Mmmbopping

I remember the first time I heard Mmmbop. I was in the car, and it came on the radio. I thought it was the greatest thing ever, and knew instantly it was my favorite song.

Every preteen girl needs a boy band to love, and apparently Hanson would be mine. At the age of 13 in the summer of 97, I discovered an obsession.

Everybody on my swim team, the central focus of my life in those days,hated Hanson. Their songs would run through my head as I swam in the meets, and when I got out of the poolI listened to their tape on my Walkman. My walls became a shrine to the musical force that was the brothers Hanson. I worshipped at their feet, and Taylor Hanson was my main man.

Later that year I met Rachel. She had a massive crush on my brother and would stalk him via the phone. (these were the days before myspace, you see) I ended up talking to her on the phone, initially telling her to get a grip, but I soon discovered she loved Hanson and we became best friends. What are the chances of that?

Rachel would come over all the time and we would listen to Hanson. On the phone we discussed important social issues like Taylor's hair and Rachel's thing for Zac. After all, she was younger than me by two years and in my brother's grade. Sometimes, we would cry over the fact that we would never have Taylor. We would chat on IM about covering Zac in barbeque sauce and...well, that was Rachel.

On Halloween I went trick-or-treating with Rachel and her best friend Lauren, who was also a huge Hanson fan. We screamed the lyrics to Hanson songs all over the neighborhood. When we came back to Rachel's house, we recorded nonsense onto a tape. I desperately wish I still had that tape.

Hanson had their ABC special that year. Of course we taped it and would watch it whenever we got together. It was always my duty to bring the video. I remember the two of us crying and hugging each other during the completely epic I Will Come To You sequence. I still have that video.

Throughout our crushes on boys, our struggles with teachers, our fights with friends, the one constant in our shared life was Hanson.

We remained friends for several years. We both saw Hanson when they played here in 2000, and although we didnt go together and our seats were in completely different parts of the venue, we got on the phone the next day and discussed the concert for two hours.

The years seperated us. To my absolute shock, she was in my math class when I started college. When the teacher called her name my heart nearly stopped. After class I talked to her briefly. She did remember me, but clearly she had a life of her own, as did I, and wanted nothing to do with me, and I was okay with that.

I will always remember Rachel, I will always remember Hanson, and I will always remember Mmmbop.