Boy Bands Now vs. Then: Remember How They Used to Dance?

James Corden recently called for the return of the "proper" guy group—less One Direction, more Backstreet Boys

James Corden brought up a very good point on The Late Late Show last night: It's time for us to bring back "proper" boy bands.

The late-night host (and honorary Backstreet Boy, for the evening) is nostalgic for the last generation of guy group—less One Direction, more 'N Sync. Instead of five guys "just stand(ing) on stage wearing skinny jeans and Vans sneakers," Corden wants "matching outfits...synchronized dancing and way-over-budget music videos"—and we're so with him on that!

Is it really so much to ask for these fellas to hire a choreographer? Corden seemed to pick up BSB's moves pretty quickly. Dancing (and the subsequent lack thereof) is a huge factor in separating today's boy bands from the ones whose videos premiered on TRL. 

Take 'N Sync, for example: Justin Timberlake was by far the best dancer of the group, but J.C. Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Lance Bass and Joey Fatone quite literally stayed in sync with him and the music. 

With One Direction, we're lucky if we get a hokey chorus line in a music video.

Because as former 1D member Zayn Malik told Glamour in 2013,  "We didn't want to just follow the boy-band formula. We didn't want to do any dancing. We just wanted to be five dudes in a band."

The fivesome (now foursome) would never even attempt a choreographed hat sequence like the one the Backstreet Boys' pulled off in their "All I Have to Give" music video. 

They wouldn't typically wear matching ensembles, either—unless in jest (like in their "Kiss You" music video.)

The Wanted (who have been on hiatus since 2014 in order to pursue individual projects), were a little too-cool-for-school when it came to fitting the "traditional" boy band mold.  

Their entire music video for "Walks Like Rihanna" poked fun at this, even getting in a few playful jabs at their predecessors in pop.

Jokes aside, the "proper" boy bands of years past were serious about their matching outfits and coordinated moves. 

Like O-Town and their 2001 single "Liquid Dreams"? Never mind the dated graphics or the fact that some of us didn't understand what they were singing about until years later—those guys hit every mark!

Even 98 Degrees, four guys who weren't necessarily the most skilled dancers, did some shoulder-shaking and boppin' around for the cameras.

The more modern boy bands, like 5SOS, for example, just don't seem to place the same emphasis on their on-stage moves.

To be fair, though, current boy bands are under more pressure than their "proper" predecessors. 'N Sync and Backstreet Boys rose to fame before everyone had camera phones in their pockets. O-Town and 98 Degrees never had to worry about Twitter or Facebook. Going viral didn't really exist as a concept yet, and the artists themselves could keep more control of their image. 

Dealing with today's social media culture (and the escalated fandom that comes with it) is a lot. Bad decisions blow up quickly, and single missteps can tarnish hard-earned reputations in an instant. Today's boy bands fit a modern mold, and with it comes a whole new set of rules and responsibilities. 

So while we agree with Corden that it'd be nice to see the "proper" boy band model make a comeback, we're willing to cut today's guys a little slack when it comes to moves and matchy-matchy outfits.