In 2016, a revolutionary album will be celebrating its 20th anniversary, and this summer, one of the singles from this album will be celebrating the same milestone. This song and album are instantly recognizable and no matter where people are, they cannot help but to sing along.
The album, is “Spice,” the debut album of the Spice Girls, which, was released on November 4 in 1996, and the single “Wannabe” was released on July 8 of the same year. The album debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the highest debut for a British female group’s first album, until Little Mix, another UK girl group, surpassed their record by having their album “DNA” at No. 4.
“Spice” eventually moved up to the number one spot and stayed there for seven weeks.
The Spice Girls went under the stage names of Scary Spice (Melanie Brown), Baby Spice (Emma Bunton), Ginger Spice (Geri Halliwell), Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham née Adams) and Sporty Spice (Melanie Chisholm).
Brown, Halliwell, Adams and Chisholm met in 1993 to form the girl group “Touch.” After recording in studios and living in a house together, original member Michelle Stephenson leaves to take care of her ailing mother and is replaced by Bunton.
Later that year, Halliwell thought of the name “Spice” during an aerobics class.
The group continued to sing and rehearse together and in 1995, they were signed to Virgin Records. Since the name “Spice” was already in use by a rapper in the United States, they decided to change the name to “Spice Girls.”
The group continued to work up to the release of their first album. They filmed interviews, music videos and recorded and wrote their songs.
Of course, at the time of the album’s release, I was barely a year old, but once I was old enough to sing along, I made my entrance into the Spice World. This introduction was prompted by the guidance of my generous older cousins.
After the release of their first album, the world was ready to spice up their lives. The Spice Girls gained international attention through their catchy lyrics and their distinctly 90s style. With each member of the group fitting into different fashion categories, members of all cliques were bound to find a Spice Girl they related to.
A year later in 1997, the group released their second album “Spiceworld,” and their own movie of the same name.
Although the film is not a critical success, it is a must see for any Spice Girls fan.
In 1998, Halliwell left the group due to differences between the members and shortly after, the album “Goodbye” is released.
The Spice Girls released their final album “Forever” in 2000. At a performance in London in 2007, the group announced they would be reuniting for a Greatest Hits album and a World Tour.
At the closing ceremony for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the Spice Girls reunited once more for a performance of their songs. Both the opening and closing ceremony celebrated and commemorated musicians from London and the UK, and naturally the Spice Girls were a part of this list.
After the performance, Chisholm was interviewed by the Daily Mail, a UK based news source, and put to rest rumors discussing another reunion tour.
“We have no plans to get together again,” Chisholm said. “We all lead such different lives, and Mel B and Victoria don’t even live in the UK any more.”
As for celebrating their 20th anniversary, Brown recently made a trip to London and spent some time with her former band mates. They have also been discussing the possibility of a reunion tour, but as of now, the only members involved would be Brown, Bunton and Halliwell.
Even if plans for a tour and album fall through, it is heartwarming to see that the former band mates are still friends after 20 years of pop stardom.
While three-fifths of the Spice Girls make their anniversary plans, let’s take a look back to the glory days with the music video for “Wannabe.”
