MTV has announced the return of the show that defined the ’90s (and crowned pop’s princes and princesses): TRL . It was “Teen 101,” where we were introduced to dance moves and first crushes. Here, we remember the music videos from a decade that was obsessed with them. The theme? Awesome architecture, of course.
“Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears at Venice High School (Los Angeles, California)
Oh, baby, baby, was this iconic. The sweet-sixteen sensation became a star when she shimmied (in a short skirt) around the same school where Grease (1978) was filmed: Los Angeles’s Venice High School. The director, Nigel Dick, remembers: “I chose the Venice High School location for a number of reasons, many of them practical: It was available. The corridors were wide enough to hold a dance sequence in. I loved the gym, which I felt had a lot of scope. And, of course, when I found out that some scenes from Grease had been shot there, I wanted to have a little bit of that magic brush off onto our video.” Watch the video here .
Spears and the music video's director, Nigel Dick.
"Because of You” by 98 Degrees at Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, California)
The boy band was, actually, “98 Degrees and Rising” when they ascended the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge—which are 500 feet above the road (and 746 feet above the water). The director, Wayne Isham, remembers, “It was the first time that they ever let anyone film up there. It was incredible. It was breathtaking. It was also windy as hell and everyone was hanging on. I told them, ‘I’m going to go back down and I’m going to get in a helicopter and come back and film.’ It was just them and the sound guy with a walkie-talkie. It was fun—and that’s what filmmaking is about.” Watch the video here .
98 Degrees members Jeff Timmons, Nick Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Drew Lachey.
“I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys at “LAX” (Los Angeles, California)
The Backstreet Boys were back (alright) for a tour-themed music video at Los Angeles International Airport (or LAX). The boy band was filmed in white ensembles with a custom-decorated plane (because, ’90s). The director, Isham (who also directed 98 Degrees’s “Because of You” music video), remembers, “It was just so much fun to be with those guys in the empty airplane hangar. We were shooting at LAX and I don’t think you could do that now. It’s all about the scope. The scope of the empty hangar is beautiful—and the scope of the Tom Bradley International Terminal. I’m so blown away by it. It’s such a great architectural structure. It’s so much better to do something in an actual space.” Watch the video here .
The Backstreet Boys, circa 1995: Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, and Kevin Richardson.
“Summer Girls” by LFO at Coney Island (New York, New York)
The 2010s are about “girls who wear athleisure” (not “girls who wear Abercrombie & Fitch”) but the “Summer Girls” music video is as adorable in 2017 as it was in 1999. And that’s because the multicolored scene at Coney Island is ever harmonious with warm-weather amusement. LFO’s Brad Fischetti remembers: “Looking back, I can realize the brilliance in keeping the video very simple. There were lots of bright colors and it was just a classic summertime location. I’ve lived with ‘Summer Girls’ for 18 years and I’m so grateful that we used that treatment and Coney Island for the backdrop. I think if we had shot that video in a typical boy band or R&B way, it wouldn’t have held up the way it did.” Watch the video here .
LFO.
“Wannabe” by Spice Girls at St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel (London, England)
This “one-shot” music video follows the Spice Girls around London’s St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, where they make an entrance (and a scene). The girl group dances on the grand staircase—a demonstration of High Victorian and Neo-Gothic design—and, then, on the iconic establishment’s tables. The architect, George Gilbert Scott, would have been proud of this contribution to “girl power.” And that’s the story, from A to Z. Watch the video here .
The Spice Girls, at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London.
“Where’s The Love” by Hanson at Battersea Power Station (London, England)
The famous brothers traveled from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to London, England, for this music video, where they performed (and “MMMBop’d”) around the historic destination—from Trafalgar Square to the Battersea Power Station (the famous construction on the River Thames). Taylor Hanson remembers: “Director Tamra Davis suggested Battersea Power Station because it was both iconic and dramatic in a way that accentuates the dramatic musical change in the bridge of the song, which is where the site primarily appears in the video. We knew of the site because of the Pink Floyd reference [on the cover of their album, Animals ] and we all agreed it was an incredible ‘tip of the hat’ to rock music, mixed with the perfect visual that it brought to the video. I remember standing in the shadows of the smoke stacks for the first time and feeling in awe of the scale. The industrial drama that comes through without saying a word—that is what we were looking for with that site.” Watch the video here .
Members of the pop band Hanson pose for a portrait in London in 1997.
