HISTORYJavascript Cource Code Example: No Right Click Allowed
HISTORY
When
Take That abdicated as monarchs of the UK teen band scene
in February 1996, there were several pretenders lining up,
but few could have predicted that a female quintet would
have moreuccess in the Smash Hits -reading market than
Boyzone or Peter Andre.
The Spice Girls -
Victoria Addams aka Posh Spice (b. 7 April 1973, Essex, England),
Melanie Brown aka Mel B/Scary Spice (b. 29 May 1973, Leeds, Yorkshire,
England), Emma Bunton aka Baby Spice (b. 21 January 1976, London,
England), Melanie Chisholm aka Mel C/Sporty Spice (b. 12 January 1974,
Widnes, Lancashire, England) and Geraldine Halliwell aka Geri/Ginger
Spice (b. 18 August 1970, Watford, Hertfordshire, England) - met at
various unsuccessful auditions for film and dance jobs and the five
ended up sharing a house in Maidenhead, Berkshire, in late 1993. They
started writing and demoing songs, until manager Simon Fuller took them
on in May 1995. A record deal with Virgin Records followed and by June
1996, the single 'Wannabe', an expression of the 'Girl Power'
philosophy, with a deliciously silly rap interlude, was on its way to
number 1 in the UK.
Things
began to get out of hand by the end of 1996, when Halliwell's past as a
nude model was splashed over the tabloid press, and an ill-advised
interview with The Spectator magazine revealed her and Addams to be
unlikely supporters of Conservative Prime Minister John Major.
Nevertheless, nothing could stop the Spice Trail; as the lush ballad '2
Become 1' grabbed the coveted Christmas number 1 berth, boy bands
wondered what had hit them and the Girls prepared to ravish the USA. By
February 1997 their mission was completed with ease when 'Wannabe'
effortlessly made number 1 in the Billboard singles chart, after only
four weeks. Shortly afterwards, the album also topped the US chart and
they became the first UK act ever to reach the top of the chart with
their debut album.
Phenomenal success continued all over the
world throughout 1997 with some well-chosen sponsorship deals, and the
quintet's faces were published as regularly as the Beatles in their peak
media year of 1964. Spiceworld was another slice of highly commercial
pop music, featuring the UK number 1s 'Spice Up Your Life' and 'Too
Much'. Although the album debuted at number one in six countries its
sales were nowhere near as high as expected. Towards the end of 1997
they unceremoniously dumped their svengali manager, Simon Fuller. The
repercussions to this bold 'go it alone' mission were watched with
interest as many felt that this could be their first wrong move. The
commercial success of their debut film Spiceworld - The Movie, premiered
on 26 December 1997, indicated otherwise.
Their third
single, the Motown -pastiche 'Stop', only reached number 2 in the UK
charts, breaking the group's run of chart-toppers. A potentially
terminal threat to the future of the Spice Girls came at the end of May
1998, when Halliwell, their de facto leader and undisputed driving
force, announced she had left the group. Nevertheless, 'Viva Forever',
the first single issued since Halliwell's departure (although her vocals
appeared on the single), proved that the Spice phenomenon lived on when
it entered the UK charts at number 1 in July 1998. In September 1998,
Melanie B collaborated with hip-hop supremo Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott
on the one-off single, 'I Want You Back'.
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