'Spice' Lyrics Match Trivia Quiz

Answer: Wannabe

'Wannabe', the single that catapulted the Spice Girls to stardom, was written with Richard 'Biff' Stannard and Matt Rowe, and recorded in under an hour. The Spice Girls all shouted out random lines and phrases, and cobbled them together into a song. While no-one knows exactly what a 'zig-a-zig-aah' is, the writers have hinted that it has a sexual meaning.

The video was originally going to be filmed in Barcelona, but had to be relocated to St Pancras Hotel in London and was filmed in one take. Record company staff worried that it wouldn't get airplay, due to the presence of old people, Mel B's outfit (which got the video banned in some countries), and the darkness of the building. Geri Halliwell, however, was adamant that the video should stay as it was, saying, "It's us, warts and all."

Answer: If U Can't Dance

'If U Can't Dance' was often used as the intro music at the Spice Girls' earlier gigs. It has a Spanish rap by Geri for the second verse, though some Spanish-speaking fans have pointed out that the Spanish is pretty ropey (and Geri would later go on to include a Spanish bridge in 'Mi Chico Latino' when she went solo, borrowing lines from her Spanish mother's romance novels).

It was written with Richard 'Biff' Stannard and Matt Rowe.

Answer: Mama

'Mama' was inspired by the Girls' mothers, and was released as a double A-side with 'Who Do You Think You Are?', in time for Mothers' Day 1997. It was co-written with Richard 'Biff' Stannard and Matt Rowe. Rowe credited Mel B with coming up with the concept for the song.

The video featured the Spice Girls' mothers: Pauline Bunton, Jacqueline Adams, Joan O'Neill (Mel C's mother), Ana Maria Hidalgo (Geri's mother), and Andrea Brown. Geri found filming a video with her mother 'a bit weird', but Mel C and Victoria liked the fact that their mothers got to see what they did for a living.

Answer: Something Kinda Funny

'Something Kinda Funny' was written with Absolute (Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson), who also worked with Geri Halliwell when she went solo. Absolute were responsible for many of the more R'n'B-flavoured tracks on 'Spice'. Absolute sent Simon Fuller a demo version of the song and asked him if he would be interested in working with the group, and he later became their manager until the group sacked him in 1997.

Answer: Naked

'Naked' is the longest track on 'Spice', and was written with Absolute. The middle of the song features Emma Bunton talking on a telephone. When the Spice Girls performed the song live, they would sing backwards on chairs, Christine Keeler-style, and wear body stockings to give them the illusion of actually being naked. Emma and Victoria stated that the song wasn't just about sex - it was also about 'baring your soul and feeling exposed'.

Answer: Say You'll Be There

'Say You'll Be There' was the second single to be released from 'Spice'. It was written with Sheffield-based songwriter Eliot Kennedy and produced by Absolute. Bob and Chris Herbert, the Spice Girls' original managers, had arranged a songwriting session with Kennedy and after the group left them, Geri and Mel B looked Kennedy up in the phone book and drove straight to his house. The rest of the group followed, and ended up staying with him for a week.

The video for 'Say You'll Be There' was filmed in the Mojave Desert in California, with the Girls in black PVC outfits (which must have been hellishly hot!) The video was inspired by martial arts movies, and the Girls all had nicknames, introduced at the beginning: Mel B was Blazin' Bad Zula, Geri was Trixie Firecracker, Emma was Kung-Fu Candy, Mel C was Katrina Highkick, and Victoria was Midnight Miss Suki.

Answer: Love Thing

'Love Thing' was the first song the Spice Girls wrote with Eliot Kennedy, and it was produced by Absolute. Kennedy came up with the idea for the chorus, and within the minutes, the group had a rough idea of the song. 'Love Thing' was originally going to be the second single from 'Spice', but the record company went with 'Say You'll Be There' instead.

Answer: 2 Become 1

'2 Become 1' was the third single to be released from 'Spice', and was the 1996 Christmas Number One on the UK Singles Chart. It was written with Richard 'Biff' Stannard and Matt Rowe, and is rumoured to be about a burgeoning relationship between Rowe and Geri, which Mel B also mentioned in her autobiography. The group wanted to include a message about safe sex to stop the song being too corny, hence the 'put it on' line sung by Emma at the end ('it' being a condom). They also recorded a Spanish version, 'Seremos Uno Los Dos', which was included as an extra track on Latin American versions of 'Spice'.

The video looks like it was filmed somewhere in the US, but it was actually filmed in front of a green screen in London. (The deer, incidentally, is a real deer - Mel B said the group were making terrible deer jokes when it was released.)

Answer: Last Time Lover

'Last Time Lover' was written with Absolute. It was originally going to be called 'First Time Lover', about losing one's virginity, but they decided to change the lyrics. Paul Wilson described the Spice Girls' more R'n'B influenced tracks as 'not getting R'n'B quite right'.

Answer: Who Do You Think You Are?

'Who Do You Think You Are?' was a double A-side with 'Mama', and became the official Comic Relief 1997 single. It was written with Absolute. Paul Wilson recalled that the group were coming up with the dance routine and concept for a video while co-writing the song. The group performed it at the 1997 Brit Awards, with Geri wearing a dress made out of a Union flag, which she had designed herself.

The original video was filmed at a club in London, with various background performers, including fire-eaters. The Comic Relief version also featured the Sugar Lumps, a parody group made up of various actresses and comedians: Lulu as Emma, Dawn French as Victoria, Kathy Burke as Mel C, Jennifer Saunders as Geri (and the real Geri was freaked out by the uncanny resemblance!), and Llewella Gideon as Mel B.