Inside U.K. The Spice Girls Create a Record-Making Sensation By STEVE HILL	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
スパイス・ガールブーム 英国の人気女性グループ、スパイス・ガールズ。デビューシングル『ワナビー』以下、連続4曲が国内チャート1位を獲得し、ブームはとどまるところを知らない。人気の秘密は何か、また、ブームはどんな影響を及ぼしているのだろうか―。

Try as you might, there's simply no escaping the Spice Girls these days.

Britain's latest popular music export is breaking records as fast as the girls' record company can manufacture copies ― and making more headlines than a publicist could dream about.

It's an astonishing phenomenon and one that seems destined to run for a while yet.

So, why have these girls been so successful that they have managed to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide of their debut album, "Spice"? How have they managed to top the chart in over 30 countries and become the first group in the U.K. to have four number one hits with their first four releases?

Don't forget, that's something not even the Rolling Stones or the Beatles managed.

An inkling of how deep the girls have burrowed into the national conscience was apparent in the recent general election. Tony Blair, our new prime minister and a man keen to relate to younger voters, included the hit single "Wannabe" among his choices of records to take to a desert island, when interviewed on a famous radio program.

A pop music group must be doing something right when the top politician of the day tries to grab some of the reflected glory.

It's hard for a cynic like myself to understand what all the fuss is about. They're hardly the first all-girl band to have a hit, and I personally think that Bananarama was far more interesting.

I have to admit, though, that I'm a lone voice in the wilderness. A friend of mine, spotted carrying a copy of "Spice" in his car, summed it all up quite well when he said: "They've cleverly cornered the whole market: Young girls like them because of the whole `Girl Power' scenario, while most men like them for the obvious fact that they're very attractive. Teenagers like them because the music is bright and poppy, and the gay audience is also there because of the dance factor in the music."

So, everyone loves the Spice Girls and no one will hear a word against them. Well, not quite. Noel Gallagher, the outspoken leader of BritPop band Oasis, dared to speak out at last month's Capital FM Music Awards night in London. He asked, sarcastically, "When are the Spice Girls going to do a gig?" referring to the band's lack of live performances. He had a point as, at that time, they had only appeared on stage miming to their records.

But now even Noel has had to eat his words. The girls recently appeared on the American TV program "Saturday Night Live" and, watched by millions of viewers, went through hit singles "Say You'll Be There" and "Wannabe."

There was tumultuous applause at the unmistakably live, raw performance, and even rock critic Dan Aquilamte, of the New York Daily News, joined in the praise.

He said: "A lot of people over here thought they weren't real and that they were manufactured. I think this may go some way to cracking that nut and proving that they are not just a novelty."

While the lucrative American market awaits, the publicity bandwagon rolls on for the Spice Girls.

An innocuous trip to the Indonesian island of Bali hit the headlines when the band presented its own version of the New Zealand Maoris' "Kamate Kamate."

The girls were shown the dance, famously performed by the All Blacks rugby team before matches, by two players staying at the same hotel.

But while the Spice Girls' version left their fans cheering, a minor diplomatic incident erupted with Maori leaders complaining of being insulted.

Back here in England, there's now talk of the girls singing the theme tune for a new TV series, a remake of a string of classic British films from the 1950s.

Meanwhile, the Spice Girls' book "Girl Power" continues to disappear faster off the shelves than Donovan Bailey out of the blocks.

But how much longer can it all last? How many more "Who's your favorite Spice Girl?" competitions can people be bothered to vote in (mine's Gerry, by the way)?

Looming is the recording of the girls' second album, a notoriously difficult step for bands that produce a hugely successful debut. It's due to be released at the end of the year, by which time it is possible the frail winds of fashion may have blown the Spice Girls off the airwaves and front pages.

New York band Luscious Jackson is just one of any number of all-girl bands waiting to take their place ― and become the hot, really, really hot, new flavor.

Shukan ST: May 23, 1997

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