Spice Girls are back; Shakira does good in Colombia
Hollywood Nation: Spice Girls announce reunion tour in cities across the U.K. in 2019 without Victoria Beckham who will opt out to focus on her fashion line; Shakira lays first bricks for new schools in Cartagena and her hometown of Barranquilla in Colombia.
The Spice Girls held fraught discussions over fears one of their iconic song lyrics is now politically incorrect.
We can reveal ahead of their comeback tour next year the girlband — Mel B, Melanie C, Emma Bunton and Geri Horner — are in talks to change “yellow man in Timbuktu” from their No.1 hit "Spice Up Your Life."
In particular, Mel B and Melanie C locked horns over whether the 1997 release should be tweaked, with the latter suggesting the line could become “happy people in Timbuktu.”
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A source said: “The original lyric was meant to be a bit of fun and never intended to be offensive.
However, the world has moved on considerably since the song was released.
“The reality is it’s not acceptable to say that now. Some of the girls feel uncomfortable getting up on stage and performing that lyric, especially when they have such a diverse and multicultural fanbase.
“They pride themselves on standing for inclusivity, so they don’t want to run the risk of offending anybody.”
The four-piece — minus Victoria Beckham — announced last month that they will be doing a reunion tour, with the first date at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on May 27.
Now the Wannabe hitmakers are assessing the rest of their back catalogue to ensure there aren’t any more insensitive lyrics. The source added: “In light of the #MeToo era, they are being extra-cautious.
“They don’t want anything to overshadow their reunion for the wrong reasons.” And admittedly, there are some rather saucy lyrics the girls may not feel comfortable singing now they are all mums in their forties.
For example, Mel B sings in "First Time Lover": “First bite whet my appetite, second helping’s always better, started getting burning hot.”
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While in "2 Become 1," Emma sings about having safe sex with her partner: “Be a little bit wiser, Baby, put it on, put it on, ’cause tonight is the night, when two become one.”
We can also reveal that the Spice Girls’ tour rehearsals are in jeopardy, after Mel B broke three ribs and needed a three-hour operation following a mystery accident earlier this month.
A source added: “It is estimated she will take eight to 12 weeks to fully heal, which sets them back massively.”
We hope Mel will be back in her platform boots in next to no time.
This article originally appeared on The Sun.
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