"Say You'll Be There" is a song by the English girl group Spice Girls from their debut studio album, Spice (1996). The Spice Girls co-wrote the song with Eliot Kennedy after the group left Heart Management in 1995. Later, Jonathan Buck also received a songwriting credit. Produced by production duo Absolute, the song incorporates a mix of dance-pop and R&B influences. It also includes a harmonica solo played by Judd Lander. Once considered by the group's record label Virgin Records to be the group's debut single, it was released as the second single from Spice on 26 September 1996.
The lyrics provide a female-first perspective on relationships. The song received mixed reviews from music critics, many of whom praised it for its catchiness, while others were critical of its production. It was a commercial success worldwide, reaching the top ten in most of the charts that it entered. The song became the Spice Girls' second number one in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it debuted at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, setting, at the time, a record for the highest entry by a British act on the chart; it later peaked at number three. It was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in the United Kingdom, platinum in New Zealand, and was further certified gold in five other countries.
The accompanying music video was inspired by the films Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965) and Pulp Fiction (1994), and features the group as a band of female techno-warriors who use martial arts and high-tech ninja-influenced weapons to capture a hapless male. It includes symbols of male disempowerment, and serves as an example of solidarity and the group's bonding. It received positive reactions and was nominated for numerous awards including the 1996 Smash Hits Poll Winners Party, the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, and the 1997 Brit Awards.
Background In March 1994, father-and-son team Bob and Chris Herbert, together with financer Chic Murphy, working under the business name of Heart Management, decided to create a girl group to compete with the boy bands that dominated the British pop music scene of the time. They placed an advertisement in The Stage, which asked the question: "Are you street smart, extrovert, ambitious, and able to sing and dance?" After receiving hundreds of replies, the management had narrowed their search to a group of five girls: Victoria Adams, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, and Michelle Stephenson. The group moved to a house in Maidenhead and received the name Touch. Stephenson was eventually fired because she lacked the drive of the other group members. She was replaced by Emma Bunton. In November, the group—now named Spice—persuaded their managers to set up a showcase in front of industry writers, producers, and A&R men at the Nomis Studios in Shepherd's Bush, London, where they received an "overwhelmingly positive" reaction.
Due to the large interest in the group, the Herberts quickly set about creating a binding contract for them. Encouraged by the reaction they had received at the showcase, all five members delayed signing contracts on the legal advice from, amongst others, Victoria Adams' father, Anthony Adams. In late March 1995, because of the group's frustration at their management's unwillingness to listen to their visions and ideas, they parted from Heart Management. In order to ensure they kept control of their own work, the group retrieved the master recordings of their discography from the management offices. The next week they were supposed to meet with Sheffield-based songwriter and record producer Eliot Kennedy. Chris Herbert arranged the session weeks before the group's departure.
Writing and recording Without access to Herbert's address book, the only information the group had about Kennedy was that he lived in Sheffield. Brown and Halliwell drove there the day after their departure from Heart Management, then looked for a phone book in a service station, and called recording studios in the area, Eliot was the third Kennedy they called. That evening they went to his house and persuaded him to work with them, the rest of the group travelled to Sheffield the next day. Kennedy commented about the session: None of them played instruments, so I was left to do the music and get that vibe together. What I said to them was, 'Look, I've got a chorus—check this out.' And I'd sing them the chorus and the melody—no lyrics or anything—and straight away five pads and pencils came out and they were throwing lines at us. Ten minutes later, the song was written. Then you go through and refine it. Then later, as you were recording it you might change a few things here and there. But pretty much it was a real quick process. They were confident in what they were doing, throwing it out there. The group stayed at Kennedy's house for the most part of the week. He named his studio Spice, after the group, because it had never been used before. Together, they composed their first two songs without Heart Management, "Love Thing", and "Say You'll Be There". The girls met with artist manager Simon Fuller, who signed them with 19 Entertainment in May 1995. The group considered a variety of record labels, and signed a deal with Virgin Records in July. Paul Wilson and Andy Watkins—the songwriters and production duo known as Absolute—would later produce the song and recorded it at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London. Fuller then sent the song, to audio engineer Mark "Spike" Stent to be remixed.
In December 1996, while charting across Europe, "Say You'll Be There" became the focus of a controversy when Israeli soldier Idit Shechtman accused the group of copying her song (, "Come to Me"), an alleged similar song released in 1995 in Israel. Shechtman hired lawyers and threatened to sue. A spokesman of the group later declared: "Where there's a hit, there's a writ. There's always someone who crawls out of the woodwork claiming to have written a hit song. We look forward to seeing her in court."
The chorus of "Say You'll Be There" uses a highly similar melody to the song "What U R 2 Me", performed by R&B group After 7. American singer-songwriter Jonathan David Buck (Jon B.), wrote and produced the track for After 7's third album Reflections, released in July 1995.(1995) CD for Reflections by After 7, US Edition [Back Cover]. Beverly Hills: Virgin Records America. (724384054724). Buck was later added to the songwriting credits of the song in the group's Greatest Hits album, and the reissue of Girl Power! Live in Istanbul on DVD, both released in 2007.(2007) CD for Greatest Hits by the Spice Girls, European Edition [CD Booklet]. London: Virgin Records. (SPICECD 1).(2007) DVD for Girl Power! Live in Istanbul by the Spice Girls, European Edition [DVD Liner Notes]. London: Virgin Records. (VDVD13). He is not credited in previous releases of the song, including the single and the Spice album.(1996) CD for Spice by the Spice Girls, UK Edition [CD Booklet]. London: Virgin Records. (CDV 2812).
Composition and lyrics
"Say You'll Be There" is a midtempo dance-pop song, with influences from R&B. It is written in the key of D major, with a time signature set in common time, and moves at a moderate tempo of 108 beats per minute. The song is constructed in strophic form, using the sequence Bm–E–Gm–D as its chord progression during the verses and the chorus. Musically, many critics noted the West Coast hip hop inspired synth-sounds, and the G-funk-infused production. The track incorporates sound effects from turntablism during the song's introduction and the verses. The verses are divided in two sections, the first one is sung in a declamatory-style by Bunton and Brown in the first verse and by Halliwell during the second verse. Adams sings the lyrical half of each verse with a "more seductive" and "breathy" vocal timbre. A bridge follows after the second chorus. It includes an instrumental interlude from a harmonica, which some critics compared it to the work of Stevie Wonder, and a two-bar rapped section. The song closes with a coda, which consists of the group singing the chorus repeatedly until the song gradually fades out, while Chisholm adds the ad libs between the other girls' harmonies. The unreleased demo version of the song features a rap in the bridge.
The instrumentation includes a drum kit with syncopated handclaps and a prominent synthesizer sound, sparse use of rhythm guitar and funk bass, string glissandos and a vibraphone. Production duo Absolute played all the instruments, except for the harmonica, which was played by Judd Lander, who also played it on Culture Club's "Karma Chameleon" (1983). The main melody and lyrical rhythm of the song is highly similar to After 7's song "What U R 2 Me". As a result, Jon B—the song's composer and producer, later received songwriting credits on "Say You'll be There".
The lyrics of the song, according to Brown, are about relationships—whether friendship or romantic—and to be there for each other. She commented, "you don't have to give them all the 'I love you' bit, because what's important is if you're there for each other". Chisholm commented that the inspiration for the song came from their own experiences as a group, and how they have been there for each other. According to musicologist Sheila Whiteley, the group presented an image that "exuded a brash confidence that was attractive to their teenage fans" and added that they made "an emphasis on stating where they come from and what they stand for". She commented that in the song's narrative, the Spice Girls opted for friendship over love, and the clear message is that "the relationship can be channelled and controlled by the girl". Author Juan de Ribera Berenguer, said that "love was a constant theme" in the group's songs, but added that "Say You'll Be There" holds a different approach to the subject, as it "highlights the female perspective". Tom Ewing from the e-zine Freaky Trigger, believed that "Say You'll be There" has a common theme with other pop songs, but pointed out the opening lines "Last time that we had this conversation / I decided we should be friends", as what sets it apart from their counterparts, as the song's main idea is that the choice is made by the female. Anna Louise Golden wrote in her book The Spice Girls, that the lyrics were another example of the group's Girl Power philosophy, as it mixed "interpersonal romance and personal strength".
Release and promotion Virgin Records planned a major campaign for the group's debut to promote them as their new high-profile act. Ashley Newton, the label's head of A&R and other executives preferred "Say You'll Be There" to be released as the first single, as they considered it a "much cooler" track than the group's choice, "Wannabe". Fuller agreed with the label, but the group was adamant with their decision and refused. After a period of indecision about the release, Fuller and the executives at Virgin relented, and "Wannabe" was chosen as their first single. Brown mentions in her autobiography that the group was also indecisive about the choice for the second single; as "Love Thing" was considered at one point to be released instead.
At the end of September 1996, "Say You'll Be There" was sent to British radio, and the accompanying music video added to the programming of MTV and The Box, while the Spice Girls were in Hong Kong doing a promotional tour in the Far East. At the beginning of October, the song started to receive intensive airplay across the UK, appearing on the playlists of 46 ILR stations—including Capital FM, and Radio 1 A-list. On 11 October 1996, the group performed the song on Top of the Pops and during the following week, did interviews and appeared on British television programmes that included The Chart Show, The Big Breakfast, The Noise, Live & Kicking, The O-Zone, Newsround, The Disney Club, After 5, WOW!, and GMTV.