"Wannabe" Quotes

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Source: "Wannabe"

Speaker: The Spice Girls

"I wanna really really really wanna zig-a-zig ha."

So tell me what you want, what you really really want
I wanna really really really wanna zig-a-zig ha

Context

This line was sung by The Spice Girls in the song "Wannabe," written by Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Geri Halliwell, Melanie Chisholm, Emma Bunton, Matt Rowe, and Richard Stannard, from the album Spice (1996).

In the 1990s, the United States may have had the boy band game on lock with the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, but the country across the pond ruled the universe of girl groups thanks to the Spice Girls. And this group of pop star Avengers was assembled via 1994's version of a Craigslist ad: the classifieds. Music managers Bob and Chris Herbert put out an ad looking for smart, outgoing, ambitious women who knew how to sing and dance, and the rest is history.

"Wannabe" was the Spice Girls' first single and easily their biggest hit. But what the heck is a "zig-a-zig ha?" It's actually a fake word invented by the Spice Girls themselves.

"Wannabe" might have been part of a new wave of feminism in pop music in the '90s, or it might just be a fun, three-minute dance song. One thing is certain: we'll never know what "zig-a-zig ha" actually means, but friendship is always a great thing.

Where you've heard it

Unless you're the 21st-century's equivalent of Rip Van Winkle and have been asleep for 20+ years, you've definitely heard this song. On the radio, at prom, at the club, at a bowling alley, or on a Spotify dance mix, "Wannabe" won't die.

Science shows that "Wannabe" is the catchiest song of the past 60 years. Thank you, University of Amsterdam!

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

You're pretentious if you don't like this song even a little bit. Come on, it's fun to dance to.