"Tell Me Why" is a song by British girl group, the Spice Girls, appearing as the second track on their third studio album ''

Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama * ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...

'' (2000). The song was written by

Victoria Beckham Victoria Caroline Beckham (; born 17 April 1974) is an English fashion designer, singer, and television personality. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Posh Spice. Wi ...

Melanie Brown Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Melanie B or Mel B, is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sc ...

Emma Bunton Emma Lee Bunton (born 21 January 1976) is an English singer, songwriter, actress, and media personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Baby Spice. With over 100 million recor ...

, Rodney Jerkins,

LaShawn Daniels LaShawn Ameen Daniels (December 28, 1977 – September 3, 2019) was an American songwriter, vocal producer and arranger known for his songwriting credits on songs by artists such as Brandy, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Destiny’s Child, Michael Jacks ...

Fred Jerkins III Fred Jerkins III, also known as Uncle Freddie, is an American songwriter and record producer who is best known for his work with his brother Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Jerkins has co-written several hit songs with Rodney Jerkins and LaShawn Dan ...

and

Mischke Butler Mischke Butler is an American singer, songwriter, vocal producer, vocal coach and vocal arranger, best known for his work with Michael Jackson, Spice Girls, Keke Palmer, and Little Mix. Butler, raised in Detroit, was discovered by producer Rod ...

. Jerkins and Daniels produced the song. It was released as a promotional single in December 2000. Originally planned as the second single from ''Forever'', the release was scrapped.

Background

After the Spice Girls released "

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'' ...

" as their first single without member

Geri Halliwell Geraldine Estelle Horner (née Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, author, and actress. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls. With over 100 million records ...

in 1998, the group took a break. In mid-1999, they began working on their third studio album and for the first time worked with producer Rodney Jerkins. Jerkins said that he hoped to bring an "urban, danceable" feel to the project: "It will still have a pop appeal, but the beats will be a little harder".

Release

"Tell Me Why" was released in December 2000 as one of the three songs released as promotional singles from the Spice Girls' third studio album, along with "If You Wanna Have Some Fun" and "Weekend Love". In January 2001,

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...

issued a promotional disc featuring remixes of the song by

Thunderpuss Thunderpuss is the (mainly dance) remix/production team of Los Angeles-based music producers Barry Harris and Chris Cox. Harris had previously worked as part of several music groups including Kon Kan, Top Kat, Killer Bunnies and Outta Cont ...

and

Jonathan Peters Jonathan Peters (born January 25, 1969) is an American DJ, remixer and producer. He is known for his remix of Whitney Houston's "My Love Is Your Love". He was the long-time resident DJ of the Manhattan nightclub The Sound Factory The Sound ...

. The single and its remixes were not commercially released due to the "disappointing" sales of the parent album. In the summer of 2001, a promotional single featuring the remixes was released in Australia as a competition prize in a cross-promotion with '' TV Hits Magazine''. "Tell Me Why" (Jonathan Peters edit) would later be commercially released in November 2007 as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of the group's ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' album. The song was performed in the 2012–13 jukebox musical ''

Viva Forever! ''Viva Forever!'' is a jukebox musical based on the songs of the British girl group the Spice Girls. It was written by Jennifer Saunders, produced by Judy Craymer and directed by Paul Garrington. The show began previews at the Piccadilly The ...

'', which is based on the songs of the Spice Girls.

Composition

SpiceGirlWembley150619-22 (49000567242) (cropped)

"Tell Me Why" was written by the members of the group

and

, along with Rodney Jerkins,

and Mischke Butler, while production was handled by Jerkins and Daniels. The song is one of the three Spice Girls album tracks that Melanie C didn't receive a writing credit. It is described as a "sparse, uptempo slice of R&B, flecked with chattering electronics" by Alexis Petridis by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''. In March 2019, Bunton stated that the song was about

adding "we were writing songs, we were being very honest and open."

Critical response

James Hunter of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' called the song as a "silky, spiky danceability" track. Anne T. Donahue of ''Vulture'' criticized the song and described it as attempt of the Spice Girls at throwing "shade" at

who was a former group member at the time. J.D. Considine of ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by T ...

'' described the track as an "itchy, keyboard-driven pulse." Dorian S. Ham of ''

The Lantern ''The Lantern'' is an independent daily newspaper in Columbus, Ohio, by students at Ohio State University. It is one of the largest campus newspapers in the United States, reaching a circulation of 15,000. Copies of the paper are free and avail ...

'' called the song as a "right tune with its jerky guitar driven beat", and describing it as a "fairly entertaining imitation" of an upbeat Mariah Carey song.

Format and track listing

;Promotional CD # "Tell Me Why" – 3:42 # "Tell Me Why" – 3:39 # "Tell Me Why" – 10:55 # "Tell Me Why" – 3:22 # "Tell Me Why" – 9:19

Credits and personnel

Credits 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 the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desc ...

of ''Forever''. *

– lyrics, vocals *

Melanie Chisholm Melanie Jayne Chisholm (12 January 1974 - 25 December 2022), better known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer-songwriter and media personality. She is best known as one of the five members of the Spice Girls, during which time she was ni ...

– vocals * Rodney Jerkins – 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 stati ...

, music,

audio mixing Audio mixing is the process by which multiple sounds are combined into one or more channels. In the process, a source's volume level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated or enhanced. This practical, aesthetic ...

– lyrics, vocal production *

– lyrics *

– lyrics *Paul Foley – recorder *Ben Garrison – audio mixing Published by EMI Full Kneel Music/EMI Blackwood Inc./Rodney Jerkins Productions Inc./EMI April Music Inc./LaShawn Productions Inc./Ensign Music Corp./Fred Jerkins Publishing.

Release history

References

{{Spice Girls 2000 songs British contemporary R&B songs Song recordings produced by Rodney Jerkins Songs written by Emma Bunton Songs written by Fred Jerkins III Songs written by LaShawn Daniels Songs written by Mel B Songs written by Rodney Jerkins Songs written by Victoria Beckham Spice Girls songs Songs written by Mischke Butler