Forever (Spice Girls album)

Forever
Studio album by Spice Girls
Released 1 November 2000 (2000-11-01)
Recorded July 1998; August 1999 – September 2000
Genre
Length 49:28
Label Virgin
Producer
Spice Girls chronology
Spiceworld
(1997)		 Forever
(2000)		 Greatest Hits
(2007)
Singles from Forever
  1. "Holler" / "Let Love Lead the Way"
    Released: 23 October 2000

Forever is the third studio album by English girl group the Spice Girls. It was released on 1 November 2000 by Virgin Records. It is their only album without Geri Halliwell, who later rejoined the group for their Greatest Hits album in 2007. Despite not selling as well as their previous two albums,[3] it has sold four million copies worldwide,[4] peaking at number two in the United Kingdom and later certified Platinum there for shipping over 300,000 copies. A double A-side single was released of "Holler" and "Let Love Lead the Way" as the album's lead single, which peaked at number one in the UK Singles Chart.

Background

During the Spiceworld Tour in early 1998, the group took on an initial project to write and record songs for a possible third album and a live album. The original concept for this album was to showcase solo songs, duets, and cover songs featuring all five members, in order to promote the idea that the Spice Girls were all individuals, yet could come together as one. The girls went to Dublin's Windmill Lane Studios with long-time collaborators Richard Stannard and Matt Rowe to work on a new album and create master recordings for a live album. With the sudden departure of Geri Halliwell, the project took a major turn, with many of the already produced songs scrapped and the live album cancelled.

The Spice Girls recorded their Christmas single, "Goodbye" in July 1998, during the North American leg of their Spiceworld Tour. Once again, the girls teamed up with Stannard and Rowe. They also recorded "My Strongest Suit" for the concept album for the musical Aida. In the two years between the release of "Goodbye" in December 1998 and the release of Forever in November 2000, the group, along with the pop-music landscape in general, changed dramatically. Hoping to cultivate a more mature image, the group teamed up with a team of American producers to give Forever a more R&B sound, however, initial recording sessions maintained the pop sound of their previous works.

Recording

Recording for the album initially began in August 1999, and the first tracks recorded for the album were recorded at Abbey Road Studios with Stannard and Rowe. The group continued working on tracks through August and September, working on tracks with Kennedy at Steelworks Studios and tracks with Jerkins and Jam & Lewis at Whitfield Street Studios.[5] Following these sessions, work on the album was put on a pause. Chisholm began promoting her first solo album Northern Star, released in October, and the group began preparations for the Christmas in Spiceworld tour, in which they premiered the tracks "W.O.M.A.N.", "Holler", and "Right Back At Ya". Following the tour, Chisholm continued to promote Northern Star, and the other members worked on preparing their own solo material. Recording for the album did not resume until April 2000, when further tracks were recorded with Jerkins, followed by the final recording session on 17 July 2000.[5]

Sessions with Stannard and Rowe were eventually scrapped from the album, and Kennedy's only surviving contribution to the album was "Right Back at Ya", included on the album in a re-recorded, remixed, R&B form that Kennedy described as a "plodding, boring, bottom drawer R&B song".[6] In an interview with biographer David Sinclair, Stannard relayed his disappointment in the omission of "W.O.M.A.N.": "I thought that song was really interesting lyrically, because it was making the progression from girls to women, which was something Matt and I thought it was time for them to do. They needed something to suggest that they were still the same group of friends, but they were gaining more maturity."[6] Bunton explained that the song was not included because "the sound had moved on" in the time since it was recorded.[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic45/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
AmazonNegative[10]
BillboardPositive[11]
CDNOWPositive[2]
Entertainment.ie[12]
Entertainment WeeklyC[13]
Rolling Stone[14]
Sonic NetMixed[2]
Sputnikmusic[15]

Upon its release, the album received mixed to negative reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 45/100 from Metacritic.[8] Stephen Thomas Erlewine, editor of AllMusic, rated it two out of five and said: "Sure, they make all the right moves, hiring superstar producer Rodney Jerkins to helm most of the tracks and attempting to seem mature, but this all results in a record that is curiously self-conscious and flat."[9] Erlewine concluded: "Forever plays like the Girls realized that it's their final album, and they put in just enough effort to make it palatable, but not enough to make it appetizing."[9] The Billboard review was positive, remarking: "The set oozes with timely funk beats and the kind of well-crafted songs that No. 1 hits are made of."[11] Courtney Kemp from Amazon was negative, judging that "Forever's strategy is a bit different than the other two previous albums and this album could disappoint their old fans and alienate new ones."[10] A review from CDNOW was positive, feeling that Forever is "a frothy soufflé of an album, heavy on the groovy dance beats and go-girl goodwill, light on profundity."[2] Andrew Lynch from Entertainment.ie gave the album a rating of three and half-stars (out of five) and commented: "The production is as slick as ever, but a huge part of that old Girl Power enthusiasm seems to have drained and fallen away- and with it most of the fun that used to redeem their fundamental tackiness. A sorry, full-hearted footnote to a truly remarkable pop phenomenon."[12]

James Hunter from Rolling Stone gave a mixed review, writing: "Forever will probably provoke a reaction somewhere in the middle — with one exception, it's just OK."[14] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly gave to the album a "C" rating, summarizing: "Every genre cliché, from homogenized harmonies to delicately plucked stringed instruments to male rapper interjections, is securely in place. The music is so tasteful, restrained, and assembly line proficient that it makes early singles like 'Say You'll Be There' sound like the rawest punk rock."[13] The Sonic Net review judged: "Yes, this is their 'mature' album, the one where the once effervescent combo that could be counted on for enough hooky innuendoes to excite pre-teen girls and dirty young men alike aspire toward some sort of longer-lasting pop relevance. Which translates here into ballads and a huge dose of R&B-lite. It all sounds very professional, though only a hardcore fan can deny that the bloom is definitely off the rose."[2] A positive review came from Sputnikmusic, opining: "With Forever the Spice Girls showed that every pop act has its lifespan. They sound a bit tired and their hearts were not in the album. Forever also shows what could have been if they really gave it their all and made an album that was truly them. The five good songs on Forever can carry the album but not quite."[15]

Commercial performance

The Spice Girls as a four-piece performing "Holler" in Cologne, Germany

Forever peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and spent a total of eight weeks in the charts.[16] It was certified Platinum there for selling over 300,000 copies there.[17] In Australia it peaked at number nine,[18] and was certified Gold there. The album reached number 10 in Austria,[18] and was also certified Gold there. In Canada it peaked at number six,[19] and was certified double Platinum there making it the highest certification for Forever. The album also peaked at number six in Germany,[18] but was certified Gold there. In Ireland it reached a peak at number 15.[20] The album reached number 25 on the charts in New Zealand,[18] it was certified Gold there. In Switzerland it peaked at number 11,[18] and was certified Platinum. In the United States the album achieved highly moderate success, it only peaked at number 39 there selling 207,000 copies.[21]

Singles

"Holler" and "Let Love Lead the Way" were chosen to serve as the lead single from Forever. Released as a double A-side single, it charted at number-one on the UK Singles Chart and became the Spice Girls' ninth number-one single in the United Kingdom. It also peaked in the top 10 in nine other countries. In the United States it failed to gain much success and did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Goodbye", released two years prior as a single in 1998, was included on the album as the eleventh track. "Goodbye" peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart and at eleven on the Billboard Hot 100. Promotional singles for "Tell Me Why" and "If You Wanna Have Some Fun" were released in November 2000 and early 2001,[22] however, these singles were never commercially released. "Tell Me Why" in particular had numerous remixes commissioned for the track, only one of which was commercially released as a bonus track years later on Greatest Hits.[23] A promotional montage video was released for "If You Wanna Have Some Fun" in November 2000.[24]

Promotion

The girls performed "Holler" and "Let Love Lead the Way" at the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards, Top of the Pops, the National Lottery show and CD:UK.

During the album's promotion, Melanie Brown promoted Forever and her solo album Hot in the UK and Japan, while Melanie C was in the middle of her European tour.

Emma Bunton and Victoria Beckham promoted Forever in the United States and appeared on Showbiz Today, The Daily Show, Entertainment Tonight, and the VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards.[25] Bunton and Beckham's appearance at the VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards was used in the film Zoolander.[26]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Holler"
  • Jerkins
  • LaShawn "The Big Shiz" Daniels[a]
4:15
2."Tell Me Why"
  • Beckham
  • Brown
  • Bunton
  • Jerkins
  • Daniels
  • Jerkins III
  • Mischke Butler
  • Jerkins
  • Daniels[a]
4:13
3."Let Love Lead the Way"
  • Mason Jr.
  • Jerkins
  • Daniels[a]
4:57
4."Right Back at Ya"
4:09
5."Get Down with Me"
  • Beckham
  • Brown
  • Bunton
  • Jerkins
  • Daniels
  • Jerkins III
  • Butler
  • Robert Smith
  • Jerkins
  • Smith
  • Daniels[a]
3:45
6."Wasting My Time"
  • Brown
  • Bunton
  • Chisholm
  • Daniels
  • Jerkins III
  • Uncle Freddie
  • Daniels[a]
4:13
7."Weekend Love"
  • Beckham
  • Brown
  • Bunton
  • Chisholm
  • Jerkins
  • Daniels
  • Jerkins III
  • Jerkins
  • Daniels[a]
4:04
8."Time Goes By"
  • Beckham
  • Brown
  • Bunton
  • Jerkins
  • Daniels
  • Jerkins III
  • Butler
  • Jerkins
  • Uncle Freddie
  • Daniels[a]
4:51
9."If You Wanna Have Some Fun"
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis5:25
10."Oxygen"
  • Beckham
  • Brown
  • Bunton
  • Chisholm
  • Harris III
  • Lewis
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis4:55
11."Goodbye"
  • Stannard
  • Rowe
4:35

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Forever.[28]

  • Spice Girls – vocals
  • Adrian Bushby – engineering (track 11)
  • LaShawn "The Big Shiz" Daniels – vocal production (tracks 1–8)
  • Jake Davies – assistant engineering (track 11)
  • Sue Drake – additional vocal production, backing vocals (track 4)
  • Paul Foley – recording (tracks 2, 5, 8)
  • Vince Frost – art direction, design
  • Steve Hodge – engineering, mixing (tracks 9, 10)
  • Ben Garrison – mixing (tracks 2, 4–6, 8); recording (tracks 4, 6)
  • Brad Gilderman – mixing (tracks 1, 7); recording (tracks 1, 3, 7)
  • Jimmy Jam – arrangement, musical instruments, production (tracks 9, 10)
  • Fred Jerkins III – mixing (tracks 4, 6); production (tracks 4, 6, 8)
  • Rodney Jerkins – mixing, production (tracks 1–3, 5, 7, 8)
  • Eliot Kennedy – additional vocal production, backing vocals (track 4)
  • Jan Kybert – assistant mixing (track 11)
  • Terry Lewis – arrangement, musical instruments, production (tracks 9, 10)
  • Wil Malone – strings arrangement (track 11)
  • Harvey Mason Jr. – production (track 3); Pro Tools (tracks 1, 3, 7)
  • Terry Richardson – photography
  • Ian Robertson – assistant (tracks 1, 3, 7)
  • Matt Rowe – production (track 11)
  • Dave Russell – assistant (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 7)
  • Tony Salter – vocals engineering (tracks 9, 10)
  • Robert Smith – production (track 5)
  • Xavier Smith – assistant mixing (tracks 9, 10)
  • Richard Stannard – production (track 11)
  • Mark 'Spike' Stent – mixing (track 11)
  • Paul Waller – drum programming (track 11)
  • Paul Walton – assistant mixing (track 11)
  • Brad Yost – assistant mixing (tracks 9, 10)

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[53] Gold 35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[54] Gold 25,000*
Belgium (BEA)[55] Gold 25,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[56] Gold 100,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[57] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[58] Gold 100,000[58]
Germany (BVMI)[59] Gold 150,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[60] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[61] Gold 7,500^
South Korea (RIAK)[62] Platinum 12,159[62]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[63] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[64] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[65] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[66] 207,000[67]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Japan[68] 1 November 2000 CD EMI Music Japan
United Kingdom[69] 6 November 2000 Virgin
Canada[70] 7 November 2000 EMI
United States[71] Virgin

References

  1. ↑ David Browne (6 November 2000). "Forever (Spice Girls)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Critic Reviews for Forever at Metacritic". Metacritic. 7 November 2000. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  3. ↑ resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=spice%20girls&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=Artist&perPage=25 US RIAA Spice Girls' certifications]
  4. ↑ Griffe David and Victoria Beckham: Carreira com as Spice Girls (Portuguese). Perfumes - A Moda Invisível. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Forever Timeline". Insider Spice. October 2000.
  6. 1 2 "Spice Girls Revisited". google.com.br.
  7. ↑ "C3 - Emma Bunton chat". C3. Archived from the original on 10 November 2000. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  8. 1 2 Forever (2000): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2011-04-25.
  9. 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen (7 November 2000). "Forever - Spice Girls - Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  10. 1 2 Kemp, Courtney (7 November 2000). "Amazon.com: Forever - Spice Girls - Review". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  11. 1 2 "Forever - Spice Girls - Billboard Review". Billboard. 7 November 2000. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  12. 1 2 Andrew Lynch (11 November 2000). "Spice Girls - Forever. Review by Andrew Lynch". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  13. 1 2 David Browne (6 November 2000). "Forever (Spice Girls) - News - EW". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
  14. 1 2 James Hunter (21 November 2000). "Forever by Spice Girls - Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  15. 1 2 "Spice Girls - Forever (album review) #128; Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. 26 October 2006. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  16. ↑ "Chart Stats - Spice Girls - Forever". The Official Charts Company. 5 February 2000. Archived from the original on 5 May 2015. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
  17. ↑ "Certified Awards". bpi.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ultratop.be – Spice Girls – Forever" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  19. 1 2 "Spice Girls – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Spice Girls. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  20. 1 2 "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 46, 2000". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  21. ↑ "Billboard charts". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. 1999-01-20. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
  22. ↑ Spice Girls – If You Wanna Have Some Fun (Compact disc). Virgin Records. 2001. LC03098.
  23. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Spice Girls - Greatest Hits by Spice Girls". Itunes.apple.com. 9 November 2007. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  24. ↑ Spice Girls – If You Wanna Have Some Fun (PAL) (VHS Tape). Tele Cine. 15 November 2000. Event occurs at 4:00.
  25. ↑ "Victoria Beckham's Jon Stewart Interview Is Squirm-Inducing (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post.
  26. ↑ iCarl84 (12 November 2009). "Victoria Beckham in Zoolander". Retrieved 18 February 2017 – via YouTube.
  27. ↑ "Forever : Spice Girls". HMV Japan. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  28. ↑ Forever (liner notes). Spice Girls. Virgin Records. 2000. 7243 8 50467 4 2.
  29. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Spice Girls – Forever". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  30. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Spice Girls – Forever" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  31. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Spice Girls – Forever" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  32. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Spice Girls – Forever" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  33. 1 2 "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 112 no. 49. 2 December 2000. p. 89. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  34. ↑ "Spice Girls: Forever" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  35. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Spice Girls – Forever". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  36. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Spice Girls – Forever" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  37. ↑ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 112 no. 51. 16 December 2000. p. 51. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  38. ↑ "Top 40 album DVD és válogatáslemez-lista – 2000. 46. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  39. ↑ "Tónlistinn". DV (in Icelandic). 17 November 2000. p. 76. ISSN 1021-8254. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  40. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Spice Girls – Forever". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  41. ↑ スパイス・ガールズのアルバム売り上げランキング [Spice Girls album sales ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  42. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Spice Girls – Forever". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  43. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Spice Girls – Forever". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  44. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  45. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  46. ↑ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  47. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Spice Girls – Forever". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  48. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Spice Girls – Forever". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  49. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  50. ↑ "Spice Girls – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Spice Girls. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  51. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2000". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  52. ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2000". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  53. ↑ "ARIA Chart Report > Week Commencing 1st January 2001" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 21 February 2002. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  54. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Spice Girls – Forever" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 2011-09-28. Enter Spice Girls in the field Interpret. Enter Forever in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
  55. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2000". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
  56. ↑ "Brazilian album certifications – Spice Girls – Forever" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
  57. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Spice Girls – Forever". Music Canada. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
  58. 1 2 "InfoDisc : Les Certifications (Albums) du SNEP (Bilan par Artiste) – Search for "SpiceGirls."". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 21 June 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  59. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Spice Girls; 'Forever')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
  60. ↑ "Spice Girls - Forever (Gold)" (in Dutch). NVPI. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  61. ↑ "December 17, 2000". RIANZ. Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  62. 1 2 "Korea Database, Best Selling Foreign Album in Korea (1999-Now)".
  63. ↑ "Spanish Certifications for 2000-2002" (PDF). Sólo Exitos, Año a Año 1959*2002.
  64. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Spice Girls; 'Forever')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
  65. ↑ "British album certifications – Spice Girls – Forever". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2011-09-28. Enter Forever in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  66. ↑ "American album certifications – Spice Girls – Forever". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  67. ↑ Caulfield, Keith. "Ask Billboard Jul 19 2006. GREATEST SPICES.". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
  68. ↑ "FOREVER". Retrieved 18 February 2017 – via Amazon.
  69. ↑ "Forever". 6 November 2000. Retrieved 18 February 2017 – via Amazon.
  70. ↑ "Forever". 7 November 2000. Retrieved 18 February 2017 – via Amazon.
  71. ↑ "Spice Girls - Forever - Amazon.com Music". amazon.com. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.