Wannabe

By the end of 1996, "Wannabe" had topped the charts in 22 countries, including the Billboard Hot 100, and a year later that figure had reached 37. The Spice Girls' debut single, released on 26 June 1996, became the best-selling single by a girl group and earned quintuple platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry. In a 2014 study it was found to be the most recognisable pop song of the last 60 years among young English speakers, and an EP titled Wannabe 25 followed in 2021 to mark its 25th anniversary.

The song was written by the group with Matt Rowe and Richard "Biff" Stannard, who had discovered the band at a performance for industry figures at the Nomis Studios in Shepherd's Bush after hearing Mel B charging across a corridor. At their first professional songwriting session, held at the Strongroom in East London in January 1995, Rowe set up a drum loop on his MPC3000 whose fast rhythm reminded Stannard of Grease. The group contributed chants, raps and sung sections in a cut-and-paste style, and the track was completed in 30 minutes. Brown and Bunton invented the word "zigazig-ah" during the session as a made-up joke between friends.

Virgin executives found the original mix lacklustre, and a remix by Dave Way pleased nobody. Geri Halliwell later called the result "bloody awful" and described how the group exercised their "Spice veto" over jungle and hip-hop versions. Engineer Mark "Spike" Stent remixed the recording in six hours. It was recorded in under an hour, with the only later addition being the sound of Brown's footsteps running to the microphone.