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Spice Girls
Background information
Origin Flag of England London, England
Genre(s) Pop, dance, Europop, Eurodance
Years active 1994–2000
2007–present
Label(s) Virgin
Website www.thespicegirls.com
Members
Victoria Beckham
(1994–2000, 2007–present)
Melanie Brown
(1994–2000, 2007–present)
Emma Bunton
(1994–2000, 2007–present)
Melanie Chisholm
(1994–2000, 2007–present)
Geri Halliwell
(1994–1998, 2007–present)
The Spice Girls are a four-time BRIT Award-winning English all-female pop
group, which formed in London in 1994. The Spice Girls signed to Virgin
Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe", in 1996. The song went
on to spend seven weeks at the top of the UK singles chart and helped
establish the group as an "international phenomenon" [1] who went on to
release three studio albums and ten singles, selling in excess of 53 million
records world wide.[2]
The group embraced merchandise and became a regular feature of the British
press. Each member of the group was given an alias by Top of the Pops
Magazine in 1996, aliases which were adopted by the group and media alike.
According to biographer David Sinclair, "Scary, Baby, Ginger, Posh and
Sporty were the most widely recognised group of individuals since John,
Paul, George and Ringo", stating that the group was "a social phenomenon
that changed the course of popular music and popular culture".[3]
They released three studio albums and went their separate ways in 2001 (a
break-up was never formally announced) to focus on their solo careers;
however, on June 28, 2007, they reformed and are now planning a greatest
hits album, plus a tour, The Return of the Spice Girls, which will be in
support of their hits compilation.
Group history
Beginning
In early 1994, father-and-son management team Chris and Bob Herbert set
about creating an all female group that could compete with the onslaught of
boy bands that dominated the pop music scene in the early to mid 1990s: "the
whole teen-band scene at the time was saturated by boy bands. It was all
clones of New Kids on the Block and Take That. That was all a bit of a yawn
for me, and only appealed to female audiences...I felt if you could appeal
to the boys as well, you'd be laughing".[4] In March 1994, Heart Management
– which comprised the Herberts together with financier Chic Murphy – placed
an advertisement in The Stage trade magazine asking "R U 18-23 with the
ability to sing/dance? R U streetwise, ambitious, outgoing and dedicated?"
Hundreds of girls responded and the applicants were whittled down to a final
five that consisted of Victoria Adams, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Geri
Halliwell and Michelle Stephenson. The group was given the name "Touch" and
moved into a house together in Maidenhead (owned by Murphy) where they were
subsidised by Heart Management and each was claiming unemployment benefit.
During the first two months the group worked on demos and dance routines at
the Trinity Studios in Woking. According to Stephenson, the material the
group was given was "very, very young pop" and included the song "We’re
Gonna Make It Happen", a record that never came to light.[5] It soon became
apparent that Stephenson did not have the drive and belief that the rest of
the group had, so the decision was made to fire her from the group. Bob
Herbert stated that "she just wasn't fitting in...she would never have
gelled with it and I had to tell her to go".[6] However, Stephenson stated
it was her decision to leave the group because of the illness of her mother,
who was diagnosed with breast cancer. Victoria later dismissed this claim
saying she "just couldn't be arsed" to put in the work the rest of the group
was doing.[7] The Herberts searched for a replacement and first came across
Abigail Kas, who did not impress, and then were led to eighteen-year-old
Emma Bunton at the suggestion of vocal coach Pepe Lemer. Bunton instantly
impressed the Herberts and was invited to meet the group in July 1994, who
welcomed her with open arms: "Straight away I knew she was the one", stated
Halliwell.[8]
After Bunton joined the girls there was growing discontent amongst the group
with the management team. The group felt insecure about the lack of a
contract and were frustrated by the direction in which Heart Management was
steering them. They persuaded Bob Herbert to set up a showcase performance
for the group in front of industry writers, producers and A&R men in
December 1994 at the Momis Studios in Shepherds Bush where they received an
"overwhelmingly positive" reaction.[9] Due to the large interest in the
group, the Herberts quickly set about creating a binding contract for the
group. Encouraged by the reaction they had received at the Momis showcase
the five girls delayed signing contracts on the legal advice from, amongst
others, Victoria's father Tony Adams. In March 1995, because of the group's
frustration at their management's unwillingness to listen to their visions
and ideas, they parted from Heart Management. In what biographer David
Sinclair calls an "incredibly self-serving and underhand" ploy, the group
stole the master recordings of their discography from the management offices
in order to ensure they kept control of their own work.[10] That same day
the girls tracked down Sheffield-based producer Eliot Kennedy, who had been
present at the showcase, and persuaded him to work with the group.
In October 1994, armed with a catalogue of demos and dance routines, the
group began touring management agencies. The group was introduced to record
producers Absolute, who in turn brought them to the attention of Simon
Fuller of 19 Management. The girls began a relationship with Fuller and
finally signed with him in March 1995.[11] During the summer of that year
the group toured record labels in London and Los Angeles and finally signed
a deal with Virgin Records in September 1995. From this point up to the
summer of 1996 the girls continued to write and record tracks for their
debut album while extensively touring the west coast of America, where they
had signed a publishing deal with Windswept Pacific.[11]
Spice
On July 8, 1996 the Spice Girls released their debut single "Wannabe" in the
United Kingdom. In the weeks leading up to the release, the video for
"Wannabe", (directed by Johan Camitz and shot in April at St Pancras
Chambers in London), had dominated the music channels. In July 1996 the
group conducted their first interview with Paul Gorman, the contributing
editor of music industry paper Music Week, at Virgin Records' London
headquarters. His piece recognised that the Spice Girls were about to
institute a change in the charts away from Britpop and towards out-and-out
pop. He wrote: "Just when boys with guitars threaten to rule pop life, an
all-girl, in-yer-face pop group has arrived with enough sass to burst that
rockist bubble!!" The song entered the charts at number 3 before moving up
to number 1 the following week and staying there for seven weeks. The song
proved to be a global hit, hitting number 1 in 31 countries and becoming not
only the biggest selling single by an all-female group but also the
biggest-selling debut single of all time.[11] "Wannabe" also proved to be a
catalyst in helping the Spice Girls break into the notoriously difficult
U.S. market when it debuted on the Hot 100 Chart at number 11. At the time
this was the highest-ever debut by a British (or non-American) act in the
US, beating the record previously held by The Beatles for "I Want to Hold
Your Hand" at number 12.[11] "Wannabe" reached number one in the US four
weeks later.
In November 1996 the Spice Girls released their debut album Spice in Europe.
The success was unprecedented and drew comparisons to Beatlemania (it was
dubbed "Spicemania") due to the sheer volume of interest in the group.[12]
In just seven weeks Spice had sold 1.8 million copies in Britain alone, [13]
making the Spice Girls the fastest selling British act since The Beatles. In
total, the album sold 3 million copies in Britain [13] and peaked at number
one for fifteen non-consecutive weeks. In Europe the album became the
biggest-selling album of 1997 and was certified 8x Platinum by the IFPI for
sales in excess of 8 million copies.[14] In the United States Spice became
the biggest-selling album of 1997, peaking at number one and being certified
7x Platinum (for sales of over 7 million) by the RIAA.[15]
Riding a wave of publicity and hype, the group released their next singles,
"Say You'll Be There" and "2 Become 1", in October and December
respectively. The two tracks continued the group's remarkable sales by
topping the charts in over fifty-three countries and cementing the group's
reputation as the biggest pop act on the planet.
The last release from Spice was a double A-side of "Mama"/"Who Do You Think
You Are", which once again saw them at number one.[11]
Spiceworld
In November 1997 the Spice Girls released their second album, Spiceworld.
Preceded by the single "Spice Up Your Life", the album proved to be an
instant global best seller. It set a new record for the fastest-selling
album over two weeks when it shipped 7 million copies. Gaining favourable
reviews, [16] the album went on to sell over 10 million copies in
Europe,[17] Canada,[18] and the United States [15] alone. Criticised in
America for releasing the album just nine months after their debut there and
suffering from over-exposure at home, the Spice Girls began to experience a
media backlash. The group was criticised for the number of sponsorship deals
signed – over twenty in total – and they began to witness diminishing
international chart positions. Nevertheless, the Spice Girls remained the
biggest-selling pop group of both 1997 and 1998. Further singles released
from the album included "Too Much", "Stop" and "Viva Forever" – with "Stop"
being the only track not to hit number one in Britain (it entered and peaked
at number two). The track remains their only single not to go to number one
in the UK.
In June 1997 the group began filming their movie debut, Spiceworld: The
Movie, with Absolutely Fabulous and Fawlty Towers director Bob Spiers. Meant
to accompany the album, the comical style and content of the movie was in
the same vein as The Beatles' films in the 1960s such as A Hard Day's Night.
The light-hearted comedy, intended to capture the spirit of the Spice Girls,
featured a plethora of stars including Roger Moore, Elton John, Jennifer
Saunders, Richard E. Grant, Michael Barrymore and Meat Loaf. Released in
December 1997, Spiceworld: The Movie proved to be a hit at the box office
taking nearly $30 million in the US, £11 million in Britain, and over $70
million worldwide.[19] The movie received a lukewarm reception from critics;
however it was nominated for seven awards at the 1999 Golden Raspberry
Awards where they "won" the award for "Worst Actress".[20]
On November 7, 1997 the Spice Girls fired their manager and mentor Simon
Fuller. According to their various autobiographies, it was mainly Geri and
Melanie B who pushed for Fuller’s dismissal. They cited that he had become
too controlling by restricting their personal and artistic freedom, and they
accused him of using divide and rule tactics to get his own way. The group
quickly found the burden of managing themselves time consuming, so they
assigned various responsibilities to each member of the group, Melanie B's:
Tour Control, Geri's: Sponsorship, Emma's: Personnel, Schedule and
Charities, Victoria's: Merchandising, Melanie C's: Record Company, Singles
and Formats. They later built their own team, headed by Nancy Phillips, to
deal with their affairs.
In early 1998 the Spice Girls embarked upon a sold-out 102 date world tour
covering Europe and North America. The Spiceworld Tour kicked off in Dublin,
Ireland on February 24, 1998 before moving on to mainland Europe and then
returning to Britain for fourteen gigs at Wembley Arena and Birmingham’s NEC
Arena. It was here that recordings were made for a planned live album, which
was confirmed by the group: "We've shown everyone we can do the business on
stage, so now we want to do a live album for fans". Despite masters of the
recording being made, the idea was eventually dropped.
In an interview on This Morning in the UK in May 1998, literally just weeks
before Halliwell's departure, the group confirmed that they were writing
their third studio album which would be unlike its two predecessors. The
group intended the album to consist of various solo singles, duets and group
songs to allow the girls to record their own music, yet stay together as a
band. This would never materialise as Halliwell's departure threw the groups
plans into complete disarray.
At the end of the European leg of the tour, Geri Halliwell missed the final
two shows in Oslo, Norway reportedly due to gastroenteritis. However,
rumours quickly circulated that Geri had become disenchanted with the group
and was planning to leave – and after she also missed a performance of "Viva
Forever" on the National Lottery show, rumours began to intensify.
Goodbye
On May 31, 1998 Geri Halliwell announced her departure from the Spice Girls.
Through her solicitor, Julian Turton, she issued the following statement:
"Sadly I would like to confirm that I have left the Spice Girls. This is
because of differences between us. I'm sure the group will continue to be
successful and I wish them all the best".[21] Halliwell claimed that she was
suffering from exhaustion and wanted to take time out. However rumours
persisted that she had fallen out with one of the other girls (reportedly
Melanie B). Although this has never been confirmed, the autobiographies of
Victoria Beckham, Geri Halliwell, and Melanie B all hint that this was the
case. Geri’s departure from the group shocked fans and became one of the
biggest entertainment news stories of the year, making news headlines the
world over.[22] The four remaining girls were adamant though that the group
would carry on and that their approaching North American tour would continue
as normal. Geri Halliwell's departure threw most of the group's plans into
disarray. It was cited as the reason the planned live album was cancelled.
It also meant that most of the material the girls had recorded throughout
the first half of 1998 at Dublin's Windmill Lane Studios with long-time
collaborators Richard Stannard and Matt Rowe was eventually scrapped. A
rumoured animated venture by Disney also failed to materialise.
"Viva Forever", was the last single taken off Spiceworld. The video for the
single was made before Geri's departure and features the girls in animated
form – a decision made because there was no time to produce a video due to
the heavy world tour schedule. Originally planned as a double A-side with
"Never Give Up On The Good Times", the idea was dropped for several reasons,
mainly due to time restraints (since there was no time to re-record and edit
out Geri's vocals or make a video for the track). While on tour in America
the group continued to record new material and they released a new song,
"Goodbye", in Christmas 1998. Although written before her departure, the
song was nevertheless seen as a tribute to Geri and when it topped the
British chart it became their third consecutive Christmas number one –
equalling the record previously set by The Beatles. The song also became one
of the most successful songs of the 1990s in Canada, where it stayed at
number one for sixteen weeks.
Forever
In November 2000 The Spice Girls released their last album, Forever.
Sporting a new edgier R&B sound, the album received a lukewarm response [23]
and achieved only a fraction of the success of its two best-selling
predecessors. In the US it peaked at number thirty-nine on the Billboard 200
albums chart. In the UK the album was released the same week as Westlife’s
Coast To Coast album and the chart battle was widely reported by the media.
The lead single from "Forever", the double A-side "Holler" / "Let Love Lead
The Way", did enjoy some success – it became the group's ninth number one
single in the UK. However the song failed to break onto the Billboard Hot
100 Singles Chart stateside, instead peaking at number seven on the Bubbling
Under chart. "Holler" did peak at number thirty-one on the Hot Dance
Music/Club Play in 2001.
The only major performance of the lead single came at the MTV Europe Music
Awards in November 2000 and, a few TV performances aside, the group did
little meaningful promotion. In an attempt to cover more ground, the girls
split up and covered different countries separately; for example Victoria
and Emma headed to North America while Melanie B and C concentrated on
Europe. Further planned single releases off the album never materialised.
Promo singles of "Tell Me Why", "Weekend Love" and "If You Wanna Have Some
Fun" came into circulation but to fans' dismay the "Forever" project was
abandoned as the girls each began to concentrate on solo careers. In
February 2001 the group announced that, despite only coming back in late
2000, they were having a break and going apart for the foreseeable future,
concentrating on their solo careers.
Reunion
Shortly after the Forever era had ended, the girls decided to focus on their
solo careers. And since then rumours persisted of a reunion. UK national
tabloid, The Mirror,[24] even dedicated front-page space and half of their
double page, daily entertainment news to what was supposedly their scoop,
that the girls were back, reforming for the Live 8 concerts. Organiser Bob
Geldof confirmed at a press conference on May 31, 2005 that he had been in
contact with all of them and was serious about wanting them to reform but it
was all five of them or nothing. In the end, the girls were unable to reform
due to prior obligations in the US by Melanie B. The girls also hoped to
perform at the Concert for Diana but were unable due to timing constraints
and that Emma was heavily pregnant at the time.
On June 28, 2007 after months of speculation, the Spice Girls announced an
eleven date world wide tour entitled "The Return of the Spice Girls" kicking
off in Vancouver on December 2, 2007.[25][26]
The tour will support the November release of a greatest hits album through
Virgin Records. In addition, filmmaker Bob Smeaton will oversee an official
documentary on the reformed band, which will be distributed worldwide at an
undisclosed date. On the documentary, Geri said, "You are going to get to
know what is behind the stories that you've heard, it's going to be the most
honest story you've ever heard, you're going to get to see the dark side of
the Spice Girls, the gritty side, the tears".
Recently on their official website, the Spice Girls have announced that they
will let fans vote for whichever city they want to be the "Spice City",
(that city will be included in the tour, if not in already). On August 3rd,
2007, Toronto, Ontario, Canada was named the "Spice City" beating out
contenders such as Baghdad (in result from an Internet prank on several
websites [27]), Rio de Janeiro and Chicago. The Spice Girls said in a
statement "We are delighted to be going to Toronto. We have such incredible
fans there and we are amazed at such a positive reaction. It's a great place
and we can't wait to get back there. Well done Toronto."
Cultural impact
The British music scene
After being shut out by the Brit Pop revolution that occurred in the early
1990s when bands like Oasis, Pulp and Blur dominated the charts, pop music
found a voice again. The image of the Spice Girls was deliberately aimed at
young girls, an audience of formidable size and potential; reinforcing the
range of appeal within the target demographic were the bandmates' five
distinctive personalities, which encouraged fans to identify with one member
or another. This marketing was helped in no small way by the aliases
assigned to each member of the group. Shortly after Wannabe’s release, the
group appeared in "Top Of The Pops" magazine where each member was given a
nickname based upon their image: Victoria became "Posh Spice", Emma became
"Baby Spice," Melanie B was named "Scary Spice", Geri was named "Sexy Spice"
(later changed to "Ginger Spice"), and Melanie C became "Sporty Spice".[28]
These nicknames quickly caught the imagination of tabloid editors and they
stuck with the girls throughout their careers.
"Girl Power"
The "Girl Power" slogan was met with varied reactions, both positive and
negative. The phrase was a label for the particular facet of feminist
empowerment embraced by the band: that a sensual, feminine appearance and
equality between the sexes need not be mutually exclusive. This concept was
by no means original in the pop world; both Madonna and Bananarama had
employed similar outlooks. However, the Spice Girls' version was
distinctive. Its message of empowerment appealed to young girls, adolescents
and adult women, and it emphasised the importance of strong, loyal
friendship among females. In all, the focused, consistent presentation of
"girl power" formed the centrepiece of their appeal as a band.[29] Some
critics dismissed it as no more than a shallow marketing tactic, while
others took issue with the emphasis on physical appearance, concerned about
the potential impact on self-conscious and/or impressionable youngsters.
Regardless, the phrase became a cultural phenomenon, adopted as the mantra
for millions of girls and even making it into the Oxford English
Dictionary.[30] In summation of the concept, author Ryan Dawson said, "The
Spice Girls changed British culture enough for Girl Power to now seem
completely unremarkable."[31]
"Cool Britannia"
The Spice Girls also found themselves at the forefront of a miniature
British cultural revolution in the mid-1990s. The term "Cool Britannia"
became prominent in the media and represented the new political and social
climate that was emerging with the advances made by New Labour and Tony
Blair. Coming out of a period of 18 years of Conservative government, Tony
Blair and New Labour were seen as young, cool and very appealing, a main
driving force in making Britain look fashionable again. (It should be noted,
however, that the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, responsible for coining the term
"Cool Britannia" in their song of the same title, intended it in a sarcastic
and mocking manner.) Although by no means responsible for the onset of "Cool
Britannia", the arrival of the Spice Girls added to the new image and
re-branding of Britain, and underlined the growing world popularity of
British, rather than US, pop music. This fact was underlined at the BRIT
Awards in 1997. The group won two awards[32] but it was Geri Halliwell's
Union Flag dress that appeared in media coverage the world over and
eventually became a knee-jerk symbol of "Cool Britannia".
Icons of the 1990s
The Union Flag dress Geri wore has acquired something of an iconic status,
and is in the Guinness World Records as the most expensive piece of pop star
clothing ever sold at an auction. Ironically it was made by Geri's sister,
Karen, at the last minute.
Ten years after the release of their debut single The Spice Girls were voted
the biggest cultural icons of the 1990s by 80% in a UK poll of 1,000 people
carried out for the board game Trivial Pursuit, stating that "Girl Power"
defined the decade.[33]
Criticisms and singing ability
All members of the band have been criticised widely for the standard of
their singing voices and general musicianship as well as various comments
they have made in interviews, and they face claims of using digital aides to
improve their allegedly poor vocals on stage. During their 2007 reunion
press conference, Melanie C denied these claims of vocal digital enhancing.
When the band was challenged to prove their abilities by singing a cappella
at the conference, they refused to do so. Melanie C claimed they have
nothing to prove, while Geri Halliwell said they will prove their singing
skills in the tour, and invited the journalist who challenged them to watch
the concert.
Career records and achievements
* Total record sales in the region of 55 million. As of February 2000, the
Spice Girls had certified sales of 35.1 million albums and 18.2 million
singles: [2] Note however, this does not include sales for their third
studio album.
* Certified sales of 13 million albums in Europe,[14] 11 million in the
US,[15] and 2.2 million in Canada.[18]
* Total of nine number one singles in the UK - tied with ABBA behind Take
That (ten), The Shadows (twelve), Madonna (twelve), Westlife (fourteen),
Cliff Richard (fourteen), The Beatles (seventeen) and Elvis Presley
(twenty-one).
* Three consecutive Christmas number one singles in the UK for: ("2 Become
1," 1996; "Too Much," 1997; "Goodbye," 1998)[34]
* "Wannabe" is the biggest selling single by an all female group.[35]
* First (and only) female act to have their first six singles ("Wannabe",
"Say You'll Be There", "2 Become 1", "Who Do You Think You Are", "Spice Up
Your Life" and "Too Much") make number one on the UK charts. (Their run was
broken by "Stop", which peaked at number two in March 1998.)
* The Spice Girls achieved the highest ever annual earnings by an all female
group in 1998 with an income of $49 million.[36]
* "Spice" is the 13th biggest-selling album of all time in the UK with over
3 million copies sold. It topped the charts for 15 weeks (non-consecutive),
the most by a female group in the UK [37]
* Highest international debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number five with
"Say You'll Be There". (This record still holds to date.)
* "Spiceworld" shipped 7 million copies in just two weeks, including
1.4million in Britain alone - the largest-ever shipment of an album over 14
days.[38]
* Spiceworld: The Movie broke the record for the highest-ever weekend debut
for Super Bowl Weekend (January 25, 1998) in the US, with box office sales
of $10,527,222. This record has since been beaten by The Butterfly Effect in
2004.[39]
* Spiceworld: The Movie topped the UK video charts on its first week of
release, selling over 55,000 copies on its first day in the shops.[40]
* Received a plethora of awards including four BRIT Awards, three American
Music Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards, one MTV Video Music Award and
three World Music Awards.
Discography
Albums
* 1996: Spice
* 1997: Spiceworld
* 2000: Forever
* 2007: Greatest Hits
Singles
1. "Wannabe"
2. "Say You'll Be There"
3. "2 Become 1"
4. "Who Do You Think You Are" / "Mama"
5. "Spice Up Your Life"
6. "Too Much"
7. "Stop"
8. "Viva Forever"
9. "Goodbye"
10. "Holler" / "Let Love Lead the Way"
Tours
* Spiceworld Tour - 1998
* Christmas in Spiceworld - 1999
* The Return of the Spice Girls - 2007/2008
References
Citations
1. ^ Haywood, John. "International phenomenon" quote. Billboard. Retrieved
June 22, 2007.
2. ^ a b Screenshot from BRIT Awards 2000, televised by ITV1, detailing the
sales of The Spice Girls up to February 2000. BRIT Awards. Retrieved March
13, 2006.
3. ^ Sinclair, David. Wannabe: How The Spice Girls reinvented Pop Fame
(2004). p. x. Omnibus Press, London. ISBN 0-71198-643-6.
4. ^ Sinclair, p. 4.
5. ^ Sinclair, p. 29.
6. ^ Sinclair, p. 30.
7. ^ Sinclair, p. 31.
8. ^ Sinclair, p. 31.
9. ^ Sinclair, p. 33.
10. ^ Sinclair, p. 34.
11. ^ a b c d e The Spice Girls; Cripps, Rebecca; & Peachey, Mal (1997).
Real Life: Real Spice The Official Story. London: Zone Publishers. ISBN
0-233-99299-5
12. ^ Dawson, Ryan. Cambridge University. Beatlemania and Girl Power: An
Anatomy of Fame
13. ^ a b BPI. UK Sales certificates database. British Phonographic
Industry. Retrieved March 10, 2006.
14. ^ a b IFPI. European sales certificate for Spice International
Federation of Phonogram and Videogram Producers. Retrieved March 10, 2006
15. ^ a b c RIAA. USA sales certificates database. Recording Industry
Association Of America. Retrieved March 10, 2006.
16. ^ Wild, David. Spiceworld - Review. Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 11,
2006.
17. ^ IFPI European sales certificate for Spiceworld International
Federation of Phonogram and Videogram Producers. Retrieved March 10, 2006.
18. ^ a b CRIA. CRIA Canadian sales certificates database.Canadian Recording
Industry Association. Retrieved March 11, 2006.
19. ^
20. ^ IMDb. Spiceworld: The Movie awards. The Internet Movie Database.
Retrieved March 12, 2006
21. ^ BBC News. Article confirming Geri Halliwell's departure. The British
Broadcasting Corporation. May 31, 1998.
22. ^ Article detailing a poll in which Geri Halliwell's departure was voted
biggest entertainment story of the year in the US. Billboard. Retrieved on
March 14, 2006.
23. ^ Hunter, James. Forever - Review. Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 11,
2006.
24. ^ FRIENDS REUNITED. Mirro.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-06-29.
25. ^ "Spice Girls" home page (including announcement). TheSpiceGirls.com.
Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
26. ^ Posh and the girls accept £10million each for Spice Girls reunion.
DailyMail.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-25.
27. ^ http://www.nowmagazine.co.uk/celeb_news/Spice_Girls_voted_to_play_in_Iraq_article_133569.html
28. ^ Halliwell, Geri (1999). If Only, p. 229. New York: Delacorte Press.
ISBN 0-385-33475-3.
29. ^ BBC News. Article on the impact of "Girl Power". The British
Broadcasting Corporation. December 30, 1997.
30. ^ BBC News. Article on "Girl Power" being added to the Oxford English
Dictionary. The British Broadcasting Corporation. January 17, 2002.
31. ^ Dawson, Ryan. "Beatlemania and Girl Power: An Anatomy of Fame". Bigger
Than Jesus: Essays On Popular Music. University of Cambridge. Archived from
original on October 4, 2005. Retrieved January 27, 2007....
32. ^ Awards. Winners 1997. BRIT Awards. Retrieved March 11, 2006.
33. ^ News article about The Spice Girls being voted biggest cultural icons
of the 1990s by Trivial Pursuit. The Mirror. Retrieved March 28, 2006.
34. ^ they share this record only with The Beatles World Record for
Christmas #1 singles. Guinness World Records. Retrieved March 12, 2006
35. ^ World Record for biggest selling single by a female group. Guinness
World Records. Retrieved March 12, 2006
36. ^ World Record for highest ever annual earnings by a girl band. Guinness
World Records. Retrieved March 12, 2006
37. ^ Chart information database. Retrieved March 10, 2006
38. ^ Article confirming record amount of shipments of Spiceworld. The
Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 14, 2006
39. ^ Opening weekend box office sales in the US. The Internet Movie
Database. Retrieved June 25, 2006
40. ^ Report on the sale of Spiceworld: The Movie's video sales in the UK.
Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2006
Book references
* Larkin, Colin, The Virgin Encyclopaedia of Popular Music (4th ed.) (Virgin
Books, 2003.) ISBN 1-85227-923-0
* Hardy, Phil, The Faber Companion to 20th century Popular Music (Faber and
Faber, 2001) ISBN 0-571-19608-X
* Sinclair, David, Wannabe: How the Spice Girls Reinvented Pop Fame (Omnibuss
Press, 2004) ISBN 0-711-98643-6
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