Album: Spice (1996)

Charted: 1 1

License This Song 

• Ha ha ha ha ha
  Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want
  So tell me what you want, what you really, really want
  I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want
  So tell me what you want, what you really, really want
  I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha)
  I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah
  
  If you want my future, forget my past
  If you wanna get with me, better make it fast
  Now don't go wasting my precious time
  Get your act together we could be just fine
  
  I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want
  So tell me what you want, what you really, really want
  I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha)
  I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah
  If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends
  (Gotta get with my friends)
  Make it last forever, friendship never ends
  If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give
  Taking is too easy, but that's the way it is
  
  Oh, what do you think about that?
  Now you know how I feel
  Say you can handle my love, are you for real?
  (Are you for real?)
  I won't be hasty, I'll give you a try
  If you really bug me then I'll say goodbye
  
  Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want
  So tell me what you want, what you really, really want
  I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha)
  I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah
  
  If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends
  (Gotta get with my friends)
  Make it last forever, friendship never ends
  If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give
  (You've got to give)
  Taking is too easy, but that's the way it is
  
  So, here's a story from A to Z
  You wanna get with me, you gotta listen carefully
  We got Em in the place who likes it in your face
  You got G like MC who likes it on a
  Easy V doesn't come for free, she's a real lady
  And as for me, ha you'll see
  
  Slam your body down and wind it all around
  Slam your body down and wind it all around
  
  If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends
  (Gotta get with my friends)
  Make it last forever, friendship never ends
  If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give
  (You've got to give)
  Taking is too easy, but that's the way it is
  
  If you wanna be my lover
  You gotta, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta
  Slam, slam, slam, slam (make it last forever)
  
  Slam your body down and wind it all around
  Slam your body down and wind it all around
  Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
  Slam your body down and wind it all around
  Slam your body down and zigazig ah
  If you wanna be my lover Writer/s: Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell, Matthew Paul Rowbottom, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Richard Stannard, Victoria Beckham
  Publisher: BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Songtrust Ave, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 26

• Jonathan from United KingdomIt topped the charts in 37 countries!
• Kaden Vanciel from Visalia, CaliforniaThis song was also used in trailers for Excess Baggage(1997) and The Boys(2019).
• George from Vancouver, CanadaYou say: A "Wannabe" is a person who aspires to be someone else, generally a celebrity, and imitates that person. The phrase has very little to do with the song, but makes a catchy title.
  
  It's everything to do with the song -- if you wanna be my lover (zigazag(presumedly sex)). . . you got to get with my friends (UK slang = "get along with", unless influenced with US slang, then = "have sex with"(presumably to have your prowess tested & reported on)
  
  That's the hook -- sexual prowess -- but then it focuses on relationship (forget my past(=girl power aspect))
  
  Friendship is listed as most important, for "forever" & getting along with her friends is critical.
  
  But the song finishes off as purely about sex.
  
  i.e. playing the socially presumed man's game (switched to she just wants sex, but he wants love/forever)
• Mike from Santa Barbara, CaI can't stand the opening of this song, and the rest isn't much better. Fortunately, the Spice Girls' subsequent songs were pretty good.
• Shawn from Green Bay, WiI'm a man, and I love the Spice Girls. They are about my age, and I remember when they first came out. I was a fan because they were hot at first, but now I like a lot of their music. "Say You'll Be There," "2 Become 1," and "Stop" are all good tunes, and "Too Much" is a GREAT song. This song is better in a live performance than recorded. It is a fun, energy-packed song that the girls have a lot of fun performing.
  And I absolutely LOVE Mel C, the girl a prior poster referred to as "a man." Hahaha.... Idiot. Go on youtube and look up a recent live performance of Mel C once, and then tell me she isn't a beautiful and talented woman.
• Jennifer Harris from Grand Blanc, MiI love this music video and song. What does Zigazag Ah mean?
• Mike from Matawan, Nj*see: People/Groups no one really cares about anymore.
  
  But take heart Spice Broads, Brittany will be joining you soon
• Marissa from Akron, OhThis song brings back memories all the way from second grade. It's a great song to blast when you're in the car with your best girlfriends, as I know from experience.
• Bender from East West Virginia, VaIt must have been cold when they filmed this vid.
• Louise from Newcastle, United KingdomSo annoyingly catchy...I remember the video vividly.
• Becky from Chicago, Ili've heard that the phrase "zig-a-zig-ah" means Orgasam.
  is that right?
• Julie from Taylor, Txi just have to say one thing.....Stop hating on this song! You knoe it freakin rox!
• Bertrand from Paris, FranceEven after the years of hype surrounding this all-girl group and its members, "Wannabe" is an exhilarating listening pleasure. "Girl power" from the group swept the U.K. in 1996 and then conquered America the following year.
• Ethan from Mason, MiI think that when it comes to this song people are very shallow! No one ever realizes what they say and how stupid they're being when this song is the topic of discussion.
  
  First of all, I've witnessed people talk about this song and most of the time they don't know more than the chorus. So if they did hear the verses they'd be like, "wha- whats this song?"
  
  Also, I think it's pathetic that no one can admit how great the spice girls are and that they use them for an object of humor. They are the one of the most talented, great-spirted, and beautiful girls in the world!
  
  Why is it that in the world we live in today, people must choose not to admit what music they enjoy only to protect their self image? I think it's sick.
  
  I for one love the Spice Girls, and yes, I'm a guy.
• Matthew from Milford, MaI'll also admit that I don't even want to know what "slam your body down and wind it all around" could mean..
• Matthew from Milford, Ma...Well, okay, I'll admit that the "zigzag" thing is kind of random.
• Matthew from Milford, MaSilly? The meaning of this song is quite deep, actually. It's about the distinction between sycophantic clingers and true friends; the latter are much better to have around!!!
• Mark from Lancaster, OhFor heaven's sakes. I never understood why everyone attached such significance to the Spice Girls' music. It's happy, great fun to listen to, and perfectly silly, as girls have a tendency to be. They were a fine group.
• Mike from Santa Barbara, CaThe beginning of this song is AWFUL! When they rap "Tell me what you want, what you really really want.." my first thought is, "I want to hear a better song." The rest of the song is just plain dull. Their follow-up songs were an improvement, thankfully.
• Hayley from Mckinney, Txthe spice s were huge.. but one was a man.. so like the spice boys kicked pure ace!
• Kat from Sydney, Australiayay Australia, 11 weeks, gotta be proud! (i shouldnt say nething i bought that song!)
• Laura from Melbourne, AustraliaYes,well,last time I was reading the dictionary, i didn't see the word 'silutaneously'. However I am intrigued to be offered an explantion for this perhaps versatile word or possible spelling error. P.S Spice girls were not a cult fad of the 90's, they were 'silutaneous', in the true sense of the word. You're a good sport pommy
• Claire from Oak Ridge, Tni remember being 5 and tagging along dancing to this with my older sister and her in-the-know friend.
• Martin from London, EnglandWith 7 weeks at No. 1, 26 weeks on the chart and sales of 1.27m in the UK, this track was the 12th best seller of the 90s and, at the time of its release, the 31st best-selling single ever in the UK.
• Martin from London, EnglandThis, the Girls' first single, was silutaneously No. 1 in Australia for 11 weeks, during which time their 2nd and 3rd singles were No. 1 in the UK. In the US, it was simultaneously No. 1 with the Girls' 4th single at No. 1 in the UK.
• Dave from Cardiff, WalesThre 'forever friends' stigma exploded in the Spice Girls' faces with Geri Halliwell's acrimonious split from the band in May 1998.

More Songfacts:

VeronicaElvis Costello

"Veronica" was inspired by Elvis Costello's grandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

Cum On Feel The NoizeSlade

"Cum On Feel The Noise" was originally recorded by the British glam band Slade in 1973. Quiet Riot had their first hit with the song when they recorded it in 1983.

He Ain't Heavy, He's My BrotherThe Hollies

The motto for Boys Town, which was a Nebraska home for troubled youth, inspired the song "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by The Hollies.

Like a Rolling StoneBob Dylan

Bob Dylan's most popular song is "Like A Rolling Stone," which tells the story of a wealthy woman whose money and friends fall away. Dylan offers these mockingly encouraging words: "When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose."

Smells Like Teen SpiritNirvana

Teen Spirit was a kind of deodorant marketed to young girls. That's where Kurt Cobain got the title "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

Blurred LinesRobin Thicke

Robin Thicke had a #1 hit with "Blurred Lines" in 2013, but he wasn't the first in his family with a hit song. His mom, Gloria Loring, was a singer who had a hit in 1986 with "Friends And Lovers," a duet with Carl Anderson.

Editor's Picks

Daniel LanoisSongwriter Interviews

Daniel Lanois on his album Heavy Sun, and the inside stories of songs he produced for U2, Peter Gabriel, and Bob Dylan.

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman JackSong Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About TransgenderismSong Writing

A history of songs dealing with transgender issues, featuring Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Morrissey and Green Day.

Harold Brown of WarSongwriter Interviews

A founding member of the band War, Harold gives a first-person account of one of the most important periods in music history.

Joe JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Joe talks about the challenges of of making a Duke Ellington tribute album, and tells the stories behind some of his hits.

Wolfgang Van HalenSongwriter Interviews

Wolfgang Van Halen breaks down the songs on his debut album, Mammoth WVH, and names the definitive Van Halen songs from the Sammy and Dave eras.