Time's running out in a Manhattan studio. ''Hurry up your f -- -in' a -- , then!'' barks Spice Girl Melanie Brown to the photographer framing her group's portrait. As the harried lensman hunkers behind his equipment, Brown and her tarty cohorts coo, ''C'mon, baaaby....'' And it seems to do the trick. Their image securely in the can, the fivesome race to meet a shrieking busload of radio contest winners waiting outside for a prized tour of Manhattan with Britain's brassy queens of bubblegum pop. It's a telling scenario, capturing the sour and sweet moods of the Spice Girls, as well as the breakneck pace of their global hype-athon.
Inciting Spicemania Stateside is the vampy hit ''Wannabe,'' the secret weapon in the Girls' bid for worldwide pop-cult dominance. Unleashed Jan. 7, and currently No. 2 on Billboard's Hot 100, it's poised to pounce on Toni Braxton's ''Un-Break My Heart.'' The single has already topped the charts in 35 countries across four continents -- an international tear that began in Japan eight months ago. Upon its release in America, ''Wannabe'' tied the record for the highest-charting entry by a debut artist. And its accompanying video, a vanity romp in which the saucy Girls just wanna wreak havoc on a chichi London social club, has similarly gate-crashed MTV's heavy rotation playlist.
But brace yourself. ''Wannabe'' is only the first maneuver in the no-holds-barred marketing blitz behind their debut album, Spice, a platter of slick dance pop that has already sold 7 million copies overseas.
Reminiscent of another hysteria-inducing British export, the fab five are a multimedia sensation made up of equal parts personality, product, and push. Consider this: Currently in the works in the U.K. are a Spice Girls magazine, a Hard Day's Night-inspired feature film, two TV shows, a multimillion-pound Pepsi endorsement deal -- even action figures.
Characters in at least one sense of the word, the Girls come complete with distinct looks, attitudes, and nicknames: There's chatty ''Sexy Spice'' Geri Halliwell, 24; lithe B-girl ''Sporty Spice'' Melanie Chisholm, 21; funky amazon ''Scary Spice'' Melanie Brown, 21; style-conscious femme fatale ''Posh Spice'' Victoria Aadams, 21; and virginal ''Baby Spice'' Emma Bunton, 21. They comprise a postfeminist palette of archetypes ranging from madonna to whore with a few stops in between. Call them Josie and the Pussycats, with an agenda.
That agenda is their much-trumpeted message of ''girl power,'' a mantra of female solidarity and strength. ''No one wants to be classed as a bimbo anymore,'' theorizes Mel C in a rare idle moment during the photo shoot. ''You can wear your Wonderbra, you can wear your mascara, but you've got a bit of intelligence.... Don't rely on your sexuality, but don't be afraid of it.'' Emma takes a pithier approach: ''Just because you've got a short skirt on and a pair of t -- s, you can still say what you want to say. We're still very strong.'' Not content merely to make a splash, the Spice Girls want to make a difference.
