Forever (Spice Girls album)
| Forever | ||||
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| Studio album by Spice Girls | ||||
| Released | 6 November 2000 | |||
| Recorded | 1998–2000 | |||
| Genre | Pop, R&B, dance-pop | |||
| Length | 49:28 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer | Richard Stannard, Matt Rowe, Rodney Jerkins, Uncle Freddie, Harvey Mason Jr, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis | |||
| Spice Girls chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Forever | ||||
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Forever is the third studio album by the English pop girl group the Spice Girls, released in 2000. It is their only album without Geri Halliwell, who later reunited with the group for their Greatest Hits release in 2007. Despite not selling as well as their previous two albums,[1] it has sold over 5 million copies worldwide, peaking at number two in the United Kingdom and number one in Brazil.[2]
Production
The Spice Girls began recording material for Forever in 1998, during the North American leg of their Spiceworld Tour. Once again, the girls teamed up with recording duo, Richard "Biff" Stannard and Matt Rowe. This is when "Goodbye" was recorded. 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 new, American producers to give Forever a more R&B sound. Unfortunately, this meant that much of what was recorded with Stannard and Rowe would be excluded from Forever.
Among the excluded tracks is a song entitled "W.O.M.A.N." As late as December 1999, it appeared that the group had every intention of including it on their forthcoming album, as they performed it at their Christmas in Spiceworld tour. The song was thought to be too much in the vein of Spiceworld and ultimately this is why it was not included. In an interview with biographer David Sinclair, Stannard relays his disappointment of 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."
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (45/100)[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| Amazon | (negative)[5] |
| Billboard | (positive)[6] |
| CDNOW | (positive)[7] |
| Entertainment.ie | [8] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (C)[9] |
| Rolling Stone |  [10] |
| Sonic Net | (mixed)[7] |
| Sputnikmusic | [11] |
Upon its release, the album received mixed to average reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 45/100 from Metacritic.[3]Stephen Thomas Erlewine editor from Allmusic rated it three and half-stars out of five and said that: "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."[4] Erlewine conclued that: "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."[4] The Billboard review was positive, saying that: "The set oozes with timely funk beats and the kind of well-crafted songs that No. 1 hits are made of."[6] Courtney Kemp from Amazon was negative, by saying that: "Forever's strategy is a bit different one than the other two previous albums and this album could disappoint their old fans and alienate new ones."[5] The CDNOW review was positive, stating that Forever is "a forthy soufflé of an album, heavy on the groovy dance beats and go-girl goodwill, light on profundity."[7] Andrew Lynch from Entertainment.ie gave the album a rating of three and half-stars (out of five) and said that: "The production is as slick as ever, but 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, a full hearted footnote to a truly remarkable pop phenomenon."[8]
James Hunter from Rolling Stone was mixed, by saying that: "Forever, will probably provoke a reaction somewhere in the middle — with one exception, it's just OK."[10] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly gave to the album a "C" rating. He said that: "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."[9] The Sonic Net review said that: "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."[7] A positive review came from Sputnikmusic, who wrote that "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."[11]
Singles
"Holler" and "Let Love Lead the Way" were the two songs picked as the lead single from Forever. Released as a double A-side single, it charted at number-one in the UK Singles Chart which became the Spice Girls' ninth number-one single in the United Kingdom.
Promotional singles
- "Tell Me Why" was syndicated in November 2000 to UK radio networks. Along with various remixes such as "Jonathan Peters Edit" to promote the song. It was a given a March 2001 single release date. But due the lack of effort of the Spice Girls to continue as a group, the second single from Forever was canceled by Virgin Records. The song is about the remaining Spice Girls' frustration after ex-bandmate, Geri Halliwell, left the group.
- A promotional video for "If You Wanna Have Some Fun" was released by Virgin Records. The video includes footage, chronicling the Spice Girls' journey to stardom. Geri Halliwell was strategically edited out of every shot. Promotional singles were pressed and distributed to various media outlets. A promotional montage video for this promotional single was distributed to UK television networks.
- Promotional singles were pressed and distributed to various media outlets for "Weekend Love". The song is about a girl who has grown tired of her lover after a weekend fling. Melanie Brown offers an R&B rap for the bridge of the song in which she mentions the album's producer Darkchild.
- "Oxygen" has been released in a promotional CD-R version in South America, particularly in Brazil where it received airplay in 2000 and other continents including Asia and Oceania.
Track listing
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Forever.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Holler" | Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, Fred Jerkins III, Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm | Jerkins | 4:15 | |
| 2. | "Tell Me Why" | Jerkins, Jerkins III, Daniels, Mischke Butle, Beckham, Brown, Bunton | Jerkins | 4:13 | |
| 3. | "Let Love Lead the Way" | Jerkins, Daniels, Jerkins III, Harvey Mason Jr, Beckham, Brown, Bunton, Chisholm | Mason Jr, Jerkins | 4:57 | |
| 4. | "Right Back at Ya" | Beckham, Brown, Bunton, Chisholm, Eliot Kennedy, Tim Lever | Uncle Freddie | 4:09 | |
| 5. | "Get Down with Me" | Jerkins, Daniels, Jerkins III, Robert Smith, Butle, Beckham, Brown, Bunton | Jerkins, Smith | 3:45 | |
| 6. | "Wasting My Time" | Jerkins III, Daniels, Beckham, Brown, Bunton, Chisholm | Uncle Freddie | 4:13 | |
| 7. | "Weekend Love" | Jerkins, Jerkins III, Daniels, Beckham, Brown, Bunton | Jerkins | 4:04 | |
| 8. | "Time Goes By" | Jerkins, Jerkins III, Daniels, Mischke Butle, Beckham, Brown, Bunton | Jerkins | 4:51 | |
| 9. | "If You Wanna Have Some Fun" | James Harris III, Terry Lewis, Beckham, Brown, Bunton, Chisholm | Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis | 5:25 | |
| 10. | "Oxygen" | Harris III, Lewis, Beckham, Brown, Bunton, Chisholm | Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis | 4:55 | |
| 11. | "Goodbye" | Beckham, Brown, Bunton, Chisholm, Richard Stannard, Matt Rowe | Stannard, Rowe | 4:35 |
Personnel
- Susan Drake — background
- Producers: Rodney Jerkins, Harvey Mason, Jr., Matt Rowe, Richard Stannard
- Engineers: Adrian Bushby, Paul Foley, Ben Garrison, Brad Gilderman, Steve Hodge, Ian Robertson, Dave Russell, Tony Salter
- Assistant engineers: Jake Davies, Brad Gilderman, *Mastering: Bernie Grundman
- Digital editing: Harvey Mason, Jr.
- Vocal Daniels, Susan Drake, Eliot Kennedy
- Drum programming: Paul Waller
- String arrangements: Will Malone
- Design: Vince Frost
- Photography: Terry Richardson
Charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[29] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[30] | Gold | 25,000x |
| Belgium (BEA)[31] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Brazil (ABPD)[32] | Gold | 100,000* |
| Canada (Music Canada)[33] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
| Germany (BVMI)[34] | Gold | 150,000^ |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[35] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| New Zealand (RIANZ)[36] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| South Korea (RIAK)[37] | Platinum | 12,159[37] |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[38] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[39] | Platinum | 50,000x |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[40] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[41] | N/A | 207,000[42] |
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*sales figures based on certification alone |
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References
- ^ 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]
- ^ ABPD
- ^ a b Forever (2000): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2011-04-25.
- ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen (7 November 2000). "Forever - Spice Girls - Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
- ^ a b Kemp, Courtney (7 November 2000). "Amazon.com: Forever - Spice Girls - Review". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
- ^ a b "Forever - Spice Girls - Billboard Review". Billboard. 7 November 2000. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
- ^ a b c d "Critic Reviews for Forever at Metacritic". Metacritic. 7 November 2000. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
- ^ a b Andrew Lynch (11 November 2000). "Spice Girls - Forever. Review by Andrew Lynch". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
- ^ a b David Browne (6 November 2000). "Forever (Spice Girls) - News - EW". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ a b James Hunter (21 November 2000). "Forever by Spice Girls - Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
- ^ a b "Spice Girls - Forever (album review) #128; Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. 26 October 2006. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
- ^ "Australian Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 1999-07-18. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ^ "Austrian Albums Chart". Austrian Charts. 1999-04-04. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ^ "Belgian Flemish Albums Chart". Ultratop. Hung Medien. 1999-07-31. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ^ "Belgian Walloon Albums Chart". Ultratop. Hung Medien. 1999-08-07. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ^ "Spice Girls > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". RPM. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
- ^ "Dutch Albums Chart". MegaCharts. 1999-03-13. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ^ "French Albums Chart". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. 2000-01-01. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ^ "Finnish Albums Chart". Finnish Charts. 2000. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ^ "Chartverfolgung / Spice,Girls / Longplay". musicline.de. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
- ^ "Irish Albums Chart". Irish Albums Chart. 1999-05-30. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ^ Italiancharts.com (30 October 2003). "Italian Albums Chart". Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ "New Zealand Albums Chart". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. 1999-05-30. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ^ "Norwegian Albums Chart". VG-lista. 1999. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ^ "Swedish Albums Chart". Sverigetopplistan. 2000-01-29. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ^ "Swiss Albums Chart". Swiss Charts. 1999-03-28. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ^ a b "Chart Stats - Spice Girls - Forever". The Official Charts Company. 2000-02-05. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ^ "Billboard charts". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. 1999-01-20. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ^ ARIA Chart Report > Week Commencing 1st January 2001 (pdf). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
- ^ "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
- ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2000". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
- ^ "Brazilian album certifications – Spice Girls – Forever" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Spice Girls – Forever". Music Canada. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Spice Girls; 'Forever')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
- ^ "Spice Girls - Forever (Gold)" (in Dutch). NVPI. Archived from the original on 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
- ^ "December 17, 2000". RIANZ. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
- ^ a b "Korea Database, Best Selling Foreign Album in Korea (1999-Now)".
- ^ "Lps más vendidos en España/Spain biggest sellers" (PDF).
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Spice Girls; 'Forever')". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
- ^ "British album certifications – Spice Girls – Forever". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2011-09-28. Enter Forever in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go
- ^ "American album certifications – Spice Girls – Forever". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- ^ Caulfield, Keith. "Ask Billboard Jul 19 2006. GREATEST SPICES.". Billboard Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
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