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Many of the best boy bands in music have tried to orchestrate massive comebacks, as many of the most iconic have broken up since their respective peaks, but most have failed to reach the level of fame that made them household names in their heydays – but one of the only exceptions to that near-rule is the Jonas Brothers. Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas rose to fame in the early 2000s via Disney Channel stardom, but despite being actual brothers, went through the seemingly inevitable breakup that so many of their ’90s boy band predecessors went through.
In 2019, the three brothers came back together to release their first studio album in a decade, almost to the day, Happiness Begins. Though they haven’t quite reached the same level of commercial success as they did at their peak, the Jonas Brothers have put out another number one album, with a lead single which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 as well.
This marked as great a comeback as they could possibly have hoped for. There are plenty more hit songs where that came from, dating back to their start in 2006, and these are the ones that define their career.
10
Burnin’ Up
The First Single To Reach The Top Ten
When “Burnin’ Up” was released as the lead single from A Little Bit Longer in 2008, the world practically exploded. At this point in the 2000s, this generation of teenagers and pre-teens hadn’t yet gotten a mega hit from a boy band or a similar artist; hits like “I Want It That Way” and “Bye Bye Bye” came too early, and songs like “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Baby” were still a few years away. Enter “Burnin’ Up,” and the Jonas Brothers’ target audience embraced the hit like a desert welcomes rain.
When “Burnin’ Up” was released as the lead single from A Little Bit Longer in 2008, the world practically exploded.
The song debuted and peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, making it their first song to reach the top ten, and their only song to chart that high until their comeback in 2019. The song is not only one of their catchiest hits, it is also one of their most diverse, featuring a rap verse from rapper Big Rob, which made their fans go nuts. The song opens with a subtle guitar riff, capped off by a sound effect resembling a tea kettle going off, and it’s all uphill from there.
9
Year 3000
Surprisingly A Cover
“Year 3000” is often credited as the song that got the Jonas Brothers recognized. What many fans at the time didn’t know (and possibly still don’t!), is that this song was a cover of the UK band, Busted. The Jonas Brothers made a few changes to Busted’s lyrics to make the song appeal more to their younger audience, and then released it as the second single on their debut album, and re-released it as the lead single on their self-titled second album.
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The Jonas Brothers were certainly the ones to popularize the funky guitar and upbeat anthem about the future, but Busted didn’t seem to mind. They welcomed the Jonas Brothers’ success, and the two bands actually performed the song together in 2019. “Year 3000” debuted at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the Jonas Brothers, and climbed just a bit to peak at number 31, but regardless of its low national chart performance relative to some of their other singles, their fans could have sang this song in their sleep.
8
S.O.S.
A Testament To Their Talent From A Young Age
The song “S.O.S.” was extra special to Nick, who wrote the song himself in a hotel room at just 13 years old. On the 15-year anniversary of the song, he posted a TikTok (Nick Jonas) where he explained, “It wasn’t until we got into the studio with John Fields, our producer, that we were thinking ‘it needs to be more memorable right off the top’ so that guitar line was born.”
The song “S.O.S.” was extra special to Nick, who wrote the song himself in a hotel room at just 13 years old.
The guitar line he is referring to is one of the most iconic riffs of the band’s career, and it’s worth mentioning that even if Nick didn’t write the guitar line, he did come up with some pretty impressive lyrics for a kid of just 13. Granted, there are some endearing moments in the lyrics that were clearly written by someone so young. For example, “Next time I see you / I’m giving you a high five / ‘Cause hugs are overrated, just FYI.” In contrast, though, the lyrics to the chorus sound much more mature:
I gave my all for you
Now my heart’s in two
And I can’t find the other half
It’s like I’m walking on broken glass
Better believe I bled
It’s a call I’ll never get
The song debuted at number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100, but within one week, it skyrocketed to number 17, making this the Jonas Brothers’ first top 20 hit. It was made all the more special by the fact that it was written by the youngest brother.
7
Mandy
Their Radio Debut
The lead single from the Jonas Brothers’ debut album, It’s About Time, “Mandy” was the first Jonas Brothers song to play on the radio, too. I remember when I first heard this song on Radio Disney, and I only needed to hear it that one time for it to stick in my brain for the next two decades. It stuck out because of its upbeat tempo and the nostalgic high-school lyricism, too; “Mandy” has a vastly different sound than the rest of the Jonas Brothers’ body of work, even on this album alone.
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It’s clear at this point that they had yet to figure out their sound as a band, even with just how different this song was from the rest of their debut album alone. Their lead single had a sort of pop-punk, almost emo sound, from which they pretty much entirely strayed away in their subsequent albums, heading towards a more run-of-the-mill pop rock boy band sound. Even though they never really returned to this sound, “Mandy” remains an absolute classic.
6
Lovebug
A Ballad To Diversify The Portfolio
Up until this point, the Jonas Brothers hadn’t really come out with a concrete ballad. Though many of their songs had the lyrical quality of a ballad, their production was always a bit more poppy, a bit more appealing to the masses, with an upbeat tempo and grittier electric instrumentals. “Lovebug” was quite the opposite of that, with a more acoustic sound and a much slower tempo for most of the song, until the refrain hits and there is a dramatic shift into a wailing guitar solo, which is reminiscent of many of the greatest rock ballads of all time.
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The music video for “Lovebug” premiered on Disney Channel, furthering the Disney marketing which helped the Jonas Brothers become the pure sensation that they were at the time. The music video is fairly cinematic, evocative of an old-timey ’30s and ’40s romance, a trope which has been popularized in a number of films over the decades. The second single on their third album, A Little Bit Longer, “Lovebug” is as beautiful a ballad as any boy band has released, and the emotion in their vocals is clear as day.
5
A Little Bit Longer
The Most Personal Song Of Their Career Thus Far
Another song that Nick wrote, the title track of the Jonas Brothers’ third studio album was one that had their fans in tears. Nick wrote this track about his struggles with type 1 diabetes, which, to a fanbase of mostly teenage girls, resonated deeply with their love and care of the brothers. In an interview with MTV News, Nick said, “I had a day when my sugar was out of range, and I sat down at the piano and wrote it in 20 minutes.”
The emotion just oozes out of his vocals in this song, as he sings about a life-altering diagnosis as a teenager:
But you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone
And you don’t know what it’s like to feel so low
And every time you smile, you laugh, you glow
You don’t even know, no, no
You don’t even know
With the support of his brothers performing this track by his side, it was “A Little Bit Longer” that helped the band to connect with their fans on a deeper level. No longer were they just a boy band, singing about love and lust, and just being kids. This piano-driven slow song, which Nick referred to as his ‘life song’ in that same interview, struck quite a chord in the hearts of their fans, and their fans’ parents, as well.
4
Sucker
The First Hit Of The New Era
When the Jonas Brothers announced they were getting the band back together, and released “Sucker” just one day later, the same inferno that overtook their fans when “Burnin’ Up” was released was instantly reignited. The song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming not only their first hit in over a decade, but their first number one hit ever, too. “Sucker” is easy to love, and easier to get stuck in your head, but that is exactly why it was the perfect track to relaunch the Jonas Brothers’ career after a nearly ten-year hiatus.
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In its production, “Sucker” sounds more akin to the solo work that Nick and Joe had both put out in the years since the Jonas Brothers’ last album. Where much of their earlier work had a typical boy band edge, even if slight at times, this song has the production of a typical pop song. It just sounds more modern and more produced than the singles of their early days, but perhaps that evolution is what enabled their reunion’s success when so many other boy bands flopped in their attempted comebacks.
3
Hold On
The Lead Single On Their Breakout Self-Titled Album
After the buzz surrounding It’s About Time, the Jonas Brothers knew they had to respond with a heavy hitter as the lead single on their second album, and “Hold On” was exactly that. The lyrics of “Hold On” are uplifting, positive, and a great teaser for what would become the album that launched them into stardom. In an interview with J-14, Kevin said of the track, “This was the first single off the record, and I think it was the first song that really captured the transition from the first album to this one.”
This song is the true embodiment of the sound and musical identity that the Jonas Brothers eventually cultivated for themselves, with the upbeat guitar-driven background, and the vocals as well. Joe’s distinct, borderline whiny sound on vocals drives the first verse, starting the track out with a bang. Nick and Kevin’s softer harmonies compliment Joe flawlessly. It’s no wonder this was the song they chose to introduce their second album, and the fact that they were starting to find their sound.
2
Leave Before You Love Me
Another New Era Hit
In 2023, the Jonas Brothers released the single collaboration “Leave Before You Love Me” with Marshmello, proving that “Sucker” wasn’t just a one-time thing; they were still able to pound out multiple hits just like they were back in the early 2000s. The chorus is catchy, just like most of their biggest hits, and peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100, proving that they still have what it takes, even fifteen years later.
“Leave Before You Love Me” boasts a different sound than really any other Jonas Brother hit. With a steady drum beat in the background, this song sounds much more manufactured and produced than much of the music they released prior. In place of traditional instruments, there is quite a bit of looping and computer production, synthesizers and just a more electronic sound overall. It has a slower tempo, however, and feels like a perfect cross between a ballad and a modern-techno pop song.
1
Play My Music
The Greatest Jam Of The Camp Rock Summer
Part of what made the Jonas Brothers so unique in their stardom was that they were the golden boys of Disney, which meant they had a whole film franchise at their back in addition to their own discography. Second only to High School Musical, Camp Rock was the Disney feature film series, where the Jonas Brothers starred as “Connect 3,” a fictionalized version of themselves. “Play My Music” is the one Jonas Brothers song to feature all three brothers on the Camp Rock soundtrack, and it was certainly among the biggest hits on a fully loaded soundtrack.
Part of what made the Jonas Brothers so unique in their stardom was that they were the golden boys of Disney.
“Play My Music” peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and one can’t help but wonder if the Jonas Brothers would have released it on one of their own albums in addition to the soundtrack, it might have climbed a bit higher. Similar to “Hold On,” this song exemplifies the sound and identity that the Jonas Brothers had finally found for themselves, and without it, neither Camp Rock nor the Jonas Brothers‘ association with Disney would be as iconic as they are today.
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