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 The Power of Five & My Strongest Suit, + chat re: what they could have done during the 4 piece era :P |
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 10th April 2023, 08:16 AM
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#21
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 BuzzJack Enthusiast
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The only thing I don’t like about My Strongest Suit is the line “tonight my droppings will not be subdued”.
To me, it sounds like she’s intent on taking a very noisy dump. What does “droppings” mean in this context? I don’t get it 😆 |
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10th April 2023, 10:48 AM
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#22
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
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QUOTE(Piers @ Apr 10 2023, 04:05 AM)  I've always been of two minds about that. I do really like the song. It's definitely good enough to be one of their singles (it's Elton John, after all). But. I lean toward preferring it not being a single just because it's an outlier in a few ways. The girls didn't have a hand in writing it, for one. Then there's the subject matter. I like that they weren't particularly materialistic in their music. Pop stars have definitely been flaunting their wealth in songs for the past two decades...dropping name brands...and sometimes literally telling broke people to stay home. You can find a small handful of materialistic references in the Spices' work...(Victoria briefly mentions a dude's car model in I Wish), but by and large, that's not what they were about in their music...group or solo. So. For me, the lyrics of My Strongest Suit are a bit antithetical to who they are...and especially to who Mel C is (who took the bulk of the solo lines). Because I am two minds on it...I guess you could also argue that the girls could make it quite clear the song's not supposed to be taken 100% seriously...just like Madonna did with Material Girl. And within the context of the AIDA show/soundtrack, the song does make sense. It also would have been nice for people to hear a more substantial collab between the girls/Elton...something better than Elton's blink-and-miss-it cameo in SpiceWorld or their six-person duet (?) of Don't Go Breakin My Heart. They might have not sang about buying expensive things before, but they represented the biggest and most visible capitalistic juggernaut the pop music had seen at that point, so I don't think it would have been out of their 'brand' to do something like this as a single. They could have easily done a CD single for it which could have included their duet with Elton as a b-side (they sound lovely in it actually!) and a cute girls-night-out type of video. Plus, as you say, if they made it clear that it was a tongue in cheek, they would have been fine. It wouldnt have been a career defining hit at the level of Wannabe, but it certainly could have been a Step To Me type of success (roughly 600,000 copies). IMAGINE:  My Strongest Suit CD1 1. My Strongest Suit 2. Remix 3. Don't Go Breaking My Heart (Elton John featuring the Spice Girls live) CD2 1. My Strongest Suit 2. Elton John Remix 3. Biffco Remix 4. Video hell, slap it on a Spiceworld Delux version in November 1998 which would have also included Goodbye, the single mix of Never Give Up On The Good Times and a new song/repurposed b-side, and it would have shot Spiceworld back to the top of the charts with minimum effort from the girls at that point....  
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10th April 2023, 10:57 AM
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#23
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BuzzJack Enthusiast
Joined: 4 November 2019
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I remember hearing that song on the radio and thinking it was their next single and spent the rest of the day singing “anytime, anywhere, anytime, underwear.”
MSS sounds a bit like Stop, it has some Motown pop vibes. And as Stop, I don’t think it had any chances to be a hit back then. Those lyrics.. ouch. The girls sound lovely, even Victoria. Glad they didn’t release it as a single, sad they didn’t include it as a b-side somewhere. |
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10th April 2023, 11:10 AM
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#24
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 BuzzJack Platinum Member
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I agree with Mr X, the girls were visually incredibly materialistic and flaunted their wealth (especially the Beckhams) through flash cars (deal with that car company got them all convertibles), travelling the world, the Rolex watches they all bought, everything really. So I don't think it was totally out of character for them in a song.
I also agree with Mr X (what the heck is going on ) it could have been a minimum effort hit for them and just kept them out there in terms of releasing music and tallying up their hits and sales. I think it would have been an easy #1 if released on the right week, they were still incredibly powerful at this point. (Although they couldn't have slapped it on a Spiceworld 98 re-release because it wasn't recorded until 99).I'll always be slightly annoyed that they did not do more after 98 to be honest. I still think a Christmas single for Xmas of 99 was a no brainer! Like the chance of having the 4 consecutive #1s record was right there and they didn't even bother trying! They had a flipping Christmas tour for Christ's sake, they really should have had a Christmas album out but at the very least a Christmas single. I although think they missed the boat not releasing a live album in 98 after the tour. - Live Album 98 - My Strongest Suit single 99 - Christmas single 99 They were all there ready to go with just short bursts of promo and could easily have racked up over a million sales for them just in the UK if done right. This post has been edited by spiceboy: 10th April 2023, 11:10 AM |
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10th April 2023, 11:50 AM
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#25
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
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QUOTE(spiceboy @ Apr 10 2023, 11:10 AM) I agree with Mr X, the girls were visually incredibly materialistic and flaunted their wealth (especially the Beckhams) through flash cars (deal with that car company got them all convertibles), travelling the world, the Rolex watches they all bought, everything really. So I don't think it was totally out of character for them in a song. I also agree with Mr X (what the heck is going on ) it could have been a minimum effort hit for them and just kept them out there in terms of releasing music and tallying up their hits and sales. I think it would have been an easy #1 if released on the right week, they were still incredibly powerful at this point. (Although they couldn't have slapped it on a Spiceworld 98 re-release because it wasn't recorded until 99).I'll always be slightly annoyed that they did not do more after 98 to be honest. I still think a Christmas single for Xmas of 99 was a no brainer! Like the chance of having the 4 consecutive #1s record was right there and they didn't even bother trying! They had a flipping Christmas tour for Christ's sake, they really should have had a Christmas album out but at the very least a Christmas single. I although think they missed the boat not releasing a live album in 98 after the tour. - Live Album 98 - My Strongest Suit single 99 - Christmas single 99 They were all there ready to go with just short bursts of promo and could easily have racked up over a million sales for them just in the UK if done right. Oh I messes up on dates!! I forgot that MSS came out in 1999!! This would have been an incredible release schedule then: September 1998: Never Give Up On The Good Times (tour footage video, Morales Mix single) December 1998: Goodbye single release + Spiceworld Delux with NGUOTGT single mix, Goodbye, Step To Me March 1999: AIDA Soundtrack + My Strongest Suit single release June 1999: Live Album + Christmas Tour Announcement December 1999: Christmas Single All of that would have kept them ticking with very little promo needed.... Hell, chuck in the Blackstreet duet in 1999 and it would have been an appropriate start of a transition to the full R&B Spice as well... Silly Spice Girls 
This post has been edited by Mr.X: 10th April 2023, 11:51 AM |
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 10th April 2023, 12:47 PM
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#26
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 BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 10 April 2008
Posts: 3,669 User: 5,829
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QUOTE(Mr.X @ Apr 10 2023, 02:50 PM) All of that would have kept them ticking with very little promo needed.... Minimal promo?  They used to promote every single with countless performances. They couldn't just release a single with "minimal promo". What's more, wasn't My Strongest Suit recorded in late 1998? |
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10th April 2023, 01:02 PM
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#27
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 6 September 2017
Posts: 11,848 User: 39,568
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I don't think a Spiceworld re-release was needed, especially since the Xmas #1 race was very close with Chef for Goodbye. There would be no benefit to it being on a Spiceworld re-release before released as a single since it was targeted for that Xmas week (in order to get the third xmas #1).
I think... September 98 - Never give up on the good times: Radio edit (tour montage video) September 98 - Spice Live Album (promo coming from the NGUOTGT release - released week after) December 98 - Goodbye (as it was done) March 99 - My Strongest Suit single release (alongside AIDA Soundtrack, some TV performances for 2 weeks / TV special with Elton John) December 99 - Christmas tour December 99 - Christmas single (Xmas week trying for that #1 - keep Westlife away from their record!!!) March 00 - BRIT Award Outstanding Contribution March 00 - Holler / LLLTW release March 00 - Forever album release June 00 - Tell me why / Get down with me release July 00 - Forever UK Tour September 00 - If you wanna have some fun release BREAK UP BEFORE SOMEONE GETS MURDERED IN THE BAND!!! |
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10th April 2023, 03:33 PM
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#28
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 5,086 User: 39,587
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QUOTE(spiceboy @ Apr 10 2023, 01:02 PM) I don't think a Spiceworld re-release was needed, especially since the Xmas #1 race was very close with Chef for Goodbye. There would be no benefit to it being on a Spiceworld re-release before released as a single since it was targeted for that Xmas week (in order to get the third xmas #1). I think... September 98 - Never give up on the good times: Radio edit (tour montage video) September 98 - Spice Live Album (promo coming from the NGUOTGT release - released week after) December 98 - Goodbye (as it was done) March 99 - My Strongest Suit single release (alongside AIDA Soundtrack, some TV performances for 2 weeks / TV special with Elton John) December 99 - Christmas tour December 99 - Christmas single (Xmas week trying for that #1 - keep Westlife away from their record!!!) March 00 - BRIT Award Outstanding Contribution March 00 - Holler / LLLTW release March 00 - Forever album release June 00 - Tell me why / Get down with me release July 00 - Forever UK Tour September 00 - If you wanna have some fun release BREAK UP BEFORE SOMEONE GETS MURDERED IN THE BAND!!! So I quite like your schedule, but the live album should be the Wembley audio, so September isn't really good for that release as they would need a few months to prepare it for release?... So maybe the Live Album would have come in November, followed by a Goodbye release (as it was?)... The rest, yes please thank you! |
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10th April 2023, 03:59 PM
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#29
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BuzzJack Regular
Joined: 20 December 2012
Posts: 241 User: 18,033
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I also can't believe they didn't have the Spice Girls: In America Tour Documentary ready to go for December 98. It would've really helped the promo for 'Goodbye' since they couldn't travel to places internationally and been a big talking point (seeing them go on without Geri). They just chucked it out almost a year after the tour had finished? They could've done so much more with it, I think even Spiceworld: The Documentary would've been a more fitting title and tied in with the era.
Without Simon, it was clear there was a lack of plan in place and they were just relying on their previous success to keep them going. This post has been edited by colinn: 10th April 2023, 03:59 PM |
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10th April 2023, 04:55 PM
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#30
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 "Jayrusaleminians" - Umi.
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 4 April 2007 Posts: 41,456 User: 3,217
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QUOTE(McAndrew @ Apr 10 2023, 09:16 AM) The only thing I don’t like about My Strongest Suit is the line “tonight my droppings will not be subdued”. To me, it sounds like she’s intent on taking a very noisy dump. What does “droppings” mean in this context? I don’t get it 😆 Trappings, not droppings  This thread went on a journey since its The Power of Five origins! 
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10th April 2023, 06:46 PM
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#31
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 6 September 2017
Posts: 11,848 User: 39,568
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Loving the rejigged title Jay!
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