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In the new issue of Rolling Stone, on stands now, the Jonas Brothers open up about courting rock credibility while hanging on to their bubblegum image. Here's a rundown of more acts that made the leap from the teen idol scene to the world of grown-up rock & roll. |
The Beatles
Early Schooling: As they did for everything
from psychedelics to facial hair, the Beatles wrote the manual on
how to grow up with dignity. In fact, they've been so lionized over
the last 46 years, it's easy to forget that their early works
contained such genius koans as, "Let me whisper in your ear/say the
words you long to hear" and "Don't run and hide/just come on, come
on." Which, naturally, begs the question: If they'd called it quits
in 1965, would they be just another Strawberry Alarm Clock?
Turning Point: '65s Rubber Soul, where
the apple-cheeked come-ons of their early work gave way to the
statelier sentiments of "Norwegian Wood."
Post-Graduate Work: Little things like crafting
one of the finest bodies of work in popular music, inspiring
generation after generation to pick up a guitar, and holding a
contest with Led Zeppelin and AC/DC to see who can keep their
albums off digital music stores the longest.
Justin Timberlake
Early Schooling: Let's graciously skip right
past those lost Mickey Mouse Club years, instead starting with JT's
time in 'NSync, where he was the cute one with the bad dye job and
the mousy voice, breaking hearts as the (not-so-secret) Mr. Britney
Spears.
Turning Point: The 'NSync swan song Pop,
where the whole group grew up at once, shucking the watery
R&B-lite of their early years for bright, glitchy electro-pop
that was as forward-looking as it was brash and relentlessly
singable.
Post-Graduate Work: After crafting the best Prince
album of the last 10 years, FutureSex/LoveSounds,
Timberlake has been turning his attention to acting. And while his
cinematic roles have been a bit hit or miss (Alpha Dog,
anyone?), his appearances on Saturday Night Live —
particularly his collaborations with Andy Samberg — have
proven him a performer of bottomless charisma and match-to-flint
comic timing.
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Rick
Springfield
Early Schooling: A musician long before he was
a daytime TV doctor, Springfield sailed up the pop charts with the
still-inescapable "Jessie's Girl," the kind of spunky FM hit that
makes and kills careers within the space of three minutes.
Turning Point: 1999's Karma, where
Springfield acts his age and turns in surprisingly adroit pop
performances, showcasing the kind of songwriting chops that would
eventually make him a favorite on the touring circuit and amass for
him a quiet but loyal cadre of fans.
Post-Graduate Work: Springfield is still
recording; his latest album, My Precious Little One is a
spare and gentle collection of children's songs. After all, what do
you think happens to Jessie's girl about nine months after
she's done loving him with that body?
Christina Aguilera
Early Schooling: Another ex-Mouseketeer,
Aguilera excited Craigslist enthusiasts everywhere by encouraging
them to "rub her the right way."
Turning Point: Though it received more bad reviews
than Land of the Lost, Stripped was Aguilera's
coming out party, a brash, brave and bold (if overlong) statement
of character that proved she was going to follow her own stubborn
muse — consequences be damned.
Post-Graduate Work: Flipping a demure finger to
everyone who cattily wrote her off as talentless trash, Aguilera
has gradually emerged as one of the finest singers of our
generation, barnstorming her way through the underrated old-school
R&B album Back to Basics and turning in a performance
of "I Love You Porgy" — her choice! — on the 2008
Grammy Nominations special that should silence all doubters through
the next decade.
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Mandy Moore
Early Schooling: Moore charged out of the gate
as the lesser light in the Britney/Christina triumverate,
proffering chirpy pop songs with little in the way of character or
charm. Fortunately, she quickly outgrew the typecasting, leaving
radio pop to the studio-made professionals while she pursued
headier pasttimes.
Turning Point: Moore was the crackling sparkplug
at the center of the otherwise ham-handed and toothless religious
satire Saved!, memorably pelting Jena Malone with a Bible
and driving into a statue of Jesus with her car. Even if it was
just a variation on Reese Witherspoon's similarly self-righteous
character in Election, Moore attacked it with gusto and a
grand sense of humor.
Post-Graduate Work: Though she has (thankfully)
resisted shucking her tomboyish nickname (perhaps learning a lesson
or two from "Deborah" Gibson), Moore's post-teen pop work has
skewed alt-country. Her latest, Amanda Leigh, is a spare
and thoughtful collection of folky ballads designed to showcase
Moore's fragile voice and songwriting chops.
Hanson
Early Schooling: Always unfairly lumped into
the kiddie pop, the three Hanson brothers always wrote their own
songs and played their own instruments, setting them apart from the
bulk of their Tiger Beat peers. Is it their fault they were so
unbelievably adorable?
Turning Point: Puberty (surprise, surprise).
2001's This Time Around slunk quietly into oblivion, but
the trio's talent and perseverence secured them a steady cadre of
fans that stuck around long past the groups' cute-pop heyday.
Post-Graduate Work: The Hanson brothers have
quietly grown into elder statesmen of independent music. They
established their own label (3CG), and continue to release mature,
winning records that synthesize '60s pop and R&B into
irresistible confections.
The Jonas Brothers
Early Schooling: Like the Hanson brothers,
short-shrifting the Jonas boys is a game only for the foolish.
Kevin, Nick and Joe were writing their own songs long before they
started turning up on Hannah Montana, and the mania they
cause is as much about pop skills at it is about good looks.
Turning Point: Lines, Vines and Trying
Times, which finds the group branching out into more verdant
pop terrain and earning that
interview with Elvis Costello in Rolling Stone.
Post-Graduate Work: Wagers, anyone?
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