". . . .I'm hoping that the album (released in T-minus 8 days!) will be received with more enthusiasm. Not saying that 'If Only' wasn't but . . . well . . . *sighs* the only way I can really describe it is that the hype that greeted 'MMMBop' and 'Where's The Love?' etc is obviously dead, and because I was there and experienced it first hand, I guess I can't help but be a little disappointed. It's pretty much as Taylor said, it's not just them that have grown up, it's the fans as well. 17 year olds are a lot less likely to buy 25 copies of the one single than a 14 year old who speaks with conviction when saying that money does grow on trees! If anyone else is like me, the buying of all their singles has become more a habit than anything else. A number one isn't a matter of life and death, not getting there is only a disappointment garnished with a hint of regret that no-one is buying such a great song. What worries me most is the thought that Hanson isn't going to be around forever. I suppose you could say they've become a kind of security blanket for me; as long as there's Hanson, there's something I can fall back on when times get rough. One thing that Taylor said really says it all for me, "To the world, you may be just one person, but to one person, you may be the world". I'm almost in tears here just thinking about it. There's the slim possibility that Hanson will end up like the BeeGee's and spend the next thirty to forty years of their life playing music, and that would make me extremely happy, but it's more likely that they'll fade away within the next say ten years. That's a long time, and I'll have a lot of memories to keep me company, but still, I find it scary to think about life when there'll be no Hanson to light up my day. But in a way, I guess it really justifies my religious collecting of Hanson singles, albums and videos; if Hanson do fade away, I'll still have their music and my memories. This is one thing that will never ever be thrown out with the disgusted thought, 'how on earth could I have actually liked them?!'. My Hanson music will be with me till the day I die.
The other day I imagined a daughter of mine dragging out the old CD collection and pleading with me to play something from it; I played 'MMMBop' and she fell in love with it. She then looked at the cover, in a plastic sleeve to keep it from getting damaged, and asked why the three faces seemed familiar. I pulled a new CD from the shelf and showed her a Hanson now much older, still recording the gorgeous music I'd fallen in love with nearly fifteen years ago. This is my ideal situation, passing on to a daughter my love of their music. I'm a mother at heart.
Strange entry today, I've gone all personal. I suppose that comes of sitting here for almost four hours straight. Really, I guess the bottom line is that Hanson will always occupy a small piece of my heart, that little sliver that's still 14 years old and still has an enormous crush on Taylor. That little sliver that will never grow any older. I love Hanson, for their music and for just being themselves. They've changed my life. I'm endebted to Isaac, Taylor and Zac, and one day I hope that I'll get the chance to thank them for all they've done. To the world, they may be just three people, but to this one person, they're the world.
Thank-you Hanson, for everything you've given me."