“Say You’ll Be There” by Spice Girls

by Jessica Shelton · May 30, 2019

In the Spice Girls’ “Say You’ll Be There”, the narrator indulges in a heart-to-heart with a close friend who wants to become her lover. On the contrary, the singer does not want them to become lovers, but to remain as friends who will always be there for each other.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Spice Girls's Say You’ll Be There at Lyrics.org.

The setting of the song seems to be a repetitive love proposal which she keeps declining. This is why the narrator mentions that it’s a déjà vu. It could also be that they may have tried being in a relationship but it failed to work. The guy now tells her that he’s in love and gets emotional, which is something she least expects.

The singer seems not to want to get into the complexities of a relationship but is willing to give him everything so far as he sticks to a promise of always being there. She enforces her decision while letting him know that their friendship is more important to her than an intimate connection. She bluntly reminds him that there is no need to profess his love for her because she’ll give him all the joy and companionship he needs in a friend, so long as he promises to be there for her.

Facts about “Say You’ll Be There”

Members of the Spice Girls group teamed up with English songwriter, Eliot Kennedy and American singer/songwriter, Jon B. in composing this track.
The song was produced by the band’s frequent collaborating song production duo – Absolute.
The group released “Say You’ll Be There” as their 2nd single from their debut album, Spice. This single officially came out on the 14th of October 1996.
In 2007, the band included this song on their compilation album, labeled, Greatest Hits.
This hit single did exceptionally well inside Europe, especially in Finland and in the UK, where it ranked at No.1 on the charts in both regions. It also ranked inside the top ten in a host of other European territories, including Spain, France, and Norway, where it peaked at No.2 in each nation.
The song continued its impressive performance beyond the European region, peaking at No.2 in New Zealand and No.3 in the United States.

Music Video

The official music video for “Say You’ll Be There” was shot in the Mojave Desert, in California. This Vaughan Arnell directed video was inspired by the 1994 American crime film, Pulp Fiction.

The video received positive reviews from fans and a host of music video critics, earning it several awards and nominations. One such notable award was the award for Best British Video at the 1997 Brit Awards.

Furthermore, it was selected for an award in the category of Viewers Choice at the MTV Video Music Awards of 1997. However, it lost to “Breathe”, a track performed by English rock ensemble, The Prodigy.

VH1 ranked this song’s clip as No.8 on their 1997 list of “All-Time Greatest Music Videos in History”.

Does “Say You’ll Be There” contain samples?

Yes. It incorporates samples of the classic tune, “Saturday Night”, released in 1976 by the American soul music band, Earth, Wind & Fire.

Covers and Remixes

Mash-up artists, Super Mash Bros sampled this single in their 2008 release, “I’m Onto Something (That’s What She Said)”.

French soul musician, Ben L’oncle Soul did a cover of “Say You’ll Be There” in 2009. Danish singer, MØ also released a cover of the track in 2014.

American record producer and DJ, Junior Vasquez remixed this tune in 1996. That same year, soul singer, Linslee Campbell also performed a remix of the song.