Wannabe

Lore & Background

The management narrowed the search to five girls: Victoria Adams, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, and Michelle Stephenson. Stephenson was eventually replaced by Emma Bunton. The group, initially named "Touch" and later "Spice", persuaded their managers to set up a showcase at Nomis Studios in London, where producer Richard Stannard attended and was impressed by their energy. "Wannabe" was written in a single 30-minute session, with the group contributing parts of chanting, rapping, and singing that were later cut and pasted together. The song was recorded in less than an hour, with Adams contributing backing vocals via mobile phone. The original mix by Dave Way was rejected by the group, and Mark "Spike" Stent remixed it in six hours.

Reader's Guide

It topped the UK Singles Chart for seven weeks and received a quintuple platinum certification by the British Phonographic Industry. It became the best-selling single by a girl group. The song's lyrics address the value of female friendship over romantic relationships, and its energetic, self-assertive style expresses a confident independence not reliant on a male figure.

Did You Know?

• The song was written in 30 minutes using a cut-and-paste method of recorded sections.
• The original mix by Dave Way was rejected by the group as 'bloody awful'.
• The sound of Mel Brown's footsteps as she ran to the microphone was added to the final recording.