When Hanson came out with MMMbop in 1997 it was a huge hit and my sister was obsessed. She was 12 and really into pop music at the time. Of course, since she loved it I couldn’t stand it. I thought the song was simple and dumb and wanted nothing to do with it. I thought my sister was annoying and so was her taste in music.
About a year ago, I was messing around on Facebook, as one is likely to do, and I watched a video of the grown up Hanson brothers singing an acoustic version of the song. I don’t know if it was nostalgia, realizing I liked the song, or both but I became obsessed with the song myself. I think I listened to it about 50 times or so over the next week. It didn’t stop there though and I found the lyrics, watched videos, and read about what the brothers have been doing since ‘97. (I have a tendency to dive head first down rabbit holes). I learned some interesting insights but I think my favorite was about the song itself.
If you’ve never heard the song you click here for the original version or here for my favorite version. Go ahead. I’ll wait… Back? Okay good. It’s a fun little song right?
Now did you catch it? Do you see what I’m going for here? If you did, great, I’ll see you tomorrow. If you didn’t you may wonder why I decided to write about this popular 90s pop rock song? Well, I find the lyrics surprisingly deep. Here we go.
The way I hear the song, it’s a blueprint on how to develop relationships in our life. Hearing the first verse Hanson sings about how even though we will have many relationships in our life, only one or two of them will go the distance. Those will be the ones who stick by you even when “you get old and start losing your hair.” Then, in the second verse, they sing about planting various seeds and plants to see which grows. These seeds and plants are the relationships we need to go out and find. We never know which one of our relationships will stick and we should continuously try to meet various types of people. Lastly, be mindful of the MMMbop, the many moments in our life and how these moments are fleeting.
Make sense? As we go through life we will meet many different people of all different walks of life. Most people will only be around for moments in our lives. Maybe they’re someone you meet at a party or at work. They could be a friend of a friend or receive help from a stranger. Those MMMbops (moments) don’t last long and if we aren’t present we’ll miss them.
Some people, however, will stick around for a good part of our lives. Those are the deep relationships we develop in life like our best friend, significant other, or family member. They are the ones we need to hold onto as hard as we can. They will be the ones we choose to lean on when times are tough and laugh with when times are good.
I met my best friend in 2004 because he was the roommate of a friend of mine. I decide to “throw him a bone” and hang out with him one weekend. Fast forward 14 years, he is married to my sister and we are still best friends.
The funny thing is we never know who a person will be when we meet them but we should continue to plant relationship seeds wherever we go. It’s like the old kids song, we need to “make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.”
Hell, this is the main, and probably only, reason social media platforms like Facebook and Linkedin where created. Their intent was to build relationship/maintain relationships.
I know this is a silly pop song and I’m probably digging too deep into its meaning but I don’t care. Inspiration can come from anywhere and I like thinking these teenage/tweenage kids were trying to help us all out by giving us a little life advice. So go out into the world and make some new relationships because “In an mmmbop they’re gone, In an mmmbop they’re not there.”
MMMbop Lyrics
Oh
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Yeah
You have so many relationships in this life
Only one or two will last
You go through all the pain and strife
Then you turn your back and they’re gone so fast
Oh yeah
And they’re gone so fast, yeah
Oh, so hold on the ones who really care
In the end they’ll be the only ones there
And when you get old and start losing your hair
Can you tell me who will still care?
Can you tell me who will still care?
Oh care
Mmmbop, ba duba dop
Ba du bop, ba duba dop
Ba du bop, ba duba dop
Ba du, yeah-e-yeah
Mmmbop, ba duba dop
Ba du bop, ba duba dop
Ba du bop, ba duba dop
Ba du, yeah-e-yeah
Said oh yeah
In an mmmbop they’re gone
Yeah yeah
Plant a seed, plant a flower, plant a rose
You can plant any one of those
Keep planting to find out which one grows
It’s a secret no one knows
It’s a secret no one knows
Oh, no one knows
Mmmbop, ba duba dop
Ba du bop, ba duba dop
Ba du bop, ba duba dop
Ba du, yeah-e-yeah
Mmmbop, ba duba dop
Ba du bop, ba duba dop
Ba du bop, ba duba dop
Ba du, yeah-e-yeah
In an mmmbop they’re gone
In an mmmbop they’re not there
In an mmmbop they’re gone
In an mmmbop they’re not there
Until you lose your hair
Oh but you don’t care, yeah
Mmm bop, ba duba dop ba do bop
Ba duba dop ba do bop
Ba duba dop ba do, yeah yeah
Mmm bop, ba duba dop ba do bop
Ba duba dop ba do bop
Ba duba dop ba do, yeah yeah
Can you tell me? Oh
No you can’t ’cause you don’t know
Can you tell me? Oh yeah
You say you can but you don’t know
Can you tell me? Oh (Which flower’s going to grow?)
No you can’t, but you don’t know
Can you tell me? (If it’s going to be a daisy or a rose?)
You say you can but you don’t know
say you can but you don’t know
You don’t know how, you don’t know how
Mmmbop, duba
Du bop, du
Yeah, yeah
Mmmbop oh yeah duba
Du bop, du
Oh yeah
Mmmbop, ba duba dop
Ba du bop, ba duba dop
Ba du bop, ba duba dop
Ba du, yeah-e-yeah
Mmmbop, ba duba dop
Ba du bop, ba duba dop
Ba du bop, ba duba dop
Ba du, yeah-e-yeah
Mmmbop, ba duba dop
Ba du bop, ba duba dop
Ba du bop, ba duba dop
Ba du, yeah-e-yeah
Mmmbop, ba duba dop
Ba du bop, ba duba dop
Ba du, yeah-e-yeah
Songwriters: Isaac Hanson / Taylor Hanson / Zac Hanson
MMMbop – Single Version lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc
