Guobin Li

What does the song (Wannabe by Spice Girls) say about British society?

 

The British pop sensation Spice Girls made their debut in 1996 with the song "Wannabe" which was a huge success.

 

The music video in which the five girls take over a fancy hotel in London and create mischief at a party that is going there features people from all walks of life. : The upscale, the homeless and the religious etc. The music video begins with a scene on the sidewalk. The girls are cheering and two different groups of people appear: Nicely dressed first class walking out of a limousine and blanket-covered homeless sitting at the corner on the sidewalk. It clearly shows the division and the gap in British society and the girls happen to be in the middle. Then the girls break in at the hotel and start singing and dancing. They approach people at different locations at the party who represent different groups of Britons and they do not really mingle with each other, which can be understood as the internal division and conflicts in Great Britain.

 

Meanwhile, the lyrics of the song tell something different. "Yo, I'll tell what I want, what I really want, so tell me what you want, what you really really want" As can be seen from the lyrics, the song is about female empowerment. The lines manifest the girls' rebellion against the old way of relationships with their boyfriends. Girls are tired of listening to what their boyfriends want and always try to compromise their needs. The most powerful part of the song is the repetitive chorus where the girls repeat " I wanna ".  The girls keep saying "I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna reallyreally really wanna zigazig ha." It is a clear signal sent out to the boys wanting them to listen to what the girls really want.