Стоп: Песня Spice Girls о перегрузке и мотаун-влиянии

1998 single by Spice Girls

"Stop" is a song by English girl group the Spice Girls from their second studio album, Spiceworld (1997). The group co wrote the song with its producers, Paul Wilson and Andy Watkins of the Absolute production duo, during the filming of the film Spice World. "Stop" is a dance pop song with influences of Motown and blue eyed soul, and features guitar and brass. Its lyrics are about the group's frustrations with being overworked by their management. The music video, directed by James Brown and filmed in Ireland, features the Spice Girls in a 1960s working class street playing children's games with young girls. The song received mostly positive reviews for its Motown influences and production. The Spice Girls performed "Stop" in a number of live appearances in Europe and North America including their three tours. Released by Virgin as the album's third single in March 1998, it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart behind "It's Like That" by Run DMC vs Jason Nevins, ending the Spice Girls' streak of consecutive number one singles on the chart at six, and becoming the group's only single during their original tenure to not reach number one on said chart. It was moderately successful internationally, peaking inside the top 20 on the majority of the charts that it entered. In the United States, "Stop" peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the group's sixth consecutive top 20 entry on the chart.

"Stop" is an up tempo dance pop song with influences of Motown and blue eyed soul, and is reminiscent of classic singles by The Supremes or Martha and the Vandellas. It is written in the key of C major, with a time signature set on common time, and moves at a fast tempo of 132 beats per minute. Lyrically, the song calls for a slowing down on the courtship process, and it is particularly addressed to appeal to the young female audience, as the female to female bonds are not threatened. It is constructed in a verse pre chorus chorus form, with a bridge before the third and fourth chorus. It starts with an instrumental introduction, and uses a chord progression of C–B–Am7–G, that is also used during the verses and the chorus. The first one, a standard CD single, included the track and live versions of "Something Kinda Funny", "Mama", and "Love Thing", taken from the set of concerts the group did in Istanbul in October 1997. The second version, also released in a standard CD single, contained the track, along with the David Morales remix, the Stretch & Vern's Rock & Roll Mix of the song, and a cover version of McFadden & Whitehead's "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now", performed along with American singer Luther Vandross.

"Stop" was generally well received by music critics. For Sylvia Patterson of NME, the song is an "obscenely catchy Motown swinger", she added that it is "the proper pop genius destined to be number one until Japan falls into the sea". Rolling Stone magazine's David Wild called it "a retro, Supremes lite confection that's as undeniable as it is unoriginal." David Browne of Entertainment Weekly characterised it as a "delicious re creation of Motown era bop packed with skipping down the street good vibrations". Larry Flick of Billboard magazine said that it has "a bouncy, Supremes like retro vibe", and called its hook "irresistible". Flick also praised the David Morales remix of the song, calling it "a vibrant, time sensitive disco ditty", while Howard Scripps from The Press of Atlantic City called it "an obvious girl group ditty", and added that it "is another potential hit". Conversely, in a review of Spiceworld, Andy Gill of The Independent, called the album a "perky but charmless parade of pop pastiches", and described "Stop" as a "pseudo Motown stomp". Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic, commented that the song "consolidates and expands the group's style [ ] [adding] stomping, neo Motown blue eyed soul in the vein of Culture Club". Stewart Mason, also from AllMusic, compared it to Bananarama's classic singles, and called it as "a glorious piece of utterly disposable but wonderful disposable pop". Sarah Davis from Music Week described it as an "upbeat, trumpet led homage to old school R&B. Very Motown influenced. [ ] an addictive dreamy summer sing a long". In a separate review, the magazine gave "Stop" four out of five, calling it "bubbly and catchy enough to rack up the Girls' seventh number one, but not classy enough to hold on to the spot for long." An editor, Alan Jones, felt it is "probably one of the stronger tracks" of Spiceworld, and "simple and sweet". The Virginian Pilot said that the horns on the song are "classic soul with a 90s tweak". Music critic Roger Catlin of The Buffalo News described it as "a jaunty Motown beat [ ] [with] a progirl message". In a review of the group's Greatest Hits album, Digital Spy's Nick Levine said that "Stop" still sounds "like the best song that Motown never produced".

"Stop" debuted and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart with first week sales of over 115,000 copies, being kept off the top spot by Jason Nevins' remix of Run–D. M. C.'s 1983 single "It's Like That". It ended the streak of the Spice Girls' consecutive chart toppers at six (from "Wannabe" to "Too Much"). The single was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 14 August 2020 for sales of 600,000 in the UK. "Stop" was moderately successful in the rest of Europe. It reached number six on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles, reaching a peak of number three in its ninth week. It peaked two weeks later at number 16, becoming the group's sixth consecutive top 20 entry on the chart. but received little support from radio stations, reaching number 70 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. The song reached number three on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi Singles Sales chart, but saw moderate success on other formats, peaking at number 14 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart and at 37 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart.

The music video for "Stop" was shot on 27 January 1998 in Ireland, and was directed by James Brown. About the concept, Melanie Brown commented: "There wasn't a storyboard for this video—it was more trial and error. It wasn't planned down to the last detail and was quite a free for all. It's like everything we do—complete chaos! [ ] And we all want to get our bit in, so the director has to be able to encompass us all, plus put his ideas on top of it, and make it all flow. The opening segment, reminiscent of a traditional 1960s working class street of terraced houses, was filmed at Carnew Street in Dublin, and features scenes of each member of the group knocking on different doors. Then during the first chorus, the group performs a hand action dance, that was also used during their live performances. showed the group interacting with young girls in various activities, such as running around the streets dancing, skipping rope, playing hopscotch, cat's cradle and pat a cake, hula hooping, Geri horseback riding, and participating in competitions of various kinds. The locals are depicted as working class people who attend the local fair or have a drink in the pub. At the end of the video, the group performs at a stage in the local hall in front of an audience of young and old people. The audience applauds after the song is finished. Geri can be seen sticking her tongue out and the video ends. For their "Stop" performance at the 1998 Brit Awards, the group adopted a Supremes like look, and appeared on the stage in a 1960 style car. The group performed "Stop" without Halliwell at the annually hosted Pavarotti and Friends charity concert in Modena, Italy, in June 1998. In October 1997, the group performed it as the ninth song of their first live concert at the Abdi Ipekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. The performance was broadcast on Showtime in a pay per view concert special titled Spice Girls in Concert: Wild!. However, the VHS and DVD release of the concert, Girl Power! Live in Istanbul, does not include the "Stop" performance. In November 2007, the group performed together for the first time in nearly a decade at the 2007 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, held in Los Angeles, California. The group dressed in military themed outfits performed "Stop" miming to a backing track, in front of giant glittering lights that spelled out "Spice" in the background. A taped performance of the group lyp synching the song, while dressed in blue sailor outfits, aired on 17 November 2007 for the Children in Need 2007 marathon. On 8 November 2010, Brown performed "Stop" with the second series' contestants of the Australian edition of The X Factor. The group have performed the song on their four tours, the Spiceworld Tour, the Christmas In Spiceworld Tour, The Return of the Spice Girls Tour and the Spice World – 2019 Tour. It remained in the group's live set after Halliwell's departure at the end of the European leg of the Spiceworld Tour, her parts were taken by Brown. The performance at the tour's final concert can be found on the video album Live at Wembley Stadium, filmed in London on 20 September 1998. For The Return of the Spice Girls Tour, it was performed as the second song from the show's opening segment. The group dressed in tight bronze and copper coloured outfits made by Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli. Its intro sampled "It's Like That" by Run DMC vs Jason Nevins, which famously blocked the song from reaching the top position on UK Singles Chart in 1998.

English rock band The Struts recorded a cover of the song as part of their Sunday Service stream series, which took place during the COVID 19 pandemic lockdowns.

"Stop" is featured in series 1 episode 1 of BBC comedy Am I Being Unreasonable?, written by and starring Daisy May Cooper and Seline Hizli.

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Spiceworld.

Published by Windswept Pacific Music Ltd, 19 Music, and BMG Music Publishing Ltd.

+ Release dates and formats for "Stop" Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref. (Reference(s)) France 9 March 1998 Maxi CD 1 EMI Germany CD single, CD, two maxi CDs United States 7 April 1998 Contemporary hit radio Virgin United States 2 June 1998 Cassette, two maxi CDs Virgin