Look at Me (Geri Halliwell song)

"Look at Me" is a song by British singer Geri Halliwell, who recorded and released it after leaving Spice Girls. Written and composed in collaboration by Halliwell, Paul Wilson, and Andy Watkins, it was released on 10 May 1999 as the first single from Halliwell's debut solo album, Schizophonic. It peaked at number one in New Zealand, number two in the United Kingdom and number three in Australia and Ireland. To promote the single, Halliwell performed the song on Top of the Pops, Party in the Park, Wetten Dass, Tickled Pink,[1] Tapis Rouge, Musica Si, Festival Bar 1999, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Graine de Star and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

"Look at Me"
Single by Geri Halliwell
from the album Schizophonic
Released10 May 1999
Recorded1998
Genre
Length
  • 4:33 (album version)
  • 4:08 (single version)
  • 3:17 (US radio edit)
  • 3:42 (7-inch edit)
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)
  • Geri Halliwell
  • Andy Watkins
  • Paul Wilson
Producer(s)Absolute
Geri Halliwell singles chronology
"Look at Me"
(1999)		 "Mi Chico Latino"
(1999)
Music video
"Look at Me" on YouTube

Lyrical content

The lyrics of "Look at Me" consist largely, specifically in the verses, of rhymed couplets of phrases that evoke contrasts. But two lines are repeated in both verses; these are the warning "What you see ain't what you are gettin'" and a reference to "superficial expectations". NME felt that the track was attempting to "create a self-reflexive conundrum, the knowingly blank canvas, the irony-chip Idoru".[2] Halliwell admitted that she intended to convey that "we shouldn’t take each other on just face value. We can be anything. We can be all of these people."[3]

Critical reception

Reception for "Look at Me" was mostly positive. Website AllMusic deemed it "upbeat", "self-conscious", and "silly".[4] BBC News described it as "undeniably catchy", comparing Halliwell's performance to Shirley Bassey as "the queen of the scene flanked by a posse of subservient men", and added that it "has shades of "The Lady Is a Vamp", from the album Spiceworld.[5] Larry Flick from Billboard called it a "eccentric, over-the-top track", and noted further that the song is "tinged with everything from James Bond thematics and vaudeville to Britpop and Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walking"".[6] Birmingham Evening Mail commented, "Ginger puts the Spices well and truly behind her with a song that will probably appeal to adults as well as, if not more than, the teenie market. It's a more mature, fifties-style belter in which Geri reveals different facets of her character."[7] CantStopThePop stated that the song "is a little bit pop, a little bit jazz and a whole lot theatrical. Musically, it’s vaguely reminiscent of "The Lady Is a Vamp" from Spiceworld, albeit less pastiche and more pointed." They added that "there’s no doubt that Geri had a lot to say as an artist, and much of it came out in the music video for Look at Me."[8] Lou Carlozo from the Chicago Tribune felt that "Spice Girls fans should like the single", because the song had a "bouncy pop feel, but a more polished sound than the typical Spice Girls song".[9] The Daily Vault's Christopher Thelen said the track "doesn't quite seem like Halliwell knows which way she wants to take her new career. And, in a sense, that's understandable - but the sudden shift in style midway through the track and the subsequent return to the first one is a bit confusing."[10]

"Look at Me" was selected as the one of the few post-Spice Girls song to be featured in the jukebox musical Viva Forever! in its entirety; producer Judy Craymer said of it, "It's a very diva-like song and perfect for the hard world of television and its judges who we portray as the gods on Mount Olympus".[11]

Chart performance

"Look at Me" was released in the United Kingdom on 10 May 1999. Since Halliwell had chosen "Look at Me" as the first single from Schizophonic and because she felt as though the song was going to return her to the mainstream market, it was released the same week as Boyzone's "You Needed Me." In early 1999, Boyzone was at the height of its own success with five UK number-ones, however, Halliwell was confident that "Look at Me" would reach number-one. Though more transactions were made of the "Look at Me" single, two CD singles of "You Needed Me" were released in order for fans to purchase both and ensure that Boyzone made it to the number-one position.[12]

"Look at Me" entered the UK Singles Chart at number two, selling 140,000 copies in its first week;[13] it was only 700 copies behind Boyzone's "You Needed Me."[14] Halliwell was disappointed with the outcome of the chart performance for "Look at Me," since she had believed that it would reach number one. She had also feared that her career would be ruined six months after the release of the single. However, Halliwell would earn her first UK number-one single with "Mi Chico Latino." "Look at Me" went on to sell 330,812 copies in the United Kingdom alone, being certified Gold by the BPI, and over 1,5 million copies worldwide.[15]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Look at Me" was directed by Vaughan Arnell and filmed in Prague, Czech Republic from 18–20 March 1999.[16] The music video features four versions of Halliwell: a vamp, a bitch, a virgin, and a sister. Most of the music video is black and white, except in one scene in the middle of the video, during the funeral of Halliwell's stage persona "Ginger Spice", Halliwell was seen (as the British Union Jack was pulled off "Ginger's" coffin) with red hair, blonde highlights, and a red thorn crown—and laughing with eyes wide open.[9] The ruby slippers worn by Ginger were referencing The Red Shoes.[3] In the last part, Halliwell and male dancers are dancing on a large staircase and then in front of a fountain. At the end of the video is a message saying "Geri's back!" with a picture of a nude Geri skinny dipping and ends with a double-story lower case g decorated with a halo and an arrowhead tail.

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Look at Me."

Official versions and remixes
  1. Album version / Full-length version – 4:31
  2. Radio edit #1 / Single version – 4:08
  3. Radio edit #2* – 3:35
  4. Radio edit #3* – 3:19
  5. Mark!s Big Vocal Mix Surgery Edit – 7:30
  6. Mark!s Fantasy Dub* – 8:44
  7. Sharp Boys Queeny Dub – 7:21
  8. Sharp Boys Vocal Edit* – 3:57
  9. Sharp Boys Vocal Remix – 7:48
  10. Terminalhead Dub* – 5:42
  11. Terminalhead Edit* – 3:46
  12. Terminalhead Remix – 5:55

* appears only in promotional singles

Charts and certifications

References
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  2. "Schizo-phonic". NME. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  3. Geri Power, Metro Weekly
  4. "Schizophonic - Geri Halliwell | Songs, Reviews, Credits".
  5. "BBC News | New Music Releases | CD Review: Geri Halliwell".
  6. "Single Reviews: New & Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard magazine. 26 June 1999. p. 24. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  7. "Singles: Pick of the Week". Birmingham Evening Mail. 11 May 1999. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  8. "Geri Halliwell – Look at Me". CantStopThePop. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  9. "R.i.p., Ginger Spice".
  10. Thelen, Christopher (27 August 1999). "Schizophonic – Geri Halliwell". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  11. "Viva Forever! Snubs Spice Girls' solo songs (Apart from Ginger". 6 December 2012.
  12. Halliwell, Geri; London, UK (2002). Just for the Record (autobiography), p. 122.
  13. "Official Charts Flashback 1999: Geri Halliwell – Look at Me".
  14. Halliwell, pg. 122–123.
  15. ""Look at Me" sales and certifications". Archived from the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2007.
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  21. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 8124." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  22. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 8166." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  23. "Charts of the World". Billboard. 12 June 1999. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
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  29. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16 no. 23. 5 June 1999. p. 10. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
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  31. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Look at Me". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  32. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16 no. 27. 3 July 1999. p. 13. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  33. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Geri Halliwell" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
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  36. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
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  39. "Swisscharts.com – Geri Halliwell – Look at Me". Swiss Singles Chart.
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  41. "Geri Halliwell Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  42. "1999 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
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  45. "Romanian Top 100: Top of the Year 1999" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 22 January 2005.
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  47. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1999" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  48. "British single certifications – Geri Halliwell – Look at Me". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
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