Closest thing to beatlemania

[jnevi9nr]

What is the closest we have had to Beatlemania in terms of music fans since the Beatles?

[Lennihems]

Lady ga ga?

[beggar98]

Gotta be one of the boybands, maybe NKOTB or Backstreet at their peaks?

[Duckwater]

Disney

[senp5f]

Depends on what you mean by "Beatlemania." If you mean lots of screaming teenage girls, then maybe the boy bands back in the 1990s. But if you mean cultural ubiquity and respect from both the pop charts and serious musicians and artists, then the answer is: nothing.

Go to this link and look at all the artists with records for No. 1 hits. You will notice that the only other one besides the Beatles who wrote most of his own material is Stevie Wonder, then (sorta) Elton John, whose authored a lot of his big hits with his longtime lyricist.

List of Billboard Hot 100 chart achievements and milestones - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

No rock band before or since has even approached what the Beatles did in terms combining insane popularity and artistic integrity. As a young dude, I feel cheated that it all happened before I was born.

[bongomania]

Bongomania!

You know how my reviews make all the teen girls scream and swoon...

[elgecko]

The KISS Army!

[5StringFool]

From February 22, 1964 until April 25, 1964 the Beatles held the top two positions, with various singles. In some of the weeks, the band held the top three or top four slots, the only act in chart history to do so. On April 4, 1964, The Beatles occupied the entire top five.

That is completely insane and something that will likely never be duplicated.

[DannDubblewe]

Originally Posted by bongomania

Bongomania!

You know how my reviews make all the teen girls scream and swoon...

Eeeeee!! AAAHHH!!!

I couldn't resist. The girlies must be swarming you by now. Watch out!

[TC2112]

nothing

[Emilym80]

Bieber fans? I hate him dearly but unfortunately it's true. Besides that, Queen was ridiculously popular in Japan. I think they had more fans meeting them at the airport when they arrived on their first tour than the Beatles ever did. Might not be true though. Michael Jackson was huge, I saw his Bucharest show on dvd and there were heaps of girls fainting and being carried out by paramedics. Besides that, probably boy bands like NKOTB.

[Tupac]

I don't think anything could come close to them even popularity wise. Michael Jackson maybe?

[gdecamp]

Probably it's Justin Bieber....sigh.

[steddy2112]

It'll never happen again.

[Muddslide]

I agree as far as the "mania" goes it's mostly been boy bands and pop stars like Lady Gaga or Bieber. BUT none of those acts has anything like the musical impact of a Beatles, and most of them are pretty flash-in-the-pan.

I have two daughters who are approaching their teen years (one will be 13 in a couple of weeks. Yikes!) so I've seen a sort of continuum of these kinds of "here today, gone tomorrow" celebrity pop sensations. A few years back there was this kid Jesse Mccartney who was THE hot property among young kids (girls especially) sort of a precursor to Bieber. He was the thang for a few months, then he vanished. (Same thing happened with Hanson even a little further back.)

Next there was The Jonas Brothers. Massive popularity for a year, maybe two, then POOF!"

Bieber's been around a little longer, but he has the backing of some hugely successful and well known producers and singing stars. Lady Gaga is at least a little more original and writes a lot of her own stuff.

Really the only band I can think of that had anything like the same musical and cultural impact since The Beatles is Nirvana, and again, they're not in the same league. They didn't last as long, their music wasn't nearly as far-reaching or superbly produced, they just don't make the same strata as The Beatles, but they definitely made a huge splash for a time and I can't really think of any other bands or artists who have in anything like the same sense.

I'm not a huge Nirvana fan, incidentally, though I like a good deal of their work. I just can't think of anyone else who applies.

[Edgar664]

Metallica Live Mexico 2009 DVD Extras Part 01 - YouTube

0:40

Kirk Hammet said it

[Doctor Dirt]

The closest as far as recording sales and potential to sell out concerts was probably Madonna!!! When you think of her at the near beginning of her career she was THE biggest draw in entertainment. Theres a fine line between entertainers and musicians. She did write, coordinate her shows, for the most part use "live" music and incorperiated music and theatre. I didn't personally like her but then again most pop bands or "acts" (kiss, queen, meatloafed etc.) do nothing for me. I think their generational and alot of fun but most theatrical groups loose their meaning when you leave that age group you discovered them in. If I want to hear theatre I'll put on some Cole Porter or the Gerswhin Bros. not kiss or madonna.
As for the Beatles it was fun to see them mature as a band and to develop into good musicians. Other than the bass player they were not above average in talent however they knew how to utilize their talents which is a fine art in its self. Collectively they made an outstanding musical and vocal group who worked with a producer/engineer who was on the same page as they were and in fact was a huge part of their sound. I enjoy them because I hear their feelings and they sell their groove just like a Bluesman does. Doc

[N.F.A.]

For a hot minute or two in the 90's the Spice Girls attracted that kind of insanity. I took my little girl to one of their concerts (sold out) and the screaming was exactly like Shea Stadium or something. Nonstop screaming for the whole show. Glad I brought earplugs!
Btw, same with the Backstreet Boys concert too. Same vibe as Beatlemania.

[johndough247]

In terms of sheer popularity, longevity and overall impact on popular music/dance/culture globally, there's one answer: Michael Jackson

If you really look at this from a truly global perspective, both culturally and ethnically (i.e. someone/some group that appealed to more than just primarily a "white" audience), MJ was/is close to or at the same level popularity wise, if not slightly beyond in some aspects. Half of the answers on this list aren't universally popular artists (Metallica and Nirvana are prime examples).

There are places in the world, believe it or not, where people (I've asked both young and old) couldn't tell you a Beatles song, or a member from the Beatles, or where they're from...They've heard the name John lennon before (possible Macca as well) but still are at a blank for songs.

However IMO, there's hardly a place on the planet that's remotely exposed to western pop culture where people don't know (for better or worse) who Michael Jackson was (they'll know at least either his jackson 5 era or his solo career, and they definitely can remember at least one song). Don't even talk about how crazy and continously sold out his concerts have been and he also wrote or co-wrote many of his songs.

[VitalSigns]

Originally Posted by elgecko

The KISS Army!

Yeeee!! Beat me to it.

But it's actually just a bunch of dudes, not to many screaming chicks... *sigh*