One can only imagine how many pinch me moments The Spice Girls must have had throughout the years. Twenty-five years ago they had no idea just how big their song ‘Wannabe’ would become when they released it. Look forward to today and the song has become an iconic anthem that is still sung by many no matter the occasion – whether that be on a night out, jamming out to songs in the car or singing in the shower. It is often rare for a cheesy song like ‘Wannabe’ to still be popular decades on; usually music evolves and tastes change making songs irrelevant. So, what exactly did The Spice Girls do differently to make sure that their debut song escaped the pit of one hit wonders?

The Spice Girls were formed in response to a 1993 advert in a trade magazine looking for girls to form a girl band. Hundreds applied but eventually the crème de la crème were chosen and a young Geri Halliwell, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Emma Bunton and Victoria Adams entered the world of stardom. Little did they know that they were about to become one of the most successful girl bands of all time, paving the way for many others to follow their lead; without The Spice Girls’ success in a male dominated industry, it is highly likely that the likes of Girls Aloud, Sugababes, The Saturdays and Little Mix would never have formed. They were able to use the media to their advantage and build up a credible name for themselves – soon enough the whole world would recognise them as Ginger, Scary, Sporty, Baby and Posh Spice – becoming the ultimate feminist icons. The Spice Girls changed the music industry’s perception of women forever… and it all started with ‘Wannabe.’

‘Wannabe’ was the perfect debut song for The Spice Girls; they were able to transform an overused love song into one that prioritised friendships over relationships. The whole song screamed ‘girl power’ from start to finish which was very unusual at the time it was released. Shock horror – a woman is no longer solely singing about pining after a man or suffering from heartbreak. There is actually more to a woman’s life than pleasing a man. This approach to music made the five girls instantly likeable; finally there was music on the radio that girls and women across the world could relate to. To them, the girls were a familiar resemblance of their own real-life friends, each bringing their recognisable and distinct style and personalities to the band. Their energy was like no other, with listeners knowing that the girls had their backs, becoming a platform for female voices to be heard.

‘Wannabe’ was centred around the idea of friendship, a rarity for a chart topping hit. It laid out a woman’s priorities in a relationship which, you may have guessed, was likely to cause quite the stir in an industry that was predominantly controlled by the patriarchy. The song put women’s wishes and needs at centre stage with the girls singing with pride ‘I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want.’ Oh, and if a man did not meet her simple, very reasonable requests then that’s his loss. The girls even made references to their sexual preferences – they had the power to get the lyrics ‘We got Em in the place who likes it in your face/ We got G like MC who likes it on an…’ onto mainstream radio. The song made it very clear that women don’t exist to please men in the bedroom – much to patriarchal disappointment. 

Why the nation still plays ‘Wannabe’ on repeat is no mystery. Those who grew up with the song listen to it as a beautiful piece of upbeat nostalgia whilst the teenagers and young adults of 2021 can relate to the song’s message just as much as their parents did when they were younger. In a generation that focuses on feminism and girl codes, the idea of prioritizing ‘friendship’ over relationships is strongly supported. The song teaches young girls and women to appreciate their own worth which is something that will always be relevant.

Today, The Spice Girls are role models for women all over the world, many of whom were not even born when ‘Wannabe’ was first released. With the iconic outfits, catchy lyrics, important messages and the girls’ fun personality it is no wonder that twenty-five years later, The Spice Girls will continue to go down in history as one of the best bands ever to exist. ‘Zigazig-ah.’

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You Might Also Like: 

An Ode to Girl Bands

Album Review: Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR

Album Review: Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend