The Spice Girls have announced that they are reuniting for a world tour and a greatest hits album. Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell held a press conference at the 02 Arena in east London to unveil their comeback plans. The pop five-piece will begin their tour in Los Angeles in December, before going on to perform in Las Vegas, New York, London, Koln, Madrid, Beijing, Hong Kong, Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires.
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Previously Released Singles & Albums
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'Wannabe'
First up for the girls back in 1996 was classic tune 'Wannabe', an incredibly popular song still playing at clubs. With an irreverent video that made you laugh and a Girl Power message that surpassed anything anyone had heard from the music industry beore, this bouncy song empowered women and girls of the '90s and shot the five-piece to stardom quicker than anything. Number one in almost two dozen countries, 'Wannabe' is a tune still relevant today for young women, but its light tone ensures it doesn't become mired in the feminist agenda too much.
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'Say You'll Be There'
Next to be released was 'Say You'll Be There'. Moving away from the neon clothing of the 'Wannabe' video, this track showed the girls in sexual mode, dressed up to the nines in leather and PVC clothing (me...ow), standing in a desert and roleplaying powerful female Bond roles. More than anything else though, their sexuality was on show as they high-kicked their way through the plaintive yet blasting pop tune, the lyrics emphasising the girls' maturity while discussing the issue of relationship honesty and fidelity - this was a song designed to appeal to both the kids and the guys.
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'2 Become 1'
Certainly one of the most memorable tracks the Spice Girls ever released, '2 Become 1' hit a generation of teenagers with its message about sex, continuing the theme established in 'Say You'll Be There', but slowing the pace down and being rather more explicit than before - "I need some love/Like I never needed love before/Wanna make love to ya, baby". Gorgeously chilled out, simply yet perfectly lyricised, '2 Become 1' was the final song for the Spice Girls that sold over a million copies. However, it has, like 'Wannabe', lasted the test of the time, and for those around at the time, the lyrics are still pretty easy to recall.
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'Who Do You Think You Are'/'Mama'
This double A-side release showcased both sides of the Spice Girls, as shown by previous single releases 'Say You'll Be There' and '2 Become 1' - both their soft and hard sides. 'Who Do You Think You Are' is a typically energetic romp of a Spice tune, a song that caught the public's imagination while lacking any true substance - the perfect pop song, some might say. Meanwhile, the ballad 'Mama' features all the Spice Girls' mothers in the video, and is essentially a paean to the love each girl felt for her mother and their relationship. Lush harmonies and a sweet sensibility on 'Mama' and poppy, aurally pleasing slides from chorus to verse on its joint A-side ensured that although 'Mama' and 'Say You'll Be There' didn't sell as much as the group's previous releases, both are still incredibly memorable singles.
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'Spice Up Your Life'
A very popular Spice song, 'Spice Up Your Life' is an extremely liberating tune. This brazen samba-esque pop song has a Brazilian tinge to it that means you may not stop dancing for quite a while after you first re-listen to this tune. Despite sporting a video that, according to Mel B, the band were not particularly pleased about, and being released around the time of Elton John's tribute to Lady Diana, the song still topped the charts in many a country, not least the UK. Another classic from the girls, the song attempts to draw everyone in by referencing various races throughout.
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'Too Much'
The second single to be released from the SpiceWorld album, 'Too Much' went to number one in the UK upon release, but it, along with the girls' second album, proved to be much less successful than the group's early hits. Although in itself it still proves to be a standalone, fantastically catchy ballad, the immediacy of songs like '2 Become 1' simply isn't quite as present on 'Too Much', which featured at the opening of the band's film, of the same name as the album.
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'Stop'
Sadly for the Spice Girls, this marked the beginning of the end for the Girls, at least in relation to their chart positions. The first single that didn't make number one on release, only hitting the number two slot, 'Stop' nevertheless spawned a dance that can still be replicated (if only partially) to this day by drunken dancefloor enthusiasts. Although the lyrics weren't exactly complex, as with other Spice Girls tunes, the melody was catchy, pleasurable and upbeat to the extreme.
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'Viva Forever'
Released in 1998, the melancholy of 'Viva Forever', combined with an extremely freaky video, was extremely critically successful and hit number one. The story, which shows two children running around in the woods, one of whom is disapparated, as it were, by the fairies after climbing into a giant rubik's cube, leaving the boy alone with a toy-sized version of the rubik's cube. Essentially, the boy has lost his friend, but will always retain her - but not in a physical way. Perhaps this was meant to be a guarded reference to Geri's forthcoming departure from the group, and certainly the song was a huge departure from the chirpy pop of 'Stop', something next release 'Goodbye' would only build on.
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'Goodbye'
The penultimate single ever released by the Spice Girls, and the first to be sung without Geri Halliwell, who had left the group to pursue a solo career by this point, 'Goodbye' was the eighth number one hit for the depleted girl group. Soft-focus and squeezing every ounce of emotion out of the situation with Geri, 'Goodbye' is a song you put on, like Bridget Jones, when you want to revel in your own misery. Beautiful in its own right, but not exactly happy-clappy.
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'Holler'/'Let Love Lead The Way'
Finally, double A-side 'Holler'/'Let Love Lead The Way'. The final release for the girls, and a departure from the pure pop they so favoured on all previous releases, 'Holler' had far more of an R'n'B feel to it, thanks mostly to the influence of producer Darkchild. Not as memorable or as enjoyable as much of their previous output, it still managed number one - allowing the girls to go out on a high. 'Let Love Lead The Way' was more reminiscent of tunes like '2 Become 1' and 'Goodbye', and is said to pay official tribute to the departure of Geri from the group, but still doesn't quite sound up to par with their previous releases.
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'Spice'
- Track listing -
"Wannabe"
"Say You'll Be There"
"2 Become 1"
"Love Thing"
"Last Time Lover"
"Mama"
"Who Do You Think You Are"
"Something Kinda Funny"
"Naked"
"If U Can't Dance"
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'Spiceworld'
- Track listing -
"Spice Up Your Life"
"Stop"
"Too Much"
"Saturday Night Divas"
"Never Give up on the Good Times"
"Move Over"
"Do It"
"Denying"
"Viva Forever"
"The Lady Is A Vamp"
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'Forever'
- Track listing -
"Holler"
"Tell Me Why"
"Let Love Lead the Way"
"Right Back At Ya"
"Get Down With Me"
"Wasting My Time"
"Weekend Love"
"Time Goes By"
"If You Wanna Have Some Fun"
"Oxygen"
"Goodbye"
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The Spice Girls were a phenomenon the world has never seen repeated. Amazingly successful, their music inspired a generation of women, kept us all dancing and shot them to instant success, even if they have since failed to make much of a mark with their solo careers. Their music was fresh, different to anything we'd heard before, and, most importantly, can still be sung willy-nilly a decade on from their inception. Now that's the mark of a good girl group. Hai-Si-Ya Hold Tight!
