Music Review: Spice Girls "Too Much"

Too Much
Album: Spiceworld
Year: 1997

A no strings attached fling goes wrong for the Spice Girls in the velvety ballad "Too Much."

Posh strings open the single, setting a recherche tone. Mel B says that love is based on intial attraction. It can be serious or casual. But either way, it's complicated. Emma Bunton tells her current lover she needs more than sex. She wants someone she can cry and talk about her problems. She says their relationship is insignificant. The drama has become stale and she's bored.

"Love is blind, as far as the eye can see/Deep and meaningless, words to me/Easy lover, I need a friend/Road to nowhere, twist and turns but will this never end."

In the pre-chorus, Mel C tells her friend that he satsifies her. However, it's not love. She believes that free love is a myth.

"Well my dear you'll know that he pleases me (pleases me)/But sometimes illusion ain't no revolution/That ain't no release for me."

In the chorus, she says their relationships is demanding and excessive. The emptiness has caused them to rethink their whole idea of romance. Love was lacking. At times, it was hard to be with him knowing she meant nothing to him. They decide to break up with him and figure out what qualities they want in a boyfriend.

"Too much of something is bad enough/But something's coming over to make me wonder/Too much of nothing is just a tough/I need to know the way to feel to keep me satisfied."

In the second verse, Geri Haliwell says he set the terms. He would tell her when to be romantic or rough. Victoria Beckham adds that it was successful for a while. However, the monotony of it all started to get to her. Then, she realized that the expiration date on their relationship was soon.

"I wrapped myself from around your finger/Hold me too tight or left to linger/Something fine built to last/
Slipped up there I guess we're running out of time too fast."

In the pre-chorus, Mel C admits he brings some comfort to her. It's just a feeling she can't explain and it perplexes her. She wasn't prepared for feelings to spring up.

"Yes my dear you know he soothes me (moves me)/There's no complication there's no explanation/It's just a groove in me."

In the bridge, her fling is calling her and asking her to come over. Mel C tells him to leave her alone. She snaps that she said she wanted nothing to do with him. She's looking for a guy who will care for her, not use her.

"What part of no don't you understand (understand understand)/I want a man not a boy who thinks he can."

A slinky saxophone solo follows. Mel C adds another "boy who thinks he can."

The chorus is sung twice.

The elegant strings close the single.

The Spice Girls discover flings aren't for them. A relationship full of only sex was fun at first. No pesky dates or bothersome rules to follow. However, they began to feel like objects. They found themselves wanting to be close to their fling, even though they knew they would be rejected. They decide to look elsewhere for companionship.

The strings are star of the song, though. They float in and out of the verses, adding an air of some sophiscation. Warm and serene, the strings enhance the single. They provide the emotion, not the Spice Girls.

The Spice Girls' vocal talents are minimal. However, Emma Bunton stands out. Her gentle voice gives a brief glimpse of the relationship: intimate, but detached from anything personal.

"Too Much" is a successful ballad.

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