Line #1 Music/Menudo


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/menudo_group_8.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:The 1981 lineup of a RevolvingDoorBand]]
3
4	Menudo was a Puerto Rican BoyBand (1977-1997, 2007-2009) formed in the 1970s that became one of the biggest boy bands in history, being one of the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and leading the way for groups from the U.S. mainland like Music/NewKidsOnTheBlock and Music/BoyzIIMen. Their producer, Edgardo Díaz, required that members leave the band when they turned 16 in order to maintain the band's popularity with young girls (though this rule was removed in 1988), necessitating a rotating lineup over its 22 years that included Music/RickyMartin.
5
6	Menudo released a total of 44 studio albums and 16 compilation albums, and their success during the 1980s led to their appearances on ''Series/SilverSpoons'', ''Series/SesameStreet'', and ''Series/TheLoveBoat'', and the release of two feature films, ''Film/UnaAventuraLlamadaMenudo'' (for which they also recorded the soundtrack) and ''Film/MenudoLaPelicula''. Additionally, they supplied the Season 2 opening theme for Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}'s run of ''WesternAnimation/SpartakusAndTheSunBeneathTheSea''.
7
8	On 2022 Creator/HBOMax released a four-part docuseries titled ''[[Series/MenudoForeverYoung Menudo: Forever Young]]''.
9
10	!! This music group contains examples of:
11	* EightiesHair: Menudo reached its "golden era" in the early 80s, featuring curly perms, teasing, and mucho mousse.
12	* TheBoardGame: Yes, there was a Menudo board game. Just one among the oodles of merchandise plastered with Menudo's name and image.
13	* BoyBand: The TropeMaker and TropeCodifier in Latin America, and one of the [[TropeCodifier Trope Codifiers]] in the U.S.
14	* ChildPopstar: Enforced until 1988, when the rule of expulsion at a certain age was eliminated.
15	* GrowingUpSucks: By way of a kill switch in the members' contracts.
16	* HeightAngst: The subject of "Y yo no bailo" (And I Don't Dance). The narrator invites a girl to dance, unaware that she is much, much taller than him. He is so embarrassed by the height difference that he turns red and spends the rest of the party not dancing.
17	* RevolvingDoorBand: The LogicalExtreme. Due to members being fired when they turned sixteen, grew facial hair, experienced a voice change, or even got too tall, Menudo has had 38 members during its run.
18	* ShoutOut: In the song "Voy a America", the narrator describes his dream of going to the United States, NYC to be specific, and sing that song next to Music/OliviaNewtonJohn.
19	* StageMom: To avoid having to deal with stage parents, founder Edgardo Diaz had the parents of incoming members sign contracts where they essentially signed their parental rights away, giving Edgardo full control. One parent chose to travel with them and act as a {{subverted}} version: instead of pushing his son to work harder, he would interfere with rehearsals, filming, etc. so the boys would have a chance to take meal and rest breaks.
20	* TargetDemographic: At the time of its creation, there were two markets for Spanish-language music: adults and young children. There was nothing out there for preteens and teens. That was the audience Menudo sought.
21	* TeenIdol: At the height of their fame, they were this for millions of teenage girls who bought their merchandise, listened to their records, and attended their concerts.
22	* TranslatedCoverVersion:
23	** Early in their career, Menudo released a Spanish version of Music/{{ABBA}}'s "Chiquitita". A later album consisted of one half of re-recordings of their own songs and one half Spanish covers of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (Music/{{Queen}}), "I Was Made For Loving You" (Music/{{KISS}}), "Can't Stop the Music" (Music/TheVillagePeople), and "Xanadu" (originally performed by Music/OliviaNewtonJohn and Music/ElectricLightOrchestra).
24	** Later on, their first record in English, ''Reaching Out'', consists mainly of covers of their previous songs but translated to English. For example, "Sube a mi motora (Súbete a mi moto)" became "Motorcycle Dreamer"
25	** The album ''Mania'' contained Portuguese covers of songs from their previous four albums. The aforementioned "Súbete a mi moto" became "Suba Em Minha Moto". ''Mania'' sold over one million records in Brazil.

Context Music / Menudo