Song of the Day: Wannabe by Spice Girls


Last night, Lisa Marie and I were talking about the songs we used to sing during road trips and this was one that we kept coming back to.

I think everyone, from our mom to our two older sisters to the gas station attendants to the people just trying to get some sleep in the hotel room next door, got sick of listening to us sing, “If you want to be my lover…”  Too bad!  We loved this song and still do.

I’m so glad we had fun, non-angsty pop stars to look up to when we were kids.  It’s such a difference from today.

Ha ha ha ha ha
Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want
So tell me what you want, what you really, really want
I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want
So tell me what you want, what you really, really want
I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha)
I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah

If you want my future, forget my past
If you wanna get with me, better make it fast
Now don’t go wasting my precious time
Get your act together we could be just fine

I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want
So tell me what you want, what you really, really want
I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha)
I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah
If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends
(Gotta get with my friends)
Make it last forever, friendship never ends
If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give
Taking is too easy, but that’s the way it is

Oh, what do you think about that?
Now you know how I feel
Say you can handle my love, are you for real?
(Are you for real?)
I won’t be hasty, I’ll give you a try
If you really bug me then I’ll say goodbye
Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want
So tell me what you want, what you really, really want
I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha)
I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah

If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends
(Gotta get with my friends)
Make it last forever, friendship never ends
If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give
(You’ve got to give)
Taking is too easy, but that’s the way it is

So, here’s a story from A to Z
You wanna get with me, you gotta listen carefully
We got Em in the place who likes it in your face
You got G like MC who likes it on a
Easy V doesn’t come for free, she’s a real lady
And as for me, ha you’ll see

Slam your body down and wind it all around
Slam your body down and wind it all around

If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends
(Gotta get with my friends)
Make it last forever, friendship never ends
If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give
(You’ve got to give)
Taking is too easy, but that’s the way it is

If you wanna be my lover
You gotta, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta
Slam, slam, slam, slam (make it last forever)

Slam your body down and wind it all around
Slam your body down and wind it all aroundHa, ha, ha, ha, ha
Slam your body down and wind it all around
Slam your body down and zigazig ah
If you wanna be my lover

Songwriters: Emma Bunton / Geri Halliwell / Matthew Paul Rowbottom / Melanie Brown / Melanie Chisholm / Richard Stannard / Victoria Beckham

 

Music Video of the Day: Wannabe by The Spice Girls (1996, dir by Jhoan Camitz)


Since today is Mel C’s birthday, I decided to go with a Spice Girls video for the video of the day.

Wannabe was the Spice Girls’s first video and, when it was released, it took only two hours for it to become the number one selected video on The Box, a British cable network.  It stayed at number one for 13 weeks and it only fell from that spot because the Spice Girls released another video.

This video was directed by commercial director Jhoan Camitz.  According to Wikipedia, this was his first music video.  According to the imvdb, it was his third.  Reportedly, he originally wanted to film the video at a hotel in Barcelona but, when he was denied permission, he instead filmed at the Midland Grand Hotel in St. Pancras, London.

The video was banned in some parts of Asia, because it was considered to be too provocative.

I’ve taking turns trying to convince nearly everyone here at the Shattered Lens to, at some point in the future, review Spice World.  So far, everyone’s refused so I may to do it someday myself.

Enjoy!