Months and months after its debut, the best American boy band song properly released in years--only fighting for that title against New Kids on the Block's "Twisted," which was never a single--has a music video. V Factory's "Love Struck" is helped in no small part by the fact that it's co-written by Darin and one of his collaborators for his last album, sounds like a Darin song, and still has Darin on backing vocals, but as Swedish as the song's credentials may be, it's exactly the sound American boy bands should be making (and the American boy band singing Swedish-penned songs combination is one that gave us some of the best songs of the last boy band boom).
Edit: people outside the U.S. can watch the video in lower quality here.
Seeing an American boy band in a music video doing bits of a dance routine while performing a song that I can actually legitimately stand up for as great is an experience that triggers all the right nostalgia parts of the brain, but "Love Struck" is still modern. I keep hoping the song, which has struggled up towards the bottom end of the chart, will fully take off: with more of a promotional push, it has the potential to become a mid-size hit, even if my dreams of a smash are probably pie-in-the-sky. For a while, I hoped that the release of Fame (yes, it's a movie remake of what you're thinking of) might provide a boost, with one of the group's members having a significant role in the movie from what I understand. With Fame's release not until the end of September, though, that seems too far away to be helpful.
To some extent, though, even cracking the top forty of mainstream radio airplay, as they've done for the past three weeks ("Love Struck" currently sits at #37), is an achievement in this environment. The long time it's taken other songs to take off, though, means that despite it slipping in radio plays this week, I can't stop myself from thinking there's still a chance for this song to do even better.
In short: best effort at doing the boy band thing--speaking of technical, traditional boy bands--that the U.S. has had for quite some time.
V Factory's debut single "Love Struck" is for sale now at major U.S. digital stores.
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8 comments:
I 100% agree that this is the best and most legitimate of a boy band-y release we've seen. As much as I loved NLT's singles, they lacked that pop X Factor that made so many of the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC songs of yore modern day classics. And you are so on point with the Swedish link here. That is what making this song so distinct.
i am still loving lovestruck even though it seems to have been around forever. those boys need to get to britain and hit the gay pride parties. they would instantly be massive-ish here, and not on a billiam scale either!!
I'm so annoyed that I haven't seen the video yet! The effin' video player doesn't work here. Ugh.
I do agree - they're probably one of the boybands I really, really wanted to see succeed since I first heard them. And yeah, all these American boybands should at least get a few good Swedish songs on their albums(which haven't come out yet, what's with that?) or else.
I think that video must be U.S. only
I've just watched it on YouTube. I do love the song but this ain't gonna work. 10 years too late.
Very Darin indeed! Me likey.
I may be mistaken, but wasn't "I Want You Back" a slow-burner? They're not out of the hunt yet, although I think this next week might be a make or break week.
Yup, there have been some songs from other acts that have been good, but this is the best overall effort we've had. It's still probably not quite credible enough to succeed, if I'm being realistic, but it's nice to see the effort made in the right direction.
Around forever in blog world...I just wish it would enter the public consciousness!
Nikki, I'd probably ship 80% (or more) of all artists off to Sweden at some point if it was up to me ;)
Ben, if it's to have a chance of working, they need exposure from some major media power, like Z100 or even Q102 adding it to their playlist, not just giving it a play every now and then. Being part of a boy band is still such a stigma here, though, and without a Disney connection, going at it from the youth perspective is a lot more difficult.
Yuri, great news!
John, I believe you're right--it's a good point! I'd wish for it to play out as a good analogy, but as you allude to, they're in a holding pattern--if something (like a playlist add) doesn't happen soon, then the song isn't going to break through.
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