Overrated: The Jonas Brothers are not the new Beatles -- not even close
Filed under: Extracurriculars
The Jonas Brothers are no doubt a teen singing sensation. The three young men, ages 15 to 20, boast sold out concerts, chart-topping records and throngs of adoring fans.
They get heaps of credit for playing their own instruments and writing their songs (isn't that what most professional musicians do?). But unlike most professional musicians, they are noted for wearing purity rings and promising to remain chaste.
But are they overrated? Of course they are. I heard a radio announcer compare them recently to the Beatles. Now, that's overrated.
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Their songs are catchy, but forgettable pop tunes. Camp Rock, their debut movie was terrible. The acting of the overly made-up Joe was wooden. The other brothers appeared only briefly and their acting was even worse. I'm predicting the brothers' upcoming Disney program will be unwatchable.
How did they get so popular? It is very clear to me, as the mother of two children who would watch Disney Channel 24-hours a day if they could, that the Jonas Brothers are beneficiaries of the Disney machine. The marketing has been quite relentless -- the videos, the interviews, the promos for Camp Rock. And we'll no doubt soon start seeing endless promos for their upcoming show, "J.O.N.A.S."
Despite all that marketing, the Jonas Brothers just don't seem to me to have legitimate star quality.
I'm not just being a Disney snob. There are some stars on that channel that do have star quality. Miley Cyrus of "Hannah Montana" fame is example No. 1. She is a truly funny actress and can sing and can perform with tremendous energy. The High School Musical gang is full of real talent. Zac Efron, Corbin Blue and Ashley Tisdale among them.
The Jonas Brothers will no doubt make themselves and Disney a lot of money. I have a suspicion that the youngest brother, Nick, will turn out to be the biggest star among them in years to come.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
9-11-2008 @ 9:11AM
Colleen said...
I agree, the Jonas Brothers are not the new Beatles--they are the Hanson brothers. The Beatles had talent, Hanson wasn' bad, but the JoBros...don't get me started. All I hope is that BoyBand Mania does NOT return. I barely survived the last one.
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9-11-2008 @ 10:01AM
Deb said...
Personally, I can't wait until their 15 minutes are up!
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9-11-2008 @ 10:31AM
Bri said...
im sorry.... the jonas brothers are freaking fantastic. And Miley Cyrus having TALENT? are u KIDDING ME?! thats a laugh.
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9-11-2008 @ 11:44AM
Erika said...
I agree with you. Miley SUCKS!! If the the Jonas Brothers are overrated then Mily is being Over rated is an understatment!!! Besides the JoBros are great idols for teens. They're down to Earth and seem to have a great head on there shoulders!
9-11-2008 @ 10:31AM
willowkate26 said...
Thank you Nick, Joe, and Kevin for being the great role models that you are!!
While the JoBros may be the biggest "boyband" in America right now, atleast they are sending the right message. There is nothing more appealing to a mother of three pre-teen girls than a band of brothers who "promise" each other to stay wholesome and true! I for one am thankful that Nick, Joe, and Kevin are sending the right message to kids all over the world. My girls, as most girls everywhere, are easily influenced by celebrity youngsters, and I have never had to hide from them (my girls) anything bad that the Jonas Brothers have done because, they haven't done anything that needs to be hidden! I believe that Nick, Joe, and Kevin are great role models for our young generation. The idea of them encouraging our kids to wait till they are married, is so much better than having a 14 or 15 year old have to tell her parents that she is pregnant! So, before you go off ranting about how "overrated" they are, remember what a great influence they are to the young generation today!
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9-11-2008 @ 10:37AM
Bri said...
Amen to that! Even though I am not a preteen or have any kids, the JoBros are a great influence. As a 19 year old college student also promised to purity, all i have to say is that they are doing right. They are being who they are and its wonderful. Plus i love their music!
9-11-2008 @ 11:02AM
Frank said...
No offense, but if you really believe that there "promise" is genuine and anything other than part of the Disney hype/spin/market/promotion team....then I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. Didn't former Disney icon Britney Spears "allegedly" make the same pledge?
9-11-2008 @ 11:00AM
stu said...
Great influence? Your obviously not doing research about what you cram into your kids heads. Abstinence is fine, but the promise ring program is dangerous and harmful to our children. They teach abstinence as the ONLY form of safe sex. They are founded by religious organizations that believe birth control, condoms, and masturbation to be sins and therefore completely leave such topics out of what they tell your kids. With the promise ring programs teenagers are more likely to engage in both oral, and anal gratification. STD percentage and teen pregnancy are higher in kids that take that pledge that you hold so much stock in. I suggest you take a good, long, hard look at what your encouraging your daughters to be part of. As wonderful as abstinence is, it's not realistic. Make sure they know the truth. I mean hell, even Wikipedia.com makes mention of how the movement has come under harsh critical scrutiny. Teaching safe sex in case kids do make the wrong decision is a whole hell of a lot better than teaching no sex whatsoever when their hormones overcome their pledge. And let's face it, especially with girls, mixing the hormones of the teen body, with the emotional ties of first love and the ignorance that promise ring programs pride themselves on is a recipe for disaster.
9-11-2008 @ 10:48AM
Felicia said...
love them or hate; its a fact that everyone wants to talk about them! and if everyone really does hate the jonas brothers and are in fact "over rated", then leave it at that. I dislike a lot of bands and i don't rant about them all day long! its awesome to see a band get so famous that people just love to bring them up, good or bad! ;)
the boys have been doing there music long before Disney snatched them up... the movie, the show, the promo is all preliminary and finally as they are getting to be established rock musicians, MTV is snatching them up next! I think them being referred to as the Beatles is one of the highest honors in music history; so instead of bashing the talented boys... just wish them the best and move on!
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9-11-2008 @ 11:12AM
stu said...
The problem is being compared to the Beatles is one of the HIGHEST honors in music, it just doesn't fit with the Jonas brothers. And Disney, and MTV have the same parent corp. so they are essentially the same channel on two different numbers. Now obviously MTV and Disney differ greatly in programming, but at a real music awards show the Jonas Brothers would not be nominated, or allowed to play, because they are a machine made band. Disney created their machine to make money. When was the last time the Cheetah Girls won an award? Kids will fizzle on them, and they will disappear into mediocrity much like those Hanson brothers mentioned before. You don't have to defend them against me, time will tell.
9-11-2008 @ 12:36PM
isam said...
I agree. personally I cant stand them. At first I thought that they were alright and tolerable. Now I cant even stand to hear their names. It's so annoying how people my age and younger are so obsessed with them and get so worked up over them. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that they'll die down soon.
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9-11-2008 @ 12:43PM
RICK said...
YEAH. RIGHT! IN A FEW YEARS NOONE WILL EVEN REMEMBER THESE GUYS.... THE NEXT BEATLES.... NOW THATS FUNNY!
9-11-2008 @ 11:34AM
sam said...
k first of all...many of you probably haven't even seen them in concert or perform live. they are so not overrated. ya sure some girls let it take over their lives, but they are still young, talented performers. many of you probably do not know this but they write and produce their own music. just stop being so ignorant and open up you're horizons a bit and stop thinking you're all so cool by dissing them.
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9-21-2008 @ 5:55PM
elizabeth said...
ok. i love the jonas brothers and it just hurts to see that you like MILEY CYRUS more than them. she is a fake little slut and everyone hates her and is very tired of her. she has no talent at all. and high school musical?? that is so cheesey that everyone hates that too. you are probably some old person who has no idea what you are talking about for this stuff. so just get a life because a lot of people will disagree with this 100%. and they did not start out with disney. they had another company so disney did not "create" them. this makes me mad.
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9-12-2008 @ 1:09PM
stu said...
how many awards did they win before disney? How often were they played on the radio before Disney? How often did they sell out concerts before Disney? Yup. That's what I thought.
9-11-2008 @ 12:14PM
stu said...
Also, they have all of three albums, (I'm not counting the Karaoke album). 3. The Beatles have so many albums and all of them are amazing. Jonas Brothers, 3, none of them anywhere near as good as the worst Beatles album ever. Disney realized they were a commodity and continue to treat them as such. Full saturation until we all decide we are sick of them. DO you remember who the last band that were "The Next Beatles" were? OASIS. Now, how amazing is their catalog of work? Hmmm? 9 albums that after the second nobody gave a damn about. Next Beatles? I think not.
9-11-2008 @ 11:51AM
alison said...
Comparing the Jonas Brothers to the Beatles is like comparing table wine to a fine aged Pinot Noir. NO CONTEST.
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9-11-2008 @ 5:30PM
princess_of_rock said...
The Jonas Brothers are far from overrated! Their music is great and has inspired my generation! About their purity rings...Did you hear what Jordin Sparks said at the VMA's? She said to that jackass?"...And about those purity rings...not everone in out generation wants to be a slut". I say GO JORDIN! GO JONAS BROTHERS! GO EVERYONE WHO WEARS A PURITY RING SATYS TRUE TO THEIR PROMISE AND ISN'T A SLUT!!!
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9-11-2008 @ 1:25PM
stu said...
you need to research purity rings more
9-11-2008 @ 12:37PM
sam said...
stu why are you wasting your time???
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