Piers

What Jay said basically sums up what I think of it. I think most of it's a fairly solid pop album. It's just weighed down by two covers and two 'eh' songs in Been There, Done That and She Was a Friend of Mine. Choosing We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight as a single was a curious thing. The song's fine...but I'd have picked four other songs to be the third single ahead of We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight. "Seventh or eighth best song on the album!" isn't my most glowing review. I get that her team might have thought they could tap into a little Spice Girls nostalgia with it. Honestly, the song might have managed a bit more attention by simply including some of her real life celeb gal pals in it. I mean. Sure, at that time, Mel C would rather have a truck run over her foot than participate in that. But maybe the video could have featured Mel B, the Appleton sisters, and Dido with Em...having a night out? (okay, I know that last one sounds a bit like a stretch, but she WAS very complimentary of the album when it came out) Beyonce did something like that in the Get Me Bodied video. Anyway. To me, the obvious single run was always What Took You So Long - Take My Breath Away - Better Be Careful - High On Love. High On Love, in particular, I was expecting to get a release...as Emma consistently said it was her favorite off the album.

^ For some reason, I was under the impression they were under a five album deal from the get-go. I'm not sure where I heard that now. So. Take that with a grain of salt. But if my understanding of such things is correct, the contract wouldn't so much require them to release all the albums...as much as it prevents them to release music under another label until the contract is met. And, yes...I agree with schizo_spice's take, the single releases probably weren't required under the contract. I'm not sure labels *expect* their artists to spend ages recording an album only to immediately lose interest and abandon it two weeks after release. Anyway. I would be curious what the Virgin top brass made of all this. They'd just paid for some of the top producers in the world to do the album...top directors to handle the videos...a top photographer to do the album art (not saying he did a good job, just saying he was high profile) and the group just dumps it? Virgin had some big names at the time...but my guess would be the girls, Janet Jackson, and Mariah Carey would have been considered their biggest acts as of 2000. The label couldn't have been happy.

I didn't know about that! I had to look up the video on Youtube. Literally every time I've seen Westlife, they've been sitting on barstools. So. I look up the video. And sure enough. There they are. Singing Spice Up Your Life...sitting on those bar stools. I remember that Westlife quote Jay mentioned. From what I recall, the members made that remark about Holler, Let Love Lead the Way, and Oxygen being the only decent songs from Forever more than once. I always found this to be a weirdly specific comment. If you can acknowledge those three are decent songs...can't you also recognize that *at least* Tell Me Why and If You Wanna Have Some Fun are about as good? Whatever. And that comment about the girls sliming them is delusional. Westlife 100% provoked the problems, and the girls never hit back as hard. Like I said. My knowledge of Westlife is fairly limited. But. From what I've seen...uh...I don't think I get it. To me, the covers I've heard are strangely old fashioned for the early 2000s. I mean. Their cover of Mandy made it to #1? Not to offend people who are fans. But. Um. Do people just think they're that cute...or....? Anyway. I'll just say this. The one good thing about Westlife for me is they did tend to bring out the best of Mel C. She could be negative about the group and the other girls' solo careers for several years...but as soon as Westlife got brought up, she was back on Team Spice.

There were moments Mel criticized other artists during this time...that I didn't think she came off well. But this appearance with Louis Walsh isn't one of those moments. Sorry. She was right this time. And some of the guys of Westlife (and their team) started the fight here during the chart battle with Forever. They were openly antagonistic about the girls and their album...threatening to move their own album release if the girls did. They even said at the time they wanted to go head to head with a single release too. So. As far as I'm concerned, Mel has the green light to be honest about Westlife. Westlife never made a ripple here in America, so I can't weigh in much on the group. I will say I have to kinda respect any group that manages to have the longevity they did. However. It's honestly stunning how many cover songs they released. And Louis? You know he lost the argument when he said something about the Spice Girls lacking personality. Yeah, okay, Louis.

Side note. I realize Mel C is just the most likely to do these videos. But I've really liked them...and...kinda wish one of the other girls would do one too. I mean. I realize Victoria would rather stub a toe than acknowledge she once had a solo music career. It could be fun seeing stately lady of the manor Geri have to describe the writing process of Shake Your Bootie Cutie. I wonder if Mel B even remembers the album she made by the fridge or whatever...though maybe she can blurt out some insight into why her relationships with producers Sisqo and Teddy Riley went south. But no doubt, the best would be Emma...with her famously terrible memory. Would be a fun listen...where she'd likely tell us her favorite song from her first album is Maybe...and if she could go back and release an album track as a single, it'd be Free Me.

To me, On The Horizon always sounded a lot like Game Of Love by Santana and Michelle Branch. Same timeframe. Same collaborators. I even wondered if they knew how much the songs sounded alike...and had hopes for one with the US audience, the other for the UK audience. Game of Love actually was a pretty big hit in America. Anyway. For me, On The Horizon does sound like a Melanie C song. It fits perfectly on Reason. Northern Star had already established she was willing to release an album of moody and angry songs...alongside big bursts of positivity. I don't totally follow why she doesn't think it was her. Because it sounds commercial? I genuinely think Reason would be a lesser album without it. I think it boils down to...the song Reason was her top choice for a single...and when On The Horizon underperformed, she can blame the label. sammy01 mentioned her attitude wasn't the best during this time...and I actually do think that has something to do with it. She wasn't always positive about the Spice Girls' music during this time...and she was even more harsh about her former bandmates' solo stuff. She was also quick to criticize other pop groups. And everyone she was criticizing...would have likely had the same fans as Mel. I think it was an alienating time. Anyway. Could Reason have done better as a single? I don't especially think so, though I do think it's an excellent song that deserved to be a single. Had it taken off, I could see it being something other musicians would cover. I can definitely imagine it being used to audition for various Idol/X Factor-type shows.

Just finished watching Mel's latest chat. I've really been enjoying these. It's interesting to hear her discuss her music and career. I notice how she seemingly continues to view On The Horizon as her greatest career mistake. It's the one she mentions most consistently, anyway. I guess that song gets an unfair share of blame just becomes it marks the moment her career truly took a downturn. In reality, though...Reason flat-out didn't have anything on the level of Northern Star, Never Be the Same Again, or I Turn To You. Out of what she had...I've always felt On the Horizon was an obvious single choice. I think her label was right. Personally...I had all of zero interest in Here It Comes Again when it was released. I found it dull at the time (though my opinion's changed over the years). Back then...it was On the Horizon that kinda won me back over and made me listen to the album. But. Anyway. I do like Reason (the song) as well. It's lovely. If anything, she should have made that the other half of the double single with Yeh Yeh Yeh. Being injured at the time, Mel could have taken the opportunity to show off her vocals with Reason. Maybe that way we wouldn't have ended up with that Melt video that looks like a wedding DVD menu.

That Spice News page was a nice walk down memory lane. I remember checking that page pretty much every day for something new. It's actually quite interesting how often Mel C talked about touring Forever. Videos from behind-the-scenes of Holler and Let Love Lead the Way show she was already very over being there by that point. Yet...she continued talking about her hopes for a group tour through September? On the WOMAN front, I think the pop tracks were still in the mix later than most think. My guess is they were dumped around the time they suddenly had to record Wasting My Time and re-record Right Back At Ya. What was that? July? August? I remember one of them (maybe Mel B?) saying something about how they suddenly realized the album wasn't finished really late in the game. I also remember reading from someone that the Darkchild team took a crack at WOMAN but they just couldn't bend it to their style. Can't remember where I heard that, though. Anyway. I like the live recording of WOMAN just fine...but I think the song's more a symbol than anything. We got a third album that's not bad...but wasn't what the fanbase necessarily expected, and the group abandoned it immediately after years of anticipation. WOMAN is more than an unreleased track. It's the great "what could have been". That's how I perceive it, anyway. And I don't care what anyone says. I like the g-string line.

My favorite shoot of them from the Forever era came from a magazine, I believe. It's been so long, I can't remember which magazine. But someone in here will know. Mels B and C have long hair. Emma's wearing shades. Victoria's in a white lace dress. I think they were against a kinda beige background. To me... it's the photoshoot from that time that best captures the vibe of Forever. Maybe a decent album cover could be pulled from those images? Would that be asking too much? Probably. I don't know that Forever was ever a beloved enough property for major changes and a redesign to happen now. I doubt anyone but the most die-hard fans even know that's Terry Richardson's work on Forever. But if a change did happen...my guess is they'd probably just reuse the Goodbye single cover. I know it's not exactly the right era. But it's probably the single most famous image of the four piece.

Anyway. I've heard Mel C say loads of times that the unreleased stuff stayed unreleased for a reason. But here's her problem. Some of the other girls and their collaborators have spent too much time saying the opposite. It's just made fans hungrier for it for 20 years. I mean. Biff called Feed Your Love one of his favorite recordings he did with them. He's also talked up his unused Forever-era tracks in the past...and both he and Eliot Kennedy have expressed disappointment about their material not getting used. Mel B's said they have loads of great unreleased songs. Emma talked up W.O.M.A.N. during recording...and later said she was disappointed it didn't make the album, and it wasn't her call. Victoria also said at one time she was disappointed the pop stuff went unreleased. Then there's the matter of the four Eliot tracks from Forever that did leak. You might like em. You might not. But they are clearly worthy of some kind of release. Personally, I like the pop Right Back At Ya, Pain Proof, and Give You What You Want better than at least five tracks that did make Forever. Logic would dictate the Biff material's probably even better. He had the midas touch in the late 90s/early 2000s, and I doubt he was going to drop the ball for his biggest act. So. I mean. They've kinda turned themselves into their own worst enemies in regards to unreleased fan stuff. That said. I get why they wouldn't especially want Strong Enough out there...

I think Can't Stay Tonight would be a Spiceworld-era demo. Wasn't there a song called Dingeling that popped up on some publishing sites from that era? Even though it might have been considered for a Spice Up Your Life b-side at some point, I'm fairly sure Strong Enough is from the Spice recordings. Anyway. Might be nice to hear a polished up version of Can't Stay Tonight that includes the whole group. I think we confirmed at one point that a group recording of it exists...rather than just the Mel C solo, though I haven't read about anyone hearing it. Might be an interesting listen. With the song's structure, I'm not sure how the group would sound on it. I'm not terribly hopeful about Spiceworld-era extras, though. Whatever existed...they chose to release two singles without original songs as b-sides at all...and one single got Spice Invaders. So. Whatever was left can't be their best stuff...

^ I do actually like that side profile shot from their Interactive CD-ROM. It's a pretty shot...though I don't think it's dynamic enough for an album cover. It would have made a decent single cover, though. And yes, I agree about the Let Love Lead the Way cover too. It's a nice enough picture of Emma. But the rest of them are so naturally beautiful that's it's puzzling Richardson managed to take such 'off' shots of them. Victoria practically looks like she's cast in shadow for the witness protection program. It's got the harsh lighting and shadowed faces of a picture taken outside with a disposable camera...which, I suppose, is exactly what it is. I guess Richardson was going for a particular aesthetic. But. What can I say? Back when I was in high school, we went into a wooded area to take my prom pictures...and my mom did a better job with a disposable camera than Terry Richardson. I would have been glad to have loaned her to the Spice Girls for their album shoot. She's very nice and provides cookies.

Beyond a lot of the photos being unflattering, it's still super weird to me how much the Terry Richardson shoot does not reflect the vibe of the album. The cover of that album doesn't make me expect Holler and Tell Me Why. It makes me expect...rich wives at a dinner party singing jazz standards around a piano? I remember reading an article years ago that dealt with the Virgin executives being confused and concerned over Richardson ditching professional equipment for the shoot to take many of the shots on dozens of cheap disposable cameras. This is one of those moments, you'd think someone at Virgin or one of the girls themselves would step in and course correct things...instead of just throwing the single worst shot on the album cover. Anyway. The orange couch photo IS the best thing to come out of Richardson's photo series. But if we're talking about photos not by Richardson...maybe the vinyl cover could be a shot by their longtime photog Dean Freeman? Did he take their Christmas tour program shots? There again...the pics don't reflect the content of the album...and they predate Forever by a year...but at least they're pretty shots. There was another really pretty shot taken of them on the set of Let Love Lead the Way. Not clear on if that was by Richardson...but I'm sure someone in here would know.

Viva Forever's in the movie. It plays when the girls go revisit that abandoned cafe and then walk to a bench to talk about fame. I know there's some murkiness to the Best Song rules...with the song having to be written expressly for the movie production. I know in the 80s...Maniac from Flashdance was disqualified when it was learned an earlier version of the song existed before the film came along. But my general feeling is nearly everything from the girls' second album could technically qualify for the category (similar to Prince's material for Purple Rain). They recorded the second album at the same time as the movie was in production. They're titled the same thing. They're definitely linked projects. The only exceptions would probably be Move Over (the chorus existed before the girls/producers built the rest of the song around it) and bonus track Step to Me (part of the Spice sessions). And if they were to hedge their bets by putting forth just one song...I would think Viva Forever, Stop, Too Much, or even Never Give Up on the Good Times would have been good choices. Again, they weren't respected enough to get the nomination. But their songs were technically better than a lot of what does make the Academy list. If the animated movie does get off the ground, I think they have a really unique challenge with the new music. I'm assuming the animated Spices will not be singing Holler in a kids' movie. Instead, they're going to have to record material that can fit alongside their 90s hits...even though both the girls as solo artists and their collaborators have long evolved from that sound. I think we've been down this road before...and a previous attempt to recapture that 1996-1998 sound is what brought us Headlines and Voodoo. Now, personally...I think Headlines is quite beautiful...and think Voodoo is "fine"...but there's no question they're divisive among fans. Can their work be better liked this time? My hope is they can get something together along the lines of Can't Stop the Feeling from the Trolls movie...another Best Song nominee. Something that's big and broadly likable.

Had a thought. I realize any song the girls did in the 90s would be very unlikely to get Oscar attention (not because of the songs' quality...but because of the group's perception at the time). But. In theory at least...couldn't they have thrown Viva Forever at the Best Song category back then? I'm sure Academy members would have rather keeled over dead than nominate something from Spice World. But. Had Viva Forever been the submission...it'd at least make a few voting members perk up and say..."...well...I wasn't expecting...that..." I would think any song from Spice World could technically be classified as "written for the movie", right? I mean. They were writing the album between scenes, after all. Anyway. Spice World was released in 1998 in America, so any song would have been eligible for the awards show in 1999. It was When You Believe by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey that won best song that year. I guess I'm biased, but I think Viva Forever is quite a bit better, actually. On the flip side, Too Much was nominated for Worst Song at the Razzies. Which. Look. Spice World deserved some of its Razzie attention...but Too Much certainly didn't. Too Much was nominated against Don't Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith...which somehow got nominated for Worst Song at the Razzies AND Best Song at the Oscars. Go figure. Last thought. It may still be something of a longshot, but I actually think the girls would be MORE likely to get Grammy/Oscar consideration for a movie soundtrack song today...than they would back in the 90s. The harsh perception of them has softened. The awards shows aren't actually as stuffy and pretentious. Look. Everything Is Awesome from the Lego Movie managed to get nominated for Best Song. If the girls come up with something catchy and likable enough...I don't think it's *impossible*, per se.

Well. I know I should reserve any judgement until we see a trailer (...if the project gets that far...). But...I also kinda wonder if an animated film by a major studio can truly understand them...and their somewhat unique appeal. Spice World isn't a very good movie in a lot of ways, but it was very keen in one specific area. It understood the girls' audience. They created a movie that can play to kids...just as well as it can to a gay audience there for the camp factor. It's honestly a rare feat. How many movies could be played at a kids' sleepover party...and also at a drag bar re-enactment and perfectly fit at both? Frankly, the bad movie elements of it make it play even better on the midnight movie circuit now. Spice World may not have had the best team of filmmakers...but it did have people who got the group. Will Paramount Animation let their freak flag fly? Anyway. If this gets off the ground, I really hope the animation passes the social media test. The last thing we need is an audience reaction disaster like Cats or the original design of Sonic the Hedgehog. I can just imagine Twitter being littered with "WHY IS VICTORIA'S HEAD SO DAMN BIG?" "EMMA'S EYES LOOK DEAD" "CARTOON GERI IS WHAT YOU SEE BEFORE YOU DIE" And so forth.

This might be a cynical outlook, but I'm expecting the animated film to go into development hell and then die a quiet death. It's not that I necessarily want that to happen. I'll take anything I can get out of the group. But. Really. This idea? It's so...unprecedented. When has an animated film ever been made about a pop group that hasn't been a force in music for 20 years? I mean. If they were doing an animated film about New Kids on the Block right now, I'd think it was the most random thing in the world. I 100% get that the girls are (and will be for a long time) in major demand for live shows. But their core audience is in their mid-30s now. I'm assuming an animated film will be targeted at kids. Is this not directed the wrong way? Is the hope that parents will drag their kids along to "come listen to mommy's music" ? Anyway. Hope I'm wrong. Hope it comes out. Hope it's a big hit. But. Y'know. These are my thoughts for now...

I like Tell Me Why...and think it should have been a single just based on the fact it's a good song. Memorable chorus. Darkchild doesn't overstay his welcome. I do wonder what the subject would have done for the song, though. With it obviously being about Geri, it may have drummed up enough controversy to make a big hit. At the same time...it is a bit of a bummer that they'd taken the high road on the subject on Goodbye...only for this song to come along and kinda say "...but this is how we really feel..." I get that the group had the right to be frustrated with Geri. But. Looking at the context of 1999/2000/2001...is it possible the group could have come off as mean by releasing this as a single? Typically, their music was so positive. Their ire had only been directed at inconsequential dudes who did wrong and now have to be shown the door. Now...it would be directed at a former member. Would it have been a good look? By this point, Mel C had put down Geri's singing ability several times...Victoria said she didn't like Geri's music...and even Emma didn't like Look At Me. I think Geri was starting to look like the innocent party being picked on...and never firing back. If the song was a single, you know everyone would ask Geri what she thought of it. I wonder what she would have said... Final thought. Do we think the girls would have even admitted in 2000/2001 that Tell Me Why was about Geri? Yes, a few have admitted it since then. But I can kinda imagine them being asked the question in 2000/2001 and responding with aloof non-answers. "At the end of the day, people will think it's about what they want it to be about." Something like that.

I like Get Down With Me and Wasting My Time as solid album tracks...though I don't view them as potential single choices like some fans. I think their problem is more in the context of the album. The novelty of the Spice Girls doing American-sounding r'n'b kinda wares off after Holler and Tell Me Why. By the time tracks 5 and 6 roll around, I think that's the point the album should have shifted off in some new, interesting direction. Instead it's...even more Darkchild-style r'n'b. Rodney Jerkins claimed at the time he wanted to do a rock song with them...and I think he should have to change up the album's dynamic. Frankly, he had Pain Proof sitting right there and might have been able to adapt it a bit to his style while retaining the guitars. But as standalone songs? I do like Get Down With Me and Wasting My Time. As a minor criticism, I think the ad-libs feel a bit forced at times on both. But both are legitimately catchy, and I find myself humming them sometimes.

Oh yeah! I always forget about that one. No, I don't think it was recorded...and the explanation given was that George Michael and his collaborator didn't have the song submitted in time. Unlike the Hercules song and Girlfriend/Boyfriend, I can't imagine the girls doing December Song at all. I think it made for a pretty, subtle song for George Michael...but I don't think it sounds remotely like the Spice Girls, and I definitely can't imagine them making religious references to Jesus. It'd be interesting to know what was happening behind the scenes leading up to the Greatest Hits album...as there was clearly an attempt to give us more new music than what we eventually got. The girls had four songs recorded...George Michael was writing them a song...and then Ne-Yo was claiming he was asked to write some songs (but never had the time to do it). There another collaborator we just haven't heard about? It's all very...random. Anyway. Back to the topic at hand. Mr. X's list about sums up what I'd want to hear. I'd most want to finally see performances of If You Wanna Have Some Fun and Tell Me Why...as they were the hits that should have been.

I don't think there's many, really...as the group tended to be part of the writing sessions for their material. I can only think of two by name. One is I Won't Say I'm in Love from Disney's Hercules. The writer of the song has confirmed he offered it to the girls to sing for the film's soundtrack (a pop version of the song in the film), but it never panned out. Other than that, it was long claimed the Spice Girls collaborated with Blackstreet on the original version of Boyfriend/Girlfriend...a song that was released with Janet Jackson. Is the claim true? The rumor and song title were around before the Janet Jackson recording was released, so maybe? There were a lot of articles about the song way back then...though I'm not sure I've seen an actual quote from any of the girls or Blackstreet members about it. The song's kinda structured to where the four girls could have been involved...though the track's only 'okay' as far as I'm concerned. Wasn't a huge hit and doesn't seem to be especially remembered today. Wyclef Jean also offered a song to them for Forever...though I'm not sure of the name or if it ever ended up released by another act. There are more stories for the solo members and the songs they almost recorded. But that's a whole other thing...

Mixed thoughts on this. I do think Simon could have given the group's iconic era a grand finale and sense of closure (instead of the two year downward spiral we got instead). He could have also guided the girls into their solo careers in a comfortable transition where they weren't unleashing five albums in a year and canceling out each other's chances of success. But. That said. While Simon did a lot of good, he wasn't a perfect manager. Some of the deals he was signing were getting a bit...iffy and questionable. Meanwhile, there was a truly great opportunity to record a song for the Hercules soundtrack that he let fell apart on his watch. It couldn't have taken that long for the group to record. Song was already written. A relationship with Disney would have been beneficial in the longterm. A quality collaboration. But instead...he was the type of manager who made sure the world got Spice Girls pizza. Beyond that, it was actually after he was gone that the group really started showing their ability as live performers. I know he's said some things about making the tour bigger and better through a series of sponsorship deals. But. Would a truckload more commercials have been good for them at that point after they'd done so many already? Also. Istanbul happened under his watch. While I like Istanbul, the world tour/Wembley is technically a better show. I guess he could have gotten us a fancier stage or something. But...the way it happened...we got a solid show...that didn't have to come with a hundred more sponsorship deals...and it didn't cost young fans an arm and a leg either. As for the second movie, I'm not sure I can quite envision the half scripted/half improvised approach he's proposed. I think there might have been a fun road trip movie to come out of the tour. But making them shoot the movie while touring AND (presumably) writing a third album all at the same time seems impossible. Furthermore, while I basically like Spice World for what a camp movie it is...if we're being honest, we could have gotten a better film had Simon not used his nepotism to hire his brother as screenwriter.

I won't name names (as to not start a war)...but I'll just say...there were a lot of new pop acts arriving on the scene around this point in time who were releasing perfectly well-crafted debut albums. But if we're being honest...the songs by those artists were 100% interchangeable. And that's really not true of a lot of Geri's Schizophonic material. The album's kinda...unapologetically weird. I'm not sure another big pop star of the time would have done those shouty bits in Sometime. They certainly wouldn't have recorded the "little white lie" part of Look At Me. They wouldn't have touched You're In a Bubble. And I mean it as a compliment. You may or may not like those elements...but I appreciate the quirk. She was many things...but she wasn't an anonymous recording artist. It's obvious she had major influence over the lyrics and direction of the album. Anyway. I actually think Schizophonic's pretty solid. Top to bottom. The songs are catchy and memorable...and would probably be far better remembered/respected had they been recorded by the Spice Girls. It the album perfect? No. While I like Lift Me Up, her voice cracking at the beginning really should have been re-recorded. It couldn't have been that hard of a fix. And I don't think You're in a Bubble is much of a song. I wish they'd dumped that one...put Summertime somewhere in the track line-up...and closed out the album with Someone's Watching Over Me. I actually like her two follow-up albums better than seemingly 95% of fans. But while I think her voice seems more comfortable on the latter two albums (no voice cracks or songs clearly outpacing her abilities), Schizophonic by far feels the most personal.

Ultimately, I think they were probably right to strike out in another direction with new collaborators. I really like their unreleased pop version of Right Back At Ya...but after Mel C's Goin Down...and Victoria's Out of Your Mind...would it not have been odd that the group didn't evolve and grow like the individual members had? They weren't a nostalgia group yet. They still had the opportunity for reinvention. Darkchild and Jam & Lewis were a good start...but I think they should have brought in another one or two fresh collaborators. Rick Nowels may have been a prime choice at the time...as he did awesome stuff with Mel C (and Geri later). They initially had the right idea in having three Darkchild songs. Holler needed to happen. But he ended up with too much control. One of the main appeals of the group for me was seeing what genres they could explore. Darkchild made things too samey. Someone like Nowels could have given us a true rock Spice Girls track...and maybe some other dancey, guitary pop with a more mature edge than what they'd done before. Anyway. That was longwinded, but I still do like the album we got. It's better than a lot of the big hit albums of that year...and I actually think Darkchild's work on Forever towers over the stuff he did for Michael Jackson and Britney around the same era. And I think Holler/Let Love Lead the Way, Tell Me Why, If You Wanna Have Some Fun, and Oxygen would have made an excellent singles run. (I realize that last one's divisive...but...whatever. I've always thought it was gorgeous)

One more thought about this era. Yes, it was self-sabotage for Hot to release just weeks before Forever. But. I've always found the explanation behind that to be odd. Virgin had concerns about the release strategy but Mel pushed ahead anyway? But. Like. Couldn't Virgin just stop her? It was obviously a waste of their money and resources. How'd Mel have that much power? It's not like Mel could just burn the CDs and stock them in the stores herself. Anyway. That said, I do think she was right about Tell Me as the lead single. It's dynamic. It tackles her drama head-on. Song fits her like a glove. Fab video. Feels So Good ended up being the bigger hit (and I love that one too), but to me Tell Me was an excellent album launcher.