The secret.

I have a secret. It's taken me over ten years to be able to honestly tell people.

I am a Hanson fan.
From 1997:


To now:


13 years. Now if that's not loyalty, I don't know what is. The first Hanson song I heard was "Where's the Love?". The single released after MMMBop. I was hooked. I had (have) a crush on Taylor, the middle one, since I was 12 years old. Now it's basically out of nostalgia-sake. I used to write on my Hanson calendar what shows they would be appearing on that week, and watch them, as well as tape them. I listened to their cd non-stop. Other kids made fun of me, which is kind of why I stopped telling people. But in all honesty, and call me cheesy, or whatever, but their music got me through a tough time in my life. Which is why I think I've held onto them for so long.

As I grew up, so did they. As my musical tastes matured, so did their music. Hence, the loyalty. As long as they keep making music I enjoy, I will listen. And be a fan. Judge me! I dare you. Another thing I love about them: Each album is uniquely different than the one before. Almost as if they have a musical theme. It's amazing and keeps us guessing. I love it.

I'm going to see them play at the Royal Oak Music Theatre, where I will be giddy like I was 12 again, and jump around like a goon. So in preparation for that, I've been on a all Hanson music rotation. I've decided I will make a list of some of my favorite songs by them. Maybe if you're brave, you'll check some of them out. I promise they are talented, it may not be your style, but you cannot deny they are gifted.

So here's the list in no particular order (song, album, year):
~ Great Divide; The Walk, 2007
~Never Let Go; Members EP; not sure (probably my favorite, but it's impossible to pick)
~MMMBop; Middle of Nowhere, 1997 ( come on, you cannot deny how catchy it is)
~With You In Your Dreams; Middle of Nowhere, 1997 (written for their grandmother; very pretty)
~And I Waited; Shout It Out, 2010
~Give A Little; Shout It Out, 2010 (awesomely, fun song)
~Me, Myself, and I; Shout It Out, 2010
~Worlds On Fire; Stand Up Stand Up acoustic EP (one of many songs about social injustices in the world)
~Save Me; This Time Around, 2000
~A Song to Sing; This Time Around, 2000
~Strong Enough to Break; Underneath, 2004 (written as a result of breaking away from the music industry and creating their own independent label, free of the restrictions of the music industry)
~Lost Without Each Other; Underneath, 2004 (I dare you not to dance. I DARE you!)
~Been There Before; The Walk, 2007 (Classic)
~Fire On The Mountain; The Walk, 2007
~Blue Sky; The Walk, 2007
~A Minute Without You; Middle of Nowhere, 1997 (I forget about this song until I hear it live, where I jump around like a fool)

Long list I know, but me and Hanson go way back.

And one more thing you may not know about Hanson: Back before they recorded and released The Walk, they became involved in an organization called TOMS shoes. Many of you have seen me sporting mine. This organization promotes awareness of areas so deep in poverty, that families cannot even afford shoes. This causes many health issues, even some so bad they can lead to death, simply by walking long distances without shoes. To help promote this, before every show, Hanson leads a one mile walk without shoes. I haven't been fortunate enough to be able to participate in this, but hopefully I'll be able to this year.

Thanks for listening to my secret. I know all you music lovers with your favorite band will understand what I'm communicating here. So thanks to all those bands who remain awesome and true your loyal fans. We appreciate it.


And as Zac Hanson would say:
Peace, Love, & Bulletproof Marshmallows.