cavo's corner

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m borderline obsessed with the Spice Girls. I can’t believe that it’s been 15 years since the release of “Wannabe!” Doesn’t Mel B. look great!? I mean, pregnant with baby #3, I think she’s glowing! #vivaforever #spicegirls2012

1. “Wannabe”

The video for the Spice Girls’ debuet single was shot at the Midland Grand Hotel in the St. Pancras section of London, nearly fifteen years ago on April 19, 1996. Having seemingly no plot whatsoever, the video is reflective of the girls’ personallities — the in-your-face adtitudes, the fun, the laughter. The video encapsulates everything the Spice Girls stood for in the mid 1990s.

Shot entirely in one take, director Jhoan Camitz required the girls to run-through the song several times before it was recorded. Geri Halliwell remebers the day the video was shot: “The video I remember as being very chaotic and cold. It wasn’t very controlled — we didn’t want it to be. We wanted the camera to capture the madness of the Spice Girls.”

Executives from Virgin, the Girls’ label, were not too thrilled with the finished product — particularly displeased with Melanie Brown’s nipples. Due to the cold, Brown is ”nipping-out” throughout the video. The video was also thought to be too dark, contrasting with the song’s upbeat tempo. Virgin wanted a new video to be shot, but the Girls refused.

Despite the reservations of the label, “Wannabe” prooved to be a hit. It won the VMA for “Best Dance Video” at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards. It was also nominated for “Best British Video” at the 1997 BRIT Awards, although, sadly, it lost…. to “Say You’ll Be There,” the Spice Girls’ second single.

Sugar and Spice and everything nice… Round 19:

This is horrendous, but needed to be posted. It’s really rough and really old. Cicra 1997, the Spice Girls perform Wannabe on “Live: With Regis and Kathy Lee.” Please note how Regis doesn’t know the title of album.