The Rise & Fall of MTV’s TRL (from Korn to Britney Spears)

The rise & fall of TRL (Total Request Live) on MTV! I look at the history of TRL: Carson Daly, the rise of boybands like N'Sync and Backstreet Boys, pop artists like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, rock artists like Blink-182, Korn, Sum-41, Simple Plan, and Good Charlotte and the decline of TRL (Total Request Live) on MTV.
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0:00 Intro
2:16 The beginning of Total Request Live
9:13 Rock & metal on TRL
12:31 The decline of TRL
14:13 TRL's legacy & impact

[xXMachineGunPhillyXx]

Carson Daly really got to meet the *entire music world* in the late 90’s and early 00’s.

Lucky man.

[shortlivedglory]

My friends and I used to rush home to my place after school every day to see if our favorite bands had climbed to the top. We almost never missed it for years. Many people don't realize what a cultural phenomenon it was.

[alexarenas]

Aaliyah’s death was a pop culture shock, I remember the video tribute MTV put together for her on TRL.
The plane crash footage is still heartbreaking to look at. Crazy how this video shows this but not the footage of Aaliyah bringing her pet snake, “Boots” on the show. Aaliyah was dope!

[blacktide]

TRL was a big show for me in 1998/ 1999/2000 . I was super young, and was into a lot of pop music at the time. I didn’t discover rock until way later. But TRL was a show that I always had to watch after school.

[NFTProductions]

I loved tuning in to TRL to see Britney Spears and NSYNC every day after school. What a time!

[karlstrauss]

TRL was truly a cultural tour de force in the late 90s and early 00s. I’ve never experienced anything like it before or since.

[KrystleLovesHorror]

I was 13 in 1998, so TRL was like a daily ritual for me. 😆 I think Carson made that show … he was always so nice and respectful to every guest on there, and he seemed to know his stuff. TRL was a huge influence for me to branch out from Pop music to rock, which introduced me to Korn … still my fave rock band. ❤ Man, if you weren’t around at that time, I don’t think you can really grasp just how influential TRL was back then!

[BKLYN_TZU]

TRL is definitely one of those moments in time i remember coming from work and seeing all those kids in Times Square standing in front of MTV packed in one area by the NYPD across the street watching them and despite the show having such large crowds the kids were respectful of each other and peaceful.

[GreatValueSuperstar]

I personally think why TRL then worked so well, while its reboots today fail, is a sense of a genuine feeling and connection with the artists. No matter how big they were, they all seemed a little bit humble to some degree and relatable. It's probably just me getting old, but I don't get that same feeling today with most artists on the scene.

[Bluejayapothecary]

I’ll always remember when Tom Green’s Bum Bum Song defied the odds and became number one on TRL

[T.Maximus]

1998, I was 10 and got sucked into TRL via korn, got the life.🤘

[WC_Beer_Reviews]

2 videos in a row showcasing probably the single greatest era in pop culture. It was so awesome being a late teen during this time! 🤙

[Kate]

Carson Daly is the Dick Clark for Millennials. I remember when Korn first hit number 1 on the countdown, and I felt so vindicated taking it away from the pop acts. I felt like my music was finally important too. TRL was so diverse. All different music types. I can not think of any other show in the last 15 years that was like that.

[Carlos-msyx]

This video really brought me back to the days. I loved TRL. That’s how I discovered Korn, Limp Bizkit and Deftones.
I’m 37 and Deftones is still my favorite band and it all started with TRL.
Phenomenal video

[xRamZx]

I'll never forget walking thru times square with my dad, looking up at the window and seeing Aaliyah waving to the crowd, not long before we all lost her.

[fearlvrattata]

17:08 - Really nailed this part. This is a sentiment I've been having about shows recently. Maybe I'm getting older, but it feels like there hasn't been one show that EVERYONE seems to be watching as a culture. I think Game of Thrones was the last show that I can think of with that giant appeal.

[ponderosabones]

TRL was truly a huge factor in my taste in music. I like 12 years old, watching it with my big sister who watched it for all the big pop acts. I very quickly got into pop punk and nu metal after that.

[mrflipperinvader]

Pop acts and nu metal sharing the spotlight on tv and the charts, that shows you how diverse and how much of a melting pot popular music was in the late 90s

EDIT: I believe the peak moment was Fred Durst and Christina Aguilera on stage at the VMAS together

[DPTH]

I would love to see you do a similar deep dive on Fuse TV specifically Steven's Untitled Rock Show, and the way they helped shine a light on alternative subculture music of the mid-2000's (Emo, pop-punk, metalcore, warped tour, and etc.). Fuse TV kind of picked up what MTV dropped off, when MTV started to pivot heavily into reality TV.

[vacantalleyways]

Absolutely loved rushing home every day and putting on TRL. It was such a crazy moment in pop culture. I would love to see an in depth doc done about this show at some point!