Grove, which also launched the careers of Ant and Dec. Point Break's lead single, "Do We Rock," peaked at #29 on the charts, but followup "Stand Tough" reached #7, their best placing. After two "rocky," "edgy" songs, they released the horribly titled ballad "Freakytime" and then today's song, and then "What About Us." One member would later go on to provide lead vocals for the guitarry, sort of pop-punk band Freefaller.

You--I guess this is a ballad with energy, given the backing instrumentation (that backing beat is one of the most important and best parts of the song), but it's still a ballad. There's something almost epic about it--not quite, but almost. It manages to seem big and sweeping without actually being that big and sweeping, if that makes any sense at all. For a boy band ballad, there's something almost grand about it. I don't know that it's actually timeless--when I think of that word, I think of the classiness and pureness and perfect nature of the best Backstreet Boys ballads--but it sounds like it's aiming to be, and even if it doesn't quite get there, it is a great song. There really is a good deal of similarity between "Freakytime" and "You," but, even if the horrible bridge and chorus lyrics in "Freakytime" hadn't already knocked it out of contention, "You" would win out for being more dynamic and desperate (the first verse in "Freakytime" is great, though--I've been known to listen to it on repeat--and there is something strangely hypnotizing about the song as a whole, which has some nice strings)--the singing to the skies feel of "You" beats out the strange come-on of "Freakytime."

To buy Point Break's debut album Apocadelic, go here (physical) or here (digital).

On a side note, I'm thrilled to see Magnus Carlsson's "Live Forever" topping the iTunes chart over in Sweden, though disappointed at how fast Andreas Lundstedt's "Move" is falling.

Next up: Sweden, I think, and you'll see why it's "boy band-esque" ballads.