Spice Girls

Spice Girls 是唯一一支沒有受到獨立 pop-rock 影響的英國90年代中期樂隊。相反，這支全部由女生組成的五人組合卻繼承了由英國90年代早期最流行的樂隊 Take That 帶來的dance-pop 的表演風(fēng)格。The Spice Girls 使用 dance-pop 作為她們的音樂基礎(chǔ)，但同時又注入了強烈的女性獨立風(fēng)格，幾乎可以與 Madonna 相當(dāng)。使她們成為跨世代成功的樂隊的原因主要是她們的靚女形象和勁舞風(fēng)格贏得了年輕一代的歌迷；而同時，她們多彩性感的人格和幽默感又使老一代的樂迷很喜歡。
音樂歷程
在1997年全力打入北美前，她們在1996年中在整個歐洲都獨占排行榜榜首位置。
英國的宣傳界在一開始就給Spice Girls 的每一個成員都分配了獨特的身份，而且每一個標(biāo)志都既是她們的真實人格的外延，又成為市場化的工具。而這些名字都是從她們的首支單曲" Wannabe "中得來的。
Geri Estelle Halliwell 是" sexy Spice "；
Melanine Janine Brown 是" scary Spice "；
Victoria Addams 是" the posh Spice "；
Melanie Jayne Chisholm 是" the sporty Spice "；
Emma Lee Bunton 被稱為" the shy Spice "。
每個名字都被用在了樂隊的報道和 MTV 中，這種創(chuàng)意使 " Wannabe "在1996年夏天發(fā)行的時候一下子登上了榜首。
SpiceGirls出道至今，已擁有9首全英冠軍單曲，這種驚人的成就讓人不禁想起在1995年2月解散的TakeThat當(dāng)年叱咤樂壇的盛況。而當(dāng)年SpiceGirls前經(jīng)紀(jì)人ChrisHerbert也就是想創(chuàng)造一個女的“TakeThat”的情況下，才開始在英國舉辦了甄選活動。SpiceGirls的五位女孩在塑造偶像的超級經(jīng)紀(jì)人SimonFuller經(jīng)營下，她們從英國邁向全世界，成為樂壇第一個女子偶像團(tuán)體奇跡。
1994年3月時經(jīng)紀(jì)人ChrisHerbert舉辦了一場FemaleTakeThat的試演會上，從400多位試唱者中選出了MelanieBrown(MelB)、MelanieChisholm(MelC)、VictoriaAdams(Victoria)、GeriHalliwell(Geri)與MichelleStephenson五人組成了Touch，但是Michelle遽然離團(tuán)、EmmaBunton于9月加入后便改名為SpiceGirls。
1995年她們與EMI旗下的Virgin唱片簽約后便陸續(xù)開始與英國當(dāng)?shù)孛襟w接觸，而她們在倫敦St.Pancras飯店所拍攝的Wannabe一曲于7月份推出后立即登上英國金榜冠軍，為她們接著來的康莊前程鋪下了一條順?biāo)熘�路�?br>緊接著Wannabe與第二支單曲SayYouWillBeThere(#1)的成功，1996年第一張專輯《spice》首周便登上了全英專輯冠軍，更在瞬息萬變的專輯榜上蟬連冠軍長達(dá)1個月之久！
緊接著第二張專輯Spiceworld和電影《天旋地轉(zhuǎn)》同步推出，而也還展開全球巡回演唱會。當(dāng)時僅發(fā)行兩張專輯SpiceGirls，其全球銷售量已經(jīng)累積到3800萬張，并且拿下8支英國排行榜冠軍單曲，包括Wannabe、SayYou‘llBeThere、TwoBecomeOne、Mama/WhoDoYouThinkYouAre、SpiceUpYourLife、TooMuch、VivaForever和Goodbye。第6首冠軍單曲TooMuch讓她們成為第一個連續(xù)擁有6首冠軍單曲的女子團(tuán)體，因此受到各大音樂雜志的熱切關(guān)注；而Wannabe更讓SpiceGirls成為繼1964年的女子美聲合唱團(tuán)Supremes之后，首度登上英國金榜冠軍的女子團(tuán)體。自1952年開始有英國金榜以來，除了披頭四之外，也只有SpiceGirls能夠蟬連三年圣誕節(jié)冠軍。 出道短短的時間內(nèi)SpiceGirls也囊括多項音樂大獎：
1997年抱走IvorNovello詞曲創(chuàng)作獎，接著勇奪英國音樂大獎最佳音樂錄像帶獎和最佳單曲，同時還以Spice拿下美國告示牌音樂雜志年度最佳專輯。
1998年的MTV大獎中，SpiceGirls再添年度最佳流行歌曲和最佳團(tuán)體兩座獎杯。今年SpiceGirls和麥當(dāng)娜更是英國音樂獎頒獎典禮上唯一得到兩個獎項的藝人，且獲頒杰出貢獻(xiàn)獎。
此外SpiceGirls的巡回演唱成就也不容小覷，1998年Spiceworld全球巡回演唱會的每場門票幾乎都在推出的同時就被歌迷搶購一空。在荷蘭的第一場演唱會，3萬張門票更在15分鐘內(nèi)一張不剩，打破了搖滾巨星U2和BruceSpringsting創(chuàng)下的售票紀(jì)錄。雖然當(dāng)時有團(tuán)員身懷六甲，她們?nèi)匀辉谄邆�月內(nèi)一場不漏地唱了一百零三場。只可惜昵稱GingerSpice的Geri卻在結(jié)束了美國巡回表演后，以私人理由退出團(tuán)體，間接加速了SpiceGirls單飛不解散的計劃。
1998年10月MelB與MissyElliot合作發(fā)行的IWantYouBack登上排行榜冠軍，并于1999年在電影《時空賤諜007》中演唱主題曲WordUp。她的新專輯Hot亦在今年10月發(fā)行；去年10月MelC的個人雙白金專輯NorthernStar中有4首闖進(jìn)排行前5名，其中兩首是冠軍單曲，一年來這張專輯仍穩(wěn)坐英國金榜內(nèi)；Emma也不落人后，發(fā)行了與TinTinOut合作的單曲WhatIAm，這首翻唱自EdieBrickell名曲的作品，也在去年10月也站上排行榜第2名；至于Victoria則和AnotherLevel的成員Dane以TheTrueSteppers為名，發(fā)行了首支單曲OutOfYourMind晉升排行榜第2名，再度成為媒體矚目的焦點。去年Victoria也嘗試走進(jìn)電視螢光幕，在Channel4錄制《Victoria‘sSecrets》，親自訪問了EltonJohn、RubyWax、MichaelParkinson和VinnieJones。
2000年的SpiceGirls再度襲卷全球，第三張全新專輯《Forever》以天地自然中的風(fēng)、火、水、土四種亙古不變的自然力量召告世人她們恒永堅貞的友誼。而首支雙A主打單曲Holler/LetLoveLeadTheWay已經(jīng)為SpiceGirls創(chuàng)下第9首冠軍曲的紀(jì)錄，接下來于11月初發(fā)行的Forever雖然已經(jīng)跳脫了以往拉拉隊般的音樂，但是經(jīng)過蛻變的成熟作品絕對會把這組全球音樂史上最受歡迎的女子團(tuán)體再度推向另一個音樂事業(yè)的高峰。
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Spice Girls were the first major British pop music phenomenon of the mid-90s to not have a debt to independent pop/rock. Instead, the all-female quintet derived from the dance-pop tradition that made Take That the most popular British group of the early 90s, but there was one crucial difference. Spice Girls use dance-pop as a musical base, but they infused the music with a fiercely independent, feminist stance that was equal parts Madonna, post-riot grrrl alternative rock feminism, and a co-opting of the good-times-all-the-time stance of Englands new lad culture. Their proud, all-girl image and catchy dance-pop appealed to younger listeners, while their colorful, sexy personalities and sense of humor appealed to older music fans, making Spice Girls a cross-generational success. The group also became chart-toppers throughout Europe in 1996, before concentrating in America in early 1997.
Every member of Spice Girls was given a specific identity by the British press from the outset, and each label was as much an extension of their own personality as it was a marketing tool, since each name derived from their debut single and video, Wannabe. Geri Estelle Halliwell was the sexy Spice; Melanie Janine Brown was the scary Spice; Victoria Adams was the posh Spice; Melanie Jayne Chisholm was the sporty Spice; Emma Lee Bunton was the baby Spice. Each one of these personas were exploited in the groups press articles and videos, which helped send Wannabe to the top of the charts upon its summer release in 1996. If all of the invented personalities makes Spice Girls seem manufactured, thats because they are to a certain extent. Every member of the group was active in Englands theatrical, film, and modeling circuit, and they all responded to an advertisement requesting five lively girls for a musical group in the summer of 1993. The manager who placed the ad chose all five members of Spice Girls, yet the women rejected his plans for their career and set out on their own two months after forming. For the next two years, the Girls fought to get a record contract, since most record labels insisted that the band pick one member as a clear leader, which is something the group refused.
Eventually, Spice Girls signed a contract to Virgin Records, but they were without a manager, which made recording a debut album nearly impossible. All five members moved into a house and went on the dole as they searched for a manager. By the end of 1995, the group had signed with Annie Lennoxs manager Simon Fuller, and began writing songs with Elliot Kennedy. Wannabe, Spice Girls first single, was released in the summer of 1996, and it became the first debut single by an all-female band to enter the charts at number one in England. It remained at number one for seven weeks, and by the end of the year, Wannabe had hit number one in 21 other countries. Immediately following the success of Wannabe, Spice Girls became media icons in Britain as stories of their encounters with other celebrities became fodder for numerous tabloids, as did nude photos of Halliwell that she posed for earlier in her career. All of this added to the groups momentum, and their second single, Say Youll Be There, entered the charts at number one in the fall, selling 200,000 copies a week. Spice, their debut album, was released at the end of the year, accompanied by their first ballad, 2 Become 1. Both the album and single went directly to number one, staying there for several weeks; both records were at number one over the Christmas week, making Spice Girls one of three artists to achieve that feat.
Having topped the charts in virtually every other country in the Western world, Spice Girls concentrated on America in early 1997, releasing Wannabe in January and Spice in February.
They became massive stars in the U.S. as well, also scoring the hits Say Youll Be There and 2 Become 1; Spiceworld, their second LP, appeared later in the year in conjunction with their feature film of the same name. In May 1998, Geri Halliwell departed from the band, not citing major reasons for leaving the group. She did release a solo album, Schizophonic, a year later, but nothing chart-topping to match the success of her former band. Still not deterred by the absence of Ginger Spice, Spice Girls trudged on — Melanie B. married Spice Girls dancer Jimmy Gulzar and released the solo single, a duet with Missy Misdemeanor Elliot called I Want You Back. By Christmas, Spice Girls scored a number one hit with Goodbye and with a career floating high, their personal lives were moving as well. Melanie B. gave birth to a daughter named Phoenix Chi in February 1999, and Adams followed a month later with a son, Brooklyn Joseph. And now only known as Victoria Beckham, Posh Spice married Manchester United soccer star David Beckham later that summer. Becoming now more noticeable for their social status than their singing, Spice Girls took a well-deserved break while Melanie C. took over the English charts with her successful solo effort Northern Star, which was released in the U.S. in fall 1999. The following year, the girls headed back into the studio with high-profile producers Rodney Jerkins, Terry Lewis, and Jimmy Jam (Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige) to record a follow-up to their pop-friendly Spiceworld.
In the middle of recording, Melanie B. divorced Gulzar and endured a bitter custody battle throughout the remainder of 2000. Spice Girls creative power overruled media scrutiny so that they could fully focus on the new R&B sound they were trying for and a the new collaboration united the foursome once again to release the third album Forever, which hit American shores in fall 2000.
The group began to splinter not long after the release of Forever, which made little impact outside of the UK where it only had one hit single - the chart-topping double-sided single “Holler”/”Let Love Lead the Way” - before the Spice Girls stopped promoting the album. Just three months after the albums November 2000 release, the band announced that they were separating in February of 2001.
Over the next few years, the Spice Girls may not have existed as a group but they were never out of various taboild headlines in the UK and the US. As the wife of football superstar David Beckham, Victoria got the most attention, but Mel B wasnt far behind thanks to her ill-fated romance with actor Eddie Murphy which resulted in an out-of-wedlock child. Mel Chisholm had a steady career as a pop singer while Emma Bunton had some chart success of her own with her 2001 album A Girl Like Me and its 2004 successor, Free Me. Meanwhile, Geri Halliwell split her time between recording and TV projects.
After years of persistent rumors of a reunion - peaking heavily yet never materializing for Bob Geldolfs 2005 charity event Live 8 — the Spice Girls announced in June 2007 that they would be reuniting for an eleven-concert tour beginning that December, which would be accompanied by a new greatest hits album and documentary.