The year is 1996. England have sadly not reached the final of Euro 96 (Don't worry guys, things are different in 2020), Sri Lanka beat Australia in the Cricket world cup and Braveheart won best picture at the Academy awards and the Olympics were held in America: Atlanta to be precise.
concert and Take That split, sending their fans into a frenzy (don't worry guys, they reunite in 2006 although Robbie Williams isn't part of this version).
However, with the exit of the biggest boyband in the world came the entry of the biggest girlband in the world. Yep, in 1996, five girls called Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm, Melanie Brown, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Adams (later Beckham because she married a slightly famous footballer called David Beckham. Might have heard of him?) became the biggest girlband in the world, the Spice Girls.
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the release of their debut single, Wannabe and no-one had any idea how big the single would get, let alone the band themselves. I think what was appealing of the Spice Girls was that each of them had their own personal personalities and style. A magazine even coined their nicknames, that then became the nicknames everyone knows and loves: Baby Spice (Emma Bunton), Sporty Spice (Mel C), Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham), Ginger Spice (Geri Haliwell) and Scary Spice (Mel B).
Like I have said, the best thing about the Spice Girls is that they all have their own style and personalities, which has given people confidence in being themselves. This was shown when in the run up to the anniversary, they asked what the Spice Girls meant to people on their social media, with most of the responses being that they inspired people to be confident in themselves.
However, the other thing that is the best thing about the Spice Girls is the feel good songs that they have come out with. From the very first mention of the words, "Zigah Zigah Ahh", we knew that these girls would be queens of producing really catchy songs. From Wannabe to Stop, these girls have never failed to offering some great songs that have managed to stand the test of time. It is also worth noting that their albums have some great songs that were never released. These songs include, Denying, If U Can't Dance and Never Give Up on the Good Times (I admittedly only have the first two albums, Spice and Spiceworld).
Of course, with bands like the Spice Girls who become a phenomenon, much like Take That and, more recently, One Direction, it isn't just songs that the Spice Girls brought out. It was everything, including the obligatory dolls and even a movie. Yes, the movie is cheesy but it is much loved among 90s kids. In fact, the proof is in the...err...reunion tours (?) that the Spice Girls are still loved, having played sold out reunion tours in 2007 and 2019.
In 2021, the girls have now gone their separate ways again (they are still friends) but rest assured that there will still be people, old and new, who love listening to the Spice Girls, whether they are sad, happy or just want to listen to them in general. Therefore, I think we can all be safe in the knowledge that the Spice Girls will be loved by generations to come.
Happy 25th birthday Spice Girls and thank you for spreading some much needed Girl Power and positivity around!
Em x
