‘Who Do You Think You Are’ named most played Spice Girls track on UK radio and TV

08 July 2021 - Press release

UK music licensing company PPL reveals group’s biggest hits on 25th anniversary of their first single

 

PPL is celebrating the 25th anniversary today of the release of the Spice Girls’ first single ‘Wannabe’ with a chart of the group’s most played tracks on UK radio and TV.

‘Who Do You Think You Are’, which became the quintet’s fourth consecutive UK No. 1 single, tops the PPL chart with ‘Wannabe’ finishing in second place. Both tracks feature on the group’s debut album Spice, which spent 15 weeks at No. 1 in the UK where it has sold around 3 million copies, according to the Official Charts Company.

‘Wannabe’ was released on 8 July 1996 and a fortnight later climbed to the top of the UK singles chart to herald in a new era of ‘Girl Power’. It is one of the biggest-selling debut releases of all time and established the Spice Girls as global superstars, with the track reaching No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1997.

PPL licenses recorded music in the UK when it is played in public or broadcast and ensures this revenue flows back to its performer and recording rightsholder members. For this chart, it has analysed exclusive radio and TV airplay data across the 21st century to compile a Top 10 of Spice Girls tracks.

Besides ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ and ‘Wannabe’, the Spice Girls chart features several other tracks from the album Spice, which sold more than 23 million copies worldwide to rank as the biggest-selling album by a female group of all time. Also from the album, ‘2 Become 1’ appears at No. 4, ‘Say You’ll Be There is at No. 5 and ‘Mama’ at No. 8.

The group’s second album Spiceworld is represented by ‘Stop’ at No. 3, ‘Spice Up Your Life’ at No. 6, ‘Viva Forever’ at No. 9 and ‘Too Much’ at No. 10, while ‘Goodbye’ from their third and final studio album Forever is at No. 7.

To mark the 25th anniversary of ‘Wannabe’, the Spice Girls have launched the #IAmASpiceGirl campaign, while an all-new limited edition EP called Wannabe25 will be available to stream from tomorrow (9 July) and released on vinyl and cassette on 23 July via UMC/EMI.

Peter Leathem, Chief Executive Officer at PPL, said: “The Spice Girls are a true British music phenomenon who conquered the world’s charts and became one of the most influential and successful acts of all time. The 25th anniversary of the release of their landmark first single ‘Wannabe’ is the perfect time to celebrate the group’s remarkable legacy and the enduring popularity of their countless hits.”

 

PPL’s Most Played Spice Girls Tracks of the 21^st Century

1. ‘Who Do You Think You Are’
2. ‘Wannabe’
3. ‘Stop’
4. ‘2 Become 1’
5. ‘Say You’ll Be There’
6. ‘Spice Up Your Life’
7. ‘Goodbye’
8. ‘Mama’
9. ‘Viva Forever’
10. ‘Too Much’