"What Took You So Long?" is the debut solo single of English singer
Emma Bunton
Emma Lee Bunton (born 21 January 1976) is an English singer, songwriter, media personality, and actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the Pop music, pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Baby Spice, reflecting the ...
from her debut solo studio album, ''
A Girl Like Me'' (2001). The song was written by Bunton,
Richard Stannard,
Julian Gallagher
Julian Gallagher (born 17 July 1968 in Bromley, London) is a British songwriter and record producer, known for being a member of the music production/songwriting team Biffco. He has co-wrote and produced for many artists including Kylie Minogue ...
,
Martin Harrington,
John Themis
John Themis is an Australian-born musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his long-term work with Boy George and Culture Club, collaborating on many of their songs and albums since the 1990s. He also worked on ''Taboo'', a musi ...
and Dave Morgan, and produced by Stannard and Gallagher in Biffco Studios in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, Ireland. It was released as the album's
lead single
A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
A similar term, "debut ...
in the United Kingdom on 2 April 2001. A
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...
song, its sound is influenced by the work of
AOR artists such as
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...
,
Gabrielle, and the band
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. For the lyrics, Bunton explained that the song is about men taking longer than women to realise they are in love, a concept inspired by her past romantic relationships. The song received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, with many of them praising the melody and Bunton's vocal delivery, while others were critical of its production.
The song topped the
UK Singles Chart for two weeks, becoming Bunton's first and only number-one, making her the fourth member of the
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ("Scary Spice"), Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"), Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"), Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"), and Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice"). They have sold over 10 ...
to top the chart with a solo record. "What Took You So Long?" attracted moderate success in Europe and Oceania, topping the chart in New Zealand and peaking inside the top 10 in the charts of Australia, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Romania. An accompanying music video, directed by Greg Masuak, was shot in mid-February 2001 at the
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert (; ; ) is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States. Named for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous Mohave people, it is located pr ...
near
Lancaster, California
Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the popul ...
. The song's promotional campaign included a series of appearances on television programmes and festivals worldwide, and it has since been regularly included on the setlists in most of her concerts and presentations.
Background and development
After finishing the
Spiceworld Tour
The Spiceworld Tour (also known as Spice Girls in Concert and the Girl Power Tour '98) was the debut concert tour by English girl group the Spice Girls. It was launched in support of their first two studio albums, ''Spice'' (1996) and '' Spicewor ...
in September 1998 and releasing their single "
Goodbye
Goodbye, Good bye, or Good-bye is a parting phrase and may refer to:
Film
* ''Goodbye'' (1918 film), a British drama directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Goodbye'' (1995 film) (''Tot Ziens!''), a Dutch film directed by Heddy Honigmann
* ''Goodbye'' ( ...
" in December, the
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ("Scary Spice"), Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"), Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"), Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"), and Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice"). They have sold over 10 ...
went into a hiatus period, during which the members of the group launched their solo careers and focused on their personal lives. The group resumed work on their
third studio album in August 1999. Unlike her bandmates, Bunton displayed little desire to launch a music career outside of the Spice Girls, but by the end of 1999, she decided to accept an offer to collaborate with English
electronic dance music
Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and List of electronic dance music festivals, festivals. It is generally ...
duo
Tin Tin Out
Tin Tin Out were an English electronic dance music duo, comprising Darren Stokes and Lindsay Edwards. They remixed songs for a variety of artists such as Duran Duran, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, The Corrs and Des'ree, as well as collaborating ...
on a cover version of
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians is an American alternative rock jam band that originated in Dallas, Texas, in the mid-1980s. The band is widely known for their 1988 hit "What I Am" from the album ''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars''. Their music ...
s song "
What I Am
"What I Am" is a song written by Edie Brickell and Kenny Withrow and recorded by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians for their debut album, '' Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars'' (1988). The song is highlighted by a guitar solo that notably features ...
" (1988), which was released in the UK on 1 November 1999. In December, the Spice Girls performed on their UK-only tour,
Christmas in Spiceworld
Christmas in Spiceworld Tour was the second concert tour by English girl group the Spice Girls. The eight-show tour was launched following "solo projects, marriages, motherhood and another round of slagging in the press", as a reunion for the gir ...
, in London and Manchester, also showcasing songs from ''Forever''.
The recording process for Bunton's first solo studio album ''
A Girl Like Me'' took place between late 1999 and October 2000 at recording studios in London, Dublin, Stockholm, Miami, Los Angeles and New York.
She worked with a mix of familiar writers and producers from the Spice Girls' recording sessions, including
Richard Stannard ("
Wannabe
"Wannabe" is the debut single by the British girl group the Spice Girls, released on 26 June 1996. It was written by the Spice Girls, Matt Rowe and Richard "Biff" Stannard and produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album, ''Spice ...
") and
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), better known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists.
Jerkins has won two Grammy Awards from 19 nomi ...
("
Holler
Holler may refer to:
Places
* Holler, Germany, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate
* Holler, Luxembourg, a village in Weiswampach
People
* Höller, a German surname
* Holler (surname)
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Field holler, a song f ...
"), as well as new songwriters and record producers, such as Andrew Frampton, the duo
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers are New York–based songwriters and record producers. They have produced hits for Ruben Studdard, Wild Orchid, Christina Aguilera and Evelyn Champagne King and helped build the career of Rihanna. In addition to b ...
, and
Rhett Lawrence
James Everett "Rhett" Lawrence is an American record producer and songwriter. He first became known for producing the 1990 single " Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey, which received a Grammy Award and peaked on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His prod ...
.
In a web chat on the group's official website, she described the sound of ''A Girl Like Me'' as a "bit of
R&B; quite a lot of guitar and quite
folky. It's even got some
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
on there." Bunton said that the album would likely include 11 or 12 tracks and the release date was planned for early 2001.
Writing and recording
"What Took You So Long?" started as a
backing track
A backing track is an audio recording on audiotape, CD or a digital recording medium or a MIDI recording of synthesized instruments, sometimes of purely rhythmic accompaniment, often of a rhythm section or other accompaniment parts that live m ...
on an "in progress"
DAT tape
Digital Audio Tape (DAT or R-DAT) is a signal recording and playback medium developed by Sony and introduced in 1987. In appearance it is similar to a Compact Cassette, using 3.81 mm / 0.15" (commonly referred to as 4 mm) magnetic t ...
in Richard Stannard's Biffco Studio in
Dublin, Ireland
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
. The
chords
Chord or chords may refer to:
Art and music
* Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously
** Guitar chord, a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning
* The Chords (British band), 1970s British mod ...
were put together by songwriter
Martin Harrington, and the track was then used as the basis for a writing session. Stannard explained that the two of them worked in an "organic manner", placing a microphone in the middle of a room, then playing the chords and laying down tracks on top of them, finally singing the first ideas that came up. The
melody
A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...
was composed by singing over the chords, before Stannard wrote some of the lyrics on his hand from watching a film the night before. Because of his professional and personal relationship with Bunton from their previous work during the Spice Girls' sessions, the creative process was fairly simple, he commented: "With that backing track we just got writing straight away and before you knew it the words were done."
Bunton finished writing the song with Stannard and songwriter/producer
Julian Gallagher
Julian Gallagher (born 17 July 1968 in Bromley, London) is a British songwriter and record producer, known for being a member of the music production/songwriting team Biffco. He has co-wrote and produced for many artists including Kylie Minogue ...
, and she commented about the process: "I'm very hands on with lyrics and production, I have to know what's going on. I'm really pleased with it."
The song was captured on a hard disk using
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...
with a
Logic
Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...
front end.
Recording engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproducti ...
Ash Howes employed an Avalon microphone
amplifier
An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It is a two-port electronic circuit that uses electric power from a power su ...
and
equalizer for the main vocal chain, then a
UREI
United Recording Electronics Industries (UREI) was a manufacturer of recording, mixing and audio signal processing hardware for the professional recording studio, live sound and broadcasting fields.
History
Bill Putnam Sr. founded Universal ...
1176
Year 1176 ( MCLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar, the 1176th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 176th year of the 2nd millennium, the 76th year of 12th century, and the 7th yea ...
for
dynamic range compression
Dynamic range compression (DRC) or simply compression is an audio signal processing operation that reduces the volume of loud sounds or amplifies quiet sounds, thus reducing or ''compressing'' an audio signal's dynamic range. Compression is c ...
. For the
mixing Howes used a
GML Stereo equalizer, and a
SSL desk for the stereo bus compressor. To create an
acoustic feel, Stannard placed the sound of a
Ludwig
Ludwig may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Ludwig (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Ludwig (surname), including a list of people
* Ludwig von Koopa, a character in Mario (the game)
Arts and entertai ...
drumkit on top of a
drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...
.
Audio engineer
Mark "Spike" Stent
Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & the Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed Sheeran, ...
did the final mixing of the song at The Mix Suite,
Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios was a British independent recording studio based on Church Road, Barnes, Church Road, Barnes, London, Barnes, London. It is best known for its recordings of many artists throughout the late 1960s to the first decade of the 21st ...
in London.
Composition and lyrics
Musically, "What Took You So Long?" is a
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...
song. It is written in the
key of
C major
C major is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and its parallel min ...
, with a
time signature
A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...
set in common time, and moves at a fast
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
of 120 beats per minute. The song uses the sequence F
maj7–Am–G as the
chord progression
In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...
and is constructed in a
verse-chorus form, with a
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
before the third
chorus
Chorus may refer to:
Music
* Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse
* Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound
* Chorus form, song in whic ...
.
It starts with an instrumental
introduction
Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to:
General use
* Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music
* Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...
that incorporates
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
s,
keyboards, a
drumkit
A drum kit or drum set (also known as a trap set, or simply drums in popular music and jazz contexts) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and sometimes other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one p ...
, and a
drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...
.
The arrangement include the use of
handclaps
A clap is the percussive sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often quickly and repeatedly to express appreciation or approval (see applause), b ...
to energise the sound.
Some critics have noted the similarities of the song's production to the work of
AOR artists such as
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...
and
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
.
The
melody
A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...
has a
Motown
Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
feel,
and has been described by Bunton as "
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
entwined with guitars".
She cited Texas and
Gabrielle as the main influences sonically.
Tom Ewing from ''
Freaky Trigger
''Freaky Trigger'' is an Internet publication and e-zine that focuses on popular culture with topics varying from music to cinema. It was founded by the music critic Tom Ewing in 1999 and features Pete Baran and Mark Sinker as editors. From 2 ...
'' considered Bunton's vocals during the chorus to be her "strength card" that adds "enjoyable touches" to the song;
an opinion shared by other writers.
Lyrically, according to Bunton, "What Took You So Long?" is about men taking longer than women to realise they are in love.
In an interview with ''
Smash Hits
''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...
'', she was asked if the subject of the song was her partner
Jade Jones, the lead singer of the British boy band
Damage
Damage is any change in a thing, often a physical object, that degrades it away from its initial state. It can broadly be defined as "changes introduced into a system that adversely affect its current or future performance".Farrar, C.R., Sohn, H., ...
. She commented, "I've only had a few boyfriends and I think they were all in my mind when I wrote it".
In the book ''1000 UK Number One Hits'', the authors Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh concluded that the lyrics are "about a girl who is crowing over regaining her lover", pointing out the line "What took you forever to see I'm right?"
Release and promotion
In mid October 2000, while the Spice Girls were doing promotion for the release of their new single, "Holler", and ''Forever'', Bunton talked about her then-upcoming solo album on the group's website, with a release date targeted for March 2001.
In early February 2001, she revealed "What Took You So Long?" as her debut solo single set to be released in April.
The song officially premiered via Bunton's newly-launched website on 14 February. Nancy Phillips, who was hired in 1998 to manage the Spice Girls' business affairs, was by early 2001, also in charge of each of the four members' individual projects, including the launch of Bunton's solo album ''A Girl Like Me'' and
Melanie C
Melanie Jayne Chisholm (born 12 January 1974), commonly known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sporty Spice. W ...
's
touring schedule in support of her debut album ''
Northern Star'' (1999).
The promotional campaign for "What Took You So Long?" started in March 2001, but according to Phillips, the release was in danger of being overlooked by the press because of Melanie C's comments in an interview to
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency ...
, in which she declared not to enjoy working with the Spice Girls anymore. She commented: "We've all been very honest and all wanted to pursue solo careers. We're still linked business-wise and we're still friends, but I don't really consider myself to work as a band now." The media's focus shifted to the end of the group. Aiming to end the press stories, Phillips persuaded Melanie C to set a telephone interview on 10 March to the television programme ''
CD:UK'',
where Bunton was presenting the song. In the call, she denied leaving the Spice Girls and added: "We're concentrating on solo stuff but no-one has left the band. I've not left the Spice Girls." This lessened the speculation but also prompted Phillips to end her involvement with the group, although she continued to manage the solo careers of Melanie C and Bunton.
An intensive promotional campaign in the UK that lasted a couple of weeks started at the end of March 2001, while the song entered the top 20 of the UK Airplay Chart. Bunton began with a performance at the nightclub
G-A-Y
G-A-Y is a long-running gay nightclub brand, based at the Heaven nightclub in Charing Cross, London, owned by Jeremy Joseph.
G-A-Y also operates a sister gay bar on Soho's Old Compton Street, and previously operated another club at Goslett ...
and instore presentations alongside signings.
She then appeared at ''CD:UK'' on 24 March, ''
The Pepsi Chart Show'' and ''
MTV Select
''MTV Select'' was an interactive music television program airing on MTV channels across Europe and later on MTV Japan, MTV Canada, and MTV India. The show was hosted by a VJ, and viewers were able to contact the programme (using technologi ...
'' on 29 March, ''
Live & Kicking
''Live & Kicking'' was a British children's television series that originally aired on BBC1 from 2 October 1993 to 15 September 2001. It was the replacement for '' Going Live!'', and took many of its features from it, such as phone-ins, games, ...
'' on 31 March, ''
T4'' on 1 April, ''
GMTV
GMTV (an initialism for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ''ITV Breakfast, ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited'', was the name of the national ITV (TV network), ITV breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the Uni ...
'' on 4 April, and ''Diggit'' on 7 April 2001.
After the release of ''A Girl Like Me'', Bunton began promotional visits abroad. On 24 April 2001, she did an interview at ''
TV total
''TV total'' is a German late-night television comedy talk show which originally aired from 8 March 1999 to 16 December 2015 on ProSieben, hosted, created and produced by entertainer Stefan Raab. Following a six-year hiatus, it was revived on 1 ...
'' in
Cologne, Germany
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and over 3.1 million people in the Cologne Bonn urba ...
, then visited Italy, France and Scandinavia. Bunton promoted the song in Singapore during May, and appeared at the television show ''
Patrick Kielty Almost Live'' in
Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
on 27 July 2001.
"What Took You So Long?" was commercially released in the UK on 2 April 2001, in two single versions. The first one, an
enhanced CD
Enhanced CD is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both CD-Audio and CD-ROM players.
Formats that fall under the ''enhanced CD'' cate ...
, included the song and two different
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
s. The first B-side, "(Hey You) Free Up Your Mind", written by Bunton with fellow Spice Girls group member Melanie C and songwriter-producer
Rhett Lawrence
James Everett "Rhett" Lawrence is an American record producer and songwriter. He first became known for producing the 1990 single " Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey, which received a Grammy Award and peaked on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His prod ...
, was originally included on the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
of the English-language adaptation of ''
Pokémon: The First Movie'' (1998), released in November 1999. The second one, "Merry-Go Round", was penned by Bunton with songwriting and production duo
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers are New York–based songwriters and record producers. They have produced hits for Ruben Studdard, Wild Orchid, Christina Aguilera and Evelyn Champagne King and helped build the career of Rihanna. In addition to b ...
. In addition, the CD contains a picture gallery and the song's
music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
and lyrics.
The second version was a
cassette single
A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music single (music), single supplied in the form of a Compact Cassette. The cassette single was introduced in 1980 in music, 1 ...
, featuring the song and the two B-sides.
Critical reception
Upon release, initial reviews of "What Took You So Long?" from
critics
A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...
were mostly positive, many of whom praised the song's melody and Bunton's vocal delivery.
Peter Robinson Peter Robinson may refer to:
Entertainment
* Peter Robinson (sideshow artist) (1873–1947), American actor and sideshow performer, known for his appearance in film ''Freaks'' (1932)
* J. Peter Robinson (born 1945), British musician and film score ...
of ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' dismissed the R&B direction of ''Forever'' and was pleased that she worked with Stannard on the track, labelling it "a solo Spice single which actually sounds like a solo single". ''
Chart Attack
''Chart Attack'' (stylized as ''CHARTattack'') was a Canadian online music publication. Formerly a monthly print magazine, it was called ''Chart'' and published from 1991 to 2009. Online content ceased to be updated sometime between mid 2017 to 20 ...
''s writer Erik Missio had a similar opinion; he praised the song for not sounding like a "Spice cover". In a review of the single, Gary Crossing of ''
Dotmusic
''Dotmusic'' was a music webzine that existed as a standalone website from 1 June 1995 to December 2003. Initially intended as the web complement to the UK music industry trade magazine ''Music Week'', the site was relaunched in December 1998 as a ...
'' considered Bunton's image change a "cynical marketing ploy" but called the song's chorus "irresistible" and lauded it for being a "perfectly fine strummalong pop song". Ian Wade from the same publication, characterized the song as a "
Shania-for-the-tweens", singling it out as one of ''A Girl Like Me''s highlights while calling the song a "birrova standout". ''Smash Hits'' Caroline Millington chose it as the issue's single of the fortnight, calling the song a "catchy little number" while describing Bunton's singing as "absolutely lurving". The staff of the ''
Evening Mail'' described it as "completely inoffensive" and added that the song matched with Bunton's "fragile, little girl vocals". Dale Price of the ''
Drowned in Sound'' named the song the best solo track released by any of the Spice Girls, commenting that it "comes as a complete bolt from the blue". He described the instrumental introduction as "
Chris Isaak
Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. Noted for his reverb-laden rockabilly revivalist style and wide vocal range, he is popularly known for his breakthrough hit and sig ...
making a concerted effort to go pop", and complimented the vocals and the production.
Some reviewers had mixed opinions about the production. Writing for ''
Stylus Magazine
''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog.
Addi ...
'', Dom Passantino was critical of the song. He commented that to have a number one, Bunton had to "channel the spirit of
Lene Marlin
Lene Marlin Pedersen (born 17 August 1980) is a Norwegian musician, singer and songwriter.
Career ''Playing My Game'' (1998–2002)
Marlin made her Norwegian recording debut on 12 October 1998, with the single "Unforgivable Sinner", a number on ...
from a mere two years prior"; he disregarded the song as a quick way for her to stay relevant "so nobody forgot her". Graeme Virtue of the ''
Sunday Herald
The ''Sunday Herald'' was a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published between 7 February 1999 and 2 September 2018. Originally a broadsheet, it was published in compact format from 20 November 2005. The paper was known for having combined a centre- ...
'' described its sound as "quite melancholy", but praised the song for its catchiness.
Tom Ewing from the e-zine ''Freaky Trigger'' was mixed on the track. He characterized the song as a "well-performed, pleasant AOR with a sensible heart,
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...
drawn by
Posy Simmonds
Rosemary Elizabeth "Posy" Simmonds MBE, FRSL (born 9 August 1945) is a British newspaper cartoonist, and writer and illustrator of both children's books and graphic novels. She is best known for her long association with ''The Guardian'', for w ...
", but founded it uninteresting, calling the instrumentation "grim" and the production "soggy".
Conversely, Cameron Adams of the ''
Herald Sun
The ''Herald Sun'' is a Conservatism, conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the American Rupert Murdoch, Murd ...
'' enjoyed the use of guitars in the instrumentation, calling the song a "great pop tune". ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' critic Jon O'Brien ranked "What Took You So Long?" third on the magazine's 2018 list of "The Spice Girls' 20 Best Solo Singles"; he called it "one of the simplest" solo Spice Girls singles and considered the production to be "tailor-made for
drive-time radio".
Lauren Murphy placed it second on
Entertainment.ie
''Entertainment.ie'' is an Irish web company based in Dublin. The company provides news and reviews of programs and films for TV and the cinema. It also provides information on upcoming comedies, festivals, theater shows and music in Ireland, ...
s 2019 list of "The 10 best Spice Girls solo songs". She enjoyed the song's melody and Bunton's vocals, describing it as "a wistful little pop tune", and she considered the song "stood the test of time".
Commercial performance
"What Took You So Long?" debuted at the top of the
UK Singles Chart, with sales of 76,000 copies.
This made Bunton the fourth member of the Spice Girls to top the chart as a solo artist, and also set a record for the group, as they became the act with the most individual members to have their own number one single in the country. It spent two weeks at number one, three weeks inside the top 10, nine weeks in the top 40, and 13 weeks on the chart in total, ending at the 41th position on the 2001 year-end chart.
The song was certified
silver
Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
by the
British Phonographic Industry
BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI) in the UK in April 2001.
As of January 2021, it has sold 295,000 copies in the country.
"What Took You So Long?" was moderately successful in the rest of Europe. It reached number six on the
Eurochart Hot 100
The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by ''Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately f ...
,
peaked inside the top 10 in the singles chart of Denmark,
Ireland,
Italy,
Portugal,
and Romania,
and inside the top 20 in Spain and Sweden.
The song performed better on radio across the continent, reaching the third position of the European Radio Top 50 chart, topping the airplay chart in Italy,
peaking inside the top 10 in the German-speaking countries, Scandinavia, and the UK;
and it further reached the top 20 in France, Hungary and Poland.
The song debuted on the
ARIA Singles Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
at number 48 on 22 April 2001 and peaked at number 10 on 1 July.
It lasted for 16 weeks on the chart, ended at the 63rd position on the year-end chart,
and was certified gold by the
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...
(ARIA) for selling 35,000 units in 2001.
The song debuted on the
Official New Zealand Music Chart
The Official Aotearoa Music Charts, formerly the Official New Zealand Music Chart (), is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The M ...
at number 50 on 6 May 2001 and eight weeks later, it topped the chart.
The song spent eight weeks in the top 10, 14 inside the top 20, lasted for 22 weeks on the chart, and ended at the 15th position on the year-end chart for 2001.
Music video
The music video for "What Took You So Long?" was directed by Greg Masuak, who previously worked with Bunton on the video for "
What I Am
"What I Am" is a song written by Edie Brickell and Kenny Withrow and recorded by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians for their debut album, '' Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars'' (1988). The song is highlighted by a guitar solo that notably features ...
"–her 1999 collaboration with Tin Tin Out, as well as the Spice Girls' videos for "
Who Do You Think You Are Who Do You Think You Are may refer to:
Television series
* ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' (British TV series), a genealogy documentary with many adaptations:
** ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' (American TV series)
** ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' ...
" (1997) and "
Let Love Lead the Way
"Let Love Lead the Way" is a song by British girl group Spice Girls, from their third studio album, ''Forever (Spice Girls album), Forever'' (2000). It was written by the band members, with additional writing by Rodney Jerkins, Rodney "Darkchil ...
" (2000).
It was filmed in mid-February 2001 in the
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert (; ; ) is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States. Named for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous Mohave people, it is located pr ...
near
Lancaster, California
Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the popul ...
.
Bunton described the video as "very natural",
and in an interview, she commented about the concept: "I knew I wanted the video to be quite 'deserty', waiting on the side of the road, what took him so long kind of thing."
The video starts with Bunton walking down an empty road through the desert, dressed in a long coat while carrying a suitcase, presumably waiting for her love interest to arrive. It is implied that a few days go by, as the video alternates between scenes showing her bowling with glass bottles, standing outside an abandoned cottage, starting a campfire during the night, and playing with butterflies and dogs that resemble wolves.
Towards the end of the clip, a man appears driving a pickup truck,
with Bunton seducing him and getting on. At the end, as they are driving, she throws him out of the truck in the middle of the desert and waves goodbye to him.
Live performances
Bunton has performed "What Took You So Long?" many times on British television, including shows such as ''CD:UK'' and ''Live & Kicking''.
Through the years, the song has been part of the setlists in most of her concerts and presentations. While promoting the single and ''A Girl Like Me'' in late April 2001, Bunton performed it for
Sveriges Radio P3
Sveriges Radio P3 (P3) is a Contemporary hit radio, semi-mainstream CHR/CHR Alternative-formatted station operated by Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcasting organization Sveriges Radio. The P in P3 originally stood for Program (''Pro ...
's Ketchup Party in
Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
; and for
The Voice radio station at Park Café in
Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the Øresund strait. The Øres ...
. In June, she delivered a performance at the 2001
Festivalbar
The Festivalbar () was an Italian singing competition that took place in the most important Italian squares during summer, such as the Piazza del Duomo, Catania or Piazza Bra, Verona. The first edition took place in 1964 and was broadcast by ...
held in
Padua, Italy
Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 2 ...
.
Throughout mid-2001, Bunton made several presentations at festivals across the UK. She performed the song on 9 June at Power in the Park in
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
, on 24 June at
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
s One Big Sunday in Manchester, on 8 July at
Party in the Park
Party in the Park is the generic name given to music concerts organised by various radio stations and local authorities and groups in the United Kingdom, typically in large parks during the summer, however it is also used to refer to a family or ...
in London, and 9 August at the
Ashton Court Festival in
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
. In November 2001, she performed it at the Rumba Festival in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
and
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
in Australia.
On 6 December 2019, Bunton delivered her first solo show in over a decade at the
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272.
Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
in London. The concert was a special one-off Christmas show that featured her performing well known Christmas covers, Spice Girls' songs, as well as many of her solo hits, including "What Took You So Long?".
Formats and track listings
UK, Australian, European, and Thai CD
[Citations regarding the CD Single releases of "What Took You So Long?":
* Bunton, Emma (2001) "What Took You So Long?" (UK CD Single) Printed in the EU. ]EMI UK
EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
. VSCDT1796.
* Bunton, Emma (2001) "What Took You So Long?" (Australian CD Single) Printed in Australia. EMI Music Group Australasia. 8974620.
* Bunton, Emma (2001) "What Took You So Long?" (European CD Single) Printed in the EU. EMI Uden. VSCDT1796.
* Bunton, Emma (2001) "What Took You So Long?" (European 2-track CD) Printed in the EU. EMI Uden. VSCDE1796.
* Bunton, Emma (2001) "What Took You So Long?" (French CD Single) Printed in the EU. MPO. VSCDE1796.
* Bunton, Emma (2001) "What Took You So Long?" (Thai CD Single) Printed in Asia. Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...
. 8974620.
#"What Took You So Long?" – 3:59
#"(Hey You) Free Up Your Mind" – 3:21
#"Merry-Go Round" – 3:54
#"What Took You So Long?"
(Video)
European 2-track and French CD
#"What Took You So Long?" – 3:59
#"Merry-Go Round" – 3:54
UK and New Zealand cassette
[Citations regarding the Cassette Single releases of "Viva Forever":
* Bunton, Emma (2001) "What Took You So Long?" (UK Cassette Single) Printed in the EU. Virgin Records. VSC1796.
* Bunton, Emma (2001) "What Took You So Long?" (New Zealand Cassette Single) Printed in New Zealand. Virgin Records. VSC1796.
]
#"What Took You So Long?" – 3:59
#"(Hey You) Free Up Your Mind" – 3:21
#"Merry-Go Round" – 3:54
Credits and personnel
Credits of "What Took You So Long?" are adapted from the booklet of ''A Girl Like Me'':
*
Emma Bunton
Emma Lee Bunton (born 21 January 1976) is an English singer, songwriter, media personality, and actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the Pop music, pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Baby Spice, reflecting the ...
lyrics
Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...
,
vocals
Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...
*
Richard Stannard lyrics,
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stat ...
*
Julian Gallagher
Julian Gallagher (born 17 July 1968 in Bromley, London) is a British songwriter and record producer, known for being a member of the music production/songwriting team Biffco. He has co-wrote and produced for many artists including Kylie Minogue ...
lyrics, production
*
Martin Harrington lyrics
*
John Themis
John Themis is an Australian-born musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his long-term work with Boy George and Culture Club, collaborating on many of their songs and albums since the 1990s. He also worked on ''Taboo'', a musi ...
lyrics
*Dave Morgan lyrics
*Ash Howes
programming
Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to:
Business and management
* Program m ...
,
recording engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproducti ...
*Alvin Sweeney additional recording,
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...
*
Mark "Spike" Stent
Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & the Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed Sheeran, ...
audio mixing
Audio mixing is the process by which multiple sounds are combined into one or more audio channels. In the process, a source's volume level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated or enhanced. This practical, aest ...
*Jan 'Stan' Kybert mix engineering, Pro Tools
*Matt Fields mix assistance
Credits of the B-sides, interactive element and artwork are adapted from the
liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards.
Origin
Liner notes are descended from the prog ...
of the "What Took You So Long?" UK
CD single
A CD single is a single (music), music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Rainbow Books, Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to any si ...
:
"(Hey You) Free Up Your Mind"
*Emma Bunton lyrics, vocals
*
Melanie C
Melanie Jayne Chisholm (born 12 January 1974), commonly known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sporty Spice. W ...
lyrics
*
Rhett Lawrence
James Everett "Rhett" Lawrence is an American record producer and songwriter. He first became known for producing the 1990 single " Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey, which received a Grammy Award and peaked on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His prod ...
lyrics, production, audio mixing
*
Dave Pensado
Dave Pensado is a Grammy Award-winning mix engineer. His career began in Atlanta in the 1970s and 1980s doing live and studio sound engineering. He has lived in Los Angeles since 1990.
He mixes between 200 and 250 songs a year at Larrabee Studio ...
audio mixing
Interactive Video
*Abbey Road Interactive
enhanced element
"Merry-Go Round"
*Emma Bunton lyrics, vocals
*
Evan Rogers
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers are New York–based songwriters and record producers. They have produced hits for Ruben Studdard, Wild Orchid, Christina Aguilera and Evelyn Champagne King and helped build the career of Rihanna. In addition to b ...
lyrics, production, audio mixing
*Carl Sturken lyrics, production, audio mixing
Artwork
*
Terry Richardson
Terrence Richardson (born August 14, 1965) is an American former fashion and portrait photographer. He has shot advertising campaigns for Marc Jacobs, Aldo, Supreme, Sisley, Tom Ford, and Yves Saint Laurent among others, and also done work ...
photography
Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...
*Ian Ross for BSS
design
A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
{{Authority control
2001 songs
2001 debut singles
British pop rock songs
Emma Bunton songs
Music videos directed by Greg Masuak
Number-one singles in New Zealand
Number-one singles in Scotland
Songs written by Emma Bunton
Songs written by John Themis
Songs written by Julian Gallagher
Songs written by Martin Harrington
Songs written by Richard Stannard (songwriter)
UK singles chart number-one singles
Virgin Records singles