Music Video Task 1 - Video Six

SPICE GIRLS – WANNABE

 

 

They have to be THE girl band and I loved the band when I was younger and I still listen to a few of their songs today.

 

 

BACKGROUND

Wannabe is the debut song by British pop group Spice Girls. It was written by the group members with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session. It was produced by Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard for the group's debut album Spice which was released back in November 1996.

The music video was directed by Jhoan Camitz and he was hired on recommendation because of his commercials for Volkswagen, Diesel, and Nike. His original idea for the music video was a one-take shoot of the group arriving at an exotic building in Barcelona, taking over the place, and running a riot which is the same way they did when they were looking for a manager and a record company. A few days before the shoot on 19 April 1996, Jhoan Camitz was unable to get permission to use the building, and the shoot was relocated to the Midland Grand Hotel in St Pancras, London.

The video won Best Dance Video at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards and Best Video at the 1997 Comet Media Awards. It was also nominated for Best British Video at the 1997 BRIT Awards, and was ranked at number forty-one in the Top 100 Pop Videos of all time by Channel 4.

SYNERGY

"Wannabe" is an uptempo pop song that incorporates a mix of hip-hop, rap, and dance music.

The lyrics, which address the value of female friendship over the heterosexual bond, became an iconic symbol of female empowerment and the most emblematic song of the group's Girl Power philosophy.

The video features the group running, singing, dancing, and creating mischief at an eccentric bohemian party. Gatecrashing a party can be a common thing when it comes to parties especially if they filled with celebrities.

Among their antics of foolish behaviour is Mel C's back handspring on one of the tables and because the video needed to be taken in one shot, the group rehearsed the routine several times through the night, while a steadycam operator followed them.  Geri Halliwell quoted as she recalled the experience in a interview "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"

 

 

FAN REACTION/CRITICS RECEPTION

 

Despite mixed reviews from music critics, when the music video first appeared on the British cable network The Box it was selected so much that it reached the top of the viewers' chart within two hours of going on air, and stayed at number one for thirteen weeks and became the most requested track in the channel's history.


Virgin Records's executives were horrified with the final result: "the girls were freezing cold, which showed itself in various different ways" said Ashley Newton, one of the executives.

The video was later banned in some parts of Asia because of Brown's erect nipples (and failed to see it was the same for Mel C) and additionally the lighting in the video was considered too dark and gloomy and the best takes were the girls bumping with the furniture and looking behind them.

Virgin Records was concerned that old people appeared on the video, the part when they jump up on the table, and Geri Halliwell's showgirl outfit would be considered too threatening by music channels. Virgin Records immediately opened discussions about a re-shoot of the video or creating an alternate one for the USA but the group refused. The video was sent for trial airing in its original form on the music channel The Box and it is still seen and remembered today.

 

 

 

AVAILABILITY

 

It can be viewed online: YouTube, DailyMotion and Vimeo.com.

 

On Amazon there is a Greatest Hits album that comes with a CD and DVD featuring the best of the music videos including “Wannabe”.