It’s time for us to cast our eyes and ears back to five UK chart hits on this exact week in the last 25 years with another installment of #ThrowbackTunesday. Before we get to our featured classic hit this week, let’s see which others are joining it on the playlist…
- 1993: DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince – ‘Boom! Shake The Room’
- 1998: Mel B feat. Missy Elliott – ‘I Want You Back’
- 2003: Black Eyed Peas – ‘Where Is The Love?’
- 2008: Will Young – ‘Changes’
- 2013: Birdy – ‘Wings’
And our favourite song from this week’s #ThrowbackTunesday playlist is…
- ARTIST: Mel B feat. Missy Elliott
- SONG: I Want You Back
- ALBUM: Why Do Fools Fall In Love – Original Soundtrack
Being as she was the first to leave the world dominating Spice Girls, everyone naturally assumes the Ginger one herself, Geri Halliwell was first out the blocks with the first solo release from the most powerful quintet in 90s pop.
But it was in fact her then former Scary colleague, Mel B, who beat her to such an accolade two decades ago this very week. Whilst on the American leg of their Spiceworld tour that summer, rap superstar Missy Elliott approached her and asked if she’d like to record a track from a new biopic on Frankie Lymon that was being released.
The song was a totally new recording called ‘I Want You Back’, a futuristic sounding, spiky R&B cut produced by Missy herself that was as far removed from her usual pop outings as you could imagine. It was also an opportunity Mel couldn’t say no to.
Coupled with a memorable video featuring a cameo from her own Spice boy (and future first husband Jimmy Gulzar), the single came out on 14th September 1998 – just as the Spice Girls played the final concerts of their world tour at Wembley Stadium – and seven days later crashed in at #1 to give Mel B the first of nine solo number ones from the group.
Check out the full playlist here, and let us know what your favourite hit from the past is this week on our Twitter with the hashtag #ThrowbackTunesday!
