If I asked you to pick your favourite Spice Girls song, you would probably say something along the lines of “That’s easy, it’s Wannabe!” or “Josh, that is an impossible task,” and I would say, “You’re right dear reader, but I’m sure there is one single that you most probably won’t say.”
In 1998, ‘Ginger Spice’ Gerri Halliwell left the group, citing exhaustion and a need for a break. Mel B, Victoria, Mel C, and Emma (or Scary, Posh, Sporty, and Baby if you prefer) would finish the year as a group. In 1999, they embarked on solo careers but reformed by the end of the year for the Christmas in Spiceworld tour.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe girls stayed together in 2000, performing at that year’s Brit Awards in March. They received the Lifetime Achievement Award. In November, the Spice Girls released their third and final studio album, Forever. The first single from the album was the double A-side release Holler/Let Love Lead the Way.
Written and produced by Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins, Holler had a more R&B sound. For me, a teen who loved R&B and Hip Hop, I had it on repeat. The song would go to number one in the UK, making it the Spice Girls’ ninth number-one single. Holler would enter the charts at number two in Australia, where it would peak.
I remember where I was when I watched the music video for the first time. I was at my auntie and uncle’s house in Canberra. It was the day after my cousin’s 18th birthday. At the time, I didn’t have the internet at home, so my cousin let me use her laptop. It may have been on the Spice Girls Website with a video player where Holler would start as soon as the page loaded (before YouTube).
Even I had forgotten about this song, and I’m reminded of it through the many nostalgia pages I follow on social media. But if you had forgotten or possibly don’t remember it, we can all agree that it is a banger!