Hanson says no one sings 'MMMBop' correctly; claims Bruno Mars might 'kill it'

Hanson brothers — Members of the pop music group Hanson, brothers (L-R) Issac, Taylor and Zach Hanson pose at the 10th Hollywood Film Festival Awards Gala in Beverly Hills October 23, 2006. Reuters/Fred Prouser

It became one of the songs that defined a ‘90s childhood, a track that has been covered so many times by fans worldwide.

However, 20 years after the song first hit the music industry, the original singers of “MMMBop” now say that no one can sing it right. Apparently, not even One Direction, who gave their live rendition of the track in Tulsa, Oklahoma during a concert.

The Hanson brothers, Isaac, Zac and Taylor, who have long shed off their boyish looks, became brutally honest when asked about the song that catapulted them to fame two decades ago. “People can’t sing the chorus right,” Isaac Hanson said in an interview with Vulture. “Most of the time they syncopate it wrong.”

His brother Zac agreed, saying that the song “needs a really good cover.” For his part, Taylor commented that, “Someone needs to either make it totally their own in a genuinely unique way, or it needs to be a band that has a sensibility for old R&B. Fitz and the Tantrums could maybe do it …”

It was at that point when Isaac suggested a musician who can do the song justice. “If Bruno Mars were interested, he’d probably find a way to kill it,” he said.

The trio also revealed surprising things about “MMMBop.” For one, it has a darker, more serious meaning. The brothers claim that similar to their other songs, “MMMBop” “interweaves relatively serious thoughts” into the lyrics. They particularly cited the first part, which goes:

“You have so many relationships in this life / Only one or two will last

You go through so much pain and strife / You turn your back and they’re gone so fast.”

“ Hopefully over time, the staying power of that song is about the fact that it’s more than it looks like at first glance,” they say. “That hook is what gets you in, but what’s below that is what keeps you there.”

The song, which took about a year to finish, began as a background part when they were making their independent album, called “Boomerang.” It wasn’t an instant hit, however – the Hanson brothers were turned down several times by record labels. Eventually, the song was the key that led to their phenomenal success, which ended up in the four-times-platinum album, “Middle of Nowhere.” “MMMBop was also nominated for two Grammys at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards in February 1998.