Released: June 26, 1996
Songwriter: Richard “Biff” Stannard Matt Rowe Spice Girls
Producer: Richard “Biff” Stannard Matt Rowe
"Wannabe" is a song by the British pop group Spice Girls, released as their debut single, and widely considered to be their signature song. It was written by the Spice Girls, Richard Stannard and Matt Rowe for the group's debut album Spice. "Wannabe" is an uptempo pop song with a touch of white hip-hop, rap and dance music; the lyrics are a demand of sincerity, with a feminist message of choosing friends over relationships, the song became an iconic symbolism of female empowerment and the most emblematic song of the Girl Power philosophy. Read more on Last.fm.
Length: 2:53
[Intro: Scary, Ginger]
Hahaha
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 (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!)
I wanna really, really, really wanna "zig-a-zig", ah
[Verse 1: Sporty, Baby, Scary, Ginger]
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
[Pre-Chorus: Scary, Ginger]
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 (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!)
I wanna really, really, really wanna "zig-a-zig", ah
[Chorus: All, Baby]
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
[Verse 2: Sporty, Baby, Scary, Ginger, (Posh)]
Oh what you think about that, now you know how I feel
Say you could 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
[Pre-Chorus: Scary, Ginger]
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 (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!)
I wanna really, really, really wanna "zig-a-zig", ah
[Chorus: All, Baby, Scary]
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
[Verse 3: Scary, Ginger, All]
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
We got G like MC who likes it on an-
Easy V doesn't come for free, she's a real lady
And as for me, haha, you'll see
Slam your body down and wind it all around
Slam your body down and wind it all around
[Chorus: All, Baby, Scary]
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
[Outro: All, Scary]
If you wanna be my lover
(You gotta, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta slam)
Make it last forever
(Slam, slam, slam, slam)
Slam your body down and wind it all around
Slam your body down and wind it all around
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey)
Slam your body down and wind it all around
Slam your body down and "zig-a-zig", ah
(Uh, uh, uh, uh)
If you wanna be my lover
Hahaha
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 (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!)
I wanna really, really, really wanna "zig-a-zig", ah
[Verse 1: Sporty, Baby, Scary, Ginger]
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
[Pre-Chorus: Scary, Ginger]
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 (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!)
I wanna really, really, really wanna "zig-a-zig", ah
[Chorus: All, Baby]
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
[Verse 2: Sporty, Baby, Scary, Ginger, (Posh)]
Oh what you think about that, now you know how I feel
Say you could 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
[Pre-Chorus: Scary, Ginger]
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 (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!)
I wanna really, really, really wanna "zig-a-zig", ah
[Chorus: All, Baby, Scary]
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
[Verse 3: Scary, Ginger, All]
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
We got G like MC who likes it on an-
Easy V doesn't come for free, she's a real lady
And as for me, haha, you'll see
Slam your body down and wind it all around
Slam your body down and wind it all around
[Chorus: All, Baby, Scary]
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
[Outro: All, Scary]
If you wanna be my lover
(You gotta, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta slam)
Make it last forever
(Slam, slam, slam, slam)
Slam your body down and wind it all around
Slam your body down and wind it all around
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey)
Slam your body down and wind it all around
Slam your body down and "zig-a-zig", ah
(Uh, uh, uh, uh)
If you wanna be my lover
From the albums
- Absolute Music 17 [NOR] (1996)
- Wannabe - Single (1996)
- Spice (1996)
- Hits For Kids 1 - This Is How We Party! [NOR] (1998)
- Hits For Kids 1 [SWE] (1998)
- 50 Years Of The Greatest Hit Singles (2002)
- Jentefest (Girls Just Wanna Have More Fun) (2004)
- Miss Independent: 40 Tracks for the Girl with Attitude [UK] (2004)
- Sleepover (Original Soundtrack) (2004)
- Chicken Little (Original Version) (2005)
- Greatest Hits (2007)
- Just Dance (Official Tracklist) (2009)
- American Reunion (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2012)
- Virgin Records: 40 Years of Disruptions (2013)
- NOW That’s What I Call A Million [US] (2014)
- GIRLI.fm (2015)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Soundtrack (2017)
- NOW That’s What I Call Sing [UK] (2017)
- NOW That’s What I Call Music! 100 [UK] (2018)
- The Millennial Mixtape (2019)
- The Greatest Hits: Limited Edition Picture Disc Vinyl (2019)
- To All The Boys: Always And Forever (Music From The Netflix Film) (2021)
Spice Girls popular songs
- Wannabe
- Spice Up Your Life
- 2 Become 1
- Say You’ll Be There
- Stop
- Viva Forever
- Who Do You Think You Are
- Too Much
- Goodbye
- Mama
- If U Can’t Dance
- Holler
- Naked
- Move Over
- 2 Become 1 (Orchestral Version)
- 2 Become 1 (Spanish Version)
- Last Time Lover
- My Strongest Suit
- Baby Come Round
- Love Thing
- If You Wanna Have Some Fun
- Walk of Life
- Stop (Stretch ‘n’ Vern’s Rock & Roll Mix)
- The Lady Is a Vamp