Spice Girls – “Wannabe”

“Wannabe” hit the No 1 spot in the Billboard Hot 100 chart on this day, 20 years ago. The music video was playing a lot at the time, but I never watched the entire thing; I usually tuned out in the first minute. I noticed Posh Spice aka Victoria Beckham (née Adams)—my first celebrity crush—when I finally watched the video to the end. Needless to say, I became a fan of the Spice Girls thenceforth.

The song is memorable, if nothing else, and it’s still their most famous tune, but it’s not my favorite. The video has that grainy, late-90s British look, but the one-cut direction is ahead of its time. The fisheye lens is unique, too. The decorations inside the hotel give a Middle Eastern feel. The various outfits of the Spice Girls, whether planned or not, establish their Spice personas.

The success of “Wannabe” marks the beginning of the brief though spectacular Spice Girls phenomenon, which probably won’t be replicated again, ever. Girl Power and the licensed merchandise came and went, but the Spice Girls paved the way for the likes of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera then and Lady Gaga and Adele now.