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“Mama” is a song by the British girl group the Spice Girls. It was written by the Spice Girls, Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, and produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group’s debut album Spice, released in November 1996. “Mama” is a pop ballad that features instrumentation from keyboards, a rhythm guitar, a cello, and a violin, and its lyrics deal with the difficulties in relationships between mothers and daughters that appear during their childhood.

It was released as a double A-side with “Who Do You Think You Are“, and became the official single of the 1997 Comic Relief. Its Big TV! directed music video, featured the group singing to an audience of children and their own mothers.

Despite receiving mixed reviews from music critics, “Mama” was commercially successful. Released as the album’s fourth single in March 1997, it became their fourth consecutive number-one single in the United Kingdom, which made the Spice Girls the first act in UK chart history to have its first four singles reach number one. It was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The single performed well internationally, reaching the top ten in many European countries and New Zealand, and the top fifteen in Australia.

Writing and inspiration

“Mama” was written by the Spice Girls with songwriting partners Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard. In an interview about the writing process between the group and the duo, Rowe credits Mel B as the one who came up with the song’s concept. During the writing process, each member wrote a small verse in a different corner of the recording studio, while the chorus was finished around the piano with a guitar. Then, the producers added a gospel choir filled with the group’s harmonies at the end of the song. Brown explained the song’s inspiration on the book Real Life: Real Spice The Official Story:

We wrote ‘Mama’ when I was going through a bad phase with my mum. The sentiments are really that your mum’s probably the best friend that you’ve got. Whether she’s an over-protective mother or a bit of a landmine, she probably knows you better than yourself in some ways.

In the same book, Melanie C further elaborated: “‘Mama’s all about how you’re such a cow to your mum when you’re going through that rebellious teenage stage. Then when you get a bit older, you realise that whatever she was doing, she was only doing it for your own good. And you think: ‘God, I was really horrible.'” “Mama” was released in the UK and Ireland as a double A-side along with “Who Do You Think You Are” in March 1997, timed not only for the Comic Relief telethon, but also for Mothering Sunday.

Composition

“Mama” is a pop ballad, written in the key of Ab Major, it is set in the time signature of common time and moves at a moderate tempo of 100 beats per minute. The song is constructed in a verse-chorus form, with a bridge before the third chorus, and its instrumentation comes from keyboards, a rhythm guitar, a cello, and a violin.

It opens with an instrumental introduction, with a chord progression of D♭–E♭–Fm–E♭/G–A♭, that is used in the entire song. Bunton and Brown sing the first and second verse respectively. The bridge and third chorus follow. Then a choir, arranged by Mark Beswick, supplements the group during the last part of the song. “Mama” ends with the group repeating the chorus until the song gradually fades out. Lyrically, the song deals with the difficulties in the relationships between mothers and teenagers that appears during the adolescence, and it was dedicated to the group’s mothers.

Reception

Critical response

“Mama” received mixed reviews from music critics. The Daily Mirror criticised the song saying “Yuk! We don’t want our Spice Girls sweet, ta very much. They should concentrate on the raunch and let Daniel O’Donnell take care of the mums.” Dev Sherlock of Yahoo! Music Radio called it a “glossy ballad that would do Mariah Carey proud”. Edna Gundersen of the USA Today said that their album Spice “is assembly-line dance-pop”, adding that “only the funky ‘Say You’ll Be There‘ and touchingly cornball ‘Mama’ hint at depth”.

In a review of their album Spice, Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly called it “a fearlessly corny ballad”, and added that it “will likely keep them from being one-hit wonders in America”. Melissa Ruggieri of the Richmond Times-Dispatch said that in the song, the girls “are sunny vocalists who harmonize with perfumey sweetness when called upon”. Daniel Incognito of Sputnikmusic said that in “Mama” the group “sing with heartfelt emotion”, and added that “their somewhat amateurish singing is brought up and pushed along by the production crew, harmonising nicely into a stirring pop hook“.

Chart performance

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The group performing “Mama” at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada, during the Return of the Spice Girls tour, with the backdrop screens showing a picture of their mothers.

“Mama” was released in the UK as a double A-side single with “Who Do You Think You Are” on 3 March 1997. It debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number one, with sales of 248,000 copies, becoming the group’s fourth consecutive chart-topper. This achievement made the Spice Girls the first act in UK chart history to have its first four singles reach number one, breaking the record set by Gerry & The Pacemakers, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers, and Robson & Jerome with three number ones each. It spent three weeks at number one, nine weeks in the top forty, fifteen weeks in the top seventy-five, and sold 786,000 copies as of May 2019, earning a platinum certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

“Mama” was commercially successful in Europe. It peaked at number three on the Eurochart Hot 100, and performed similarly in other European charts. It became the group’s third number-one single in Ireland, and peaked inside the top ten in Belgium (both the Flemish and French charts), Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. “Mama” was released as a standalone single in Austria and Finland. In Austria, it was released on 23 March 1997, debuting on the Ö3 Austria Top 40 at number thirty-one. It peaked at number one in its ninth week, and remained fifteen weeks on the chart.

In Oceania, its commercial performance was generally positive, though not as overwhelming as their three first singles. In New Zealand, it debuted on 23 March 1997 at number ten, while their three first singles were slowly descending from the chart. It peaked at number six and stayed fifteen weeks on the chart. In Australia, it did not perform as well as their previous releases. On 27 July 1997, it debuted on the singles chart at number thirteen, but was unable to reach a higher position and dropped off the chart after fourteen weeks.

Music video

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The group in a studio singing “Mama” to an audience of children.

The music video for “Mama” was directed in February 1997 by Big TV!, and filmed in a studio in Ealing, London. It features the group singing to an audience of children and their own mothers. The video alternated between this scenes and shots of 10 child actors playing younger versions of the Spice Girls doing various things all together, such as playing and practicing singing and dancing, though none of the group’s members grew up together. It also shows each mother of the girls holding a picture of their daughter.

There are two versions of the music video, which are edited slightly differently to one another.

The original video features the crowd chanting “Spice Girls,” then Geri and Emma arriving at the stage in a convertible, Victoria and Mel B entering the stage through a set of wooden French doors, and Mel C arriving on the stage by sliding down a rope. It has a young boy directing the show, and has Emma start the singing standing up on stage.

Whereas the re-edited version pans to the girls already sat in a circle on stage, along with a slide show displaying photos of the real band members as children. This version has Emma start the singing sitting down on her stool.

About the shoot, Victoria Beckham commented: “It took such a long time to film the ‘Mama’ video, but it was nice that our mums were there and could see what we’re doing. It’s good, because they were actually knackered at the end of the day and I said to my mum: ‘Ha! Now you know how I feel every day!” Geri Halliwell commented: “I found it a bit bizarre bringing my mum to work with me on the ‘Mama’ video. You know: ‘This is what I do—come and do it, too.’ If you worked in Sainsbury’s, you wouldn’t get your mum to sit with you on the till”.

Live performances

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The Spice Girls, accompanied by their mothers and children, performing the song at the final night of their Spice World – 2019 Tour at the Wembley Stadium in London.

The song was performed many times on television, including An Audience with…,

Live & Kicking,

Top of the Pops,

the 1997 Prince’s Trust Gala,

and the 1997 Comic Relief.

In October 1997, the group performed it as the thirteenth song of their first live concert at the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. The performance was broadcast on Showtime in a pay-per-view event titled Spice Girls In Concert Wild!. However, the VHS and DVD release of the concert, Girl Power! Live in Istanbul, does not include the performance.

The song was also used during the climax of their 1997 film, Spice World. In the scene, the group performs “Mama” at London’s Royal Albert Hall, surrounded by the media and thousands of fans. The scene was included as a bonus performance in the VHS and DVD release of the movie.

The group have performed the song on their four tours, the Spiceworld Tour, the Christmas In Spiceworld Tour, the Return of the Spice Girls Tour and the Spice World – 2019 Tour. It remained in the group’s live set after Halliwell’s departure at the end of the European leg of the Spiceworld Tour.

The performance at the tour’s final concert can be found on the video: Spice Girls Live at Wembley Stadium, filmed in London, on 20 September 1998. During the Return of the Spice Girls tour, “Mama” was performed as the second song from the show’s fifth segment. All five girls stood together holding hands to perform it, while the LED screens in the background showed photos of their mothers holding baby pictures of the group, and a montage of them and their children. For the British shows, fifty young girls from the Capital Children’s Choir dressed in white came out from a platform and lined the stage against the backdrop screens to sing with the Spice Girls.

Spice Girls – Behind The Scenes (Spice World The Movie 1997)

Spice World (film)

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Spice World
UK theatrical release poster
Directed by	Bob Spiers
Screenplay by	Kim Fuller
Produced by	Uri FruchtmannBarnaby Thompson
Starring	Victoria Beckham Emma Bunton Melanie Chisholm Geri Halliwell Melanie Brown Richard E. Grant Alan Cumming George Wendt Claire Rushbrook Mark McKinney Roger Moore
Cinematography	Clive Tickner
Edited by	Andrea MacArthur
Music by	Paul Hardcastle
Production companies	Fragile FilmsPolyGram Filmed EntertainmentIcon Entertainment International
Distributed by	PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Release dates	15 December 1997 (United Kingdom premiere)26 December 1997 (United Kingdom)
Running time	93 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$25 million
Box office	$100 million

Spice World is a 1997 British musical comedy film directed by Bob Spiers and written by Kim Fuller. The film stars pop girl group the Spice Girls, who all play themselves. The film—made in a similar vein to The Beatles‘ A Hard Day’s Night (1964)—depicts a series of fictional events leading up to a major concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall, liberally interspersed with dream sequences and flashbacks as well as surreal moments and humorous asides.

This is the second feature-length film directed by Spiers, following That Darn Cat (1997). The film features Richard E. Grant, Claire Rushbrook, Naoko Mori, Meat Loaf, Barry Humphries, and Alan Cumming in supporting roles, with cameo appearances by a number of British celebrities. Filming took place in London for six of the eight filming weeks and also inside Twickenham Studios, as well as at over 40 famous British landmarks. Shooting featured several fourteen-hour shooting sessions and a constant, heavy media presence due to the Spice Girls’ then-large popularity.

The film premiered in the United Kingdom on 15 December 1997, ahead of its wide theatrical release on the British holiday Boxing Day (26 December). In North America, it was released on 23 January 1998 by Columbia Pictures. In the United States, Spice World became a box office success and broke the record for the highest-ever weekend debut for Super Bowl weekend with box office sales of $10.5 million. The film grossed over $100 million at the worldwide box office. Despite being a box office success, the film received primarily negative reviews.

To celebrate its 20th Anniversary in 2017, Spice World was given a limited release across the United Kingdom showing at Odeon Cinemas. Spice World is the highest-grossing film of all time by a musical group.

Production

Development

By CC BY-SA 3.0, Link Geri Halliwell’s red swimsuit from the film

As the popularity of the Spice Girls grew, The Walt Disney Company approached the band about making a film. The band turned down Disney’s offer as they did not like the “Disney-fied” script, which was about “a young single mother of one of the girls, fighting hardship to form the band.” Kim Fuller, brother of the band’s manager Simon Fuller, decided to write the screenplay for a Spice Girls movie himself.

According to Fuller, the script had to be revised many times to accommodate the growing number of celebrities hoping to take part in the film. Director Bob Spiers had been working in America on the Disney film That Darn Cat at the peak of the Girls’ popularity. He was unaware of the group when first offered the job until his friend Jennifer Saunders advised that he take it. He arrived at a meeting with them in a New York hotel, unaware of what they looked like.

Casting

Frank Bruno was originally cast as the tour bus driver, but withdrew after a security guard prevented his son Franklin having an on-set photo taken with the girls. Mentions of Princess Diana and scenes featuring the designer Gianni Versace had to be edited out in post-production following their deaths shortly before the release of the film.

“Their company rang me up and asked if I would be in it”, remarked Elvis Costello of his cameo. “I wouldn’t have thought I was the kind of face you would get to do a cornflakes advert. Maybe twenty years ago. I was surprised.”

Gary Glitter controversy

Glam rock musician Gary Glitter filmed a four-minute cameo appearance as himself, but shortly before release, he was arrested on child pornography offences. The Spice Girls and the production team agreed that his cameo should be deleted from the final print, although the band’s performance of Glitter’s “I’m the Leader of the Gang (I Am)” was retained. Glitter’s scene has since been leaked online.

Filming

Spice World began filming in June and wrapped in August 1997. The film was to be set to the songs from the Girls’ second studio album, but no songs had been written when filming began. The band thus had to do all the songwriting and recording at the same time as they were filming Spice World.

Music

An official motion picture soundtrack has not been released, since their second studio album, Spiceworld, was released at the time, heavily promoted and serving as the film’s soundtrack. The only song from Spiceworld not to appear in the film is “Move Over“. The songs appearing in the film are in order of appearance.

“Too Much“, the main single, debuted atop the UK Singles Chart, becoming the Spice Girls’ second consecutive Christmas number-one single. It made the group the first act to reach number one with their first six singles, and the first to debut atop the chart five times in a row. The single spent two weeks at number one, and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 9 January 1998.

Release

Rating

In the United Kingdom, Spice World was granted a PG certificate by the British Board of Film Classification for “mild bad language, mild sex references”. In the United States, it received a PG rating from the Motion Picture Association of America for “some vulgarity, brief nudity and language”.

Merchandising

Official toy versions of the Spice Bus were produced upon the release of the movie.

Home media

The film was released on VHS in May 1998 in many regions including the UK, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Japan and Australia. In June 1998, it came out on VHS in the US and Canada. Despite concerns that the high-profile departure of Halliwell from the Spice Girls would affect sales, global demand for the VHS was high. In the UK, the film was number one on the video charts for six consecutive weeks, was certified 11× Platinum, and became the ninth best-selling video of 1998. In the US, the film peaked at number one on the video charts for five consecutive weeks and was the fifth best-selling video of 1998.

Spice World: The 10th Anniversary Edition was released on DVD on 19 November 2007 in the United Kingdom and Australia and on 27 November 2007 in the United States.

Spice World: The 20th Anniversary Edition was released on DVD on 7 February 2018 in Australia.

2017 re-release

In 2017, the film was screened at various cinemas in the UK, Ireland and Australia to mark its 20th anniversary.

Reception

Box office

Spice World was a number-one box office success in the United Kingdom, grossing more than £6.8 million during its opening weekend on Boxing Day, 1997 setting a record opening week for a British film in the U.K. The film was also successful in the United States, breaking the record at that time for the highest-ever weekend debut for Super Bowl weekend (25 January 1998), with box office sales of $10,527,222. The film took in total $100 million at the box office worldwide.

Critical reception

The film received generally negative reviews from critics. Film review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave Spice World a rating of 36% based on reviews from 67 critics, with an average rating of 4.7 out of 10 and a critic consensus that reads “Spice World‘s lack of cohesive plot will likely lose most viewers, but for fans of the titular girl group there’s more than enough fun to be had in their wacky — albeit superficial — whirlwind of an adventure.” On Metacritic, the film has a 32 out of 100 rating, based on 16 critics, indicating “generally unfavorable reviews”. AllMovie gave it two out of five stars.

Noted American film critic Roger Ebert gave one-half of a star and listed Spice World as one of his most hated films, saying: “The Spice Girls are easier to tell apart than the Mutant Ninja Turtles, but that is small consolation: What can you say about five women whose principal distinguishing characteristic is that they have different names? They occupy Spice World as if they were watching it: They’re so detached they can’t even successfully lip-synch their own songs.” And when he reviewed the film on his and Gene Siskel‘s film critique programme Siskel & Ebert, only three weeks into 1998, he declared that he had already seen the worst film of that year, and called it “an entertainment-free dead zone”. Ebert included the film on the Worst of 1998 special, but he chose Armageddon as the worst film of 1998.

Janet Maslin of The New York Times stated that the film “is pleasant and painless enough to amuse ardent fans, who figure in the film quite often.” She also noted that while it got a PG rating in the United States, “nothing about it should disturb its target audience of media-wise, fun-loving 8-year-old girls.” Writing for Sight and Sound, in a positive review, Mark Sinker placed it alongside The Monkees‘ 1968 cult film Head. He went on to say that it “sends up the amiable idiocy of pop packaging – and the slow witted mass-media response to it” and it was “tirelessly generous in its energy”.

Derek Elley, resident film critic for Variety, gave a mixed review, calling the film “bright and breezy” and “as timely but evanescent as the Cool Britannia culture it celebrates”. He stated that the film would “delight the Fab Five’s pre-pubescent fans” but that it would “be forgotten within six months”.

Reappraisal

Several critics have reevaluated the film more positively in the years after its initial release. Re-watching Spice World in 2019, Alice Vincent of The Daily Telegraph was “pleasantly surprised” that the jokes had not aged badly and found the sets and costuming had a “now-retro charm”. Vincent stated: “It’s an irreverent, lighthearted romp that captured the brash, patriotic positivity of a London swept up in Cool Britannia.” Writing for The New York Times in 2019, Eleanor Stanford found the film to be “much smarter and more self-aware than I once gave it credit for,” particularly enjoying how the Spice Girls poked fun at themselves. Stanford concluded: “The Spice Girls were absolutely working the (very sexist) system, and making a lot of money off it, but they were doing it slyly, with a wink and a grin. They were, I think, misunderstood at the time, and I wonder if an irreverent, breezy group like theirs could even exist today.”

Accolades

The film has been listed in Golden Raspberry Awards founder John Wilson‘s book The Official Razzie Movie Guide as one of “The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made”. Along with the nominations and wins racked up at the 1998 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, Spice World was listed in their upcoming “100 Years, 100 Stinkers” list, in which people voted for the 100 worst movies of the 20th century. The film was ranked at #5.

Legacy and cult status

By CC BY-SA 4.0, Link The bus used in the Spice World movie

Spice World has arguably achieved cult status. The film, while being negatively reviewed during its original release, is remembered fondly by many who were part of its target audience of younger pop fans at the time of its release. Some commentators consider the film to be a “cult classic”, describing it as brilliant, even a masterpiece of the parody genre, that mocks both celebrity culture and cinematic clichés, while giving many winks to popular culture of the time.

On 18 July 2014, the Spice Bus used in the film was put on permanent display at Island Harbour Marina, on the Isle of Wight, England.

Potential sequel

In 2010, Bunton revealed that there were plans for a sequel following the first film’s release, stating: “We would’ve liked to do another film, but after Spice World, there was an album, then a tour and then Geri left, so it didn’t happen.”

Speaking in January 2019, following the announcement of the Spice Girls reunion tour, Simon Fuller confirmed plans to make an animated sequel to Spice World. On 13 June 2019, it was reported that Paramount Animation president Mireille Soria had greenlit the project, with all five members of the band returning. The project will be produced by Simon Fuller, with Karen McCullah and Kiki Smith writing the screenplay, and will feature both previous and original songs. The film would feature the band as superheroes. A director has not yet been announced.

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