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| Spice Girls | ||
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| Format(s) | Vinyl record (7" & 12"), cassette, CD single | |
| Writer(s) | Matthew Rowe, Richard Stannard, Spice Girls | |
| Producer(s) | Matthew Rowe, Richard Stannard | |
Viva Forever is a single by the Spice Girls.
Background[]
- For the song, see Viva Forever (song).
The release dates for Viva Forever are 20 July 1998 (UK), 29 July 1998 (Japan) and 24 August 1998 (Australia).
A short time after Stop was released, speculation grew as to which Spice Girls single would be next. In late March, the single was finally revealed as Never Give Up on the Good Times/Viva Forever. Smash Hits' famous "Bandwatch" section provided a close watch on the status of the single, and the first piece of news it gave was that one of the songs was to have a cartoon-based video.
Originally, the single was going to be released on 11 May 1998. Soon after, it was pushed back, in this first case to May 25. The release date was then pushed back to June 8 in late April, and at this point a promotional cassette for "Viva Forever" appeared on the internet with no sight of Never Give Up On The Good Times. In early May the release date changed again to June 29. A competition appeared in the Evening Mail (19 May 1998) saying the following:
"10 copies of the video to be won. Each prize winner will also receive a Spice Girls T-Shirt and a copy of the new double A-side single Viva Forever/Never Give Up On The Good Times, released on June 29."
On May 27 the Spice Girls were due to appear on the National Lottery, and they were booked in to perform two songs on the show. On that night, the Spice Girls performed "Viva Forever" and "Spice Up Your Life", without Geri, the excuse being that she was ill. It was a highly unlikely decision that with a double A-side single planned, they would perform a song released over six months ago, instead of both of the double A-side tracks.
On 31 May 1998, Geri left the Spice Girls, throwing their plans into chaos. Although the status of the new single was never 100% clear, Never Give Up On The Good Times was ditched. The reasons for why the song was removed from the double A-side single has never been confirmed, although it was rumoured that there were problems with the remixes, that the video was not ready, and that with Geri out of the band they would have to re-record parts of the song, which would take valuable time out of the schedule, since they were going to start the North American leg of the Spiceworld Tour.
In early June, the single was confirmed to be Viva Forever, with no explanation given for its missing partner on the double A-side front. The single was to be released on July 13, over two months after the original release date of May 11. Even though posters were printed showcasing the July 13 release date, it was not long before the release dates started changing again.
On the day of "release", stores around the United Kingdom received a notice saying that the single was not going to be released on July 13, and it would be released in a week or two. After the constant delays, the single was finally released on July 20, going straight to the number-one position
Promotion[]
Live performances[]
It really gets me, particularly in Europe where the fans in the audience always sing along to the songs and cry, especially for the slow ones.
The Spice Girls performed the song live at the following events:
- Please fill in...
Music Video[]
- Main Article: Viva Forever (music video)
The music video of Viva Forever was first shown in 1998.
Reception[]
Critical reception[]
Viva Forever was well-received by music critics, who considered the song their best work artistically in 1998.
Amanda Murray from Sputnikmusic gave a positive review: Murray called it "a genuinely great song" adding that it is "sincerely moving" and that "never would I have imagined the Spice Girls could pull off a song like this".
Rolling Stone gave a positive review: Rolling Stone called it "a big ballad that is about as convincing as the Spices' Spanish accents".
Yahoo! Music gave a positive review: Yahoo! Music compared the song with Mama, and add "a tear-jerking flamenco guitar and lush strings weave into this break-your-heart, 'I Will Always Love You' ballad with a touch of Madonna about it [...] inspired".
DVDfever gave a positive review: In their Spiceworld review, DVDfever called "Viva Forever" "one of the best tracks [...] one that should be released as a single."
Chart performance[]
Austria In Austria the single debuted at number fifteen, reaching a peak position of four for two weeks (their highest peak position since May 1997 when Mama reached the top of the chart), staying ten weeks in the top ten and fifteen weeks in total.
Italy In Italy the single debuted at number three, reaching number two for five non-consecutive weeks, being blocked from the first position by Des'ree's Life and Aerosmith's I Don't Want to Miss a Thing, and stayed sixteen weeks in the charts.
Switzerland In Switzerland the single debuted on 9 August 1998 at number six, reaching a peak position of three two weeks later. It stayed thirteen weeks in the top ten, twenty-two weeks in total, and was eventually certified Gold by the IFPI.
New Zealand In New Zealand the song debuted at the top, staying at number-one for two weeks, and eleven weeks in total on the chart.
UK Viva Forever was poorly promoted, due to the four remaining girls touring in America. Its only real driving promotional force behind the release was the hype from Geri's departure. The song was released on 20 July 1998, selling 100,000 in the first three days and 277,000 copies in its first week. It stayed at number one for two weeks in the UK, spending nine weeks in the top 40, and thirteen weeks inside the top 75; it went on to be certified Platinum, selling 627,666 copies.
Charts, peaks and certifications[]
Chart positions[]
Formats and track listings[]
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Viva Forever".
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Australian CD: Individual fairy version covers