girls

After releasing their debut single, "Wannabe", in 1996, the group went on to become a major pop phenomenon.

Selling in excess of 53 million records^[1], they are one of the biggest selling female groups of all time. They released three studio albums and ten singles and starred in the film Spiceworld: The Movie, which grossed $75 million (US) globally at the box office.^[2]

History

Beginning

In March 1994 advertisements were placed in The Stage newspaper asking: "R U 18-23 with the ability to sing/dance? R U streetwise, ambitious, outgoing and determined?".^[3] Hundreds of girls responded to the ads. The applicants were whittled down to a final five which consisted of Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, Melanie Brown, Victoria Adams and Michelle Stephenson, who combined to form an all female group called "Touch." In June, during the group's earliest recording session, Michelle Stephenson was forced to leave due to commitment issues. She was replaced by Abigail Kis and then by Emma Bunton after Bunton's singing tutor had recommended her to the other girls. From this point up to March 1995 the girls lived together in a small house in Maidenhead where they worked on demos and practiced dance routines. After a successful showcase performance for music critics and producers in October, the group decided to fire their original management, who they cited as controlling and too domineering.^[3] That same day, the girls tracked down Sheffield-based producer Eliot Kennedy and persuaded him to work with the group (by then renamed Spice Girls) over the course of the next year.

In October 1994, armed with a catalogue of demos and dance routines, the group began touring management agencies. The group was introduced to record producers Absolute, who in turn brought them to the attention of Simon Fuller of 19 Management. The girls began a relationship with Fuller and finally signed with him in March 1995.^[3] During the summer of that year the group toured record labels in London and Los Angeles and finally signed a deal with Virgin Records in September 1995. From this point up to the summer of 1996, the Spice Girls continued to write and record tracks for their debut album while extensively touring the west coast of America, where they had signed a publishing deal with Windswept Pacific.^[3]. Their first ever performance was on GM:TV on June 28th, 1996 with "Wannabe".

Spice

On July 8, 1996, the Spice Girls released their debut single "Wannabe" (audio sample (help·info)) in the United Kingdom. In the weeks leading up to the release, the video for "Wannabe," (directed by Jhoan Camitz and shot in April at St Pancras Station in London), had dominated the music channels. The song entered the charts at number 3 before moving up to number 1 the following week and staying there for 7 weeks. The song proved to be a global hit - hitting number 1 in 31 countries and became not only the biggest selling single by an all female group, but also the biggest selling debut single of all time.^[3] "Wannabe" also proved to be a catalyst in helping the Spice Girls break the notoriously difficult U.S. market when it debuted on the Hot 100 Chart at number 11. At the time, this was the highest ever debut by a British (or non-American) act in the US, beating the record previously held by The Beatles for "I Want To Hold Your Hand" at number 12.^[3]

In November 1996, the Spice Girls released their debut album, Spice in Europe. The success was unprecedented and drew comparisons to Beatlemania (it was dubbed "Spicemania") due to the sheer volume of interest in the group.^[4] In just 7 weeks, Spice had sold 1.8 million copies in Britain alone^[5], making the Spice Girls the fastest selling British act since The Beatles. In total, the album sold over 3 million copies in Britain^[5] and peaked at number 1 for 15 non-consecutive weeks. In Europe, the album became the biggest selling album of 1997 and was certified 8x Platinum by the IFPI for sales in excess of 8 million copies^[6]. In the United States, Spice became the biggest selling album of 1997, peaking at number 1 and being certified 7xPlatinum (for sales of over 7 million) by the RIAA.^[7]

Riding a wave of publicity and hype, the group followed the single "Wannabe" up quickly by releasing "Say You'll Be There" (audio sample (help·info)) in October and "2 Become 1" in December. The two tracks continued the group's remarkable sales by topping the charts in over 53 countries and cementing the group's reputation as the biggest pop act on the planet. The last release from 'Spice' was a double A-side of "Mama"/"Who Do You Think You Are", which once again saw them at number one.^[3]

Spiceworld

In November 1997, the Spice Girls released their second studio album, Spiceworld. Preceded by the single "Spice Up Your Life", the album proved to be an instant global best seller. It set a new record for the fastest selling album over two weeks when it shipped 7 million copies. Gaining favourable reviews,^[8] the album went on to sell over 5 million copies in Europe,^[9] Canada,^[10] and the United States^[7] alone. Criticized in America for releasing the album just nine months after their debut there and suffering from over-exposure at home, the Spice Girls began to experience a media backlash. The group were criticized for the amount of sponsorship deals they signed – over 20 in total – and they began to witness diminishing international chart positions. Nevertheless, the Spice Girls remained the biggest selling pop group of both 1997 and 1998. Further singles released from the album included "Too Much", "Stop" and "Viva Forever" – with "Stop" being the only track not to hit number 1 in Britain (the track remains their only single not to go to number 1 in the UK).

In June 1997, the group began filming their movie debut, Spiceworld: The Movie, with Absolutely Fabulous and Fawlty Towers director Bob Spiers. Meant to accompany the album, the comical style and content of the movie was in the same vein as The Beatles' films in the 1960s such as A Hard Day's Night. The light-hearted comedy, intended to capture the spirit of The Spice Girls, starred a plethora of stars including Roger Moore, Elton John, Jennifer Saunders, Richard E. Grant and Meat Loaf. Released in December 1997, Spiceworld: The Movie proved to be a big box office hit taking nearly $30 million in the US, £11 million in Britain, and over $70 million worldwide^[2]. The movie was not as popular with critics however; the movie was nominated for seven awards at the 1999 Golden Raspberry Awards where they "won" the award for "Worst Actress"^[11].

On November 7, 1997 the Spice Girls fired their manager and mentor Simon Fuller. According to their various autobiographies, it was mainly Geri and Melanie B who pushed for Fuller’s dismissal. They cited that he had become too controlling by restricting their personal and artistic freedom, and they accused him of using divide and rule tactics to get his own way. The group quickly found the burden of managing themselves time consuming, so they assigned various responsibilities to each member of the group. They later built their own team, headed by Nancy Phillips, to deal with their affairs.

In early 1998, the Spice Girls embarked upon a sell-out 102 date world tour covering Europe and North America. The Spiceworld Tour kicked off in Dublin, Ireland on February 24, 1998 before moving onto mainland Europe and then returning to Britain for 14 gigs at Wembley Arena and Birmingham’s NEC Arena. It was here that recordings were made for a planned live album, which was confirmed by the group: "We've shown everyone we can do the business on stage, so now we want to do a live album for fans". Despite masters of the recording being made, the idea was eventually dropped. At the end of the European leg of the tour, Geri Halliwell missed the final 2 shows in Oslo, Norway reportedly due to gastroenteritis. However, rumours quickly circulated that Geri had become disenchanted with the group and was planning to leave – and after she also missed a performance of "Viva Forever" on the National Lottery show, rumours began to intensify.

5 Become 4

On May 31, 1998, Geri Halliwell announced her departure from the Spice Girls. Through her solicitor, Julian Turton, she issued the following statement: "Sadly I would like to confirm that I have left the Spice Girls. This is because of differences between us. I'm sure the group will continue to be successful and I wish them all the best... PS, I'll be back."^[12] Halliwell claimed that she was suffering from exhaustion and wanted to take time out. However, rumours persisted that she had fallen out with one of the other girls (reportedly Melanie B). Although this has never been confirmed, the biographies of Victoria Beckham, Geri Halliwell, and Melanie B all hint that this was the case. Geri’s departure from the group shocked fans and became one of the biggest entertainment news stories of the year, making news headlines the world over^[13]. The four remaining girls were adamant though that the group would carry on and that their approaching North American tour would continue as normal.

Geri Halliwell's departure threw most of the group's plans into disarray. It was cited as the reason the planned live album was cancelled. It also meant that most of the material the girls had recorded throughout the first half of 1998 at Dublin's Windmill Lane Studios with long time collaborators Richard Stannard and Matt Rowe was eventually scrapped. A rumoured animated venture by Disney also failed to materialize.

The Spice Girls first release as a foursome was "Viva Forever," the last single taken off Spiceworld. The video for the single was made before Geri's departure and features the girls in animated form – a decision made because there was no time to produce a video due to the heavy world tour schedule. Originally planned as a double A-side with "Never Give Up On The Good Times," the idea was dropped for several reasons, mainly due to time restraints (since there was no time to re-record and edit out Geri's vocals or make a video for the track). Whilst on tour in America the group continued to record new material and they released the new song "Goodbye" at Christmas 1998. Written before her departure, the song was nevertheless seen as a tribute to Geri and when it topped the British chart it became their third consecutive Christmas number one – equalling the record previously set by The Beatles. The song also became one of the most successful songs of the 1990s in Canada, where it stayed at number one for 16 weeks.

Forever

In November 2000 The Spice Girls released their new album, Forever. Sporting a new edgier R&B sound, the album received a lukewarm response^[14] and achieved only a fraction of the success of its two best selling predecessors. In the US it peaked at number thirty-nine on the Billboard 200 albums chart. In UK, the album was released the same week as Westlife’s Coast To Coast album and the chart battle was widely reported by the media. In the end Westlife, who had embarked on a massive promotional tour, outsold The Spice Girls by a margin of three to one to take the top spot. The lead single from the album, the double A-side "Holler" / "Let Love Lead The Way" (audio sample (help·info)), did have some success – it became the group's ninth number one single in UK. However, the song failed to break onto the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart stateside, instead peaking at number seven on the Bubbling Under chart. However, "Holler" did peak at number 31 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play in 2001.

Many credit the low success of the album down to the fact the group did very little promotion in the run up to its worldwide release. The only major performance of the lead single came at the MTV Europe Music Awards in November 2000, and a few TV performances aside, the group did little meaningful promotion. In an attempt to cover more ground, the girls split up and covered different countries separately; for example Victoria and Emma headed to America while Melanie B and C concentrated on Europe.

Further planned single releases off the album never materialised. Promo singles of "Tell Me Why" and "If You Wanna Have Some Fun" came into circulation but to fans' dismay the Forever project was abandoned as the girls each began to concentrate on solo careers. In February 2001, the group announced that despite only coming back in late 2000, they were having a break and going apart for the foreseeable future, concentrating on their solo careers. In the years since their split, the media has speculated endlessly about possible reunions but none have ever come about^[15].

Cultural impact

The British music scene

After being shut out by the Brit Pop revolution that occurred in the early 1990s when bands like Oasis, Pulp and Blur dominated the charts, pop music found a voice again. The image of the Spice Girls was deliberately aimed at young girls, an audience of formidable size and potential; reinforcing the range of appeal within the target demographic were the bandmates' five distinctive personalities, which encouraged fans to identify with one member or another. This marketing was helped in no small way by the aliases assigned to each member of the group. Shortly after Wannabe’s release, the group appeared in "Top Of The Pops" magazine where each member was given a nickname based upon their image: Victoria became "Posh Spice," Emma became "Baby Spice," Melanie B was named "Scary Spice," Geri Halliwell was named "Ginger Spice", and Melanie C became "Sporty Spice." These nicknames quickly caught the imagination of tabloid editors and they stuck with the girls throughout their careers. An early name for Geri Halliwell was "Sexy Spice," but Geri found the name derogatory and persistently insisted that she be referred to as "Ginger Spice."

"Girl Power"

The "Girl Power" slogan was met with varied reactions, positive and negative. The phrase was a label for the particular facet of feminist empowerment embraced by the band: that a sensual, feminine appearance and equality between the sexes need not be mutually exclusive. This concept was by no means original in the pop world; both Madonna and Bananarama had employed similar outlooks. However, the Spice Girls' version was distinctive. Its message of empowerment appealed to young girls, adolescents, and adult women, and it emphasized the importance of strong, loyal friendship among females. In all, the focused, consistent presentation of "girl power" formed the centrepiece of their appeal as a band^[16]. Some critics dismissed it as no more than a shallow marketing tactic, while others took issue with the emphasis on physical appearance, concerned about the potential impact on self-conscious and/or impressionable youngsters. Regardless, the phrase became a cultural phenomenon, adopted as the mantra for millions of girls and even making it into the Oxford English Dictionary^[17]. In summation of the concept, author Ryan Dawson said, "The Spice Girls changed British culture enough for Girl Power to now seem completely unremarkable^[18]."

"Cool Britannia"

The Spice Girls also found themselves at the forefront of a miniature British cultural revolution in the mid-1990s. The term "Cool Britannia" became prominent in the media and represented the new political and social climate that was emerging with the advances made by New Labour and Tony Blair. Coming out of a period of eighteen years of Conservative government, Tony Blair and New Labour were seen as young, cool and very appealing, a main driving force in making Britain look fashionable again. Although by no means responsible for the onset of "Cool Britannia," the arrival of the Spice Girls added to the new image and re-branding of Britain, and underlined the growing world popularity of British, rather than US pop music. This fact was underlined at the Brit Awards in 1997. The group won two awards^[19] but it was Geri Halliwell's iconic union jack dress that dominated media coverage the world over and eventually became the face of "Cool Britannia".

Since the 1990s

The union jack dress Geri wore has become symbolic of the 1990s due its iconic status, and is in the Guinness World Records as the most expensive piece of popstar clothing ever sold at auction. Ironically, it was made on a sewing machine by Geri's sister at the last minute.

Ten years after the release of their debut single, The Spice Girls were voted the biggest cultural icons of the 1990s by 80% in a UK poll of 1,000 people carried out for the board game Trivial Pursuit, stating that "Girl Power" defined the decade^[20]. They had sold in excess of 50 million records worldwide^[1] in the space of two-and-a-half years.

The Girls still have a significant fan following today, in large part internet-based. Those who were among the target age demographic during the Spice heyday are now nostalgic young adults (see also I Love the 90s) and often also keep up on the members' solo careers and other post-Spice fame. As the band's success was worldwide, album track listings and single B-sides vary, so rare mp3s are commonly swapped. The pursuit of memorabilia goes further, with collectors buying and selling items such as t-shirts, posters, and the original fashion dolls on eBay and other sites. The debut album's current sales rank it relatively high on Amazon.com: in August of 2006, it was among the 3000 top-selling music items. [1]

Future?

Since the group's break up, reunion rumours have persisted. The British tabloids and other newspapers have claimed that declining solo careers have forced each of the former Girls to consider reuniting the group. The vast majority of these however have been based on nothing more than rumour and hearsay. Whenever any of the members of the group are seen together in public, it is almost certain that reunion stories will appear in the tabloid newspapers soon after. Despite official denials by the five women themselves, tabloid editors continue to fill column inches with stories about a comeback.

The closest the group has come to reuniting on stage came in July 2005 at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London. The group were widely rumoured to be performing at the show, and organiser Bob Geldof confirmed at a press conference on May 31, 2005 that he had been in contact with all of them. However, the group did not perform due to Melanie Brown's commitments in Los Angeles.

Rumours have persisted of a greatest hits release and possible tour in 2006 to mark the 10th year anniversary of the group's debut album, Spice. The original tour rumours suggested that it would take place in July, which never happened. Melanie B appeared to confirm a greatest hits album in interviews in 2005, however the claims have been denied by other members of the group.^[21]

Further scorn on these rumours came in February 2006 from David Sinclair, author of Wannabe: How the Spice Girls Reinvented Pop Fame. Sinclair claims to have close contact with their record label and people affiliated with the group and he states that no plans for either a reunion or greatest hits collection are in the pipelines at the moment. However, Geri Halliwell seemed to hint at possible plans in a March 2006 interview with Hello Magazine when she told fans to "watch this spice"; indeed, the reunion rumours are often propagated, online or by word-of-mouth, by over-eager hopefuls among the current fan following. Whatever the situation, their general consensus is that something will happen to commemorate the Spice Girls' tenth anniversary – whether it is a one–off gig, greatest hits album release or possibly even a tour.

Discography

For detailed information relating to Spice Girls' releases, please see the Spice Girls discography.

Albums

1. Spice (1996/1997)
2. Spice World (1997)
3. Forever (2000)

Singles

1. "Wannabe"
2. "Say You'll Be There"
3. "2 Become 1"
4. "Mama" / "Who Do You Think You Are"
5. "Spice Up Your Life"
6. "Too Much"
7. "Stop"
8. "Viva Forever"
9. "Goodbye"
10. "Holler" / "Let Love Lead The Way"

Career records and achievements

• Total record sales in the region of 55 million. As of February 2000, the Spice Girls had confirmed record sales of 35.1 million albums and 18.2 million singles.^[22] This does not include sales for their third studio album.
• Certified sales of 13 million albums in Europe,^[6] 11 million in the US,^[7] and 2.2 million in Canada.^[10]
• Total of nine number one singles in the UK - tied with ABBA behind The Shadows (twelve), Madonna (twelve), Westlife (thirteen), Cliff Richard (fourteen), The Beatles (seventeen) and Elvis Presley (twenty-one).
• Three consecutive Christmas Number One singles in the UK (a record shared with The Beatles) for: ("2 Become 1," 1996; "Too Much," 1997; "Goodbye," 1998)^[23]
• Wannabe is the biggest selling single by an all female group.^[24]
• First (and only) female act to have their first six singles ("Wannabe", "Say You'll Be There", "2 Become 1", "Who Do You Think You Are", "Mama", "Spice Up Your Life" and "Too Much") make number one on the UK charts. (Their run was broken by "Stop", which peaked at number two in March 1998.)
• The Spice Girls achieved the highest ever annual earnings by an all female group in 1998 with an income of $49 million.^[25]
• Spice is the thirteenth biggest-selling album of all time in the UK with over three million copies sold. It topped the charts for fifteen weeks (non-consecutive), the most by a female group in the UK^[26]
• Highest international debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number five with "Say You'll Be There". (This record still holds to date.)
• Spiceworld shipped seven million copies in just two weeks, including 1.4million in Britain alone - the largest ever shipment of an album over fourteen days^[27].
• Spiceworld: The Movie broke the record for the highest ever weekend debut for Super Bowl Weekend (January 25, 1998) in the US, with box office sales of $10,527,222. This record has since been beaten by The Butterfly Effect in 2004^[28].
• Spiceworld: The Movie topped the UK video charts on its first week of release, selling over 55,000 copies on its first day in the shops^[29].
• Received a plethora of awards including four Brit Awards, three American Music Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards and three World Music Awards.
• First all female act to have their first four singles debut at number one in Canada.

See also

• 1996 in British music
• Girl group
• List of artists by total number of UK number one singles
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of best-selling albums worldwide
• List of best-selling music artists
• List of Christmas number one singles
• List of Number 1 albums (UK)
• List of number-one hits (United States)

Notes and references

External links

• Spice Girls at Virgin Records
• Denden Forums - online community