0:00:06 > 0:00:10The late 20th century gave us many great life enhancing advances
0:00:10 > 0:00:14and inventions, like the computer, foreign travel for the masses,
0:00:14 > 0:00:18and the girl group.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20This programme contains some strong language.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24Synchronised sisters with a sweet crazy dream,
0:00:24 > 0:00:27a dream of singing songs about love and sisterhood,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30moving as one in perfect precision and touching
0:00:30 > 0:00:33the hearts of girls just like themselves across the planet.
0:00:33 > 0:00:38# Goddess on the mountain top... #
0:00:38 > 0:00:42Girl groups have that special power, that force of nature,
0:00:42 > 0:00:44when they come together.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46There's just a mass of female energy.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49There's something really empowering about that.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51# ..She's got it... #
0:00:51 > 0:00:52It is that group of people
0:00:52 > 0:00:55up there, giving you a full-on dance routine,
0:00:55 > 0:00:58a full-on sparkly extravaganza.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01# ..I'm your fire... #
0:01:01 > 0:01:02I love 'em.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06I've loved them since I was eight, and I love them to this day,
0:01:06 > 0:01:10because they can deliver songs in a tender and emotional way
0:01:10 > 0:01:11that no boys can.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13# So won't you please
0:01:13 > 0:01:15# Be my, be my baby
0:01:15 > 0:01:17# Be my little baby... #
0:01:17 > 0:01:21So are girl group sisters doing it for themselves?
0:01:21 > 0:01:24When you walk out on the stage and there is an eruption from girls
0:01:24 > 0:01:29and guys, it's just, this is what it's all about.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Or is nothing ever that perfect?
0:01:33 > 0:01:36I think if anybody tells you there was no rivalry,
0:01:36 > 0:01:39there was no jealousy, bitchiness, it's a lie.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46# Talk about pop musik
0:01:46 > 0:01:48# Talk about pop musik
0:01:48 > 0:01:49# Shoobie, doobie, do wop
0:01:49 > 0:01:50# It's all around you
0:01:50 > 0:01:52# Pop, pop, shoo wop
0:01:52 > 0:01:53# Gonna surround you
0:01:53 > 0:01:54# Shoobie, doobie do wop
0:01:54 > 0:01:55# It's all around you
0:01:55 > 0:01:57- # Pop, pop, shoo wop - Hit it
0:01:57 > 0:02:00# New York, London, Paris, Munich
0:02:00 > 0:02:01# Everybody talk about pop musik
0:02:01 > 0:02:03# Talk about pop musik... #
0:02:07 > 0:02:10This is the story of girls who dare to dream.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Once upon a time, young girls whiled away the hours
0:02:14 > 0:02:18daydreaming about the fantasy life of a fairytale princess.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Oh, to be whisked off their feet by Prince Charming,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24to live in his castle, make beautiful babies,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26and live happily ever after.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32And then, along came rock 'n' roll, the invention of the teenager,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35and the pop princess was born.
0:02:35 > 0:02:36# All the women, independent
0:02:36 > 0:02:39# Throw your hands up at me... #
0:02:39 > 0:02:43This new dream was of singing songs about what it's like to be a girl,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46to adoring audiences of girls just like them.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51I think, it's like, you start off as, when you're really young,
0:02:51 > 0:02:52you want to be a princess.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54- Yeah.- And then princess morphs into...
0:02:54 > 0:02:56- Supermodel.- Yeah, into pop star.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01You get over supermodel, and then you realise, yeah, a pop star.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08For some reason, I had it in my head from a really early age that
0:03:08 > 0:03:11I really, really wanted to be famous,
0:03:11 > 0:03:12and especially be
0:03:12 > 0:03:14in a girl band and sing.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15I was always in the mirror
0:03:15 > 0:03:17with a hairbrush,
0:03:17 > 0:03:18or always singing,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20dancing, making up routines
0:03:20 > 0:03:23with school friends, definitely it's a girl thing.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25I would sing to every advert.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26Anything on TV,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28I'd be singing, riffing.
0:03:28 > 0:03:29My mum would be like,
0:03:29 > 0:03:30"Please, Jade, please,
0:03:30 > 0:03:31"can we just watch something
0:03:31 > 0:03:32"without you singing over it?"
0:03:32 > 0:03:34I was like,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36"One day, I'm going to be famous, wait, it'll be worth it."
0:03:36 > 0:03:38# Remember my name
0:03:38 > 0:03:43# Fame, I'm going to live forever
0:03:43 > 0:03:45# Baby, remember my name... #
0:03:45 > 0:03:47The dream is burning bright.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49What's needed next is someone to share it with.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Maybe a sister or two.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57We loved singing, and when we were really young,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59we always pretended like
0:03:59 > 0:04:00we were a girls group,
0:04:00 > 0:04:01so we sang and we danced,
0:04:01 > 0:04:02and we actually put on shows
0:04:02 > 0:04:04for the family.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06Back in the day,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08the neighbourhood could be the place
0:04:08 > 0:04:10to find fellow dreamers.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12You really start in the group
0:04:12 > 0:04:13without even knowing it.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14And that's, and being in Brooklyn,
0:04:14 > 0:04:16I come from Brooklyn, and that's
0:04:16 > 0:04:17from walking around the streets
0:04:17 > 0:04:19in Brooklyn singing,
0:04:19 > 0:04:20sitting on the stoops,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23and then we'd hear all the music on the radio,
0:04:23 > 0:04:25and then we'd just sing all the doo-wop songs,
0:04:25 > 0:04:27and all the harmonies, singing as a group.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30And many a girl group is born in the playground.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34# My boy lollipop Bum bum bum bum... #
0:04:34 > 0:04:36When I was ten years old, I met Mutya,
0:04:36 > 0:04:37and I remember we just
0:04:37 > 0:04:39would sing with each other
0:04:39 > 0:04:40all the time in school.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45And we used to get girls to, kind of, do, like, backing dancing
0:04:45 > 0:04:47while we took the leads on songs, and our voices just blended
0:04:47 > 0:04:49so well together.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50It was so weird.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52It was like we had different tones, but sounded
0:04:52 > 0:04:54almost like the same person.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58And then, for a lucky few, something magical happens.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04What started out as a bit of fun with friends has unlocked
0:05:04 > 0:05:06something rare and precious.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11When you have girls in the group, and everybody has beautiful harmony,
0:05:11 > 0:05:13beautiful sounding voices,
0:05:13 > 0:05:17you know, you hear those notes come out of these voices,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19this voice box, but they are all different.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23You know, it's amazing. It's beauty. It's so beautiful.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26# So, raise your hand
0:05:26 > 0:05:28# One fist in the air
0:05:28 > 0:05:32# For freedom dom dom dom dom
0:05:32 > 0:05:34# For being alive
0:05:34 > 0:05:36# Not having a care
0:05:36 > 0:05:41# For freedom dom dom dom dom... #
0:05:41 > 0:05:43You know what's really scary?
0:05:43 > 0:05:48We actually sometimes had a fifth tone.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50There'd be four people singing four different notes
0:05:50 > 0:05:54and we'll hear this fifth tone, like, that's a third above,
0:05:54 > 0:05:59it's like some kind of harmonic that comes from our vibrations.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01It's the angel.
0:06:01 > 0:06:02It's the angel!
0:06:02 > 0:06:05- She says it's an angel. - It's God's gift.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Suddenly, that dream of a singing sisterhood
0:06:08 > 0:06:10feels a little closer to reality.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14The unique feminine force of the girl group has been unleashed,
0:06:14 > 0:06:15revealing an ultimate truth,
0:06:15 > 0:06:21that sometimes in pop, three or more girls are better than one.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27# Baby love, my baby love
0:06:27 > 0:06:31# I need you, oh, how I need you
0:06:31 > 0:06:35# But all you do is treat me bad
0:06:35 > 0:06:38# Break my heart and leave me sad... #
0:06:38 > 0:06:43We immediately knew that we had hit upon something very special,
0:06:43 > 0:06:44OK, it was just,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47we were looking at each other as if, my God,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49this is pure magic.
0:06:49 > 0:06:50It just felt just so perfect.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56# ..Instead of breaking up
0:06:56 > 0:06:59# Let's do some kissing and making up... #
0:06:59 > 0:07:05Now, that's when the idea came to us that maybe we could do something big.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08# ..Need to hold you
0:07:08 > 0:07:09# Once again, my love... #
0:07:09 > 0:07:13The Supremes' dreams of making it big seemed to be hanging by a thread
0:07:13 > 0:07:16when they failed their audition at Berry Gordy's Motown Records.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20But these young wannabes from the Projects
0:07:20 > 0:07:21weren't taking no for an answer.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23We, The Supremes
0:07:23 > 0:07:27actually made our point to come down to Motown
0:07:27 > 0:07:28every day after high school.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31We would see The Miracles come in and we'd say, "Hey, how you doing?"
0:07:31 > 0:07:34We'd see Mary Wells. "Hey, Mary, how you doing?"
0:07:34 > 0:07:37And one day, one of the producers came out and said,
0:07:37 > 0:07:39"The thing is, and I hear the background singers
0:07:39 > 0:07:41"and I hear the handclappers, we need..."
0:07:41 > 0:07:43We said, "We'll do it! We'll do it!"
0:07:43 > 0:07:47So, you know, we made ourselves likeable to everyone,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50and then after a little while, Mr Berry Gordy,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53he was like, "You girls really are serious, I think I'll sign you."
0:07:53 > 0:07:58# Set me free, why don't you, babe?
0:07:58 > 0:08:01# Get out my life Why don't you, babe?
0:08:01 > 0:08:03# Cos you don't really love me
0:08:03 > 0:08:07# You just keep me hanging on... #
0:08:07 > 0:08:11The Supremes had the talent and steely determination to back it up.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14But sometimes, the big break can come by simply being in
0:08:14 > 0:08:17the right place at the right time.
0:08:17 > 0:08:18'This is Warrington!'
0:08:21 > 0:08:23I was in a nightclub in Warrington, Mr Smiths.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27I was 17 and a guy actually approached me with a letter saying,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29"I'm in The Porn Kings,
0:08:29 > 0:08:31"we're looking for dancers."
0:08:31 > 0:08:33And my forte was dancing.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Gets home to me mum, pissed as a fart.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43Says to me mum, "Mum, this guy wants me to be in The Porn Kings."
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Me mum says, "You're not going to be in no bleedin' bluey!"
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Thinking it was like a porn movie.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50And that, and that's how it started.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52And then he kept saying, you know,
0:08:52 > 0:08:54"You're too good to be just a backing dancer.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57"There's a friend of mine starting a girl band.
0:08:57 > 0:08:58"I think you should go for an audition."
0:08:58 > 0:09:01I thought, why not? Give it a go, might as well go ahead with it.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Threw me Page Three photographs down, told dirty jokes,
0:09:05 > 0:09:07sparks a cigarette up, sang a few songs
0:09:07 > 0:09:09and went, "You're in the band!"
0:09:09 > 0:09:12# So come on, baby Do it to me good now
0:09:12 > 0:09:15# Do it to me slowly
0:09:15 > 0:09:16# Huh, yeah
0:09:16 > 0:09:18# Be the one and only... #
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Whether it's by diehard determination
0:09:21 > 0:09:23or barefaced cheek,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25what hasn't changed in 50 years is that to make the leap
0:09:25 > 0:09:29from dreamer to diva, a girl needs to impress whoever's in charge.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33And more often than not, the gatekeeper to the music biz...
0:09:36 > 0:09:37..is a man.
0:09:41 > 0:09:42It's not easy to be in a girl group
0:09:42 > 0:09:43in the first place.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45It's not easy to be a girl
0:09:45 > 0:09:47in the music business.
0:09:47 > 0:09:48It's kind of a boys' club
0:09:48 > 0:09:51in many aspects.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54First, they see you as eye candy, or just young girls,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56before they see the person,
0:09:56 > 0:09:58the businesswoman, the artist
0:09:58 > 0:10:00and you really have to fight
0:10:00 > 0:10:02through the crap to be respected.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07I probably would've crumbled under all of that if it'd been me
0:10:07 > 0:10:10on my own, dealing with such a male industry by myself,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12but I think with the girls, it was a lot easier.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14There wasn't just one voice that people were dealing with,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16there was four.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22This is the point when female dreams and togetherness
0:10:22 > 0:10:25collide with male logic and the need for control,
0:10:25 > 0:10:26or in the case of '60s
0:10:26 > 0:10:28super producer Phil Spector,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31complete, total and absolute control.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35I was 13, Didi was 16, so these are teenagers,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39so I think that he knew exactly what he was doing.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42When you're young, you can be controlled.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45I shouldn't say this, but I also think probably
0:10:45 > 0:10:49he wants somebody young, young girls that were stupid.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51I don't think he would have gotten Barbra Streisand,
0:10:51 > 0:10:52you know what I'm saying?
0:10:52 > 0:10:55If she was in her 20s, because she would have known too much.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Following in that tradition, Svengali Richard Barrett
0:11:00 > 0:11:05bossed the career of The Three Degrees for 20 years.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10He was pretty much a tyrant
0:11:10 > 0:11:12when it came to the three of us.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15We knew it was either his way or the highway.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17He would always tell you,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19"I have a coin, here,
0:11:19 > 0:11:20"and I can replace you
0:11:20 > 0:11:22"at the drop of a hat.
0:11:22 > 0:11:28"So, do what I say do, the way that I say do it, and we'll be fine."
0:11:31 > 0:11:34# Got myself a crying, talking
0:11:34 > 0:11:38# Sleeping, walking, living doll... #
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Once they've signed on the dotted line,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44generations of fledgling girl groups have found themselves
0:11:44 > 0:11:48thrust into a secret process of moulding and grooming
0:11:48 > 0:11:51to transform their raw talent and ambition into a slick,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54chart-ready, pop proposition.
0:11:54 > 0:12:02# ..Got the one and only walking, talking, living doll... #
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Take Berry Gordy's Motown production line,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10where nothing was left to chance.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16# Nowhere to run to, baby
0:12:16 > 0:12:19# Nowhere to hide... #
0:12:20 > 0:12:24We had people training us the Motown way, and it was like a school.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27There was Maurice King, teaching us the music theory.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29There was Charlie Atkins,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32who had been with Cholly Atkins, of vaudeville.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35He taught us the proper way to dance, show business dance,
0:12:35 > 0:12:39and Professor Maxine Powell told us,
0:12:39 > 0:12:41"You are like flowers..."
0:12:41 > 0:12:43I'm imitating her now, but lovingly,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46"..and you all have your own particular beauty."
0:12:47 > 0:12:49I remember one time, she said to us,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51"You are diamonds in the rough,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53"and we are just here to polish you."
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Well, that would make you feel real good, right?
0:12:58 > 0:13:02More than anywhere else in pop, a girl group will find themselves
0:13:02 > 0:13:05judged on their looks, as well as their hooks.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08There are really very few women who can't look attractive
0:13:08 > 0:13:10when they're properly made up.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14If you're a girl group then, you know,
0:13:14 > 0:13:15instantly, people are going to think,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17"Oh, something to look at."
0:13:17 > 0:13:19You know, you're a product.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22We all are, if we are going to put ourselves out there.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27# One, two, three, four
0:13:27 > 0:13:29# Everything he does, better than
0:13:29 > 0:13:32# Anything ordinary... #
0:13:32 > 0:13:34I don't think I want to see five scruffy girls
0:13:34 > 0:13:37standing on a stage, which haven't
0:13:37 > 0:13:38had their hair and make-up done
0:13:38 > 0:13:39and their nails, and don't look
0:13:39 > 0:13:41like they're bothered.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42I want them to be glamorous.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45# You're gonna make me Make me love you
0:13:45 > 0:13:47# Nothing at all, nothing that I do
0:13:47 > 0:13:50# Promise I made, promise I made
0:13:50 > 0:13:53# Started to fade Started to fade, fade... #
0:13:53 > 0:13:56The image that you have, the image that you choose,
0:13:56 > 0:13:59or the image that you are, is, can make or break you.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04The first rule of the girl group look
0:14:04 > 0:14:06is for the visuals to have the same impact
0:14:06 > 0:14:08as the supercharged multiple voices.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11And since the invention of the girl group as we know it
0:14:11 > 0:14:12in the late 50s, three of a kind
0:14:12 > 0:14:15has been a winning formula.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18# I met him on a Monday and my heart stood still
0:14:18 > 0:14:20# Da do ron-ron-ron Da do ron-ron... #
0:14:20 > 0:14:23These early incarnations were a celebration of sisterhood
0:14:23 > 0:14:26and conformity.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Girl groups then were like the Mad Men typing pool
0:14:28 > 0:14:29bursting into song.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32Everybody was following everyone.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35The Shirelles, The Chantels, you know,
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Martha Reeves And The Vandellas...
0:14:37 > 0:14:39I would see Martha with a blue pair of shoes
0:14:39 > 0:14:40that matched her dress.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42She would see us with the same thing.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Because everybody followed that pattern
0:14:44 > 0:14:46of just looking like you're
0:14:46 > 0:14:49graduating from high school, with the frilly dresses on,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52a little bow, you know, everybody swaying the same way,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55the hands moving the same way, the heads are going to the side.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57That was what people wanted.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Highly groomed girls with a synchronised look
0:15:04 > 0:15:06became the girl group template.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09And the well-drilled matching frock format
0:15:09 > 0:15:14got a flick-haired '70s spin from these wholesome Irish sisters.
0:15:14 > 0:15:20# Hey! Hang on just a little longer... #
0:15:20 > 0:15:25The Nolan sisters, sugar and spice, and all things nice.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28We were given an image, manipulated into having an image
0:15:28 > 0:15:30of being sweet, glorious, lovely sisters,
0:15:30 > 0:15:32and we were nice girls, don't get me wrong, but nobody is that sweet.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35# Yeah
0:15:35 > 0:15:39# We're on a one-way ticket to anywhere
0:15:39 > 0:15:41# There's no place we can go... #
0:15:41 > 0:15:44But the truth was that off-duty life in The Nolans
0:15:44 > 0:15:47was like a big night out with the girls, every night of the week.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51You're drinking till seven in the morning, then on the bus at nine,
0:15:51 > 0:15:52but what I did... Dark glasses,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54then stay at the back of the bus,
0:15:54 > 0:15:55- and they used to say...- "Leave her."
0:15:55 > 0:15:57"Don't ask Bernie anything."
0:15:57 > 0:15:59"Leave her till about one o'clock."
0:15:59 > 0:16:02You know, our crew were devastated that Bernie could drink them
0:16:02 > 0:16:04under the table, really. And it just didn't go down well with our image.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Even if their on-tour exploits got a little airbrushing,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17The Nolans played up their family values
0:16:17 > 0:16:20and flew the flag for the good girl end of the pop spectrum.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25# He met Marmalade down in old New Orleans
0:16:25 > 0:16:28# Struttin' her stuff on the street
0:16:28 > 0:16:30# She said, "Hello, hey, Joe
0:16:30 > 0:16:32# You wanna give it a go...?" #
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Others, like '70s soul sisters Labelle, took a fiercer,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38more sexually charged stance.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43# ..Creole Lady Marmalade
0:16:43 > 0:16:49# Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?
0:16:49 > 0:16:52# Voulez-vous coucher avec moi...? #
0:16:52 > 0:16:56These days, though, when it comes to sexual expression,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59girl groups often take a more direct approach.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02But if they are largely aimed at teenage girls,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05who is all the bare flesh for?
0:17:05 > 0:17:07There is this element of,
0:17:07 > 0:17:08if you are female
0:17:08 > 0:17:10in the performing arts,
0:17:10 > 0:17:14you have two project some level of allure, sexiness.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18# Better move, cos we've arrived
0:17:18 > 0:17:22# Lookin' sexy, lookin' fly... #
0:17:22 > 0:17:23The dads want to leer at them.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26The older brothers want to kind of go, oh...
0:17:26 > 0:17:30So, the girl group exists for everyone, from kids to grandfathers.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32# ..I don't think you're ready for this jelly
0:17:32 > 0:17:34# I don't think you're ready for this
0:17:34 > 0:17:36# Cos my body too bootylicious for ya, babe... #
0:17:36 > 0:17:39While some men might join the party, lured in by looks
0:17:39 > 0:17:40as much as the music,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43a girl group must never lose sight of the fact
0:17:43 > 0:17:47that their most devoted fans have always been teenage girls.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50There's a really fine line with a girl band
0:17:50 > 0:17:52and how they present themselves, because
0:17:52 > 0:17:54they have to be quite careful not to position themselves
0:17:54 > 0:17:55as being the sort of girl
0:17:55 > 0:17:56that other girls don't like,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58the sort of girl who might come along
0:17:58 > 0:18:00and nick your boyfriend when you're 14. I mean,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03that's the worst thing that can happen when you're 14.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05# Are we about to get just a lil' hot and sweaty in this?
0:18:05 > 0:18:07# Ooh, baby... #
0:18:07 > 0:18:10A group who threatened to trample all over that fine line
0:18:10 > 0:18:12was the Pussycat Dolls.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14Their racy reputation gained as burlesque dancers
0:18:14 > 0:18:17put them in need of a makeover if they were to convince
0:18:17 > 0:18:21teenage female pop fans that they weren't really
0:18:21 > 0:18:22a ruthless band of boyfriend stealers.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Originally, it came from a more theatrical,
0:18:25 > 0:18:26cabaret place,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28and that was the image,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30and then we kind of made it
0:18:30 > 0:18:32a little bit more street,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34and a little bit more current, so kids could wear
0:18:34 > 0:18:36some of our stuff as well.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39It went from corsets and gloves and boas and all this stuff
0:18:39 > 0:18:40to, all of a sudden,
0:18:40 > 0:18:42we are these urban street chicks, and it was like,
0:18:42 > 0:18:46I had a mohawk, Ashley had a braid,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Jessica, poor thing,
0:18:48 > 0:18:50the most feminine girl ever,
0:18:50 > 0:18:54and she had like a hoodie and all these pins in her hair.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57And it was trying to find her inner ghetto goddess, I guess.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02# Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?
0:19:02 > 0:19:06# Don't you wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?
0:19:06 > 0:19:07# Don't you? #
0:19:07 > 0:19:09A timely rethink on the image front
0:19:09 > 0:19:12with Moulin Rouge style titillation out
0:19:12 > 0:19:14and Lara Croft-esque empowerment in
0:19:14 > 0:19:17was the Pussycat Dolls' attempt not to burn the bridges
0:19:17 > 0:19:19to their core audience.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21But there is another more powerful way
0:19:21 > 0:19:25for a girl group to win the hearts and minds of young female fans.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32# A few questions that I need to know
0:19:32 > 0:19:34# How you could ever hurt me so
0:19:34 > 0:19:37# I need to know what I've done wrong
0:19:39 > 0:19:41# And how long it's been going on
0:19:42 > 0:19:45# My head's spinning
0:19:45 > 0:19:49# Boy I'm in a daze
0:19:49 > 0:19:53# I feel isolated
0:19:53 > 0:19:55# Don't want to communicate... #
0:19:55 > 0:19:58The reason girl groups exist is because
0:19:58 > 0:20:00teenage girls like to feel that
0:20:00 > 0:20:03the girl groups are reflecting their reality,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05singing about their experiences of lost love
0:20:05 > 0:20:07and unrequited love,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10that's all you really want a girl group to do.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14# ..Never ever have I ever felt so low
0:20:14 > 0:20:17# When are you going to take me out of this black hole?
0:20:17 > 0:20:21# Never ever have I ever felt so sad... #
0:20:21 > 0:20:24It's also about presenting something aspirational to girls,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27as well, so you're not necessarily talking
0:20:27 > 0:20:32to them explicitly about what's going on in their life right now,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35but you're painting a dreamscape of what their lives might be like.
0:20:35 > 0:20:36So you're offering that up to them.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Here's where you are, and maybe your life's not so great
0:20:39 > 0:20:41because you're a teenager and it's all a bit difficult,
0:20:41 > 0:20:43but look at this magnificence that could be yours.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48# I need some love like I never needed love before
0:20:48 > 0:20:51# I want to make love to ya, baby
0:20:51 > 0:20:55# I had a little love Now I'm back for more
0:20:55 > 0:20:57# I want to make love to ya, baby... #
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Love in all its forms, endless, hopeless, and unrequited,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02is guaranteed to chime with the teenage heart.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06But what other magnificent emotions and obsessions hit the spot?
0:21:06 > 0:21:11# Yeah, I'm in the mood for dancing
0:21:11 > 0:21:17# Romancing Ooh, I'm giving it all tonight... #
0:21:17 > 0:21:18There's the blissful sugar rush
0:21:18 > 0:21:21of that storming the dancefloor with your mates moment.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25# We are family
0:21:25 > 0:21:29# I've got all my sisters with me
0:21:29 > 0:21:32# We are family... #
0:21:32 > 0:21:35And the joy of being together with your sisters
0:21:35 > 0:21:37is a heady musical message.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Girl groups are all about girl talk.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45Their songs like musical extracts from a teenage girl's diary.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48But it's also the case that many of the greatest
0:21:48 > 0:21:51have actually been written by - whisper it - men.
0:21:52 > 0:21:57'The first all-important decisions are made at the meeting,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00'what tempo, what key, what sort of accompaniment.'
0:22:02 > 0:22:05So, how do the backroom boys of the music biz tap into
0:22:05 > 0:22:09the well of female emotion that overflows in a girl group classic?
0:22:09 > 0:22:11You've got to understand the people in the band.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13You've got to understand
0:22:13 > 0:22:15what their philosophy is,
0:22:15 > 0:22:17how they perform,
0:22:17 > 0:22:22because you've got to write - a male, usually - for the female.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28The name on many of the biggest girl group hits in recent years is
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Xenomania, a crack team of Kent-based songsmiths,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33led by a man called Brian,
0:22:33 > 0:22:35with a knack for turning the everyday lives
0:22:35 > 0:22:39of their girl group subjects into songs.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Xenomania were fantastic with us because Brian Higgins
0:22:42 > 0:22:44would regularly sit down and be like,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47"All right, mate, let's have a chat."
0:22:47 > 0:22:48And we would sit down
0:22:48 > 0:22:49and he would try and find out,
0:22:49 > 0:22:53what was your day like, or what's happening with your boyfriend,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56or what's happening here? And he would gather all this information
0:22:56 > 0:23:01about all five of us and then they could go off and write songs.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03# Nobody's perfect
0:23:03 > 0:23:05# We've all gotta work it
0:23:05 > 0:23:07# But, fellas, we're worth it
0:23:07 > 0:23:08# So don't break the law... #
0:23:08 > 0:23:13We actually never knew what the songs were going to sound like
0:23:13 > 0:23:16until we got them at the very, very end.
0:23:16 > 0:23:17I don't know how they done it.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21# I'm just a love machine Feeding my fantasy
0:23:21 > 0:23:24# Give me a kiss or three
0:23:24 > 0:23:25# And I'm fine
0:23:25 > 0:23:28# I need a squeeze a day... #
0:23:28 > 0:23:29It's an age-old story,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32the girl group singer putting her faith
0:23:32 > 0:23:35in the musical maestro at the controls.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39But can he be trusted?
0:23:47 > 0:23:51When laying down her vocal for The Bangles' hit Eternal Flame,
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Susanna Hoffs was introduced to her producer Davitt Sigerson's
0:23:55 > 0:23:58idiosyncratic Olivia Newton-John studio method.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Davitt was doing this whole thing,
0:24:00 > 0:24:01and it was really kind of sweet.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03It was very artist friendly. He was
0:24:03 > 0:24:04a very artist friendly producer,
0:24:04 > 0:24:06and he was saying,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10"On the nights that you sing, I want to have your favourite drinks."
0:24:10 > 0:24:13It was really cute, if she said, I like this wine,
0:24:13 > 0:24:14he'd have it there waiting.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16Everybody had their stuff.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19So he had told me this story that he'd just finished working
0:24:19 > 0:24:22with Olivia and that she got her best vocal takes when she sang naked,
0:24:22 > 0:24:26because that was just so freeing and so vulnerable,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29and so free at the same time. And I'm thinking,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31"Wow, that sounds really cool, I want to try that."
0:24:31 > 0:24:35And sure enough, pretty soon, I'm coming into the studio going,
0:24:35 > 0:24:40"OK, here goes." And I had my drink of choice, and then they would say,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42"OK, time to sing it."
0:24:42 > 0:24:44They would listen for the sound of the clothes dropping.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48# Close your eyes
0:24:48 > 0:24:50# Give me your hand, darling... #
0:24:50 > 0:24:52You have to know something about our Susanna,
0:24:52 > 0:24:55- as lovely as she is, she's very gullible.- Yes.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58- Of course, they...- Made it up.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00They made it up.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02Davitt made that up and I fell for it.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08# ..An eternal flame... #
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Anyway, it's true, I did. Whatever, it happened.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Not all girls are quite so eager to please.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23Bananarama had a revolutionary take on the girl group.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27No towing the line, no dressing to please men,
0:25:27 > 0:25:29no party invitation declined.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30For the first three or four years,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33it was just a complete laugh a minute, you know.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37We kind of saw it as taking the piss
0:25:37 > 0:25:40out of the music business, but it worked.
0:25:40 > 0:25:41So, we ran with it.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47I remember once, in somewhere like Pebble Mill,
0:25:47 > 0:25:52and it was, like, moments before we were due live on-air,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54and we found a big laundry basket
0:25:54 > 0:25:56in the corridor of the TV studio,
0:25:56 > 0:25:58and we hid in the laundry basket.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00'Bananarama to stage, please.'
0:26:00 > 0:26:02The runner came with his little headset
0:26:02 > 0:26:05and he couldn't find us anywhere,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07and was sat on top of the laundry basket,
0:26:07 > 0:26:12and we were in the laundry basket, like, pissing ourselves laughing,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14listening to their worried conversation.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Just stupid, we were like 14-year-old girls,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19and we were able to stay being like 14-year-old girls
0:26:19 > 0:26:20for years, you know?
0:26:24 > 0:26:28By the time they came to record their fourth album,
0:26:28 > 0:26:30Bananarama were big stars.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Welcome to the Hit Factory in London.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35So when their DIY punk ethos collided with
0:26:35 > 0:26:39the blokey bullishness of producer Pete Waterman, sparks flew.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Anybody who ever said to me that it's easy working with women
0:26:43 > 0:26:45should have worked with Bananarama.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48I've got to tell you, I think I aged 50 years just working with them.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53They had Kylie and they had Jason, and they had Rick Astley
0:26:53 > 0:26:54and they had, they were having
0:26:54 > 0:26:57lots of success with loads of different artists
0:26:57 > 0:27:01and they tried to apply the factory approach
0:27:01 > 0:27:04to the Bananarama record, and I was really insulted.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11They had a very strong idea of what they wanted to make.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14I had a very strong idea of what I wanted them to do,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16which was not what they wanted.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21There was a lot of locking of horns, especially between me and Pete.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24# Last night, I was dreaming
0:27:24 > 0:27:28# I was locked in a prison cell
0:27:28 > 0:27:32# When I woke up, I was screaming
0:27:32 > 0:27:37# Calling out your name, woah!
0:27:37 > 0:27:41# And the judge and the jury... #
0:27:41 > 0:27:43I'm sure if you asked Alex Ferguson
0:27:43 > 0:27:46what it's like managing 11 blokes and they're all trying to score one goal,
0:27:46 > 0:27:48I'll tell you, he must say it's impossible.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50Trying to get three women to agree on one subject
0:27:50 > 0:27:53is almost twice as impossible.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55He is a card, isn't he?
0:27:55 > 0:28:00He does come out with quite shocking things!
0:28:00 > 0:28:03# ..Come on, baby, can't you see?
0:28:03 > 0:28:08# I stand accused of love in the first degree... #
0:28:11 > 0:28:14When girl group Venus collides with music mogul Mars,
0:28:14 > 0:28:16however interstellar the fallout,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19if a group reaches the point where they have the look
0:28:19 > 0:28:20and they've bagged a hit song,
0:28:20 > 0:28:22it's time to prepare for takeoff.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24Destination Dreamland.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37What seemed like a fairytale all those years ago
0:28:37 > 0:28:39is fast becoming reality.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44We had this dream, we definitely had this dream, in the garage,
0:28:44 > 0:28:49- that day back in 1981...- Awesome dream.- I know. ..and it came true.
0:28:49 > 0:28:55# Don't stop believin'
0:28:55 > 0:28:58# Hold on to that feeling
0:28:58 > 0:29:04# Streetlight people... #
0:29:05 > 0:29:09The album was at number one, the tour was selling out,
0:29:09 > 0:29:11we were just nominated for a Brit,
0:29:11 > 0:29:12then we won the Brit,
0:29:12 > 0:29:14and I actually remember
0:29:14 > 0:29:16thinking to myself,
0:29:16 > 0:29:20I am so happy.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24Me whole life felt perfect.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29You're living your passion,
0:29:29 > 0:29:30you're living your dream,
0:29:30 > 0:29:34you're working really hard and you're not even feeling tired.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36It's just exhilarating.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40I even took a mental picture,
0:29:40 > 0:29:42to the point where I did this,
0:29:42 > 0:29:43cos you're going to remember this,
0:29:43 > 0:29:45and it was here in London,
0:29:45 > 0:29:47performing to a sold-out crowd,
0:29:47 > 0:29:51and everyone in that place was singing every single word,
0:29:51 > 0:29:52and I think all of us looked to each other
0:29:52 > 0:29:56with just some tears in our eyes, like, "Oh, my God!
0:29:56 > 0:29:58"We did this! We did this!"
0:29:59 > 0:30:01# ..Don't stop. #
0:30:01 > 0:30:06CROWD CHEERS
0:30:11 > 0:30:13With the fulfilment of the dream comes the VIP attention
0:30:13 > 0:30:17of a court of primpers, crimpers, advisers, and assistants.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20In the '60s, The Supremes discovered that they hadn't just
0:30:20 > 0:30:24found fame and success for themselves,
0:30:24 > 0:30:26they'd also acquired an entourage.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30We were a very large operation, travelling in those days.
0:30:30 > 0:30:31In fact, we did have our own band.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34We had chaperones.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36We had chaperones, I can't believe that,
0:30:36 > 0:30:37until we were, like, 23.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39So we had a huge entourage,
0:30:39 > 0:30:41maybe 15 people,
0:30:41 > 0:30:46so back then, that was pretty heavy duty.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48Team Supremes might have seemed extravagant then,
0:30:48 > 0:30:51but today's girl groups must wonder how they ever managed.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54How many people? I don't know. We've got hair and make-up.
0:30:54 > 0:30:55Stylists.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57Two stylists.
0:30:57 > 0:30:58Possibly a stylist's assistant.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00Directors, all their assistants.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Manager.
0:31:03 > 0:31:04Vocal coach.
0:31:04 > 0:31:05Drivers.
0:31:05 > 0:31:06Maybe a PR company.
0:31:06 > 0:31:11Road manager, slash MD, slash... gosh, the poor guy did so many jobs.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13- Dancers.- All the dancers. The band.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15Jana Banana, who did wardrobe.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18- Eight dogs.- Eight dogs.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21It was like a huge tribe of people.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23They were necessary.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31For the successful girl group, entourage in tow,
0:31:31 > 0:31:34the dream hatched in the schoolyard
0:31:34 > 0:31:38is suddenly something the whole planet wants a piece of.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40The world just changed.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42My world has changed from living
0:31:42 > 0:31:44in a one-bedroom council flat
0:31:44 > 0:31:45at the age of 17
0:31:45 > 0:31:48to being in Japan five times,
0:31:48 > 0:31:52south-east Asia, Singapore, Malaysia. It was crazy.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54The furthest we'd ever been
0:31:54 > 0:31:55was Benidorm, I think.
0:31:55 > 0:31:56- Yeah.- So, Japan, wow.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01So we go for this promotional tour and we get off the plane
0:32:01 > 0:32:04and we can hear all this shouting and stuff.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06- What the hell is that? You know? - Yeah.
0:32:06 > 0:32:07And I said, I remember distinctly saying,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10"Well, there must be somebody famous on the plane," you know, seriously.
0:32:10 > 0:32:11All of a sudden, you hear,
0:32:11 > 0:32:13"We want The Nolans!"
0:32:13 > 0:32:15I'm thinking, "Oh, my God, it's us!"
0:32:15 > 0:32:16And there's all these banners,
0:32:16 > 0:32:18because we were number one there, but we didn't know.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21And we were in the hotel, and they said, "No, you mustn't go out."
0:32:21 > 0:32:23"Sod this! We're going out."
0:32:23 > 0:32:25And we found the back entrance, the four of us,
0:32:25 > 0:32:27and we went out, and we were in this shop, and I looked round,
0:32:27 > 0:32:30and there's two little young schoolgirls at the door,
0:32:30 > 0:32:32really excited, cute, you know,
0:32:32 > 0:32:35and then I looked round again and there's 15. I think,
0:32:35 > 0:32:39"Yeah, that's cute." The next time, I looked round, it's like The Birds,
0:32:39 > 0:32:41you know the Hitchcock film? There's about 200.
0:32:41 > 0:32:46# Big in Japan... #
0:32:46 > 0:32:48How do we get out? This is scary now.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50They were right. We shouldn't have come out.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53So we pushed through them. "Hi, nice to meet you," and all that.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56Pulling our hair and clothing. And we ran. We legged it, didn't we?
0:32:56 > 0:32:58And we managed to get back to the hotel, but scared, like,
0:32:58 > 0:33:02"Oh, my God! This is awful," but in a way, it was brilliant.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06The Nolans were big in Japan.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08Bananarama have had more UK chart entries
0:33:08 > 0:33:10than any other girl group before or since,
0:33:10 > 0:33:13and The Three Degrees managed to garner royal approval.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16But when it comes to global success,
0:33:16 > 0:33:19there is one British girl group who topped the lot.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22Well, it's nice to see that somebody's taken Take That's crown
0:33:22 > 0:33:24and is wearing it properly.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28Long live pop and long live the Spice Girls!
0:33:28 > 0:33:31# La la la la la la la la la
0:33:31 > 0:33:36# La la la la la la laaaa... #
0:33:36 > 0:33:39When the Spice Girls stomped into the scene in the mid-'90s,
0:33:39 > 0:33:42the very idea of the girl group was in jeopardy.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45The word was that what teenage girls
0:33:45 > 0:33:48really, really wanted was five pretty boys standing in a row.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52When we first started out, all we ever got was,
0:33:52 > 0:33:54girl bands don't sell.
0:33:54 > 0:33:55Not interested.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57It's all about boy bands.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00The Spice's first stroke of genius
0:34:00 > 0:34:01was to steal the age-old boy band trick
0:34:01 > 0:34:06of giving each member a distinctive individual character.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08# Giving you everything... #
0:34:08 > 0:34:14Posh, Scary, Baby, Ginger, and Sporty.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16We were given our nicknames by Top Of The Pops Magazine.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18Of course we played up to it.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20We loved it. We became caricatures.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24We had to do that, because I think if we were confined to,
0:34:24 > 0:34:27you know, having a uniform and being a certain way,
0:34:27 > 0:34:29we wouldn't have lasted five minutes.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32And now it's time for the first award of the day,
0:34:32 > 0:34:34so here's the nominees for Best New Act.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36At five, it's Peter Andre.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39At four, it's them Backstreet Boys.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42But would this be enough to convince the boy band obsessed
0:34:42 > 0:34:44teenager that this new girl group could be trusted
0:34:44 > 0:34:45with her affections?
0:34:45 > 0:34:48But here, at one, they're live, and they know what they want,
0:34:48 > 0:34:49it's the Spice Girls!
0:34:49 > 0:34:51# Tell you what I want What I really, really want
0:34:51 > 0:34:54# So, tell me what you want What you really, really want
0:34:54 > 0:34:56# I'll tell you what I want What I really, really want
0:34:56 > 0:34:58# So tell me what you want What you really, really want
0:34:58 > 0:35:00- # I wanna...- Ha...- I wanna...- Ha... - I wanna...- Ha...- I wanna...- Ha...
0:35:00 > 0:35:03# I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah... #
0:35:03 > 0:35:04Masterstroke number two
0:35:04 > 0:35:07was to make their debut single a kind of manifesto.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11They took the implicit celebration of the power of girls
0:35:11 > 0:35:13that had always been there in girl groups
0:35:13 > 0:35:15and shouted it from the rooftops
0:35:15 > 0:35:16as Girl Power.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19# ..Get your act together We could be just fine
0:35:19 > 0:35:22# I'll tell you what I want What I really, really want
0:35:22 > 0:35:24# So tell me what you want What you really, really want
0:35:24 > 0:35:26- # I wanna...- Ha...- I wanna...- Ha... - I wanna...- Ha...- I wanna...- Ha...
0:35:26 > 0:35:29# I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah
0:35:29 > 0:35:31# If you wanna be my lover
0:35:31 > 0:35:34# You gotta get with my friends Gotta get with my friends... #
0:35:34 > 0:35:36Now you can be one of the gang. We can do whatever we want to do.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38Get with us. We're your friends.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42And I thought that was a really clever starting point for the girls.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46# Make it last forever Friendship never ends
0:35:46 > 0:35:47# ..If you wanna be... #
0:35:47 > 0:35:51For us, it was really important from early on,
0:35:51 > 0:35:53we knew we wanted to be a girl band for the girls.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56CROWD: Girl Power! Girl Power! Girl Power!
0:35:58 > 0:36:00It's the first time that you'd ever heard that mantra -
0:36:00 > 0:36:02you can be whatever you want to be, just have belief
0:36:02 > 0:36:05and take your girls with you, take your friends with you.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08That sort of sisterhood, and I think that's what the appeal was,
0:36:08 > 0:36:11that girls bought into it because they believed it.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13They wanted to be in that group.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15CROWD: Girl power!
0:36:15 > 0:36:18The Spice Girls seized back the girl group audience from the boys
0:36:18 > 0:36:22and changed the pop landscape forever.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25They writ large the inclusive message of sisterhood
0:36:25 > 0:36:28that had drawn young women to girl groups for half a century
0:36:28 > 0:36:32and invited a new generation of girls into their girl group gang.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42Across the ages, from The Nolans to the Spice Girls,
0:36:42 > 0:36:45life in the groups seems to be like a teenage girl heaven,
0:36:45 > 0:36:48a kind of endless 24/7 sleepover.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51One of the best things about being in a girl group
0:36:51 > 0:36:54is that you've always got a friend there, you know,
0:36:54 > 0:36:56it's like a girly night every day of the week.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58You know, you're in Sex And The City every week.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01People would normally assume that you go to your separate rooms,
0:37:01 > 0:37:03see you later, good night.
0:37:03 > 0:37:04We don't!
0:37:04 > 0:37:06We all have our own rooms,
0:37:06 > 0:37:07but they all, for some reason,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10it's this unwritten rule that's happened,
0:37:10 > 0:37:12the girls always come and sleep in my room.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14Yeah, we watch movies, chill out.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19# Were going to dance till the broad daylight... #
0:37:20 > 0:37:24We shared everything. I mean, we shared clothes, we shared...
0:37:24 > 0:37:27We'd get on the telephone and talk about boyfriends, you know,
0:37:27 > 0:37:30"Oh, my God! He's so cute! Oh, my God, he talked to me."
0:37:30 > 0:37:33You know, we did all those girl things that girls do.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37We loved each other and we had so much fun, and we'd always just
0:37:37 > 0:37:40make each other laugh and be each other's support system.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42If somebody is not feeling good, there's a circle around them
0:37:42 > 0:37:45to communicate and be there for them and give them a hug.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47# Nobody going to love me better... #
0:37:49 > 0:37:54I didn't have much closeness in my life before the Pussycat Dolls
0:37:54 > 0:37:56and they became my family.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01The bond of sisterhood can grow as strong as flesh and blood,
0:38:01 > 0:38:04and that's a good job, because like a real family,
0:38:04 > 0:38:07girl groups end up spending a lot of time together.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15- Not so much of a whip in the turn. Is that all right?- Uh-huh.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19# Tumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen
0:38:19 > 0:38:21# Pour myself a cup of ambition
0:38:21 > 0:38:23# And yawn and stretch and try to come to life... #
0:38:26 > 0:38:28I think it's completely different
0:38:28 > 0:38:29to the vision you have as a kid,
0:38:29 > 0:38:31having that dream of just being
0:38:31 > 0:38:34on stage and singing and doing what you love,
0:38:34 > 0:38:36and then when you actually get into it,
0:38:36 > 0:38:38you actually find yourself doing less of the singing
0:38:38 > 0:38:41and more of just the talking, and having to pose for pictures.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45That's not always great.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49An average day in the life of Atomic Kitten would be, up at six,
0:38:49 > 0:38:53do a few schools, a bit of TV, a few more interviews...
0:38:53 > 0:38:56- Fly to another country.- Yeah.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00First, it's like, "Oh, my God! How great is this?!"
0:39:00 > 0:39:02And you get to a certain point on photo shoots and they come in
0:39:02 > 0:39:04and they do your hair, and you're just like,
0:39:04 > 0:39:06"Fuck off and leave me alone!"
0:39:06 > 0:39:08# Working nine to five
0:39:08 > 0:39:11# What a way to make a living... #
0:39:11 > 0:39:15Sharp words to a stylist, that's not very sisterly.
0:39:15 > 0:39:16And it gets worse.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19# ..Use your mind and you never get the credit
0:39:19 > 0:39:21# It's enough to drive you
0:39:21 > 0:39:25# Crazy if you let it... #
0:39:25 > 0:39:26Girl groups can sit there and say,
0:39:26 > 0:39:29"Oh, we're like sisters. We love each other." Yeah, you are.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32But there's something about females being together,
0:39:32 > 0:39:34it brings out these weird little insecurities.
0:39:34 > 0:39:39People do start to become overly picky and slightly paranoid.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Girls, I hate to say it, we can be bitchy.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46You know, we can be difficult. One-upmanship.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49She was longer in make-up than me. I wanted to wear that dress.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51You don't get that with boys.
0:39:51 > 0:39:52There's so much pressure on you.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55We were exhausted. We missed home. We missed our families
0:39:55 > 0:39:56and everything and, you know,
0:39:56 > 0:39:59within the band, you've got very different personalities,
0:39:59 > 0:40:01and, you know, some of the girls were
0:40:01 > 0:40:03pretty tricky to get along with a lot of the time.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05The little minutiae of life,
0:40:05 > 0:40:08the things like there's five cookies on that plate.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10Who took the sixth cookie?
0:40:10 > 0:40:12You know, that was my cookie.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15When we go shopping for the dresses, that's the issue,
0:40:15 > 0:40:17is because the colour you like,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19I don't like, so we argue about it.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22We were, like, always rowing with each other.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25The sort of teenage things. Well, no, you said it. Well, you said it.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27Well, you've sang that song.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29I want to wear them jeans. No, I want to wear them. You have them.
0:40:29 > 0:40:30I want that top.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33If you didn't get into the car on time, and you had girls
0:40:33 > 0:40:35waiting in the car outside,
0:40:35 > 0:40:37that would cause World War Five,
0:40:37 > 0:40:41because World War Three and Four had already happened the week before.
0:40:41 > 0:40:46# Aaaah, I hate you so much right now
0:40:46 > 0:40:47# I hate you so much right now... #
0:40:49 > 0:40:53Even when singing sisters are actual sisters, petty squabbles can
0:40:53 > 0:40:55suddenly get out of hand.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57Everybody always asked us
0:40:57 > 0:41:00all the time - do you fight?
0:41:00 > 0:41:02The clothes, mascara, bobby pins,
0:41:02 > 0:41:03anything in the dressing room,
0:41:03 > 0:41:05we'd argue about.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07With sisters, it gets deep.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12I remember, we were in Mexico and this guy came in the dressing room.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16He goes, "I'm a huge fan of Sister Sledge. Do you want anything?
0:41:16 > 0:41:19"A pina colada? Or whatever." So we all ordered these pina coladas.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22And while he's gone, the two sisters, Joni and Kim, get into this
0:41:22 > 0:41:23really big argument.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33- Kim's got a hothead. She's the hot-headed one.- Wait a minute!
0:41:33 > 0:41:37- Let me finish, then you can respond.- OK.- See?
0:41:37 > 0:41:40Anyway, she pulled my braids, and I was like,
0:41:40 > 0:41:42"OK, that's the last time." So I pulled hers.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45They've got each other's braids and they had this Mexican stand-off,
0:41:45 > 0:41:50and they're holding it. And he walks in.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52And we're locked in this braid lock, and he's like,
0:41:52 > 0:41:55- he was so distressed.- It was really funny.- I felt so bad for him.
0:41:57 > 0:41:58And I was like, it's OK,
0:41:58 > 0:42:01it's going to be OK, just leave.
0:42:07 > 0:42:11Life in the girl group bubble is intense and bust-ups will happen,
0:42:11 > 0:42:14but sometimes, spats over cabs, cookies and cocktails
0:42:14 > 0:42:16can be a symptom of something deeper,
0:42:16 > 0:42:18that one of the pop princesses...
0:42:18 > 0:42:19She will die!
0:42:19 > 0:42:20..wants to be Queen.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22There's always someone in the group
0:42:22 > 0:42:27who naturally has that thing. I don't know what that thing is,
0:42:27 > 0:42:31and that person doesn't even always have to have the best voice
0:42:31 > 0:42:32or be the most talented.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34They've just got that thing.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37It's Kerry from Atomic Kitten! Yeah!
0:42:37 > 0:42:39SMTV, they used to have chums.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41They'd always asked me to play the role.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44That's a frightfully interesting smell.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46What perfume are you wearing?
0:42:46 > 0:42:51- Sweat.- Look at that! Aren't we getting on fabulously, yeah?
0:42:51 > 0:42:52The girls were like, "Why do we never get a go?"
0:42:52 > 0:42:57And I went, "You do it. I really, really, I don't mind.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59"It's not me." And they go, "No, the producer wants you to do it."
0:42:59 > 0:43:01"Well, I can't argue with that."
0:43:01 > 0:43:05Unfortunately, that's how it works. It was probably the blonde hair and big boobs.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12When the men from the music business hone in on a favourite member,
0:43:12 > 0:43:15it can only mean trouble.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17# Slide your feet up the streets
0:43:17 > 0:43:20# Bend your back, shift your arm Then you pull it back
0:43:20 > 0:43:24- # Like Sergeant O...- Oh-Way-Oh - So strike a pose on a Cadillac
0:43:24 > 0:43:26# If you want to find all the cops
0:43:26 > 0:43:29# They're hanging out in the doughnut shop
0:43:29 > 0:43:32- # They sing and dance...- Oh-Way-Oh
0:43:32 > 0:43:35# They spin their clock Cruise down the block... #
0:43:35 > 0:43:38There was an element of, like, this is amazing,
0:43:38 > 0:43:40but it did bring up some of the...
0:43:40 > 0:43:42some of the issues that we had in the band.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45All the Bangles wrote and sang,
0:43:45 > 0:43:48but the male gaze of the music industry
0:43:48 > 0:43:51began to zero in on sultry Susanna,
0:43:51 > 0:43:54a fact not lost on the sisters whose band it was in the first place.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56I had a problem because my overarching
0:43:56 > 0:43:59and all-encompassing view
0:43:59 > 0:44:03was always the four, the gang, that image, that form, that force.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06That's what I wanted it to be.
0:44:08 > 0:44:13# ..Walk like an Egyptian... #
0:44:19 > 0:44:22If Susanna had a vocal on a song that was a single, you know,
0:44:22 > 0:44:24then the guy who's going to shoot
0:44:24 > 0:44:26the video is going to be,
0:44:26 > 0:44:28you know, just shooting Susanna.
0:44:28 > 0:44:30And that became increasingly difficult.
0:44:30 > 0:44:35There were definitely fissures and fractures that started to appear.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41Once the cracks begin to appear, an unspoken fear starts to rise
0:44:41 > 0:44:42to the surface.
0:44:45 > 0:44:51That within the ranks, there may be a solo star,
0:44:51 > 0:44:53just waiting to escape.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59In the beginning, you are part of a group,
0:44:59 > 0:45:02and you have this pledge that - we'll be together forever.
0:45:02 > 0:45:06And then you have to come down to reality and you see,
0:45:06 > 0:45:10wow, it doesn't last forever.
0:45:10 > 0:45:15# My world is empty without you, babe
0:45:15 > 0:45:20# My world is empty without you, babe... #
0:45:21 > 0:45:26Motown mogul Berry Gordy gave The Supremes their start in pop,
0:45:26 > 0:45:28but soon, Diana Ross's relationship with him
0:45:28 > 0:45:30became about more than just the music.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34And at the peak of the group's success,
0:45:34 > 0:45:37they started hatching a plan for her solo career.
0:45:38 > 0:45:43Florence Ballard, you know, she was really the original singer
0:45:43 > 0:45:45and Diana Ross was the one that was more marketable.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48That's where I think the biggest problem comes in the band.
0:45:48 > 0:45:53I think no-one wants to be a background singer. No-one.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55# I remember Momma says
0:45:55 > 0:45:56# You can't hurry love
0:45:56 > 0:45:59# No, you just have to wait
0:45:59 > 0:46:01# She said, love don't come easy
0:46:01 > 0:46:04# It's a game of give-and-take
0:46:04 > 0:46:05# How long must I wait?
0:46:05 > 0:46:07# How much more can I take?
0:46:07 > 0:46:11# Before loneliness... #
0:46:11 > 0:46:14They wanted to change our names from The Supremes
0:46:14 > 0:46:16to Diana Ross And The Supremes.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19We were kind of pushed back in terms of our power,
0:46:19 > 0:46:26we were losing more power now, with this new identity.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30And it was not a good feeling, you know, it was destroying us.
0:46:39 > 0:46:43Finally, Diana Ross kissed the girls,
0:46:43 > 0:46:47said goodbye to sisterhood,
0:46:47 > 0:46:48and set off alone.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52# No mountain high enough
0:46:52 > 0:46:54# No valley low enough... #
0:46:54 > 0:46:55For Diana Ross, dating the boss
0:46:55 > 0:46:57didn't exactly harm her career prospects.
0:46:57 > 0:46:58But having your eye
0:46:58 > 0:47:00on the ultimate prize and being singled out
0:47:00 > 0:47:03by the man in charge for special attention doesn't always
0:47:03 > 0:47:05work so well.
0:47:05 > 0:47:09People make strategic moves of who they date. You know,
0:47:09 > 0:47:11it's easy for somebody to think,
0:47:11 > 0:47:12"Well, you know what?
0:47:12 > 0:47:13"If I have the producer,
0:47:13 > 0:47:14"then I can be a bigger star."
0:47:14 > 0:47:17The Ronettes!
0:47:17 > 0:47:22It's usually egos that will tend to make someone go,
0:47:22 > 0:47:24I want to stand out front more.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26And my cousin Ronnie had that.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30# There's been a lot of talk around
0:47:30 > 0:47:35# That you've been seen with a certain party... #
0:47:35 > 0:47:39The young Ronnie Bennett had always been the leader of this pack,
0:47:39 > 0:47:41but when she, her sister Estelle, and cousin Nedra recorded with
0:47:41 > 0:47:44maverick pop genius Phil Spector,
0:47:44 > 0:47:47the result was girl group gold.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51But Ronnie wanted more.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55# ..Is this what I get for lovin' you, baby...? #
0:47:57 > 0:48:02He was a small stature person. He had insecurities.
0:48:02 > 0:48:08Extremely talented, but extremely, deep down inside, messed up.
0:48:08 > 0:48:12# ..You said you'd never hurt me... #
0:48:12 > 0:48:16I knew Ronnie and so I knew who she liked.
0:48:19 > 0:48:21And I was like, "That's not it."
0:48:21 > 0:48:27This little short guy that's eccentric and spits when he talks.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30So, I knew that it was a career move.
0:48:30 > 0:48:34OK. Let's forget about the intro for now. Let's just come right in.
0:48:34 > 0:48:35One, two, three, four.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39It's one thing being a control freak in the studio,
0:48:39 > 0:48:41but Spector applied the same
0:48:41 > 0:48:43obsessive approach to his relationship with Ronnie.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49He wanted to know where she was at, calling all the time,
0:48:49 > 0:48:52he didn't get a hotel, you know, he's calling all night long.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54Leave the phone off the hook,
0:48:54 > 0:48:56so I can hear you breathe.
0:48:58 > 0:49:02# I'll make you happy, baby
0:49:02 > 0:49:06# Just wait and see
0:49:06 > 0:49:10# For every kiss you give me
0:49:10 > 0:49:13# I'll give you three... #
0:49:13 > 0:49:15The world fell in love with The Ronettes,
0:49:15 > 0:49:18but Spector only had eyes for one of them.
0:49:20 > 0:49:24When I began to sense and see
0:49:24 > 0:49:28that Ronnie, herself - and she is my cousin, I love her -
0:49:28 > 0:49:33began to let him go, "Well, I could push you here,"
0:49:33 > 0:49:36I said, "Oh, I see what's happening."
0:49:36 > 0:49:39So, it was like, let's talk this over.
0:49:39 > 0:49:44The day we're not a trio, we're over.
0:49:44 > 0:49:49Just weeks before Phil and Ronnie tied the knot,
0:49:49 > 0:49:51the Ronettes broke up.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54But Ronnie's solo career never took flight.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57Instead, she found herself locked away in a Hollywood mansion
0:49:57 > 0:49:58by the reclusive Spector.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06Sometimes, the end of the dream isn't hastened
0:50:06 > 0:50:08by the lure for solo stardom.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11But it's always personal.
0:50:15 > 0:50:20Go from being best friends to really irritating each other.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23And, erm,
0:50:23 > 0:50:26and then not wanting to be around each other, you know.
0:50:32 > 0:50:37Those two were best friends from when they were little kids,
0:50:37 > 0:50:41so they started to, you know, go to the pub without inviting me,
0:50:41 > 0:50:42and things like that.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47I felt lonely and lost
0:50:47 > 0:50:51and friendless and really unhappy.
0:50:54 > 0:51:00Being girls, we're more emotional, maybe men are more pragmatic
0:51:00 > 0:51:02and they'll just hate each other and have separate limos
0:51:02 > 0:51:06and separate dressing rooms, but still turn up for the dosh.
0:51:06 > 0:51:11I wouldn't like to stand on stage with somebody that
0:51:11 > 0:51:14I felt resentment for and, you know, life's too short.
0:51:16 > 0:51:22# Just make it go away... #
0:51:22 > 0:51:23By leaving, it means...
0:51:23 > 0:51:27leaving the thing that you love doing most in the world
0:51:27 > 0:51:29and that you're so passionate about,
0:51:29 > 0:51:33and, yeah, it's...
0:51:33 > 0:51:36it's a difficult thing to leave.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40As Siobhan found out,
0:51:40 > 0:51:46walking out on the thing you wanted the most of all in life is tough.
0:51:46 > 0:51:47Whatever the era,
0:51:47 > 0:51:50when an original girl group member leaves,
0:51:50 > 0:51:53it's like part of the dream of sisterhood has died.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55Geri Halliwell, otherwise known as Ginger Spice,
0:51:55 > 0:51:59has confirmed that she has left the Spice Girls.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02She says differences between her and the other band members
0:52:02 > 0:52:04were to blame for her decision.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07# Goodbye, my friend
0:52:07 > 0:52:09# I know you're gone You said you're gone
0:52:09 > 0:52:11# But I can still feel you here
0:52:11 > 0:52:14# It's not the end
0:52:14 > 0:52:18# You gotta keep it strong Before the pain turns into fear... #
0:52:18 > 0:52:21I don't know all of Geri's reasons behind leaving,
0:52:21 > 0:52:23but I know she was very unhappy and
0:52:23 > 0:52:24she felt that she had to jump ship.
0:52:24 > 0:52:29# No, no, no, no... #
0:52:29 > 0:52:33It was a really sad time for all of us.
0:52:33 > 0:52:38It's just a bit sad when you kind of achieve your dream,
0:52:38 > 0:52:40it's not what it's cracked up to be, you know?
0:52:40 > 0:52:44I kind of think that was the beginning of our decline,
0:52:44 > 0:52:47because the power we had was the five of us,
0:52:47 > 0:52:49you know, it was the jigsaw puzzle,
0:52:49 > 0:52:52and it just wasn't the same any more.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54The dynamic had changed.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56# ..It's not the end... #
0:52:56 > 0:53:01We would never have considered finding a replacement for Geri,
0:53:01 > 0:53:04because, you know,
0:53:04 > 0:53:05if someone else had come in,
0:53:05 > 0:53:07they would have been an intruder, you know,
0:53:07 > 0:53:10it was something that the five of us... It was our baby.
0:53:10 > 0:53:15# ..You know it's time to say goodbye... #
0:53:15 > 0:53:17Like the purity of a first love,
0:53:17 > 0:53:20their devotion to the original line up meant
0:53:20 > 0:53:22that adding a new Spice was unthinkable.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25# Looking back on when we first met... #
0:53:25 > 0:53:28But not all girl groups are like the Spice Girls.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31I'll never forget the day
0:53:31 > 0:53:33I told the girls I was leaving.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36Liz jumped out of the car, ran down the street, was like thinking,
0:53:36 > 0:53:37that's the end of the band,
0:53:37 > 0:53:42and this is where Tash, I saw Tash grow from a young girl to a woman.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45She grabbed hold of Liz and went, "Don't worry,
0:53:45 > 0:53:47"we're going to be absolutely fine,
0:53:47 > 0:53:49"and we're going to find somebody else."
0:53:49 > 0:53:50I thought, "Bitch!"
0:53:50 > 0:53:56# You can make me whole again... #
0:53:59 > 0:54:04As far as the man from the music business is concerned, yes,
0:54:04 > 0:54:07it's all very sad when someone makes their exit,
0:54:07 > 0:54:08but the show must go on, and after all,
0:54:08 > 0:54:10there are plenty more dreamers out there.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14When Siobhan quit Bananarama, they drafted in their old chum
0:54:14 > 0:54:15Jackie to replenish the three.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19When Diana Ross had turned her back on The Supremes,
0:54:19 > 0:54:21Motown had well-drilled substitutes
0:54:21 > 0:54:23waiting in the wings to make up the numbers.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26# Another one bites the dust. #
0:54:26 > 0:54:29As for The Three Degrees, strictly speaking,
0:54:29 > 0:54:32if all members are taken into account,
0:54:32 > 0:54:35The 14 Degrees would be nearer the mark.
0:54:35 > 0:54:39I started out in the beginning, left, Sheila took my place.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42When I came back, it was to replace Fayette Pinkney
0:54:43 > 0:54:48# When will I see you again...? #
0:54:49 > 0:54:54- Val replaced...- Sonia. - No, Janet.- Sonia.- No.
0:54:54 > 0:54:55Everybody keeps getting that wrong.
0:54:58 > 0:55:00# ..Are we in love...? #
0:55:00 > 0:55:02I don't know, it gets confusing
0:55:02 > 0:55:05when you're trying to figure out who replaced who.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07# ..Is this my beginning...? #
0:55:07 > 0:55:12If they're not sure who joined when, how are we supposed to keep up?
0:55:14 > 0:55:16And what of the Sugababes?
0:55:16 > 0:55:20Still chalking up hits after 11 years.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23Total members across the band's history, six.
0:55:23 > 0:55:26Original members still in the band now, zero.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29I think that's what's helped the band last so long,
0:55:29 > 0:55:35- because it's just a new personality, a new voice coming in.- Yeah.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38# Round, round, baby Round, round
0:55:38 > 0:55:40# Spinning out on me
0:55:40 > 0:55:41# I don't need no man
0:55:41 > 0:55:43# Got my kicks for free... #
0:55:43 > 0:55:46Whoever wants to continue singing, you know,
0:55:46 > 0:55:49under the name Sugababes, if it makes you happy, why not?
0:55:52 > 0:55:55I've been in the group for ten years. Mel's been in it for six.
0:55:55 > 0:55:59Jade's been in it for two, so we've been that history of making,
0:55:59 > 0:56:01you know, building that name.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05I would prefer to remember it from when we first started
0:56:05 > 0:56:10going in and busting our butts to make a record,
0:56:10 > 0:56:14and that, to me... Whenever I see Mutya, whenever we sing together,
0:56:14 > 0:56:16whenever I hear our voices together,
0:56:16 > 0:56:20and with Siobhan's as well, that's when I feel like a Sugababe.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25You don't think I'm sounding bitchy, do you?
0:56:25 > 0:56:32# Train comes I don't know its destination... #
0:56:32 > 0:56:35So what should we make of the Sugababes regenerating again
0:56:35 > 0:56:36and again, like pop Time Lords?
0:56:36 > 0:56:39A cynical ploy dreamed up by marketing men?
0:56:39 > 0:56:42Or is it actually proof that the girl group dream is
0:56:42 > 0:56:45so powerful that we just don't want it to die?
0:56:50 > 0:56:53Even when the dream has lain dormant for decades,
0:56:53 > 0:56:56sisters have reunited to rekindle the spark.
0:56:56 > 0:56:57We were all women of a certain age, and you think
0:56:57 > 0:57:00it's never going to happen to us again,
0:57:00 > 0:57:02and there we were as a girl group in 2009.
0:57:06 > 0:57:10# I'm in the mood for dancing
0:57:10 > 0:57:12# Romancing... #
0:57:12 > 0:57:16We could see women of our age, who'd grown up with us as a girl band,
0:57:16 > 0:57:17if you like, and they're crying,
0:57:17 > 0:57:20and they've got their kids with them and it was just amazing.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22Best thing ever.
0:57:22 > 0:57:23# ..So come on and hold me tight... #
0:57:23 > 0:57:26Even those who vowed never to return
0:57:26 > 0:57:30will put it all behind them to live the dream once more.
0:57:30 > 0:57:33So much water had, you know, passed under the bridge.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35that I just thought, you know what,
0:57:35 > 0:57:37when am I ever going to get the opportunity to do these things again?
0:57:37 > 0:57:41So, I thought, let's just go for it.
0:57:41 > 0:57:43Let's just do it.
0:57:43 > 0:57:45# Slam me to the left... #
0:57:45 > 0:57:48A Spice Girls reunion they said would never happen.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51The generation spanning appeal of The Nolans,
0:57:51 > 0:57:54and the apparent indestructibility of the Sugababes
0:57:54 > 0:57:58are all proof that whatever a group's been through,
0:57:58 > 0:58:02the feuds, the fatigue, and failed friendships,
0:58:02 > 0:58:05however it's threatened by personal pressure, internal paranoia
0:58:05 > 0:58:06and even old age,
0:58:06 > 0:58:11somehow, the sisterhood and the dream emerge triumphant.
0:58:11 > 0:58:13And that's Girl Power!
0:58:13 > 0:58:15We put on a great show, we saw all our wonderful fans,
0:58:15 > 0:58:21probably for the last time, and I've got great memories of those shows.
0:58:21 > 0:58:23# ..If you're havin' a good time
0:58:23 > 0:58:25# Shake it to the right... #
0:58:25 > 0:58:29But by the end of it, we all wanted to kill each other.
0:58:31 > 0:58:34Next time, it's all about the solo stars,
0:58:34 > 0:58:39the men and women who go it alone, armed with a microphone,
0:58:39 > 0:58:43some songs, and an unquenchable desire to be pop top dog.
0:58:43 > 0:58:47I'm egotistical. I'm vain, and you have to be to be a pop star.
0:58:47 > 0:58:50I found it terrifying. I couldn't look at audiences.
0:58:50 > 0:58:53I couldn't begin to understand how this was happening to me.
0:59:05 > 0:59:08Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd