Guilty pleasure, easy listening. PHOTO CREDIT: bbc.co.uk
As of the time this paper will be published, I am 22 years old, which means that six years of my life is a pretty long time.
Six years is almost one-third of my life. 27.3% of my life, to be exact. Yeah, that’s right. I did math for this. So you’re probably thinking, why is all this math so important? Well, I’ll tell you. For six years, I have been an absolute die-hard fan of the English pop-rock band McFly, which means I’ve been a fan of them for 27.3% of my life. Scary.
You’ve probably heard McFly, and you’re thinking, “Back to the Future?” While the band’s name pays homage to the classic 80’s film on purpose, I am not talking about the film itself.
When I bring up that my favorite band is McFly, I am usually met with quizzical glances or the odd “yeah, never heard of it.” So over the past six years, I’ve become a certified expert at introducing them to unknowing Americans.
Here it goes — you know that Jonas Brothers hit song “Year 3000?” You probably do. Yeah, it isn’t theirs.
The band that actually wrote that song was a band called Busted, and the original song was released on their debut self-titled album in 2002. The original song has less PG lyrics, so give it a gander if you get the chance.
Anyways, Busted originally consisted of four members — James Bourne, Matt Willis, Charlie Simpson and Tom Fletcher.
Charlie and Tom made it in the band via an audition, and 24 hours after getting the gig, their manager called Tom and told him they had decided to keep the band as a three-piece, meaning Tom was out. However, because Tom had helped James write “Year 3000” and it was so successful, he could start his own band.
Thus, McFly was born, featuring guitarist and singer Tom Fletcher, guitarist and singer Danny Jones, bassist Dougie Poynter and drummer Harry Judd.
The band’s peak popularity was between the years 2004 to 2011, so by the time I’d hopped on the scene in 2016, the likelihood of anyone hearing of McFly, especially in America, was lower than ever.
The funny thing is, if you brought McFly up to anyone in England, they most likely would know exactly who you’re talking about since they were such a big deal back in the day. In fact, McFly holds the record for the youngest band ever to have an album debut at number one — a title they stole from The Beatles.
My liking McFly isn’t really the “guilty” part of this guilty pleasure. It’s undeniable that when you tell people your favorite band, and no one knows them, you feel kinda cool — like you discovered this undercover group (I most definitely did not, but it’s fun to pretend). The guilty part probably comes more from how much I love this band.
I have merch, I have setlists and drumsticks and guitar picks and backstage passes and posters and pins and vinyls and CDs. I have playlists on Spotify dedicated to McFly. That’s right. Playlists. Multiple. I have their songs separated by my moods.
Basically, anyone who knows me subsequently knows McFly. Last month, I went to a Mt. Joy Concert with my best friend, and when talking about the group to my mom, who had never heard of them before, I described the band as being “my friend’s version of McFly” to which my mom replied “oh wow.”
Even if you’ve never heard of McFly before this article, you probably do know of them. They wrote multiple hits for One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer in the time from 2013 to 2015 (so basically, their peaks).
A lot of times, my friends or my sister will make fun of me for how much I love McFly and talk about them, and I used to feel bad about it, but the truth is, I don’t really care anymore. McFly influenced so much of my experience growing up and honestly got me through my teenage years. They inspired me to play guitar, read and be my most creative self. And sure, maybe they’re a band who doesn’t know I exist, but I can’t thank them enough for that.
It’s taken me a long time, and it’s not easy, but McFly has taught me my “guilty pleasures” don’t have to be guilty at all. It’s important to love the things you do freely and get excited over them because it shapes who you are.