Spice Girls: Mama

Spice Girls: Mama
Song released 3 March 1997
Music Video
VHS
C+

The double-A side with "Who Do You Think You Are," this is a musical tribute to the Girls' real mothers, who appear onscreen.  My VCR will now rest till we hit 1999.

Spice Girls: Who Do You Think You Are

Spice Girls: Who Do You Think You Are
Song released 3 March 1997
Music Video
VHS
C+

A bunch of middle-aged female celebrities, Lulu and Jennifer Saunders among them, dress as the Spices, and the whole thing comes across as the clumsy for-charity (Comic Relief) lark that it is.

Spice Girls: 2 Become 1

Spice Girls: 2 Become 1
Song released 16 December 1996
Music Video
VHS
B-

The Spices sing about making love, including condoms.  ("Be a little bit wiser, Baby.  Put it on.  Put it on.")  A slower song, with the Girls green-screened against city scenes.

Spice Girls; Say You'll Be There

Spice Girls; Say You'll Be There
Song released 14 October 1996
Music Video
VHS
B-

Set in the Mojave Desert and taking the form of an action movie, this has one of the biggest disconnects between subject matter and visuals of any music videos we've looked at in this project.  I suppose you could argue that a man who's captured and tied to the roof of a car "will always be there."  I almost went with a C+, but the slick production values provide a nice contrast to the cheerful sloppiness of the "Wannabe" video.

Spice Girls: Wannabe

Spice Girls: Wannabe
Song released 8 July 1996
Music Video
VHS
B-

So, my best friend in the mid- to late '90s was a male Spice Girls fan in his early 20s.  I found their music catchy so it was sort of a guilty pleasure for me as I pushed and then reached 30.  This video is on an hour-long "year-in-the-life" not exactly documentary that I couldn't find listed at IMDB.  So I'm just reviewing the music videos.  This debut is awkward and energetic, with weird imagery, from Baby stealing and then returning a homeless man's cap (I had to rewind to be sure, I mean Baby is the "sweet one"!) to the Girls serenading and mocking rich people.  And, yes, the song, their smash hit debut, is still catchy.