Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll

Arthur, It's Only Rock 'n' Roll is a hour-long episode of Arthur that aired on September 1, 2002. It was written by Kathy Waugh.

Summary
The kids start their own band based upon The Backstreet Boys and it becomes a big hit in Elwood City. They perform at a concert, and the Backstreet Boys come and perform with them.

Plot
After watching a music video of the Backstreet Boys, Francine tells Muffy that they are sellouts, and decides to start her own band. After auditioning 14 people, the only good musician she could find is Mrs. MacGrady, who plays the keyboard. Mrs. MacGrady encourages Francine not to give up and suggests to her to find another way to get musicians. So, Francine went to find Binky, who is a good clarinet player and asked him to be in her band and he said yes, and she asked Binky if he knew anyone who could play the guitar, and he found Molly, who was working on her bike, and when she heard she'd get what she wanted for snacks, she agreed to be in her band as well. Arthur and Buster (who were rejected by Francine earlier), decide to start their own band, We-Stink. During their first practice, it was found out that Francine can't sing and play the drums at the same time, so they asked Fern to do the vocal part of the song. The next day at school, Principal Haney asked Francine if she and her band could play the PTA fundraiser, and she said yes, though they didn't have a name yet. During practice, a man in the apartment building next door criticizes them, which inspires Francine to call the band U Stink. After the concert, U Stink becomes wildly popular throughout Elwood City, and Francine gets an interview with a local news channel in Elwood City, and she said that she refused to play the annual book sale at the library, saying that the fame is getting out of hand and that Fern didn't ask her. Fern said that it isn't selling out to be popular, and this leads Francine to quit the band, and they replace Francine with a drum machine. Meanwhile, Arthur and Buster's band practice doesn't go well, and U Stink is having trouble writing new songs without Francine, but then Muffy calls and offers to be their manager, which Fern accepts. When Fern and Francine fight, Mrs. MacGrady suggests to Fern that she should try to get Francine back, and then Muffy has the group shoot a music video, and that doesn't do so well. U Stink plays a gig at D.W.'s Preschool and that doesn't do so well either. Meanwhile, Arthur asks Francine to join their band, and she said yes. Meanwhile, Muffy doesn't hear back from the Backstreet Boys, and she decides to go to their concert and winds up meeting Nick from the Backstreet Boys. Unfortunately, as U Stink is performing live for its first big gig, Fern isn't doing so well singing, but when the Backstreet Boys appear and start singing, Fern regains her confidence, and the concert turns out well for all the fans in attendance. Unfortunately, the members of U Stink decide to quit (except for Fern and Francine), but they only will reunite for PTA fundraisers.

Trivia

 * This episode rarely airs anymore.
 * D.W. dismisses Crazy Bus entirely. This is a reference to Joe "Toolbox" Fallon leaving the show. She says "Crazy Bus is for Babies! I know a MILLION better songs!"
 * In the credits, the Backstreet Boys's song "Larger Than Life" is listed, even though the song doesn't appear in the episode.
 * There are two Beatles refrences in this episode:
 * 1) When Francine, Binky, and Fern are being chased by a group of preschoolers, the scene resembles the Beatles' film, "A Hard Day's Night".
 * 2) A news reporter refered to U Stink as "the Fab Foursome" in this episode. The Beatles are often called "the Fab Four".
 * It is unknown how the Backstreet Boys heard of U Stink's song and was able to memorize it so quickly. One possibility is that they saw the music video Muffy sent them, but this could be unlikely, since they probably get a lot of fan mail.
 * U Stink is never refered to in the series again, until the episode Breezy Listening Blues, where "Nothing But the Music" is heard when Francine plays it in the ice cream shop. Arthur and Buster also sing We Stink's song at one point.