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 Song: Viva Forever
When: June 9th, 1998
Where: Special Pavarotti & Friends 1998.
How: The Spice Girls were invited, when Geri was still in the group, to perform on Pavarotti & Friends 1998. With Geri's departure on May, this turned out to be the Spice Girls' first official performance without Geri. Melanie tells: "Pavarotti originally wanted to sing a classical song with us, but we said: ‘That’s really not the Spice Girls! Why don’t you sing along with Viva Forever?’ When he heard it, he really loved it, so he agreed!
In the press conference before the show, I said: ‘If you think the Spice Girls don’t sound too good singing with Pavarotti, it’s because he had a word with us and asked us not to show him up! So, just to make him look good, we won’t be singing to the best of our abilities!’" |
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Song: Down In Hollywood
When: July 30th, 1998
Where: On the Planet Hollywood opening in Montreal, Canada.
How: Melanie always said in interviews that she's a big fan of Bruce Wilis. So, during the Spice Girls' American tour, Bruce Willis paid for the plane tickets to take Mel to the opening of Planet Hollywood in Canada. He gave her only 1 hour to learn the lyrics to Down In Hollywood because he wanted to make a live duet with her! |
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Song: When You're Gone
When: November, 1998 (release of the single)
Where: On the single When You're Gone and on several performances.
How: In an interview for Wall Of Sound in 1998, Bryan talked about how he asked Mel to sing with him: "That was the last song written for the album (On A Day Like Today), just before I started recording. I was doing a video for On a Day Like Today in Los Angeles, and Mel C was staying in the same hotel. I actually met her in the lift going up to my room. She started talking and told me, 'I really want to do my own thing, eventually.' I said, 'Well, I've got a song if you want to sing on it.' She said, 'Really?!' and I said, 'Yeah.' So she came and sang on it. I thought it was kind of amusing. She was really nice. I don't care what it means or anything, I just thought it would be kinda fun." |
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Song: Anarchy In The UK, Pretty Vacant, White Wedding
When: April 26th, 1999.
Where: Viper Room, Los Angeles, United States.
How: The band Neurotic Outsiders was formed by former Sex Pistols, Duran Duran and Guns ’n’ Roses members (two of them today in Velvet Revolver). When attending the gig at the Viper Room, Melanie was invited to sing the Sex Pistols’ classics: Pretty Vacant and Anarchy In The UK and also Billy Idol’s hit, White Wedding. The fast inclusion of Melanie, coming from a pop band, among big rock acts, brought the rumour that she was dating Steve Jones, former Sex Pistols’ and at the time, Neurotic Outsider’s member. But Steve said: "I'm old enough to be her grandad!" |
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Song: Never Be The Same Again
When: 1999/ March, 2000 (release of the single)
Where: On the single Never Be The Same Again and some performances (Top Of The Pops/MTV Live)
How: During the record sessions of the album Northern Star, Melanie wanted to make a duet in Never Be The Same Again and sent a demo of the song to Lisa, asking her if she’d be up to make the rap. She accepted and the result was the first number 1 of Melanie’s solo career. Lisa said: "Mel C is an interesting person. She's intelligent and has a very good energy. It was great working with her." And Melanie: "I do tend to put a lot of the success for that single down to Lisa."
Some months before passing away, Lisa commented in an inteview that she would like to do another duet with Melanie. |
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Song: It's Only Rock And Roll
When: December, 1999 (release of the single)
Where: On the single It's Only Rock And Roll.
How: The Spice Girls were invited to sing the cover of It's Only Rock And Roll with many artists to raise money for Children's Promise charity. Other artists who took part were: Keith Richards, Kid Rock, Mary J. Blige, Kelly Jones (Stereophonics), Jon Bon Jovi, Kelle Bryan, Jay Kay (Jamiroquai), Ozzy Osbourne, Womack & Womack, Lionel Richie, Bonnie Raitt, Dolores O'Riordan (The Cranberries), James Brown, Mick Jagger, Robin Williams, Jackson Browne, Iggy Pop, Chrissie Hynde, Skin (Skunk Anansie), Annie Lennox, Mark Owen, Natalie Imbruglia, Huey, Fun Lovin' Criminals, Dina Carroll, Gavin Rossdale (Bush), B.B. King, Joe Cocker, The Corrs, Steve Cradock & Simon Fowler (Ocean Colour Scene), Ronan Keating, Ray Barretto, Herbie Hancock, Francis Rossi & Rick Parfitt (Status Quo), S Club 7, Eric Idle. |
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Song: (Baby You Can) Drive My Car
When: February 26th, 2000
Where: TV show Red Alert, hosted by Lulu.
How: Melanie went to the TV show Red Alert to promote Never Be The Same Again and to be interviewed by Lulu. At the end, they performed the cover of the Beatle's song together. |
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Song: Ain't No Stopping Us Now
When: 2000
Where: The Richard Blackwood Show.
How: As part of the promotion of I Turn To You, Melanie went to the Richard Blackwood show and sang Ain't No Stopping Us Now with him. |
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Song: Baby It's Cold Outside
When: Novembro 20th, 2000.
Where: The Frank Skinner Show.
How: Melanie was interviewed by Frank Skinner and, at the end of the show, they performed the song together. |
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Song: Barcelona
When: May 25th, 2001
Where: BBC Music Live in Leeds, England
How: Melanie was invited to sing Barcelona with Russell Watson on the BBC special. Russell told: "The great thing about what's happened to me over the past 18 months is I get the opportunity to work with some of the biggest stars in the world and I don't think it gets any bigger than the Spice Girls... And I'm getting a chance to work with my favourite Spice Girl."
Melanie and Russell even recorded a cover of the Queen's song, Bohemian Rhapsody, to be included on Russell's album, but the song couldn't be released. Melanie said: "Russell asked me to do a duet on his new album when we were rehearsing for that Music Live event earlier in the year (the one where I looked like a ‘nana in that dress!) I was well chuffed, he’s a good lad Russell and extremely talented. The only thing was he wanted to do Bohemian Rhapsody which is only one of the best songs ever written - now we both realise it should be illegal to cover! We knew it would be a massive challenge but we gave it a go. Unfortunately it didn’t do Mr Mercury’s masterpiece justice so it won’t be released." |
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Song: When You're Gone
When: December 11th, 2005
Where: TV special Stefan Raab Grosse Nacht der Stars, Germany.
How: During the promotion of Next Best Superstar in Germany, on April 2005, Melanie was interviewed by Stefan Raab on the TV show TV Total and she sang When You're Gone acapella with Stefan playing acoustic guitar. At the end of the year, they got together on the TV special Stefan Raab Grosse Nacht der Stars to sing the song properly!
At the end of the special, Melanie also sang Let It Snow with many other artists who took part of the event, including Michael Bublé. |
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Song: Don't Let Me Go
When: 2007
Where: On the album This Time.
How: Adam Argyle started to work with Melanie in 2004, when he wrote the song Next Best Superstar for the Beautiful Intentions album, released in 2005. For the following album, This Time, Adam wrote more songs and recorded the duet Don't Let Me Go with Melanie. |
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Song: One Vision
When: February 24th, 2007
Where: On the TV show Al Murray.
How: To promote I Want Candy, Melanie went to the Al Murray's TV show and sang a cover of the Queen's song One Vision, with him. |
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Song: When You're Gone
When: June 22nd, 2007
Where: Topp 20, Oslo, Norway.
How: Melanie took part of the special Topp 20 to promote I Want Candy and sang When You're Gone with the Norwegian World Idol winner, Kurt Nilsen. |
