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VERSION 2.91
Last updated October 27th, 2003
Recent new information added is in orange.
Information revised and updated recently from a previous entry is in blue.

F.A.Q. Revision & Update archive

The Band

So who are these guys?
The band is mainly made up of 3 people - Isaac (main guitar), Taylor (main keyboard/piano), and Zac Hanson (main drums/percussion). All three of them provide vocals. The three do play other instruments for certain songs, and during (non acoustic) live shows, they have three backup musicians who are replaced once in a while. Don't look for those people to be doing interviews or anything, the focus of the band is the three Hansons.

Where are they from?
Tulsa, Oklahoma is their hometown. They lived in South America for a few years prior to their success in music due to their father's job, but then moved back to Tulsa.

How old are they/when are their birthdays/where were they born?
Isaac is 22, born November 17th, 1980. Taylor is 20, born March 14th, 1983. Zac is 17, born October 22nd, 1985. Isaac and Taylor were born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, while Zac was born in Arlington, Virginia.

Is "Hanson" their real last name?
Yes, although the first names are somewhat deceptive - Clarke is Isaac's first name, and Jordan is Taylor's first name. Both go by their middle names. Zac's middle name is Walker.

How long have they been doing music?
In some ways, since they were old enough to sing. Isaac wrote the lyrics for the first Hanson song ever recorded "Rain" well before he was a teenager. If you look at it from a "doing albums" point of view, they've been at it since the mid 90's.

How did they get their start?
Isaac, Taylor, and Zac (then 11, 9, and 6 years old, respectively) started off by doing small acapella shows in the Tulsa area, usually at parties, resturants, or local festivals. During this time they kept writing and eventually got enough material to release their first independent record (see below).

Who are their musical influences?
A lot of 50's and 60's rock and roll would be the best way to put it. During the period when they lived in South America, their only real source of music was a 50's and 60's rock compilation album. As time went on and they got older, they started to get into some more modern bands and artists (Radiohead, Travis, Maroon 5), although how much that actually influences their music is debatable.

How many albums have they released?
That depends on what you mean by released. In chronological order (click for track listings): In 1994 they did an independent record called "Boomerang." They followed that up with another indy record in 1996 called "MMMBop." Shortly after they were signed by Mercury and in May of 1997 released "Middle of Nowhere," which was a huge worldwide hit. Later that year came the Christmas album "Snowed In." In 1998 came "3 Car Garage," which was basically a re-release of the "MMMBop" album, albeit with less tracks. Also in 1998 came "Live From Albertane," which was recorded at the Key Arena in Seattle from their Albertane Tour that was done in support of "Middle of Nowhere" and "Three Car Garage." In 1999, Hanson released a fan club members only disc, known as the "MOE Enhanced CD" (more info on MOE can be found below). The disc featured 5 tracks from the Boomerang and MMMBop era, as well as video clips of them working on the This Time Around album. In May of 2000 "This Time Around" came out. After the somewhat disappointing sales of that album, there was a lengthy wait while Hanson fought with Island/Def Jam over a new record. Eventually they (on their own new independent label, 3CG Records) released a CD called "Hanson.net 2.0" to people who signed up for Hanson.net after the relaunch in Spring 2003. The album featured 5 new tracks that will not be on the forthcoming 2004 album. In August 2003, to coincide with their Acoustic '03 tour, they released a CD called "Underneath Acoustic" which featured live, acoustic versions of songs from the upcoming 2004 album, recorded in Tulsa at a small show for Hanson.net members.

Finally, after numerous delays and problems with Island/Def Jam (their former label), their new album "Underneath" is slated to be available in early 2004. It will very likely be released on the 3CG label.

Prior to all of this in the early 90's they did several songs for a tape that was mostly just given out to family members and friends. Solid information on this material is very hard to find and what is known about it is vague. Sometimes reffered to as "The Beginnings" on the internet, this material actually can be found online if you're willing to look around for a while. The material for "The Beginnings" supposedly came from two tapes called "Straight From The Heart" and "Daydreams in the Night." Most of the tracks are short songs about family members or God, with a few cover songs thrown in, including "Rockin' Robin" and "Kokomo."

What singles have been released?
It would kill a man to have to list every variant single they've ever released in every country around the world, but suffice to say they've released singles in at least some part of the world for: "MMMBop," "Where's The Love," "Weird," "I Will Come To You," "Thinking Of You," "River," "Gimme Some Lovin," "This Time Around," "If Only," and "Wish That I Was There." Many of these singles had sequel releases coming on seperate CDs (i.e. "If Only (part 1)" and "If Only (part 2)"). These sequel sets usually included the title track on both discs, but the rest of the tracks are different. For a closer look at all the Hanson releases, plus hard to find variants and imports, check out Peppermint Skies.

I once saw a cover for "Middle of Nowhere" that looked different - it was in regular color and the guys looked kind of depressed. What is that?
You're probably reffering to this cover, which was a UK version and is considered rare by Hanson completists. This cover had a small print run and afterwords the standard U.S. cover was used.

"MMMBop" was an album? I thought that was a song on "Middle of Nowhere."
It is, and it is. Some of the songs on "Middle of Nowhere" were originally done (in a much less professional-sounding way) on an album that was actually called "MMMBop." The songs from M.O.N. that were previously on "MMMBop" include "With You In Your Dreams," "Thinking of You" (which was called "I'll Be Thinking of You" on the "MMMBop" album), and "MMMBop" itself. All three of these songs from the "MMMBop" album can be heard on the "3 Car Garage" album.

Are there two versions of "MMMBop" on the album of the same name?
Yes. The "MMMBop" album had "MMMBop" and "MMMBop (long version)." Don't worry, they're basically the same thing...and if you have to hear the long version it resides on "3 Car Garage," but on that album it is simply called "MMMBop." Confused yet?

Hanson had several guest musicians perform on "This Time Around." Who did what?
John Popper from Blues Traveller guested on a harmonica solo for "If Only" and "In the City." Rose Stone (and choir) guested for backing vocals on "Dying To Be Alive." Johnny Lang did guitar solos on "Hand in Hand" and "This Time Around," and DJ Swamp did the scratching on several tracks.

I thought there was a "River" single.
Sort of. There was a very funny video done for it that had minimal MTV support, but the only real CD that came out for it was a radio promo-only disc. It contained two live versions of the song.

"Save Me" had a video...didn't they release a single?
No. The video cost the band nothing to make, it saw limited TV exposure (see below), and no single was ever released.

Weren't there singles and/or videos for "Wish That I Was There" and/or "Runaway Run?"
No. Those ideas were kicked around for a while but nothing became of it, mostly due to low sales of "This Time Around." There was a "Wish That I Was There" promo CD produced in Mexico that contained the studio version plus a live version, but it was not a mass marketed disc and couldn't really be considered a single. Runaway Run was never released, promo or otherwise.

I have all the albums....are there any songs that I haven't heard?
It's possible. Hanson recorded "Cried" during the "Middle of Nowhere" sessions and it was dropped for the album in favor of "Madeline." "Cried" does appear on the "I Will Come To You" single, which is not too difficult to find. During the "This Time Around" sessions, Hanson recorded nearly 20 songs, but only 13 of them made it on to the standard U.S. release. The songs "Smile" and "Lonely Again" appear on the Australian release of the T.T.A. album ("Smile" is also on the "Malcolm in the Middle" soundtrack), and the song "I Don't Know" can be found on the Australian "If Only (part 2)" single.

What videos have they released?
So far they have done videos for "MMMBop," "Where's The Love," "Weird," "I Will Come To You," "River," "This Time Around," "If Only," and "Save Me."

Why does the version of "Weird" on the video sound different than the "Middle of Nowhere" version?
There are many, many versions of "Weird," which has nearly half a dozen different mixes that have been released. The one used in the video is commonly reffered to as the "Movo Mix" or "Video version mix." At this point the easiest way to find it is with file-sharing programs.

"I Will Come To You?" I never saw that video.
That's because it never really showed up on American MTV. It made a few appearances on the Fox Family Channel in the U.S., and was played on international MTV once in a while. The video never really took off though.

Are there two versions of the "MMMBop" video?
Actually, there are three. The one that was played on MTV had some black and white clips of the band sitting in a room with Albert Einstein. The version on "Tulsa, Tokyo, and The Middle of Nowhere" just has regular footage of the band performing in that same section - due to legal reasons the Einstein footage was removed. The UK version of the video was edited to remove the scenes where Zac was driving a vehicle, due to Zac being underage.

Are there two versions of the "Where's The Love" video?
Yes, although the differences are minimal. The MTV one and the "Tulsa, Tokyo, and The Middle of Nowhere" versions have slightly different editing.

Are there two versions of the "I Will Come To You" video?
Yes. The more commonly known clip has the brothers playing ghost-like angelic characters on a dark street, helping out a guy who seems to be lost, as well as a goth-looking girl to find her grandmother's house. The variant video is simply a live performance of the song with the studio version overdubbed.

"Save Me?" I never saw that video.
It never was put on American MTV. Hanson did a quickie production job on this and it was done completely on a laptop computer. The video uses live shots interspersed with a few shots of the brothers in a busted up looking alleyway (actually the basement of a theater they performed at in Erie, PA). It did get shown overseas and actually was in the top 10 for two months on MTV Europe's "Select" show (kind of the Euro-TRL), and it was actually number one there for several days during that time.

Who directed the videos?
"MMMBop" and "Where's The Love" - Tamra Davis
"Weird" - Gus Van Sant
"I Will Come To You" - Peter Christopherson
"I Will Come To You" (live footage) - Unknown
"River" - Al Yankovic
"This Time Around" and "If Only" - David Meyers
"Save Me" - Not really applicable here. I guess you could say Hanson.

Weird Al directed a Hanson video?
Yep. Al directed the video for "River," which was basically a live video, but bookended by a very funny "Titanic" spoof which featured Al and the real actress who played the old woman in "Titanic." Definitely worth a look.

Didn't MTV do a "Making the Video" on Hanson?
Yes. In early March 2000, MTV ran a "Making the Video" episode for the making of the "This Time Around" clip and repeated it several times during the month.

Has Hanson ever had a video retired on Total Request Live (TRL)?
Yes. During the summer of 2000, "If Only" was retired after being at #1 for 27 days (not in a row). Initally, after the video debuted in the U.S. on MTV in May of 2000 it was on the TRL charts for about a week, coming in at the lower half of the top 10 most of the time. It then dropped off and that was supposedly it. Shortly thereafter, massive internet fan support moved it back onto the charts and eventually all the way to #1, to the shock of many people who believed that the NSync and Backstreet Boys videos that were topping the TRL charts at the time were unbeatable. Hanson actually managed to shut out NSync and BSB more times than not and had a very respectable run as one of the top three videos during the summer months. Unfortunately, on the day "If Only" was retired it clocked in at #2 behind Britney Spears' "Lucky." Some of the earlier Hanson videos did well, especially "MMMBop," but TRL did not have the "retirement" clause for videos back then. The "This Time Around" video did well for about two weeks after its debut on "Making the Video," but soon after dropped off the TRL list. It never made it to #1.

Where can I purchase their music videos?
The "MMMBop" and "Where's The Love" videos are on the "Tulsa, Tokyo, and The Middle of Nowhere" home video and DVD, while "This Time Around" and "If Only" are on the "Live at the Fillmore" DVD. That's only four of their videos, but if you look around on file-sharing programs you may be able to find the others.

How many Hanson home videos are there?

To date, Hanson has released 3 videos. "Tulsa, Tokyo, and The Middle of Nowhere" came out in VHS format in 1997 and included footage of the band recording and touring to support "Middle of Nowhere." A DVD version with no extra features was released about a year later. You can see my review of it here.

"The Road To Albertane" was released in VHS format in 1998 and coincided with the release of the "Live From Albertane" album. It includes the videos of the live performances for some of the songs off of L.F.A., and also includes a few that aren't on L.F.A., including "Sometimes," "Look At You," "Weird," and a cover of "Good Lovin'." The crown jewel of this video, though, is the acoustic set of three songs - "With You In Your Dreams," "Stories," and "Soldier." It also includes some footage of the band on the road and messing around, but not as much as T.T.M.O.N. does. A Video-CD/DVD version of this was released at some point (supposedly only in Hong Kong).

"Live At The Fillmore" is the most recent video release. This is available in both VHS and DVD formats. It includes a concert from the "This Time Around" tour at the Fillmore in San Francisco that was shown on Direct TV in 2001. The DVD also includes the videos for "This Time Around" and "If Only."

Coming soon is a documentary (rumored to be titled "Your Illusion") about the making of the upcoming album that will likely be released around first quarter 2004. This will be a drastic departure from what fans are used to on Hanson videos. In August 2003, Ashley Greyson (Hanson friend/assistant/PR guy/documentary maker) told hanson.net members "if you are expecting a happy making of you will be very shocked." He also stated that it will not be for kids.

What songs did Hanson contribute to the movie "Jack Frost?"
In 1998, the movie "Jack Frost" (the Michael Keaton movie, NOT the horror film) included three Hanson-performed cover songs: "Gimme Some Lovin'," "Good Lovin'," and "Merry Christmas Baby." All three songs were on the movie's soundtrack, also released in 1998. All three songs were also taken from previous releases, Hanson did not record any songs specifically for the film. "Merry Christmas Baby" was from the "Snowed In" album, "Good Lovin'" was taken from "The Road To Albertane" home video, and "Gimme Some Lovin'" was taken from the "Live From Albertane" album. The latter two songs were re-edited so the crowd noise was cut down to simulate a "recorded at a studio" sound, and "Gimme Some Lovin'" was edited to remove the "Shake A Tail Feather" portion. During the film, "Merry Christmas Baby" is heard a few minutes after the opening credits, "Gimme Some Lovin'" is heard during the final hockey game sequence, and "Good Lovin'" is heard during the closing credits.

Hanson's music was fairly heavily promoted prior to and during the movie's release..."Gimme Some Lovin'" was on the TV commercial, and the rating/credit screen said "Featuring music by Hanson."

Wasn't "Weird" on a movie soundtrack?
"Weird" was played during the closing credits of the movie "The Borrowers," but the song was not featured on the film's soundtrack.

Are there any demos of songs from their albums available?
Disregarding that some of the "3 Car Garage" material could be considered demos for "Middle of Nowhere," the answer is still yes. Prior to the release of "This Time Around," many of the demos for songs that ended up being recorded for the album were leaked (supposedly unintentionally) and were circulating heavily on Napster. They are still out there on other file-sharing programs and are definetly worth a listen, as you get to hear unfinished versions of some of the T.T.A. songs. The known demos from the T.T.A. album that are out there include "Hand In Hand," "I Don't Know," "Lonely Again," "Runaway Run," "Smile," "Sure About It," "You Never Know," and "If Only." The "If Only" demo features Isaac on lead vocals, but is only about 30 seconds long. If a full version of this demo does exist, it's extremely rare.

When I found the T.T.A. demos, there were a bunch of other songs listed as demos that I've never heard of - what are those songs?
The songs "Bridges of Stone," "We All Know," and "Never Let Go" all had demos but didn't make it to the T.T.A. album. This upset many fans, as especially "Bridges of Stone" had a strong internet following among fans. The band has not counted out the possibility of one or more of these songs appearing on a future album, but the more time goes by, the less likely it seems.

No matter where I look, I can't find a full version of "Never Let Go."
No full version exists, as least as far as the internet is concerned. It may show up someday.

I've heard two different versions of the "Never Let Go" demo - one sounds more produced with drums and a keyboard.
The one that sounds more produced was not done by Hanson. The popular Hanson fan site HansonHouse.com produced it.

What is the origin of the song "I Wanted To Get To Know You?"
It is unknown at this point. This demo began popping up around Napster the same time the "This Time Around" demos first showed up, so many people automatically assumed that "I Wanted To Get To Know You" was also a demo for that album. But listening to the song reveals that the group seemed to be a lot younger (and the song itself seems more "kid-like"), so it's very likely this song was done around the "Boomerang" era, or possibly even "The Beginnings" era, if anything. Anyone with any solid info on this song is encouraged to mail me.

How many cover songs have appeared on their albums?
Disregarding "Live From Albertane" (see below for live covers), the only Hanson album to have any cover songs on it is "Boomerang." The covers are:

"Poison Ivy" by The Coasters
"The Love You Save" by The Jackson 5
"Back To The Island" by The Baha Men

What cover songs do they play live?
Straight from Hanson.net, here are the songs Hanson has covered in concert over the years:

"Gimme Some Lovin" by Spencer Davis Group
"Shake A Tail Feather" by The Five Du-Tones
"Crosstown Traffic" by Jimi Hendrix
"Sunshine Of Your Love" by Cream
"Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry
"Money (That's What I Want)" by Barrett Strong
"Summertime Blues" by Eddie Cochran
"God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys
"Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf
"The Weight" by The Band
"Kate" by The Ben Folds Five
"Piece Of My Heart" by Janis Joplin
"I Want You To Want Me" by Cheap Trick
"Good Lovin" by The Young Rascals
"Tulsa Time" by Danny Flowers
"You Can't Always Get What You Want" by The Rolling Stones

Some of the songs played during the Acoustic 03 tour:

"Teach Your Children" by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young
"Rip it Up" by Little Richard
"Ain't No Sunshine (When She's Gone)" by Bill Withers
"Gonna Make You Love Me" by Ryan Adams

Is the live version of "I Want You To Want Me" that was heavily traded on Napster done by Hanson?
No. There was much confusion last summer when Hanson began performing "I Want You To Want Me," with Zac on vocals, as their encore during the "This Time Around" tour. Some people found a live recording of the song (actually done by the original group, Cheap Trick) and mistook it for the Hanson version, as Cheap Trick's lead singer sounded quite a bit like Zac. It is difficult to explain which versions the song are Hanson's and which are not, so a short sound clip has been provided. If the version you have of the song starts like this, it is NOT Hanson. However, any other live versions of the song found on the internet that are listed as being performed by Hanson (including "live at the Hammerstein" and "live in San Francisco" versions) are most likely Hanson versions.

What bands have covered Hanson songs?
The only ones currently known are The Baha Men covering "Thinking of You" on their album "2 Zero 0-0," the Mexican group Boom (kind of a Mexican Backstreet Boys) covering "Weird" (and singing it in Spanish - the title is also translated as "Dejame ir Weird") on their album "Asi Es La Vida," and the Latin group Estruendo's cover of "MMMBop" on their album "Rumbos a Las Estrellas." There is also a recording you may be able to find through file-sharing programs of Phish playing "MMMBop" live, but it's hardly a cover, they're just incorporating part of the chorus into a bunch of other free-form stuff. Weird Al Yankovic used the chorus of "MMMBop" for a few seconds on his "Running With Scissors" album on the track "Polka Power," although this too doesn't really qualify as a cover. Anyone with info on other bands that have covered Hanson songs is encouraged to mail me.

When is the new album coming out?
Originally it was slated as coming out November 2001. That didn't happen. Then it was slated for Spring 2002. That would have fit the Hanson release pattern, as "Middle of Nowhere," "3 Car Garage" and "This Time Around" came out in early May of 1997, 1998, and 2000, respectively. That didn't happen. It was rumored for Spring 2003. That didn't happen. Now, finally, it is slated (almost certainly this time) for early 2004. Stay tuned.

What is the name of the new album?
"Underneath"

What is the status of the new songs?
As of August 2003, here is info on new songs written by Hanson since "This Time Around" came out in 2000 that are NOT included on the Hanson.net 2.0 CD, since the band has stated those new songs are only going to be on that CD (see the albums section above for more info).

“Underneath” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson, and Matthew Sweet
The title track from the new album. Being performed in acoustic form on their Acoustic '03 tour. Acoustic version of it appears on the Underneath Acoustic album. Clips of the studio version have been heard on both the Hanson.net Music 2.0 CD and on a documentary clip on hanson.net.

“I Almost Care” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson, and Matthew Sweet
No info at this time.

“Lost Without Each Other” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson, and Gregg Alexander
Occasionally performed on their Acoustic '03 tour.

“One More Time” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson, and Carole King
No info at this time.

“Let You Go” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson, and Carole King
No info at this time.

“Never Love Again” written by Taylor Hanson, Ed Robertson, and Donny Brown
No info at this time.

“Get Up and Go” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
Hanson performs this song in the movie Frank McKlusky, C.I., no other info at this time.

“Your Illusion” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
No info at this time, although this is rumored to be the title of their upcoming documentary.

“Wake Up” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
Released in 2001 on "The Princess Diaries" soundtrack.

“Wastin’ Time” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
Has been performed live by the band in the past, although not recently.

“Fly” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
No info at this time.

“Now I See,” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson, and Michelle Branch
No info at this time.

“Dancing In The Wind” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
A short clip of it is featured on a video on the CD-ROM portion of the Hanson.net Music 2.0 CD that was mailed to anyone who signed up for hanson.net after the relaunch in Spring 2003.

“Time Will Tell” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
No info at this time.

“Love” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson, and Dan Wilson
No info at this time.

“High On You” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
No info at this time.

“Someone” written by Isaac Hanson, Damon Lee, and Dominique Grimaldi
Song with Isaac on lead vocals that features both English and French lyrics.

“Hey” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson and Greg Wells
Acoustic version of it appears on the Underneath Acoustic album. Hanson performed a verse of the studio version on an episode of "Sabrina The Teenage Witch" in 2002, and later a clip of it was heard on a documentary clip on hanson.net.

“Strong Enough To Break” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
Acoustic version of it appears on the Underneath Acoustic album. Lyrics are apparently about Hanson's frustrations with Island during the album making process.

“Deeper” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
Acoustic version of it appears on the Underneath Acoustic album. A clip of the studio version is available on Hanson.net.

“My Own Sweet Time” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
No info at this time.

“Dream Girl” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
A clip of it is featured on a documentary clip on Hanson.net.

“Breaktown” written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
A clip of it is featured on a documentary clip on Hanson.net

"When You're Gone" written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
Acoustic version of it appears on the Underneath Acoustic album. Clip of the studio version appeared on a hanson.net video Christmas message from 2002. According to Taylor this song has been around since the This Time Around songs were being written.

"Misery" written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
Acoustic version of it appears on the Underneath Acoustic album.

"Penny and Me" written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
Acoustic version of it appears on the Underneath Acoustic album, the "first single" off the new album. Was performed by the band on The Tonight Show in July 2003.

"Love Somebody To Know" written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson
Acoustic version of it appears on the Underneath Acoustic album.

Naturally, with 27 songs here and more possibly on the way, they won't all be on the album....unless they do a double CD. I also think it's safe to assume that "Wake Up" will not be on the CD, since that song is already years old and has been available on the Princess Diaries Soundtrack for some time.

What are the offical Hanson websites?
Although there are literally hundreds of Hanson sites on the internet, the only two official sites are hansonline.com and hanson.net.

Both sites have a good amount of general info on the band. In 2003, for the relaunch of hanson.net, the two sites were merged, but people who subscribe to hanson.net get more stuff like audio/video clips and access to members-only message boards

What are some of the good unofficial Hanson websites?
A few that spring to mind immediately are HansonHotel.com, one of the best "all around" Hanson sites, Peppermint Skies, a very complete discography...useful for Hanson completists. HansonHouse.com is a nice site which features a lot of video clips.

Does Hanson have an official fan club?
MOE, which stands for "Middle Of Everywhere" is Hanson's official fan club. Founded in 1997, members get a snail-mail quarterly full-color magazine ("MOE Magazine") and articles written by the members of the band, as well as a membership card and the opportunity to buy tickets for concerts that are unavailable to the general public. As Hanson (and their management) pushes hanson.net harder and harder as the new offical fan club, MOE is beginning to be phased out. The final issue of MOE will be mailed around the same time Hanson's "Underneath" album is released (probably early 2004). For back issues of MOE, try checking around on E-bay. Hanson's official online store used to have back issues, but now that all the issues are included on the Hanson.net 2.0 CD they are no longer selling them.

How many copies did "Middle of Nowhere" sell?
Over 8 million worldwide (6.5 million in the U.S.)

How many copies did "This Time Around" sell?
Unknown at this time, but rest assured it was far, far short of 8 million. The album sold 270,000 copies in the United States. If anyone knows the sales for this or any of the other Hanson albums, please mail me.

Why did "This Time Around" do so poorly sales-wise?
Questions like this really don't have just one answer. In all likelihood the main reason is the old adage, "out of sight, out of mind." Hanson released a virtual glut of albums in their first 2 years but then were gone for a very long time...add to this the fact that they only had one real studio album ("Snowed In" was a Christmas album, "3 Car Garage" was old demos, and "Live From Albertane" was a live album) and many people who became fans when "MMMBop" exploded in 1997 soon lost interest and dismissed the band as a flash in the pan. While they toured extensively during this period, it hurt the band's image because their fans wanted a new album - it had been nearly 3 years since any new original studio material had come out.

When "This Time Around" finally came out, it went from #19 on the Billboard charts (64,210 copies sold in the U.S.) in its' debut week to #72 a week later. Some people blame Napster, some say they were gone too long and had been forgotten, some say that the Britney-NSync-BSB trend ran over any chance Hanson had with the album.

Not everything was bad, though. The album got several positive reviews and can go so far as to call itself "critically acclaimed" today. But, as with many critically acclaimed albums, it goes pretty much unnoticed by the general public.

What songs have Isaac on lead vocals?
"More Than Anything," "Back To The Island," and "More Than Anything (reprise)" from the "Boomerang" album
"Two Tears," "River," "Surely As The Sun," "Soldier," "Pictures," and "Sometimes" from the "MMMBop" and "3 Car Garage" albums
"A Minute Without You" from the "Middle Of Nowhere" album
"Little Saint Nick," "At Christmas," and "Run Rudolph Run" from the "Snowed In" album
"Love Song," and "Hand In Hand" from the "This Time Around" album
"Lonely Again" and "I Don't Know" from the Australian "This Time Around" and Australian "If Only (part 2)" single, respectively

During live videos/recordings/performances, this may be altered occasionally.

What songs have Zac on lead vocals?
"Lucy," and "Man From Milwaukee" from the "Middle Of Nowhere" album
"What Christmas Means To Me," and "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" from the "Snowed In" album
"Wish That I Was There" from the "This Time Around" album

During live videos/recordings/performances, this may be altered occasionally.

What type of equipment/instruments does the group use?
This info is now outdated somewhat, but according to Hanson.net:

Isaac uses a Gibson Les Paul electric, as well as Taylor model 810 acoustic. For amps, he uses a Matchless DC 30, a Marshall, a Vox, and a Line 6.

Taylor uses a Hammond B3 Organ, as well as a Wurlitzer and a Rhodes.

Zac uses a 4-piece kit with Zildjian cymbals.

What do some of the more common Hanson acronyms stand for?
A lot of sites (including this one) use acronyms a lot because it get kind of tedious to type out something like "Tulsa, Tokyo, and The Middle of Nowhere" over and over. Here is a list of some of the more commonly used acronyms Hanson fans may come across:

MON - Middle of Nowhere (Hanson album)
SI - Snowed In (Hanson album)
3CG - 3 Car Garage (Hanson album)
LFA - Live From Albertane (Hanson live album)
TTA - This Time Around (Hanson album and song)
TTMON - Tulsa, Tokyo, and The Middle of Nowhere (home video)
RTA - The Road To Albertane (home video)
WTL - Where's The Love (Hanson song)
IWCTY - I Will Come To You (Hanson song)
WYIYD - With You In Your Dreams (Hanson song)
TOY - Thinking of You (Hanson song)
ITZ - Isaac, Taylor, Zac
JTH - Jordan Taylor Hanson
ZWH - Zachary Walker Hanson
CIH - Clarke Isaac Hanson (never acually seen that one used, but just for the sake of being complete it's included)

On "Middle Of Nowhere," "Man From Milwaukee" is labeled as the "Garage Mix." Is there a different version of it?
No. Other than live performances, the M.O.N. track is the only version to ever be released on an album.

Is there a studio version of "Ever Lonely?"
No. This song is only played live.

Was Isaac playing a little bit of "Love Song" on "The Road to Albertane" home video?
Yes, which goes to show how long that song had been around...the Albertane Tour was during 1997-98 and This Time Around didn't come out until mid 2000.

Why was "This Time Around" the first single off the T.T.A. album in the U.S., while "If Only" was the first single internationally?
There's no definite answer to this question. Hanson and Island marketing must have came to some sort of agreement to release different singles in different parts of the world. In retrospect, it may have been wiser to release "If Only" in the U.S. first as well, as that was the biggest hit off the album.

Why wasn't there an "If Only" single released in the U.S.?
While there has been no "official" answer to this, it's not hard to figure out: Because the "This Time Around" single/video did not become very popular, not too many people bought the album. When "If Only" got big, they did not release a single so people would have to buy the full album to hear it.

Why is "A Song To Sing" listed as track 21 on the back of the U.S. "This Time Around" album?
It was likely intended to have "A Song To Sing" be a "bonus track" on the CD (as to mirror how "Man From Milwaukee" was "hidden" on track 21 on "Middle Of Nowhere"), but somewhere along the way the idea must have been forgotten or dropped. Apparently no one told the printer.

Was "A Song To Sing" really recorded in one take?
According to the band, yes. The song was done on the last night of recording for the "This Time Around" album and was performed "live" to the tape, so the way it sounded that night is the same way it sounds on the record.

What's the deal with the "This Glassy Surface" poem underneath the transparent disc holder on the U.S. "This Time Around" CD?
Often times when the band plays "A Song To Sing" live, they use that poem as a final verse to the song. It is unknown why it is not on the studio version.

On the Australian "This Time Around" album, why is the second verse deleted from the "Sure About It" lyrics?
The verse includes the line "Did you see the man with the cocaine load/it's on sale for the price of your soul." It may have been the marketing department didn't think it would be a good idea to include it and/or the talk about drugs may be taboo in that part of the world, or it may have been a printing error. I lean towards the first explanation. In the actual song the verse appears unchanged.

On the Australian "If Only (part 1)" disc, it says "Soldier" and "Sometimes" are both from "Live From Albertane," but neither of those songs are on that album.
This was an easy to make oversight. Both songs are on "The Road To Albertane" home video, not the "Live From Albertane" CD.

Are there acapella versions of any of Hanson's songs available?
The only song that you can find in this form is "I Will Come To You." The track has just the lead and backing vocals with no instrumentation in the background. Try looking around on file-sharing programs.

The song "Rain" from Boomerang is acapella, but it was not recorded with instruments in the first place.

Are there instrumental versions of any of Hanson's songs available?
The only song you can find in this form is "This Time Around." The instrumental version appeared on a radio promo that was released in 2000.

Is there any Hanson sheet music available?
Yes. "MMMBop," "Where's The Love," "Weird," and "I Will Come To You" were all released as single sheets, and there are piano/vocal/chords songbooks for the "Middle Of Nowhere" and "This Time Around" albums. Both songbooks are available at amazon.com.

Was "This Time Around" really going to be called "Album X" originally?
This became a somewhat heavily discussed topic after Isaac said something about it being a possibility during a Yahoo! Online Chat prior to the release of the TTA album. In all likelyhood it was never even considered...it was just a name to call it before they had a real name for it. Some bootleggers went as far to sell the TTA demos on CD as "Album X." Many people called the "Underneath" album "Album Y" before it was named, as well.

How many Hanson interview CDs are there?
The known interview discs include "Pepsi Music Live - Hanson," "MM Talk" (sic), "An Interview With Hanson," and "Star Profile: Hanson."

"Pepsi Music Live - Hanson" was released in the UK in 1998 (as part of a Pepsi promotion that also included track/interview CDs for The Spice Girls, Coolio, and Eternal) and includes a live version of "Man From Milwaukee," as well as an interview with the band. The most notable and amusing part of the interview is where Taylor promotes Pepsi, and editing seamlessly ties it in with the rest of the interview (Taylor describes Pepsi as being "hip" and "cool"). The disc had a limited number of pressings and is considered rare today.

Both the "MM Talk" and "An Interview With Hanson" interviews were conducted and released in 1998. In 1999, "Star Profile: Hanson" was released, which was basically just the "MM Talk" and "An Interview With Hanson" discs put together, along with a 100 page booklet that included photos of the band. These three discs were produced in the UK and are all "unofficial," they are not affiliated with or produced by Hanson's label. All three of these discs are fairly easy to find.

Is it true that Hanson was the first group or artist to host Total Request Live?
Yes. Although there may have been artists that co-hosted the show before, in 1997 Hanson was the first group to ever host the show by themselves.

What TV shows have Hanson appeared on in an acting role?
They appeared on Nickelodeon's Noah Knows Best in 2000 in a prominent role (playing themselves). Isaac had an acting role (while Zac and Taylor also appeared, but only for playing a song) on an episode of Sabrina The Teenage Witch that aired in January 2002. They also made a brief appearance on the cartoon Family Guy, but it was unofficial - it was just their likenesses, the group did not do any voices for the episode or anything.

Has the group ever appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone?
Although they have been in the magazine several times, the answer is no. They did appear on many magazine covers during the MMMBop explosion in 1997, most notably Entertainment Weekly, and a few when "This Time Around" came out in 2000. Keep in mind they have appeared literally dozens of times on the covers of "teenybopper" magazines like Bop and Teen Beat since they first became popular.

What does "MMMBop" mean?
According to the definition given on the "Tulsa, Tokyo, and The Middle of Nowhere" home video, an MMMBop is an unrepeatable moment.

What is the number for the Hanson hotline?
(918) 446-3979. Standard long-distance charges apply.

Did the group really used to dance during their songs when they played live?
Believe it or not, yes. Back before they were really proficient on their instruments (around the Boomerang era), they would sing live over a tape of the background music, and do a choreographed dance throughout the song. There were a few video clips of the group performing "Boomerang," as well as covers of "Everyday People" by Sly & The Family Stone and "The Love You Save" by The Jackson 5 up at HansonHouse.com, but they have been removed. Try looking around on file-sharing programs.

Did Hanson really do an Eggo Waffles commercial?
Yep. In 1997 Kellogg's put Hanson on their Eggo Boxes, and also did a commercial featuring them. The commercial featured Hanson performing "Thinking of You" on a platform above an alley, while dozens of pedestrians watched from below. At one point a woman in a window flashes a box of Eggo Waffles, which prompts Issac to motion for her to throw him the box. After making a surprised face (I mean, how many times is it that you'll have a member of Hanson ask you for a box of waffles?), Ike reassures her and she tosses them to him. Zac mouths "YEAH!" and thrusts his drumsticks in the air. Near the end of the commercial he has a waffle on his drumstick and takes a bite of it. Yes, the commercial is as funny as it sounds. Head on over to HansonHouse.com and check it out, it's in the video section.

Did Hanson really do a "Got Milk?" ad?
Again, yes. You can see it here.

Is it true there is a "Hanson Day?"
Yes. A few years back the Governor of Oklahoma declared May 6th to be "Hanson Day." Although this only applies to Oklahoma, many fans worldwide celebrate it in some fashion.

How many songs has Hanson done with the word "Lonely" in the title?
Three. "Lonely Boy" from "Boomerang," "Ever Lonely" from "Live From Albertane," and "Lonely Again" from the Australian "This Time Around."

What happened with Taylor getting "attacked" onstage during the "This Time Around" tour in San Francisco?
There isn't much of a story beind it. A girl from the crowd jumped on stage, managed to get behind Taylor, came up behind him and when he turned around, locked her arms around him and kissed him. Security pulled her off and that was that. You can see a picture of the "attack" here. There was a rumor going around that the person who was behind this attack was actually a guy in drag, but that was not the case.

Is Hanson related to Beck?
No. In fact, Beck spells his last name "Hansen," not Hanson. Some people got the wrong idea when they saw this pic of all of them together. That pic was just taken because they were recording at the same studio.

Are any of them married/do they really have girlfriends?
Taylor married his long-time girlfriend Natalie Anne Bryant in early June 2002 at a small "family and friends only"-ish ceremony in Pine Mountain, Georgia. As far as Ike and Zac, it is quite possible that one or both of them currently have girlfriends....so leave them alone, for the love of god. You aren't going to marry them.

Do any of them have children?
Taylor and Natalie had a baby on Halloween 2002. The baby was named Jordan Ezra Hanson.

Are there other Hanson brothers and/or sisters?
Yes, they have three younger sisters and one younger brother. And no, there are no plans for any of them to "join the band" at this time.

Who is Ashley Greyson?
A friend of the family who does miscellaneous work for them. He is also the person behind the upcoming Hanson documentary.

Who are you?
My name is Nick, I live in Michigan. I am 6'7, 290 pounds. I've watched pro wrestling since I can remember, and had a successful amateur wrestling career myself. My favorite bands/musicians are Amorphis, Type O Negative, the Misfits, Samhain, Danzig, Johnny Cash, Iron Maiden, Radiohead, Frank Zappa, Gwar, Queen, the Ramones, Testament, Devin Townsend, Sex Machine (who I do a site for), and of course Hanson.

How and when did you start listening to Hanson?
In early 1999 I bought "Middle of Nowhere" as a joke gift for a friend. I got it used for 99 cents. Believe it or not, I had never heard MMMBop until then. I had heard of it but avoided it like the plague when it was popular. I listened to the album for whatever reason on the way home and I realized it wasn't that bad at all. My friend never got the "gift."

What Hanson merchandise do you own?
CDs: "Middle of Nowhere," "Snowed In," "3 Car Garage," "Live From Albertane," and "This Time Around." I also have the "I Will Come To You" standard U.S. single, the blue cover Australian "Thinking Of You" single, about 25 copies of the U.S. "This Time Around" single (don't ask), the U.S. "This Time Around" radio promo (that includes the rare instrumental version of "This Time Around"), the Australian "This Time Around" album, and the Australian "If Only (part 1)" and "If Only (part 2)" singles.

Home Videos-DVDs: "Tulsa, Tokyo, And The Middle Of Nowhere" DVD, "The Road To Albertane" VHS, "The Road To Albertane" Video-CD, "Live At The Fillmore" DVD.

Miscellaneous: I also own a "This Time Around" tour shirt (white shirt with T.T.A. single cover on front), two of the promotional posters that were given away at Wherehouse Music when you bought T.T.A., the "Where's The Love" poster, and a cardboard standup display for the "This Time Around" single, which has a display for the "This Time Around" album on the reverse side.

What is your favorite Hanson album?
"This Time Around," without a doubt. I had friends that mocked Hanson and still were able to get into at least a few songs off of it. This album was definetly a step in the right direction.

What is your favorite Hanson song?
Geez, this is rough. I'll narrow it down to two...but since I'm naming my favorite live song and my favorite studio song, I guess I'm narrowing it down to four. Favorite studio song: "Runaway Run," with "Yearbook" a close second. Favorite live song: "Soldier" off "The Road To Albertane" video, with "River" off "Live From Albertane" second.

What unreleased song from the T.T.A. demos do you wish would have been released?
"We All Know," I like that song a lot, even though the only good quality MP3 of it out there cuts off before it ends. I know a lot of the internet fans wanted "Bridges of Stone" but that sounds too much like "I Will Come To You 2" for me. I like the song and everything but for my tastes I wish "We All Know" had been finished and put out on at least a single or something.

Have you ever been to a Hanson show?
Two, actually. Both during summer 2000. One was early July 2000 at the Fox Theater in Detroit...this was during the time when they were doing mostly shorter sets at radio-sponsored events. I had to sit through BB F'n Mak, Mandy F'n Moore, Vertical F'n Horizon, and Jessica F'n Simpson before Hanson hit the stage. They came back on September 28th of that same year for a real concert right next door to the Fox at the State Theater. Fortune smiled upon me as I was able to get third row tickets, so I was basically right in front once everyone walked up to the front of the stage. You can see my review of the show here. And let me say it's just too cool when I do the "metal" hand sign with Taylor as he goes onstage, he does it back, and then a month or so later this picture shows up on some sites.

How did the people at the concert react to someone looking like you being there?
Many people at the second show remembered me from the first one. Some poor misguided soul even asked me for my autograph. And I pity the people who stood behind me, because a lot of their pictures came out looking like this or this or this. I apologize for ruining countless photos. It wasn't all bad, though, I got to shake hands with Taylor twice and Zac once. Zac especially seemed appreciative to have someone in the front who wasn't going to try to pull him down into the crowd.

What is your favorite picture of the group?
That would be this one.

DISCLAIMER: All information on this page is taken from the author's personal knowledge and research. No part of this F.A.Q. may be reprinted without giving credit to this site. As with anything of this nature, there may be oversights or mistakes on this page. If you think you have spotted an error, OR if you wish to contribute something you think would be a good addition to the F.A.Q., please mail me.

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