Scream If You Wanna Go Faster (song)

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"Scream If You Wanna Go Faster"
Single by Geri Halliwell
from the album Scream If You Wanna Go Faster
B-side
  • "New Religion"
  • "Breaking Glass"
Released30 July 2001 (2001-07-30)
Length
  • 3:24 (radio edit)
  • 3:41 (album version)
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Rick Nowels
Geri Halliwell singles chronology
"It's Raining Men"
(2001) 		"Scream If You Wanna Go Faster"
(2001) 		"Calling"
(2001)
Music video
"Scream If You Wanna Go Faster" on YouTube

"Scream If You Wanna Go Faster" is a song by British singer Geri Halliwell from her second album of the same name (2001). It was released on 30 July 2001 as the second single from the album by EMI Records. Written by Halliwell and Rick Nowels on the day of her first recovery meeting for bulimia, she described the song as "the things I did to avoid staying still and deal with my seemings". It is Halliwell's most rock-based song to date, and was inspired by her listening to Led Zeppelin the previous summer as encouraged by close friend Robbie Williams.

The song received positive reviews by music critics, who complimented the singer's new style. Commercially, it peaked at No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top 40 in Australia, Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Ireland, and Italy. The music video was directed by Jim Canty and Jake-Sebastian Wynne. To promote the single, Halliwell performed the song on Top of the Pops, Party in the Park, Musica Sí and Popkomm.[1]

Background[edit]

Geri Halliwell described "Scream If You Wanna Go Faster" as "by far the most rock'n'roll song I had ever recorded" ascribing its "adrenaline-packed" feel to her newfound enthusiasm for listening to Led Zeppelin as encouraged by her close friend, Robbie Williams.[2][3] She also elaborated on the song: "The track is based on one of the themes of the album – the child within and the creative fun-loving person that often gets conditioned out of us. I'm just a big kid at heart".[4]

Critical reception[edit]

It received positive reviews by music critics, who complimented the singer's new style. Jon O'Brien from Billboard named it the 15th best solo single from a Spice Girl, and elaborated that the song "is perhaps her most under-rated single", and noted its "twangy surf-rock guitars, swirling Hammond organs and unabashedly nonsensical lyrics".[5] NME gave the song a negative reception by saying: "This is not singing but the sound a seal makes when you run over its stomach in a Land Rover. She is living proof that there is no 'magic machine' in the studio that makes bad voices sound good. This is lyric writing courtesy of the magnetic poetry kit. It’s what happens when you apply the William Burroughs' cut-up technique to self-help manuals".[6]

Chart performance[edit]

The song entered the UK Singles Chart at its peak of No. 8, which became the lowest-charting single of Halliwell's career at the time. The single sold 27,458 copies during its first week and about 80,192 copies total in the United Kingdom.[7]

Music video[edit]

The accompanying music video for "Scream If You Wanna Go Faster" was directed by Jim Canty and Jake-Sebastian Wynne. Halliwell plays two characters in the video. She said, "It's kind of like Lara Croft meets Blondie. The Lara Croft character, she represents spirit and soul, a little more organic, more playful. Then the (Blondie) character on stage, she's a lot more aggressive and sexual and represents ego."[8] Comparisons were made to the similarly-themed video for Victoria Beckham's single "Not Such an Innocent Girl"; Halliwell's spokesperson said: "There is no way Geri has seen Victoria's video".[9]

The video begins with the Lara Croft Halliwell in a desert in a squat position. As the music starts, she begins to run through the rocks and down a hill before picking up a dune buggy and driving it. Halliwell then sees a cliff and as she reverses the dune buggy, it jumps off the cliff transforming into a space hovercraft racing with two men beside her. As the hovercraft reaches its destination, Halliwell goes inside an elevator which sinks rapidly. She's dancing in the elevator as it proceeds to drop down quickly into the stage where the other Halliwell (the Blondie type) is performing at a concert with her band. The Lara Croft Halliwell kicks the other and her female performers resume dancing along to the song. The video ends with Halliwell looking upon a hill, exhausted.

Track listings[edit]

Personnel[edit]

Personnel are taken from the Scream If You Wanna Go Faster album booklet.[15]

  • Geri Halliwell – writing
  • Rick Nowels – writing, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, keyboards, production
  • Rusty Anderson – electric guitar
  • Charles Judge – keyboards
  • Greg Kurstin – keyboards, Farfisa organ
  • Wayne Rodrigues – drum programming, Pro Tools editing
  • Dave Way – mixing
  • Randy Wine – recording
  • Chris Garcia – recording
  • David Dale – recording

Charts[edit]

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United Kingdom 30 July 2001
  • CD
  • cassette
 EMI [28][29]
Australia 10 September 2001 CD [30]

References[edit]

  1. ^ ""Stars 2001 - die Popkomm Gala" mit Geri Halliwell, Echt, MissyElliott, Jamiroquai, Dante Thomas feat. Pras, Right said Fred u.v.a." 13 August 2001.
  2. ^ Sinclair, David (17 December 2009). Spice Girls Revisited: How the Spice Girls Reinvented Pop. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857121110.
  3. ^ Halliwell, Geri (30 June 2012). Just for the Record. Random House. ISBN 9781448147847.
  4. ^ "Kids Play for Geri". NME. 5 July 2001.
  5. ^ "The Spice Girls' 20 Best Solo Singles, Ranked". Billboard.
  6. ^ "International Velvet". NME. 12 September 2005.
  7. ^ "Scream If You Wanna Go Faster" Sales Archived 9 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Stevenson, Jane (8 June 2001). "Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell no wallflower". Jam! Canoe. Archived from the original on 10 April 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ "3am: Not Geri original; SPIce's FURY AT 'COPYCAT' VIDEO. - Free Online Library".
  10. ^ Scream If You Wanna Go Faster (UK CD1 liner notes). Geri Halliwell. EMI Records. 2001. CDEMS 595, 7 24387 96132 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Scream If You Wanna Go Faster (UK CD2 liner notes). Geri Halliwell. EMI Records. 2001. CDEM 595, 7243 8 79636 2 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Scream If You Wanna Go Faster (European CD single liner notes). Geri Halliwell. EMI Records. 2001. 8796862.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Scream If You Wanna Go Faster (European CD single liner notes). Geri Halliwell. EMI Records. 2001. 7243 879914 2 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Scream If You Wanna Go Faster (Australian CD single liner notes). Geri Halliwell. EMI Records. 2001. 8798502, 7243 8 79850 2 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ Scream If You Wanna Go Faster (UK CD album booklet). Geri Halliwell. EMI Records. 2001. 533 3692.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ "Geri Halliwell – Scream If You Wanna Go Faster". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  17. ^ "Geri Halliwell – Scream If You Wanna Go Faster" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  18. ^ "Geri Halliwell – Scream If You Wanna Go Faster" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  19. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 19, no. 34. 18 August 2001. p. 15. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  20. ^ "Geri Halliwell – Scream If You Wanna Go Faster" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  21. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Scream If You Wanna Go Faster". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Geri Halliwell – Scream If You Wanna Go Faster". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  23. ^ "Geri Halliwell – Scream If You Wanna Go Faster" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  24. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  25. ^ "Geri Halliwell – Scream If You Wanna Go Faster". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  26. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  27. ^ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2001" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  28. ^ Stavenes Dove, Siri (28 July 2001). "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 19, no. 31. p. 10. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  29. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting July 30, 2001: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 28 July 2001. p. 33. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  30. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 10th September 2001" (PDF). ARIA. 10 September 2001. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2002. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
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