This shows how unmotivated I am. Back in 1997 I started reviewing the MON songs for my homepage and it’s taken me close to three years to finish! I’ll try to be better with the other CDs, I swear!

So this is how this works: I rate the songs in four categories: Vocals (V), Instruments (I), Lyrics (L), and Overall (O). I average out the 1^st three categories, then average that with the overall score to get the final score. Each score is out of 10 (stars) which is often different from its cumulative score (out of 40.)

-:- thinking of you -:- mmmbop -:- weird -:- speechless -:- where's the love -:- yearbook -:- look at you -:- lucy-:- i will come to you -:- a minute without you -:- madeline -:- with you in your dreams -:- man from milwaukee -:- bonus: cried -:-

“Thinking of You”
(ITZ)

The song is the perfect balance of beat and harmony, instruments and vocals. One of numerous songs on which Tay sings lead, it gives me the feeling of dew on a warm July morning. What a great way to start off the album!  Ike does great on guitar and Zac is strong on drums. Taylor’s part gives the song its semi-happy feel. The song sounds great live, too. The lyrics to it are excellent, painting a visual without taking over your mind.
Best Part: first verse ("Have you ever ... what we could do")
Classic Lyric: "The only thing I know is that/I'm in love with you"

MMMBop.  What can you really say about "MMMBop"?  Just great.  Oh, it will be a classic for the 21st century to enjoy.  I think anyone would like it if they gave it a chance.  The song is very upbeat and sunny.  Tay sings lead, with all three guys on back-up.  This, as most everyone knows, is Hanson's signature tune.  It was their first major-label single and one of my favorite tracks on Middle of Nowhere.  Which is quite odd, because the first few times I heard it I really disliked it but soon grew to love it!  In the years since "MMMBop," fans have began to dis it which upsets me.  It's a great track.  Period.
I love the first four seconds and everything on...  All of the instruments are well played.  Yes, it can get annoying -- but only if you put it on repeat and listen to it sixteen times in a row!  The lyrics are not the best (and I don't just mean the 'du bop's) but they send a definite message to anyone who takes the time to listen.  "MMMBop" is one soon we will not soon forget!
Best Part: first verse ("You have so many ... who will still care")
Classic Lyric: "So hold on to the ones who really care/In the end they'll be the only ones there"

In a nutshell, "Weird" is a perfect song. Elaborate songwriting, heartfelt vocals, and an original tune all blend to create the best song on MON. It may not be my #1 favorite (not always, at least), but it is still the best. So honest and unpretensious, just try to hate it! Its powerful message is strong and easy to relate to.
The instruments are solid, yet pretty simple. The tambourine adds a nice beat. The vocals are stirring and soulful. One of the best things about "Weird" is it lyrics (just think of how many website titles were lifted out of its lines :D). It is the one tune I relate to the most, personally. Indeed, it is a very personal song.
Little Known Fact: Originally titled "The Weird"; it is the slowest song on the album (69 quarter notes in a minute)
Fave Part: "When you live in a cookie cutter world being different is a sin (if you're different you can't win)/So you don't stand out/But you don't fit in."

To be frank, “Speechless” is not the best song in the world.  Its lyrics are pretty poor and the vocals tend to slip into whiny. Tay sings lead, with all three on back-up. Ike isn’t very-well heard, but Zac is.  The never slowing-down feeling sounds like a wild car chase through L.A. and by the end even the listener runs out of air.
For once, the drums are not heard that well, considering the rest of the commotion going on in the background. There is quite a lot of scratching and loops. Ike's guitar riffs become annoying, but he means well. Like the drums, the keyboards are also kind of lost in the whole song. I like the echoing towards the end, as well as how the song fades out instead of ending abruptly. Like I said, the lyrics are not as good as the other songs, such as "Weird" or "I Will Come To You."
Best part: chorus ("The way you talk ... like you did before")

I totally love this song! It is very up-beat and loud. No one can sit still during the chorus! Taylor sings lead, but both Zac and Isaac have solos in the middle. There is a lot of harmonizing, which is what Hanson is all about.  Taylor’s keyboarding is really solid. The guitar parts are very nicely played. I especially enjoyed the guitar solo in the middle. Zac’s drumming is fab, as usual. It seems like a fun part to play. The lyrics on this song are mediocre. They’re pretty simple. The good thing about that is listeners can pick up the words pretty quickly.
Classic Lyric: "You don't mind the taking girl, but you don't know how to give"

"Yearbook" is one of the most moving Hanson songs.  It may not be people's favorite, but it is one of mine.  Most people relate to "With You in Your Dreams" -- I relate to "Yearbook."  In 1996, one of my classmates died from an asthma attack.  It happened over the summer, so barely anyone talked about it when school started.  This song makes me think of him and they way he disappeared with barely anyone noticing.
Musically, this song is just gorgeous.  I love all of the piano parts and the orchestra.  Hanson really focuses on vocals here.  It is the longest song on the CD, but with this awesome ballad you never even notice.  I really wish the guys had performed it at their concerts!  Perhaps it didn't sound as good without the orchestra...  *shrug*
The lyrics range from well-worded to close to cheesy.  The piano in the beginning is moving and the guitar fading out at the end is a great effect.  This is one of the only Hanson songs that wouldn't make a successful single, but it is much more than a chart-topper.  "Yearbook" is underappreciated by many, but to me it is right up there with "Weird" and "IWC2U."
Fave Part: "It's been a year now and a lot of things have changed/But I keep thinking about Johhny.  I keep turning to that page/Where did he go I want to know/Where did he go I want to know?"

“Look at You” is the most soul-driven track from the album. It is very bittersweet – upbeat, but not in any way cheerful. Taylor sings lead on this malicious track where he enviously looks down on a girl he secretly wants. Towards the end, Zac begins to yell many indecipherable things (among them –and this is arguable—“Sex! Drugs!”).  The leftie is also very aggressive on the drums, but still as if he’s enjoying himself.  Tay is solid on keyboards.  Isaac shows off his talents on guitar.  The lyrics are OK, but tend to be repetitive.  This track is not of my favorites.
Classic Lyric: "Out of the corner of my eye she said why don't you come and give it a try"

So many images come to mind when one listens to "Lucy." It is so sweet. So childish and naive that you want go give Zac a hug (Hanson would never get away with this track on TTA :D). He sings the lead as Ike and Taylor sing back-up. The song intermixes pop with oldies and even a slight twang of country (I think it's Mark Hudson's harmonica that does it.) It is so sad that Hanson never performed it live and probably never will, since Zac would no longer be able to reach the parts (and, seriously, can we even imagine it sung in any lower key??)
The tune of it is very mediocre and so are the lyrics, but it's a ray of sunlight between the angst of "Look At You" and the drama of "I Will Come To You." The vocal quality is one of the best on the whole album (go Zac.) The background vocals remind me of the Beatles every time I listen to it. If I had to describe Lucy in one word, it would be: cute.
Fave Part: "Now I don't have anymore songs to sing/'Cause you were everything, everything to me/I didn't realize I felt this way, until that day/Today I'm missing Lucy, and you say that she's OK/I hope she is/Now I don't have nobody and no one will ever replace... My Lucy"

This is one of my favorite songs in the world! It is so good!  I don’t know anyone who would disagree. It is a moderately slow song with beautiful background instruments. Taylor’s vocals are made for this track!  Towards the end, Ike performs a really nice guitar solo.  The ballad, from beginning to end, is close to perfect and often leaves me in a trance.  Releasing this song as a single was a very good move for Hanson, even if it wasn’t met with much success. For once the keyboards aren’t just a background part, but the main instrument.  Ike is strong on guitar, especially on his solo. Zac takes on a slightly different sound.  A strings orchestra breathes life into the tune, creating a romantic atmosphere.  Not to say that the song is about romantic love – the lyrics show that it is mutable enough to be applied to a friendship between friends or most anything else!  The ‘na-nah’s are a cute touch of reality and show off Hanson’s breath-taking harmonies.
Best Part: all!
Classic Lyrics: "When the night is dark and stormy/You won't have to reach out for me/I will come to you"

"Have no fear when your tears are fallin'/I will hear your spirit callin'/And I swear I'll be there come what may"
"If you feel your soul is dyin'/And you need the strength to keep tryin'/I'll reach out and take your hand"

A very upbeat song, filled with great harmonies and a pinch of grunge. I’ve always thought it perfect for a soundtrack! The song is driven by guitar, provided by Ike.  The drums also play a great deal and, as usual, Zac doesn’t cease to please.  Taylor rocks with a strong poundin’ of the keyboards.  The lyrics are top-notch, probably the best on the album, as sung by Isaac.
Classic Lyric: "I've been trying to call you all day 'cause I got so many things that I want to say"
Little Known Fact: It is the fastest song on the album (126 quarter notes in a minute)

To be honest, I find that this song has no personality. I just can't find a way to relate to it or even sympathize with the guys' gut-wrenching pleas. It's nice to see Ike and Tay trade off vocals for once (more recently done on so-much-more-convincing "This Time Around"). What this song does have is great harmonies and that is the only thing holding it together.
The instrumental and vocal aspects of the song could be described as 'harsh.' It could be compared to an 'awkward' teenager stuck between childhood and adulthood - it doesn't know if it is trying to be a soulful love song or a rockin' alternative tune. And what the heck is up with the mumbled "complicated" towards the end? Sounds like Puff Daddy messed with it or something...
Best Part: third verse ("I was empty inside ... it's meant to be")
Classic Lyric: "You are my ten thousand roses and I let you go" (of course!! :D)

This song starts out very beautifully.  There's a misty sound and a piano solo.  The first verse is sung by Taylor, joined by Zac, with the guitar getting louder.  Finally, by the start of the 2nd verse, the drumming comes in, as does Isaac (vocals).  The rest of the song goes back and forth between drums and no drums, finally ending with Tay's oh-so-pure vocals.
"With You in Your Dreams" is a beautiful song and it is full of emotion.  The guitar and drums are fine, as usual, but the keyboards are especially great.  The lyrics are repetitive and not the best.  This song sounds fabulous live (it was the best track to listen to in concert and on LFA.)
Best Part: the "Hoo, ohh, hoo, ohh"s :D

That Zac Hanson is a genius.  I present to you his brainchild, a grungy ditty about an encounter with an extraterrestial.  It may not be a tear-jerking ballad or a #1 Billboard single, but "MFM" ROCKS!  It is MON's Energizer bunny.  The lyrics are purely silly and the vocals may not be first class...that is why it is the perfect concert song (and how can you argue if you've heard the LFA version?!)  I love it so much that my best friend and I ever wrote a parody of it (titled "Ho From Kentucky," in case anyone is interested...) 
This bonus-track really stands out from the rest of the album.  It shows the fans that Hanson aren't just a stuffy, perfectionistic studio-made band.  It is obvious that Hanson's creative juices were really flowing when they put this one together! :D  I happen to have another connection to this track.  The second time that I ever saw Hanson live was in Milwaukee in '98.  Not only that, but Milwaukee is my 2nd favorite U.S. city.
Best Part: third verse ("You wouldn't believe ... just barely sane")

Totally cool track. "Cried" is what both "Speechless" and "Madeline" should've been. I would've much rather prefered this track on MON instead of the aforementioned tracks. Then again, perhaps I wouldn't have had so much appreciation for it that way. Everything on it is solid, just not spectacular. Ike and Tay sound awesome on vocals (especially the former :D) Zac keeps phat beat on drums and his bros add layers on guitar and keyboards. Just listening to it gets your toes tappin'! As with everything else, the lyrics are good, but not all profound or elaborate. "Cried" is just a nice track which shows off Hanson's playing, singing, and writing abilities!
Little Known Fact: On "TT&MON" there's a part where Hanson are singing in a studio with a vocal coach. Their backs are turned to the camera. The song they are working on is "Cried."