Hangin' Tough
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68 Customer Reviews Posted
- Back the heck off!!
- I'm awfully tough, I'm not going to paint the picture any other color but there have been times when the Nook has been a tad intimidated by some other dudes. Anytime I've felt a little scared of getting the fish beat out of me, I listen to the title track from this classic. "Hanging Tough" is simply the most in your face intimidating song ever created. I know some people thought New Kids were pansies that pretty much made out with each other, but they totally weren't. This song said, "We're white kids that are extremely tough!!!". As if the song isn't tough enough, the video takes this thing over the top. Nothing says back the heck off like choreographed dancing. I remember back in 4th grade I was dating this high school junior that was smoking hot. Her tool of an ex boyfriend his buddies came up to me and a couple of friends after we got out of elementary school and said they were going to wipe the monkey bars with our butts. They were getting all tough saying "This fourth grader is the one sleeping with your ex?". At that point, we busted out "Hanging tough" with our own dance routine we had been working on. I've never seen guys run faster in my life. They knew a beat down, white kid dancing style, was fast approaching. If you ever want to be totally tough, this is your album.
- 2005-08-15, 4 of 6 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Bubble Gum but Hangin Tough
- Hangin' Tough is the typical 1980-ish boy band album. In case anyone does not know what a boy band is, it is a group of young and usually good looking guys who sing mostly about love and normally do not play instruments (that's why I never understood the term "band"). New Kids on the Block have been rumored to start the boy band frenzy with this album, but there were in fact other boy bands before them (New Edition, The Jackson Five). Anyway, all the music was created, written, and produced by Maurice Starr (with a little help with the producing by the group). But really, the job of the guys was to simply look cute, sing well, and dance well. Now onto the album:
1) You Got It ( The Right Stuff) : This song was a huge hit for the New Kids on the Block. Jordan sings lead vocals along with Donnie, with the rest of the group harmonizing in the background. This is a bubble gum sounding pop song with a catchy synthesized beat in the background. The song is basically about the guys telling about their crush and how she has the "right stuff" ( You've got the Right Stuff..baby..You're the reason why I sing this song .) I never liked this song. Although it was a catchy tune, I never cared for the rhythm, lyrics, or beat. I did like the video though because it was well choreographed and the guys really are decent dancers. (3/5 stars)
2) Please Don't Go Girl : This is the song that made the New Kids on the Block successful. This is a love ballad sung by the youngest member of the group, Joe. Joe had an excellent voice back in those days (think young Michael Jackson) and this happens to be my favorite song on the entire album. Joe is basically singing about a girl that he doesn't want to go away, but he does this with conviction over a slow melody with a nice bass thump. Danny used his monotone voice in the beginning to "speak" to the girl ( We've been together for a long time baby..do you "have" to leave ? ) which made the song even more charming. (5/5 stars)
3) I'll Be Loving You Forever : I remember back in the day, every girl I knew went nuts over this song. Granted, it does a nice melodious piano piece and wonderful vocals ( Jordan took lead again), but I was never over enthused about this song. It is really just another bubble gum love ballad about how the guys will be loving a girl "forever". Please Don't Go Girl is a hard song to follow and especially with another love ballad. This one just didn't do much for me despite the great harmony and excellent vocals. (4/5 stars)
4) Cover Girl : This time Donnie takes the lead and tries to get everyone moving with an upbeat song about a girl he thinks is so beautiful that she could be a cover girl. Once again, I don't too much care for this song either. They bring some guitar riffs into this song but they come off sounding weak. Donnie is also not really that great of a singer. The only thing this song is good for is maybe some dance moves, and even that is pushing it. The guys however, do harmonize well during the chorus. (2/5 stars)
5) I Need You : Love ballads hit an all time low with this song. Donnie is back again and this time singing a slow song, something he should clearly stay away from. The background music is mediocre and Donnie's voice comes off strained and little nasally. I don't even think Jordan or Joe could have saved this song. (1/5 stars)
6) Hangin' Tough : Awful, awful, and more awful. I cannot believe the album was named after this song. For whatever illogical reason, Donnie was allowed once again to sing lead. In the beginning of the song, the guys start out harmonizing together ( Ohh ohh ohh Ohh Ohh ). The harmony just doesn't click together, and if that isn't bad enough, Donnie comes in with some of the worst lyrics the guys have ever put out ( Listen up everybody if wanna take a chance..Just get on the floor and do the New Kids dance ). Whenever Donnie has to raise his voice an octave, it sounds like he is straining (and the octaves aren't that much higher than his normal voice). This is by far the worst song on the album. (0/5 stars)
7) I Remember When : Joe returns to lead vocals on another love ballad and does an ok job. The lyrics aren't too bad considering (The promise we made still stays in my head like the melody....
I remember... favorite songs we heard all night long in the candlelight ...), but this doesn't song doesn't quite measure up to Joe's performance on Please Don't Go Girl . However, this is a tolerable ballad and Joe's vocal range is excellent. The harmony is back and sounding great, and the message is sweet. (4/5 stars)
8) WhatCha Gonna Do? : Joe and Jordan team together on this upbeat song to talk about a girl that did them wrong. Behind an upbeat melody and a few guitar riffs, Jordan asks what his girl is gonna about treating him so bad ( Girl, What Ya Gonna Do? You know you done me wrong..I'm still in love with you ). Toward the end of the song, Joe chimes in to let his girl know he is still loving her forever as well ( Girl, you are a star...make me wanna play my guitar ). At this point another cute guitar riff comes in, but of course not played by the kids themselves (thank the back up band for that). This one is an "ok" song. It is not their best yet not their worst. However, Jordan and Joe are the best singers out of the group and with them two together they pull this song off. Anyone else on vocals would have made this one flop. (3/5 stars)
9) My Favorite Girl : Besides Please Don't Go Girl , I think this is the stand out song of the album. Although this is one of the last singles they released from this album, it was definitely not the least. Jordan takes lead again and does an incredible job on vocals. This song is upbeat but not as bubble gum sounding as the rest of the upbeat song. The songs mixes a little pop, techno, electronica, and dance all in one. For some reason the guys voices seem a bit deeper and they sound almost like mature and grown men when they chant together ( She's My Favorite Girl..The One I Always Dream Of ). Yes, the lyrics are definitely still pop bubble gum lyrics, but the rest of the song makes up for it. (5/5 stars)
10) Hold On : This is another one of the weaker tracks on the album and sung by Danny. It has a generic upbeat sound and we hear Danny asking his girl to hold on to his love. The harmony is not too bad, but there is not much to say about this song. I guess this is why this one was never released as a single. (1/5 stars)
This is a fun little album to listen to for a trip down memory lane. However, to get to the few stand out songs that are on the album, there will be a lot of clicking on the fast forward button. However, New Kids fans swear by this album and it will always hold a piece of their heart. For any album to do that to millions upon millions of girls (Ok, so maybe it wasn't just the music), I would definitely recommend at least a listen. - 2005-06-18, 3 of 3 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Lots of bad recordings, with a few good exceptions.
- It's too trendy to slam New Kids on the Block. Not one member of the group has managed to survive the fallout of this, the ultimate image-reliant boy group, and just by virtue of being so massively popular, NKOTB were destined to be loved by some and hated by just as many.
There's a truism about these teen groups past and present -- you can't say they don't work for it. NKOTB's music may have been soulless productions churned out by faceless songwriters and producers, but they did have a kind of charm, as boringly wholesome their image was. And while some of the songs on here are ear infestations of the worst kind, there are one or two guilty pleasures here that still count as good singles. Jordan Knight's perverse, hyper-irritating falsetto on "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" sounded bad in 1989 and even worse now, and "Hangin' Tough" is so hilariously bad in its attempted machismo (distorted guitars!) that it far outraces anything Meat Loaf has ever done for comedic value. As a joke, I tried listening to "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" two weeks ago when I got the song unintentionally as part of a "Love Songs" compilation I'd bought, but it was just too painful to the ear, albeit gut-rippingly hilarious for its cheese content.
But there are better tracks: "Cover Girl" has a certain cheesy charm, with its airy "oh-oh" vocalizations, and "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" is actually pretty darn catchy. If I remember correctly, the video for this song actually came up against Paula Abdul's "Straight Up", Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" and Bobby Brown's "Every Little Step" at the MTV Music Video Awards that year! And of course, there's a 13-year-old Joey McIntyre trying to channel Jackson Five-era Michael Jackson on "Please Don't Go Girl". Of course he doesn't come close, but you gotta give him marks for trying, and his singing isn't that bad, really -- at least he didn't try too hard like Jordan Knight did.
Like it or not, though, this group was indeed a cultural phenomenon, and even if you don't like the music, it's representative of its time. Somewhere in this glossy, studio, svengali pop is a little piece of something that sent teenage girls all over North America into a swoon. For that, this record has historical significance, even though I have a hard time imagining anybody actually playing this record anymore. If you think you might enjoy listening to some of NKOTB's music, though, you might want to pick up the Greatest Hits CD instead -- it contains all the hits from Hangin' Tough, plus two more interesting singles in "Step by Step" (remember that ridiculous "Step One!!! Step Two!!!" middle section?) and "Tonight". Whatever tracks Hangin' Tough contains that aren't on Greatest Hits, you're not likely to miss them. - 2005-02-18, 6 of 10 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- A 80's Classic Album for Teenpop
- This Album is, by far, the best record of the Nkotb. Maybe someone can say the lyrics are, in some songs, a litle soft, or too romantic, but anyway, this album rocks and have, at least, five top ten billboard hits, you can listen today and still sounds good.
Maurice Starr, talent-searching and former of Nkotb, did a very good job writing/producing most of the songs of the album, I think he created a classic piece of popular music. Overall, if you like the pop music, this is a album you need to buy and put in a special place of your cd's collection. Don't waste your time in bad albums, buy this one, you wont be dissapointed!! - 2004-11-28, 3 of 4 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- The New Kids Rock!!!!!!!!!
- First of all, I am not under 13. I just don't like giving out information online. Anyway, this is the best New Kids On The Block album that I have heard so far. I was very young when the New Kids On the Block were a group so I don't really remember them. I think that the New Kids are better than the boybands today. In fact, of all the boybands today I prefer the New Kids... and i'm 13. In case you are wondering, my favorite member is Jon.
- 2004-07-11, 2 of 4 people found this review helpful, Rated:
