MTB Episode 10

The episode begins with Dan and Jacob sitting in a studio singing a song called “I Believe” and Dan saying they need to finish it. He thinks they will be able to get some of their songs on the next album easily. In the next scene, Clive Davis is telling the boys they have to be self-critical and that it’s not easy to write a hit song. In London, England, Mike Morin shows the boys Shirley Halperin’s finished article, entitled “O-Town – More Than A Boyband”, which indicates they have a passion for song-writing and a determination to get their own songs on the next album but withholds judgement on their abilities pending the album release. Ashley teases Jacob that Shirley was kind to them only because Jacob had been nicer than usual during the interview. “I wasn’t that nice,” Jacob disagrees.

On stage in London, the boys perform Dan and Jacob’s rock-oriented “American Game” for the first time. The crowd loves the song and Jacob enthuses about the reaction to it backstage, although they had worried about how it was going to come across. Jacob wishes Clive Davis could have seen the crowd’s reaction and points out that “it’s not the same listening to a song like this sitting behind a desk.” He says their last album was all love songs but after the first verse of American Game, the crowd was clapping and singing the words back to them and that they haven’t ever gotten that kind of reaction to the songs on their first album. Jacob wonders: “how can this song not be on the record?”

Erik observes they need to get out of the writing process and into the studio, so they can show Clive something tangible. Shots of Dan and Jacob recording “American Game” are shown. Jacob says, “This group is definitely trying to make the transition and show people we can write and produce and play music and show people that we’re artists.” Mike Morin asks the boys about their songwriting and Dan indicates they’re close to being finished. Mike tells them they’ve got a meeting with Clive Davis coming up very soon. Jacob says: “we have more songs than we have time to record.” Mike tells them their material has to rock or it might be their last meeting with Clive. Ashley says he’ll be happy if they are represented on a portion of the album. Mike tells them that right now they are considered a one-hit wonder on the strength of All Or Nothing and that the sophomore (second album) slump curse is a very real concern. The boys get some advice from Rich Cronin and improvise a song with him, which turns out to be “A Girl Like That.” They present their songs to Clive Davis (Yes or No, American Game, By Your Side, and A Girl Like That). The only one Clive reacts positively to is A Girl Like That. Dan tells the camera he thinks Clive respects them more after hearing their songs. Erik says they’ve allowed him to see that “we’re not only performers and 5 lucky guys picked off the street to be in this band – we’re songwriters and we’re artists. It was a victory for O-Town.”

Memorable Quotes:
Dan (talking to Clive Davis about “Yes or No”): You might want to bang your head to it.
Jacob: One band’s miss is another band’s hit.