It was the summer of 1996 and a new girl band was ready to make their impact on the world of pop music with a really infectious song called ‘Wannabe’. Twenty years on here’s a list of Love London Love Culture’s favourite tracks to have been released by the group….
1. Stop – packed full of the energy that we came to love and appreciate about the band, this song also came up with some cool dance moves (or not depending on what you think now) that are still being used in clubs today. Filled with sass and attitude, this is a song that was guaranteed to get all girls dancing!
2. Wannabe – the song from which it all began for this girl group. Each member with their different personalities and attitude were a refreshing breath of fresh air, fitting in automatically with the vibe of the 90’s and very soon ‘girl power’ was something that we were all talking about. Ok to some people the attention they were getting was a bit over the top – but there is no doubting that they helped reinvent the idea of a girl band and this song was the first stepping stone for it.
3. Spice Up Your Life – still plenty of energy, but this time with a more latin vibe to it ‘Spice Up Your Life’ has plenty of different rhythms and sounds within it to make it a fascinating tune to listen to. While for the majority of the time the band stuck with a traditional pop sound, there were moments such as this when they took a slightly different route.
4. Viva Forever – when they did take things down a pace, songs like ‘Viva Forever’ become particularly poignant as they were a band about having as much fun as possible – without taking themselves too seriously. But this song shows a softer and more thoughtful side to the group that wasn’t shown too often.
5. Say You’ll Be There – another early track to complete the list, but this song and video certainly ramped up the attitude and spirit of the band to another level. Another iconic song that is still guaranteed to get people up and dancing, with its sharp lyrics and catchy chorus it is another song that contributed to the legacy of the Spice Girls.