"Fandemonium" Through The Years

A photo essay that proves, once and for all, that the hysteria surrounding teen idols is a tale as old as time.

An artistic rendering of a Franz Liszt concert, 1840s.

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The frenzy that Liszt fangirls were thrown into was known as "Lisztomania", and it is said that Liszt's female fans were the first to throw their undergarments onstage as a sign of their love and devotion.

Frank Sinatra arriving in Pasadena, California, 1943.

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Frank Sinatra is considered by many to be the first archetypal "teen idol". His fans were thrown into hysterics at his concerts, and he had an element of danger in his persona that made parents skeptical of him.

Pat Boone at a record signing, 1950s.

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Pat Boone's claim to fame was covering rock and roll classics like "Tutti Frutti" and "Ain't That a Shame", and making them more palatable for a white, middle-class audience.

Frankie Avalon waving to his fans, 1950s.

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Frankie Avalon rose from "The Mickey Mouse Club" to star in a series of beach party movies with Annette Funicello.

Ricky Nelson signing autographs at an airport, 1950s.

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Ricky Nelson was another teen idol whose fame came from a TV show, in this case, "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet". Also like Frankie Avalon, he had a squeaky clean image, contrasting other teen idols of the time, like James Dean and perhaps the biggest teen idol of the 1950s...

A fan screams as Elvis sails away from New York Harbor to serve in the Armed Forces, 1958.

Alfred Werthemier / Via alfredwertheimer.com

Elvis Presley was the undisputed king of 1950s entertainment; his influence was felt in every young male heartthrob and rock music act both throughout the decade and beyond. His fans, both in his heyday and currently, display a level of devotion that is hard to surpass.

Beatles fans cheer their idols in New York City, 1964.

Jack Manning for the New York Times / Via nytimes.com

The Beatles were a revolutionary in the teen idol field: for Americans, they were the first massive teen pop act to be from another country, and they were also the first teen pop act to be a band, providing their fans with the opportunity to fawn over not just one beautiful man, but multiple, all at once (paving the way for modern boy bands).

Fans cheering for The Rolling Stones in Sydney, Australia, 1965.

David Moore / Via portrait.gov.au

When the Rolling Stones first came on the scene, they were marketed as an alternative to the Beatles; in the words of producer George Martin, "The Stones had the image that the mothers didn't want, and the Beatles had the image that the mothers did want."

Monkees fans await their arrival at an airport, mid 1960s.

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The Monkees were a band that was created specifically for their own TV show: it caused a major controversy at the network when the band wanted to actually learn how to play their own songs so they could fulfill their fans' desires to hear them play live.

Tim Graham for the Evening Standard / Via flashbak.com

David Cassidy was the product of famous parents and had a TV show, but his teen idol-dom also coincided with the rise of teen magazines, albums selling major numbers and stadium tours. The art form of the teen idol was now beginning to evolve.

Fans at an Osmonds concert, 1975.

Alamy Stock Photos / Via alamy.com

(apologies for the watermark)

The Osmonds were brothers from a devoutly religious family that placed a big emphasis on music as a way of bringing the family together. The spotlight also focused in on one specific brother in particular, Donny. The Osmonds had a huge fanbase in their own right, but their whole model was copied from another act that had come on the scene a few years earlier...

Jackson Five fans are delighted by the band surprising them at a Christmas party, 1973.

Ebony Jr. magazine / Via jackson5abc.com

The Jackson Five were the first major teen idols in the United States to be African American, the last major act to come out of the Motown star-making machine, and the first introduction of Michael Jackson to the entertainment world. Their success was a milestone for the blending of white and black American culture that had been separated for so long.

Bay City Rollers fans, 1975.

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The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish band that essentially took over the United Kingdom in the mid 1970s; however, with the advent of punk music in both the UK and the US, it was clear that the demographic for teen pop idols was closing up.

Duran Duran fans in Birmingham, England, 1983.

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Duran Duran was an interesting band in that they had a massive appeal to teenagers, but they were not intended solely for them. Also, the fact that this was a British band whose members met at New York University and then went off to Prague shows the influence of 1980s globalism when it came to pop music.

Three New Kids On The Block fans await the start of their concert at the Rupp Arena in Kentucky, 1990.

James D. VanHoose / Via kyphotoarchive.com

Formed in Boston in the late 1980s, New Kids On The Block were the first ever band to define themselves as a "boy band" in the popular consciousness, with their R&B-influenced bubblegum music, choreographed dance routines, individualized personality traits (the bad boy, the sweet one, the serious one, etc.) and their fans, who appeared to be devoted to the band on a level that had never been seen before. Under their astounding success, teen pop would enter the richest and most fruitful era of its existence.

Fans of Hanson show their devotion to their idols, late 1990s.

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Hanson fell into the same "family band" category as the Jackson Five and the Osmonds; unlike these bands, however, all three members of Hanson played instruments and wrote their own music. Interesting note: the fans of Hanson were the first to christen themselves with a name for their fanbase. They called themselves "Fansons".

*NSYNC fans outside the Total Request Live studios for the release of their new album, "No Strings Attached", 2000.

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The reason that the late 1990s are remembered as such halcyon years for teen pop is because of what some refer to as "The Great Boy Band Wars". The media pitted *NSYNC against the Backstreet Boys in a kind of gladiator-style teen pop fight to the death, and the TV show Total Request Live (TRL) was the arena.

Backstreet Boys fans at a concert in Berlin, Germany, 1996.

Alamy Stock Photo / Via alamy.com

(apologies for the water mark)

The Backstreet Boys are considered by many to be the superior boy band of the late 1990s, and by extension, the greatest boy band of all time. Their 1999 album Millenium is still one of the best-selling albums of all time, and their massive global appeal further cemented their dominance over pop music for the next few years.

Jonas Brothers fans cheer them on, mid 2000s.

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With the rise in popularity of Disney Channel and early social media sites like MySpace, the Jonas Brothers took their "family band" persona and reworked it to fit the digital age. They are a notable case for getting their own tv show AFTER they became famous.

Fans craning their necks to get a glimpse of Justin Bieber in New York City, 2012.

Getty Images / Via wsj.com

Justin Bieber is the first teen idol to have become famous through performing songs on YouTube, reflecting just how ingrained social media has become into making or breaking a pop star. The "famous YouTuber" brand of teen idol has actually found its way into a surprising number of teen idols in recent years.

A fan of Austin Mahone's reaches out to him during the "Today Show" in New York, 2013.

The Today Show / Via today.com

Austin Mahone is one of the YouTube teen idols that have come to prominence in the past few years. His most notable claim to fame is being one of Taylor Swift's opening acts on her "Red" world tour in 2012.

Shawn Mendes posing with fans, 2014.

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Shawn Mendes is the most recent example of a solo teen idol in pop music since Justin Bieber (who has since graduated to the "mature adult artist" status that every teen idol struggles to achieve).

Ashton Irwin, drummer for the band 5 Seconds of Summer, poses with a fan at the ARIA Awards in Sydney, Australia, 2014.

Ryan Pierse for Getty Images / Via billboard.com

5 Seconds of Summer are one of the few true rock bands to be considered teen idols in recent years.

One Direction fans enjoy the group's concert in Adelaide, Australia, 2015.

Mark Brake / Via adelaidenow.com.au

One Direction is not only one of the most successful boy bands of all time, their fanbase is one of the most powerful and extensive in pop culture. They have been commended for their rejection of traditional boy band tropes, and the positive influence they have had on their fans.