Spice girls greatest hits

sadmanbarty

Well-known member
1) Wannabe


a surprising class war subtext to this one.

there’re some homeless blokes in the opening shot contrasted with an expensive car pulling up to the pavement. the car itself looks outdated for the late 90’s, like one of those mr toad cars. it speaks to the antiquated notion of the aristocracy we have in this country (something that rees-mogg exploits; it’s quaint and disarming). mel b gives one of the homeless men a kiss, while baby spice borrows the other one’s hat. she’s seemingly taken it because the spice girls are about to busk on behalf of the homeless people. appropriately given her “posh” monicker, victoria doesn’t even acknowledge the homeless people, instead gravitating towards the luxurious vehicle. the family who step out the car are clearly feel threatened and afraid of the spice girls.

when the family’s contempt for them is made apparent, the spice girls change tact and opt for a proxy terrorist campaign within the heart of the british establishment. this is when the music kicks in. it’s raucous and confrontational. “i tell you what i want!” they exclaim as if terrorists making demands.

but then the verses… a completely different tact. warm synth pads. baby spice’s immersive vocal timbre in stark contrast to borderline shouted-chorus.

this is only a momentary respite from the rage an anarchy they enact within the mansion they’ve broken into. as the video progresses they attack the wealthy, senior religious figures and even a man who looks strikingly similar to rupert murdoch. the video ends with them evading police capture.
 

sadmanbarty

Well-known member
Say You'll Be There


the opening image introduces the theme of futurism that’s present throughout the video. the jazz harmony of the opening chords couples this notion of futurism with black identity, which is only heightened as the g-funk arrangement kicks in. of course the notion that the future-as-blackness was a very apt one in the 90’s, the decade that rock died and white culture stopped innovating.

the desert was the backdrop to a lot of late-90’s pop videos; s-club, madonna and shania twane all having videos set in the desert. in fact, in the latter two and this spice girls video, the songs were to varying extents about dissatisfaction with love; the desert acting as a metaphor for the lack of suitable males. aridity of course being a rather on the nose metaphor given the moisture involved in female arousal (the pornographic wah wah guitar only accentuates the sexual component of the piece).
 

sadmanbarty

Well-known member
2 Become 1



an absolute masterpiece; the blank screen at the beginning almost giving the audience time just to take in the tender grace of what they’re listening to. the reverb on the snare gives a sense scope and scale that much of the aesthetic of the song is based around. the strings are broad and sweeping. evoking every notion of romance you’ve ever encountered; from 18th century classical music to golden age hollywood. those droplet percussion pops are masterful. funky without being mechanical; delicately, tactfully groovy.

‘droplets' are a rather accurate term given the water that reveals itself unto us. in the context of the previous video, all this water is telling. aridity was metaphorical for dissatisfaction is the sardonic last song. now water is abundant in a song that speaks to complete and utter devotion.

wow what an opening. charged along the serene, obsidian-blue water surface like that. only to look up and to see that regal shot of new york (twin towers in tact). the lens curves it somewhat, giving the architectural composition of german expressionist cinema. it’s rendered a fantasy. pathetic fallacy.

visually the songs major themes are already established. we’re at once presented with these larger-than-life entities, but they’re presented so intimately. the grandeur of sensuality.

“candle light and soul forever, a dream of you and me together”. stunning opening line that is. sporty’s bit here is dotted with religious evocation “candle”, “soul”, “believe”. again, love is compared with all our most magnificent constructs; metropolises, religion. in fact love is allows the girls to conquer time itself; remaining still while the world rushes past.

again, this chimes with (or more likely mimics) another of madonna’s contemporaneous hits; utilising the same video effect and religious iconography of ‘ray of light’.

firstly, mel b’s outfit is so cool. “free your mind of doubt of danger… we can achieve it”. again, the scope and aspiration they’re speaking to here. her outspread arms evoking christ.

baby’s delivery here is fucking great. after having all the majesty of the rest of the song her bit allows a little humanity back in. a little wryness. something grounded and earthly. lust to accompany the love. the cheesy flamenco guitar lick, is yet another masterstroke in this context.

“2 become 1”; the pantheist inclination at the heart of this song. the girls themselves portrayed as anthropomorphised new yorks. entities through which the city flows.

“set your spirit free”

now back to the baby spice cheeky bit. if anyone every said “are you as good as i remember baby, get it on, get it on” to me with that exact inflection, i would die a happy man. it’s the best thing anyone’s ever said, delivered perfectly. those orchestral stabs in the background speak to this. like audible erections.

then for this second chorus the strings soar; far higher pitch than in the first chorus.

those cellos on the background. absolutely epic. spartan music. somewhat sinister like an opium den or a harem. with those flickers of other strings cutting across. that feedback. the electric piano. all these apparitional arrangement idea. haunting melodies. the spirits have been set free.
 

CrowleyHead

Well-known member
Mel C was always good at that weird sense of combining the themes of devotion in a pseudo-spiritual sense and romantically. The big eurotrance hit she had perfectly demonstrates that.

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Anyway, keep going Barti
 

pattycakes_

Can turn naughty
Man Wannabe was so exciting to my 13yo brain. First heard it at a sleepover at my cousins neighbours who had their hot Irish cousin staying over. It'll always be associated with her and the bit when we were telling ghost stories and I made her almost jump out of her skin when a story was at its peak and I grabbed her leg and screamed right in her face and the room erupted into laughter for a good 5min after. Felt amazing to be so full of that sleepover energy at that age. The perfect song for such an occasion.
 

pattycakes_

Can turn naughty
Ginger spice was truly awful though.

I cherished the Select magazine that had her pre SGs nudes in it. Big source of teen bones for me ol Geri. She was driving a 70s jag through Notting hill one day and I crossed right in front of her. We checked each other out. This was post SGs when she'd gone all anorexic though :(
 

craner

Beast of Burden
Brilliant work, Barty Spice.

I am looking forward to your eulogy to 'Mama' next. I would've originally put your down as more of an All Saints kind of fella, but then I remembered you were but a babe in a manger at the time.
 

craner

Beast of Burden
We now have various manifestations of Barty: Drill Sargent Bart, Barty Spice, War Criminal Barty, Sadmanb:love:y.
 

firefinga

Well-known member
Jungle/DnB producer Jonny L was part of "True Steppers" who had this UK Charts Hit with Victoria Beckham. Judge for yourself:

 

sadmanbarty

Well-known member

weapons grade tear jerker this one. a music perfectly calibrated to get any mum born in the early 60's sentimental; grainy childhood photos, old home videos, acknowledging she was "misunderstood". reconciliation.

the arrangement evokes a very 70's idea of seriousness and emotionality. singer-songwriter arrangement. bob dylan's 'hurricane', neil young 'harvest', joni mitchell.

that dj scratch is a bit misplaced

the opening verse is infantile, told from a child's perspectives, speaking to childhood concerns. the rhyme scheme compliments this.

the strings very much are there to signal maturity. they come in during the reflective and considered pre-chorus.

the chorus is a very 90's sense of rapture. ecstasy. rave. those happy mondays tambourines and funky drummer snare.

the mild nod to hip hop with the drums, plus those lush synth pads are very reminscent of springsteen's philidelphia; again the girls trying to situate themselves as mature.

emphasis of mother as friend is very potent actually.

love that middle 8. gone full primal scream. gospel vocals, congas. those reverby stabs of vocal motifs over those swathes of backing vocals is gorgeous. seraphic.

as with the previous song religion becomes the central metaphor for love. this time not lyrically, but arrangement-wise.
 

sadmanbarty

Well-known member
Who Do You Think You Are?


tons of 70’s porn wah wah. very much a period piece this. those soul strings. betty davis vocals in the verse. 70’s blaxploitation as an archetype of female empowerment. sex and the city feminism. slagging your way to equality. courtney love (check gerry's crustified princess dress). a man seemingly humiliated at the hands of a dominatrix; left shirtless with the phrase “girl power” scrawled on him in lipstick. gerry biting the chain suggests she was the culprit.

that “who do you think you are bit” is sublime. really dissociative. like when donna summer ascends to anima sublimity.

the instrumental post-chorus has an electric piano motif that pays homage to stevie wonder's “living for the city”. the gestures to funk and soul in this song are an attempt to compare the fight for gender equality with the struggles of the civil rights movement.

a robotic kabuki is depicted in the video. her lifeless rigidity is in stark contrast to the spice girls animated lust for life.

the song is a carnival of defiance against the very notion of female servitude.
 

DLaurent

Well-known member
Fantastic deconstruction.


Great album from a great era. Has everything from Power Ballads to match Toto's I Won't Hold You Back to the George Clinton funk of If You Can't Dance.
 

CrowleyHead

Well-known member
courtney love (check gerry's crustified princess dress)

This reminds me of hearing an older person say people in the US who were older tried to rationalize the success of the Spice Girls by saying how each girl was a commodification of someone who was already an 'alt' celebrity a la Shirley Manson or Kate Moss. A lot of grasping at straws to quantify them as a phenomenon (but given Cowell's involvement hey, maybe that was the game).
 
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