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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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 5th April 2023, 10:32 PM
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#1
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 BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 26 January 2021
Posts: 7,069 User: 122,344 
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The great Spicey single that never was...
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5th April 2023, 11:01 PM
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#2
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 5,086 User: 39,587
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No.
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6th April 2023, 07:33 AM
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#3
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BuzzJack Enthusiast
Joined: 6 September 2017
Posts: 929 User: 39,574
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I dont think so but as another B side yeah. Maybe they could've put it on the Step to Me single?
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6th April 2023, 07:46 AM
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#4
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BuzzJack Regular
Joined: 6 June 2019
Posts: 426 User: 88,486
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No.
It's just ok for what it was made for. |
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6th April 2023, 11:10 AM
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#5
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 BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 6 September 2017
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Schizo got it, a b-side perhaps.
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6th April 2023, 12:21 PM
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#6
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BuzzJack Enthusiast
Joined: 18 January 2021
Posts: 1,789 User: 122,015
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God, that's bad.
I know it's just a short little ad thing, but it's just a bit pants really. |
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6th April 2023, 02:49 PM
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#7
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 "Jayrusaleminians" - Umi.
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 4 April 2007 Posts: 41,456 User: 3,217
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It’s a fun jingle and could have been cool to have as a bonus on Spice 25!
Before the channel launched with programmes, there were previews in the days leading up to it. There were other things that the girls filmed, and some of it has never been shared online. I remembered for years afterwards that there was a clip of Victoria having a bucket of water thrown over her, but it’s never emerged. I almost started to wonder if I’d made up something that hadn’t happened. But the guy who filmed The Power of 5 was interviewed in the recently released “Reach for the Stars” by Michael Cragg book, and he mentions the bucket of water moment! That Victoria said she was up for it and the others didn’t want to do it. I wish we could see everything that was filmed for Channel 5. |
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6th April 2023, 03:00 PM
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#8
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Break the tension
Joined: 7 March 2006
Posts: 89,024 User: 51
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It's like the true originator where Duffy's Diet Coke advert and Pixie Lott's Colgate one followed.
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8th April 2023, 02:38 PM
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#9
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BuzzJack Regular
Joined: 25 March 2018
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I think they managed to have about as good a pop song/jingle hybrid as there's ever been with Move Over. That song fits the commercial's vibe...but the lyrics are never directly about Pepsi. Someone listening to Spiceworld today would have no idea there was a track in the mix that was "the Pepsi song". For years, I thought Move Over was a song the girls selected for their commercial...rather than the real story...that it DID start out life as a jingle that the girls just expanded on.
The Power of 5 is a different story, though. I guess I could see a version of the song *with different lyrics* as a potential b-side (if I remember correctly, the girls and their producers DID write this jingle). But I *really* wouldn't want a b-side where the girls are singing about a TV channel. Nope. Nope. Nope. The commercial itself, I think is pretty cute. Their looks are great. There are good shots in there. As a video goes, I do think The Power of 5 commercial is better than the Headlines video...but that may say more about the Headlines video than the Power of 5 commercial. I guess this commercial was harmless enough...though it's hard for me to shake that the girls/Simon turned down the chance to work with Disney and record a song for the Hercules soundtrack (an obviously high profile project...and it would've been wise to be linked with Disney)...but they always seemed to have time for lower rent stuff. |
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8th April 2023, 04:55 PM
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#10
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 5,086 User: 39,587
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QUOTE(Piers @ Apr 8 2023, 02:38 PM)  I think they managed to have about as good a pop song/jingle hybrid as there's ever been with Move Over. That song fits the commercial's vibe...but the lyrics are never directly about Pepsi. Someone listening to Spiceworld today would have no idea there was a track in the mix that was "the Pepsi song". For years, I thought Move Over was a song the girls selected for their commercial...rather than the real story...that it DID start out life as a jingle that the girls just expanded on. The Power of 5 is a different story, though. I guess I could see a version of the song *with different lyrics* as a potential b-side (if I remember correctly, the girls and their producers DID write this jingle). But I *really* wouldn't want a b-side where the girls are singing about a TV channel. Nope. Nope. Nope. The commercial itself, I think is pretty cute. Their looks are great. There are good shots in there. As a video goes, I do think The Power of 5 commercial is better than the Headlines video...but that may say more about the Headlines video than the Power of 5 commercial. I guess this commercial was harmless enough...though it's hard for me to shake that the girls/Simon turned down the chance to work with Disney and record a song for the Hercules soundtrack (an obviously high profile project...and it would've been wise to be linked with Disney)...but they always seemed to have time for lower rent stuff. Totally agree about the lyrics. The song itself is naff imo, but it definitely could have been a b.side (it is as naff as Outer Space Girls and that got the bside treatment!!) with new lyrics. I didn't know the Hercules soundtrack was true? I think that was just a rumour right? If it was indeed true, then Simon was totally wrong to skip that, specially when a relationship with Disney would have done wonders for the group (probably setting a better stage for them to do the two animated movies that have been scrapped since 1999!) Agree on the lower rent stuff, sadly... |
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8th April 2023, 07:10 PM
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#11
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BuzzJack Regular
Joined: 25 March 2018
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QUOTE(Mr.X @ Apr 8 2023, 11:55 AM) I didn't know the Hercules soundtrack was true? I think that was just a rumour right? If it was indeed true, then Simon was totally wrong to skip that, specially when a relationship with Disney would have done wonders for the group (probably setting a better stage for them to do the two animated movies that have been scrapped since 1999!) Well. The Hercules thing is partly true. People have gotten it confused over the years thinking the girls were offered the roles of the muses. They weren't offered that...or to be in the actual movie. Work on the film would have been going on for years before the girls exploded onto the scene, after all. What they were offered was a chance to record I Won't Say I'm In Love for the movie soundtrack. The song's writer, Alan Menken, has talked about how it was a big disappointment that Simon/the girls couldn't work it into their schedules. Granted, the Spice Girls were a far bigger cultural moment than the Hercules film in 1997. But recording the song for the soundtrack would still have been a mutually beneficial thing. By 1997, Disney's soundtrack songs weren't getting the same attention they had with Aladdin and Lion King a few years earlier. The Spice Girls would have unquestionably given that song a boost...and made it something better remembered today. And it was just a good idea for the girls to be looped in with a juggernaut like Disney. I'm sure the girls and their producers would have reworked the song into their style...just the same as they'd do with My Strongest Suit two years later. But. No. It couldn't work out...but they could find time for a lot of potato chip commercials... (I'm not totally knocking the Walkers commercials...some of them are fairly cute...) |
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8th April 2023, 07:57 PM
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#12
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 5,086 User: 39,587
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QUOTE(Piers @ Apr 8 2023, 07:10 PM) Well. The Hercules thing is partly true. People have gotten it confused over the years thinking the girls were offered the roles of the muses. They weren't offered that...or to be in the actual movie. Work on the film would have been going on for years before the girls exploded onto the scene, after all. What they were offered was a chance to record I Won't Say I'm In Love for the movie soundtrack. The song's writer, Alan Menken, has talked about how it was a big disappointment that Simon/the girls couldn't work it into their schedules. Granted, the Spice Girls were a far bigger cultural moment than the Hercules film in 1997. But recording the song for the soundtrack would still have been a mutually beneficial thing. By 1997, Disney's soundtrack songs weren't getting the same attention they had with Aladdin and Lion King a few years earlier. The Spice Girls would have unquestionably given that song a boost...and made it something better remembered today. And it was just a good idea for the girls to be looped in with a juggernaut like Disney. I'm sure the girls and their producers would have reworked the song into their style...just the same as they'd do with My Strongest Suit two years later. But. No. It couldn't work out...but they could find time for a lot of potato chip commercials... (I'm not totally knocking the Walkers commercials...some of them are fairly cute...) Well yes, throughout 1997 they recorded more adverts than music videos, by their own admission. I would have gotten much more excited for things like their take on the Hercules soundtrack than most of their adverts, specially the ASDA and Aprilia ones  My Strongest Suit is a good example actually! A Bop and they made a stand on their sound for it. It is seen by many as a missed single - it was screaming to be one actually!! Sad though. This bit of news goes with the recent takes on Simon's focus on comerce rather their music. Just a ton of exposure and money, but the attention to the music was taking a hit  |
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9th April 2023, 12:06 AM
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#13
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BuzzJack Regular
Joined: 25 March 2018
Posts: 397 User: 69,521
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I will say this, though. For all the flack the girls got for their ads, I actually do prefer how they did it to how some music icons handled ads before them.
Move Over (and to a lesser extent, Power of 5) sound pretty good when stacked up next to, say...Paula Abdul's Diet Coke song from a few years earlier. Then there's Madonna's Pepsi commercial set to Like A Prayer. It wouldn't have aired much...because it was yanked down over the controversy of the song's real video. But. Still. It's super weird now watching a video with one of M's signature songs have PEPSI PEPSI PEPSI flashed through it. Worst of all to me is Michael Jackson...who changed the lyrics of classics Billie Jean and Bad to be literally ABOUT Pepsi. Woof. Granted, those songs would have been new when the ads were created...and not yet viewed as some of the most recognizable pop songs ever. But. Wow, do those adapted lyrics seem weird now. |
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9th April 2023, 10:47 AM
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#14
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 6 September 2017
Posts: 11,848 User: 39,568
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The thing with the ads is they were also great promotional tools for the girls and kept their faces out there all over the globe, as well as sponsoring things for them like tours etc. There is no denying the merch and ads (and their characters) helped make them into the phenomenon they were and helped them become the cultural icons they are in music, they may not have had the same impact without it. It also wore them out and made the bands shelf line shorter and when they suddenly stopped being everywhere the contrast was quite stark so they suddenly didn’t seem as big anymore. I truly believe that was one of the (many) reasons Forever was not as successful.
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9th April 2023, 11:18 AM
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#15
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 5,086 User: 39,587
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QUOTE(spiceboy @ Apr 9 2023, 10:47 AM) The thing with the ads is they were also great promotional tools for the girls and kept their faces out there all over the globe, as well as sponsoring things for them like tours etc. There is no denying the merch and ads (and their characters) helped make them into the phenomenon they were and helped them become the cultural icons they are in music, they may not have had the same impact without it. It also wore them out and made the bands shelf line shorter and when they suddenly stopped being everywhere the contrast was quite stark so they suddenly didn’t seem as big anymore. I truly believe that was one of the (many) reasons Forever was not as successful. Too many ads, unfortunately. Had they done only a few (instead of like 12 just in 1997), it would have made them massive without oversaturation. Besides the TV ads, they were on EVERYTHING you saw. Like, the ASDA promo deal had their faces on pretty much any type of object you could find. It was too much and even they recognise it. One would say that it was the reason they imploded: public saturation and they themselves were exhausted. Thats why it all went to shit imo. Had they spent more time in 1997/1998 actually focusing on their music, their story would have been much more different, and they wouldnt be exhausted by the time their second album arrived! |
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9th April 2023, 12:00 PM
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#16
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 6 September 2017
Posts: 11,848 User: 39,568
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QUOTE(Mr.X @ Apr 9 2023, 12:18 PM) Too many ads, unfortunately. Had they done only a few (instead of like 12 just in 1997), it would have made them massive without oversaturation. Besides the TV ads, they were on EVERYTHING you saw. Like, the ASDA promo deal had their faces on pretty much any type of object you could find. It was too much and even they recognise it. One would say that it was the reason they imploded: public saturation and they themselves were exhausted. Thats why it all went to shit imo. Had they spent more time in 1997/1998 actually focusing on their music, their story would have been much more different, and they wouldnt be exhausted by the time their second album arrived! I agree but by being on everything it truly was a Spiceworld which was definitely part of what made them SO huge and their impact still felt to this day in a way their peers are not. Obviously there are pros and cons but as a young boy living through it, it truly felt amazing! 
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9th April 2023, 08:35 PM
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#17
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
Posts: 5,086 User: 39,587
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QUOTE(spiceboy @ Apr 9 2023, 12:00 PM) I agree but by being on everything it truly was a Spiceworld which was definitely part of what made them SO huge and their impact still felt to this day in a way their peers are not. Obviously there are pros and cons but as a young boy living through it, it truly felt amazing! I grew up in Portugal, so it wasnt like that at all and still already felt like quite overwhelming, even if I was hooked lol |
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9th April 2023, 09:59 PM
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#18
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BuzzJack Enthusiast
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QUOTE(Mr.X @ Apr 8 2023, 08:57 PM) Well yes, throughout 1997 they recorded more adverts than music videos, by their own admission. I would have gotten much more excited for things like their take on the Hercules soundtrack than most of their adverts, specially the ASDA and Aprilia ones My Strongest Suit is a good example actually! A Bop and they made a stand on their sound for it. It is seen by many as a missed single - it was screaming to be one actually!! Sad though. This bit of news goes with the recent takes on Simon's focus on comerce rather their music. Just a ton of exposure and money, but the attention to the music was taking a hit One of my fave 4 piece moments however I'm not sure it would've worked as a single as the verses are so long with too much going on. Can you imagine them trying to sing those verses live I doubt the general public would be able to sing them back easily either haha |
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10th April 2023, 04:05 AM
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#19
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BuzzJack Regular
Joined: 25 March 2018
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QUOTE(Mr.X @ Apr 8 2023, 02:57 PM) My Strongest Suit is a good example actually! A Bop and they made a stand on their sound for it. It is seen by many as a missed single - it was screaming to be one actually!! 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. |
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10th April 2023, 07:59 AM
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#20
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 16 November 2009
Posts: 7,606 User: 9,988
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I don't think My strongest suit is materialistic it is basically a bit of a girl power anthem again in it tells women wear what you like, you look good. Plus I always assumed 'A dress has always been my strongest suit' is a play on women being strong as they are being women than trying to be a man or fit into a mans world.
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