Bossa nova — Recap + Throwback // — On the Flipside Music

Written by Jessica Klausing

M2M (from left: Marit Larsen and Marion Raven).

M2M defined the bubblegum pop genre in the Y2K era. These young ladies wooed music audiences with their angelic airy vocals and sugary sweet innocent lyrics about teen love and heartbreak.

The Norwegian pop duo comprised of childhood friends Marion Raven and Marit Larsen. Their debut album, Shades of Purple (2000) sold over 1.5 million units worldwide with the single, “Don’t Say You Love Me,” receiving critical and commercial success. Raven and Larsen wrote the lyrics and played instruments on their songs which set them apart from most pop artists.

Unfortunately, their commercial success and squeaky clean imagery were unable to compete with the likes of pop superstars, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. In 2002 M2M released their second album, The Big Room, which comprised of soft rock ballads and a less pop-oriented sound. Despite topping the Australia and Norway music charts, the second album only sold close to 100,000 units in the US. The duo disbanded the year of its release, with each pursuing a solo career.

Below is a top 5 list of the best M2M songs.

1. “Don’t Say You Love Me” from Shades of Purple (2000)

“Don’t Say You Love Me” was M2M’s biggest hit in the US. The song first appeared on Radio Disney before its official release in October 1999. It was released on the Pokemon: The First Movie soundtrack and appears in the film’s closing credits. Lyrically, the song tells of a girl wanting to take things slow rather than rush into a relationship with, “We’re sitting there, you start kissing me, what’s that about?” There is a slight lyric difference in the Pokemon version, having changed the ‘kissing’ lyric to, “You said you love me, what’s that about?" for the younger audiences.

2. “Everything You Do” from Shades of Purple (2000)

“Everything You Do” is an infectious pop earworm. The pitch perfect harmonies interlaced with the hooks make it such a ridiculously good, catchy tune. With the success of “Don’t Say You Love Me” and “Mirror, Mirror,” this song was an underrated track on Shades of Purple. While the lyrics are simple, sound wise it compares to early Britney Spears and B*Witched.

3. “Everything” from The Big Room (2001)

“Everything” was the first single for the second and final album, The Big Room. The song is aimed at Zac Hanson, who Marion Raven dated briefly while M2M was on tour with Hanson. According to Raven, once the tour ended he never contacted her, effectively ending the relationship. The Big Room aimed to show off a more mature, less bubblegum pop-oriented cutesy side of M2M. M2M dubbed their new style as “organic pop,” as the album featured all real instruments as opposed to using computerized sounds.

4. “Mirror, Mirror” from Shades of Purple (2000)

“Mirror, Mirror” was M2M’s second biggest hit in the US. It was the second single off Shades of Purple, reaching 62 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is about sadness following a lost love, and a young girl’s despair after “saying the wrong thing to the right guy.” The song became a hit after airing on Nickelodeon's SNICK House and on an episode of Disney Channel in Concert.

5. “Wait For Me” from The Day You Went Away: The Best of M2M (2003)

M2M did not disband without leaving a wonderful gift behind for their devastated fans: The Day You Went Away: The Best of M2M. The compilation album features all of their singles from their two studio albums, Shades of Purple and The Big Room, some acoustic versions of the songs, enhanced re-releases, and a few new songs. The real treat was the new song “Wait For Me.” The song itself is vastly different from anything on the previous albums. The guitar intro has a bossa nova feel before taking it into a country territory.