Last week, girl group the Spice
Girls announced that they would be reuniting for a UK tour. Geri Halliwell
Horner (Ginger Spice), Emma Bunton (Baby Spice), Melanie Chisholm (Sporty
Spice) and Melanie Brown (Scary Spice) will embark on the 11-date tour sans
Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice), who declined to participate in the reunion.
While no US dates have been announced, the news comes as a revival of 90s
nostalgia and “girl power” continues to take hold of our collective culture.
Bursting out of the male-dominated grunge and punk era, the
1990s were full of female musicians who had something to say. Girl groups and
pop princesses began dominating the airwaves by the end of the decade. And
tours like Lilith Fair gave rise to a number of powerful female voices in rock.
In honor of the Spice Girls spicing up our lives once again,
Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look back at some of the
1990s’ most empowering “girl power” anthems. Here are seven whose messages are
as relevant as ever.
1. Spice
Girls, “Wannabe”: Practically the inventors of the “Girl Power” “brand,”
obviously any of the Spice Girls’ songs could lead off this list. But “Wannabe”
was the group’s first massive single and really got the world taking notice.
Not only is the song fun and energetic, but its message that friendship is more
important than any man is a bold statement that really sums up the “Girl Power”
movement and is still relevant today. (video)
2.
Destiny’s
Child, “Independent Women, Pt. 1”: Destiny’s Child has had a wealth of
songs promoting self-sufficiency, and none were as poignant as their hit “Independent
Women, Pt. 1.” Released on the ‘Charlie’s Angels’ soundtrack, the song celebrates
women who only depend on themselves for their success. (video)
3.
TLC,
“No Scrubs”: TLC are another girl group whose songs dealt with a lot of
important matters, from sex to self-worth. However, “No Scrubs” was more about
self respect and not supporting undeserving men. The song clearly describes the
kind of people the singers don’t want to associate themselves with and then puts
them on blast for the world to take notice. (video)
4.
No Doubt, “Just A Girl”: Not only were the 1990s
a big time for pop princesses and girl groups, it was also a time where women
were making their mark on rock too. No Doubt was one of the most popular of
these groups and their breakout single “Just A Girl” proved that they were here
to stay. The song mocks the way culture teaches us to shelter women,
criticizing everything from the way they expect them to act to the way they
expect them to look. Gwen Stefani declares that she’s “had it up to here”
because she’s more than your “typical prototype.” (video)
5.
Britney
Spears, “Stronger”: Britney Spears really started to come into her own with
her sophomore album, ‘Opps!... I Did It Again.’ The album’s second single “Stronger”
was proof of this, making the powerful declaration that she is no longer
dependent on a man to make her feel strong. The song proudly states that
everything she does will be done “her way” and turns around a line from debut
single “Baby One More Time,” saying her “loneliness ain’t killing me no more.” (video)
6.
Meredith Brooks, “B****”: Meredith Brooks’ only
hit, “B****” made it clear that women are complex. Par the song’s lyrics, women
can be many things all at once without having to feel shame for it. And like
her, we “wouldn’t want it any other way.” (video)
7. Christina
Aguilera, “Beautiful”: During every period of her music career, Christina
Aguilera has tried to come up with at least one powerful song to empower her
young female audience. I could have mentioned “Fighter” or “The Voice Within”
or even a handful of songs from her latest album, but “Beautiful” is one of
those songs that really made an impact when it came out. The song reminds not
just women but everyone that they are beautiful despite what people might say
about them. Her refrain of “words won’t bring me down / so don’t you bring me
down today” is an important message to anyone who is being bullied that the
bully’s words don’t matter because beauty comes from within. (video)
In the 1990s, the Spice Girls helped usher in a new era of “girl
power.” Throughout the decade, many female artists dominated the charts with
empowering tracks (like the ones above) about being strong and being your own
person. With the political atmosphere the way it is today, perhaps the Spice
Girls reunion is just the kind of “girl power” boost we need right now.
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Find music from these empowered artists and more at Vinyl
Bay 777. As Long Island’s top new independent record shop, we have thousands of
titles to choose from in a wide variety of genres. Browse our selection of new
and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in
store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles
being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find
at Vinyl Bay 777.
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