Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” returns to three sales charts and becomes a top 10 bestseller again as the smash approaches its 30th anniversary. LONDON – 1995: The Spice Girls L to R Geri Halliwell, Victoria Adams, Emma Bunton, Melanie Brown and Melanie Chisholm at the Brit Awards. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)
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Later this year, the first Spice Girls album, the simply-named Spice, will turn 30. The collection dropped in November 1996 and it immediately catapulted the girl group to superstardom.
The project was fronted by the inescapable and nonsensical single “Wannabe,” which was shared with the public in the summer of 1996. The largely-defunct girl group has been working to celebrate its third decade by sharing collectibles, which fans in England and beyond have snapped up in large numbers, with the focus being on that earliest of hits.
“Wannabe” is a big win again in the United Kingdom, and this may not be the last time the song surges. This past Friday (September 18), merch bundles tied to “Wannabe” were released, and not long ago, new vinyl versions of the song – one of the most popular in girl group history – became available. This is all shortly before a thirtieth-anniversary box set titled The Singles Collection drops in November.
Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” Returns to the Vinyl Chart’s Top 10
“Wannabe” reenters this week’s Official Vinyl Singles chart, the U.K.’s rundown of the top-selling songs available on wax. The 30-year-old cut is suddenly a top 10 bestseller again as it breaks back in at No. 7.
It’s only been a few months since “Wannabe” was found not only on the Official Vinyl Singles chart, but within the top 10. The track returned at No. 2, narrowly missing out on a second stint at No. 1, in the middle of July. The following frame, it dipped to No. 6, and then the smash spent four more frames on the roster before slipping away in late August. Now, only a month later, it is a top 10 bestseller on wax once more.
Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” Vaults Dozens of Spaces North
“Wannabe” lives on three charts in the U.K., and it sits in the same position on two of them. As the Spice Girls favorite reenters the Official Vinyl Singles ranking at No. 7, it vaults to that same position on the Official Physical Singles chart.
English pop girl group The Spice Girls in Paris, September 1996. Clockwise, from front: Emma Bunton (‘Baby Spice’), Victoria Beckham (‘Posh Spice’), Geri Halliwell (‘Ginger Spice’, Melanie Chisholm (‘Sporty Spice’) and Melanie Brown (‘Scary Spice’). (Photo by Tim Roney/Getty Images)
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The two tallies are closely related, though the Official Vinyl Singles chart focuses specifically on purchases on wax, while the Official Physical Singles ranking also includes sales on CD and cassette. Last time around, “Wannabe” sat at No. 71 on the broader physical roster, and thanks to a huge increase in purchases, it vaults all the way to the loftiest tier.
“Wannabe” Returns to a Third Sales Chart
While “Wannabe” is clearly one of the most popular tracks available in the U.K. on physical formats, it appears in a much less impressive position on the Official Singles Sales chart. That register also includes digital downloads as well as purchases on CD, cassette and vinyl, which makes the tally much more competitive.
“Wannabe” reenters the list at No. 65. That’s the lowest that it has ever appeared on the roster, and this frame marks the first for the decades-old pop smash outside the top 40.
“Wannabe” Has a Surprisingly Short Sales Chart History
The Spice Girls in 1997 .; (Photo by Ray Burmiston/Avalon/Getty Images)
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Somewhat surprisingly, “Wannabe” has only spent four weeks – less than a month – on the Official Singles Sales chart. Although the tune was released back when the Official Singles chart was largely built around purchases, these days that ranking also includes streaming activity and it shows what the British public is listening to, not just purchasing.
“Wannabe” didn’t reach the Official Singles Sales chart until July 2021, when it opened at No. 36, then the song quickly disappeared. In September of that year, the cut broke into the top 10 for the first time, hitting No. 8, and then once again vanished.
This July, “Wannabe” reached a new high point on the busiest sales tally in the U.K., reentering the Official Singles Sales list at No. 5, and then for the third time slipping away after only a few days of sales activity. Meanwhile, the blockbuster recently passed a full year on the Official Vinyl Singles chart. As “Wannabe” climbs, it hits 135 stints as one of the top-selling tunes on any physical format on the other side of the Atlantic.
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