(1965) and Pulp Fiction (1994), and features the group as a band of female techno-warriors who use martial arts and high-tech ninja-influenced weapons to capture a hapless male.

In March 1994, father-and-son team Bob and Chris Herbert, together with financer Chic Murphy, working under the business name of Heart Management, decided to create a girl group to compete with the boy bands that dominated the British pop music scene of the time.

[3] In November, the group—now named Spice—persuaded their managers to set up a showcase in front of industry writers, producers, and A&R men at the Nomis Studios in Shepherd's Bush, London,[4][5] where they received an "overwhelmingly positive" reaction.

[8] Encouraged by the reaction they had received at the showcase, all five members delayed signing contracts on the legal advice from, amongst others, Victoria Beckham's father, Anthony Adams.

[33][35] The instrumentation includes a drum kit with syncopated handclaps and a prominent synthesizer sound, sparse use of rhythm guitar and funk bass, string glissandos and a vibraphone.

[15] According to musicologist Sheila Whiteley, the group presented an image that "exuded a brash confidence that was attractive to their teenage fans" and added that they made "an emphasis on stating where they come from and what they stand for".

[42] Author Juan de Ribera Berenguer, said that "love was a constant theme" in the group's songs, but added that "Say You'll Be There" holds a different approach to the subject, as it "highlights the female perspective".

[19] Ashley Newton, the label's head of A&R and other executives preferred "Say You'll Be There" to be released as the first single, as they considered it a "much cooler" track than the group's choice, "Wannabe".

[47] At the end of September 1996, "Say You'll Be There" was sent to British radio, and the accompanying music video added to the programming of MTV and The Box,[48] while the Spice Girls were in Hong Kong doing a promotional tour in the Far East.

[45] At the beginning of October, the song started to receive intensive airplay across the UK, appearing on the playlists of 46 ILR stations—including Capital FM,[48] and Radio 1' A-list.

[49] On 11 October 1996, the group performed the song on Top of the Pops and during the following week, did interviews and appeared on British television programmes that included The Chart Show, The Big Breakfast, The Noise, Live & Kicking, The O-Zone, Newsround, The Disney Club, After 5, WOW!, and GMTV.

The second version, released in a digipak, came with a signed poster and included the single mix, and three club remixes of the track produced by Vasquez, D Mob, and Linslee Campbell.

[51] During the last week of the month, they recorded two additional performances for Top of the Pops on 23 and 30 October,[52] and visited France, Italy, Norway, and Sweden, where they did a series of interviews and appearances on television shows.

Kristy Barker from Melody Maker named it Single of the Week, saying, "Less instant/insistent than 'Wannabe', 'Say You'll Be There' is nevertheless this year's Glorious Pop Rush Number Three, behind their debut and Livin' Joy's 'Don't Stop Movin''.

"[59] Alan Jones from Music Week wrote, "After a tinkly cocktail bar piano intro, it moves through a Zapp-like phase right into Eternal territory.

[61] Time magazine's Christopher John Farley was mixed on the track, although he called the song's groove "penetrating", he believed that it resembled too close to the work of Earth, Wind and Fire.

[64] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writer Steve Dollar criticized the song, describing it as "pure confection more sugar really than spice", he also noted influences of Stevie Wonder in the harmonica solo.

[38] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune was unimpressed with their debut album, he considered the song's "G-funk synth" as simply part of "a compendium of slick secondhand urban pop".

[65] Reviewing the single, David Browne of Entertainment Weekly rated it a B+, describing the melody as "delectably frothy", but was at the same time confused by the song's lyrical content.

[71] Writing for Billboard, Jason Lipshutz complimented the song's production, calling the hook "enormously catchy" and the instrumental arrangement "smart-but-simple".

[72] Anne T. Donahue of Vulture.com depicted it as "the perfect middle-ground" between the group's slower ballads and their upbeat singles, she added that "over 20 years later, we still remember the words to 'Say You'll Be There'".

[81] By the end of October 1996, the single had sold 750,000 copies,[83] receiving a double platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales and streams exceeding 1,200,000 units in the UK as of June 2023.

[111] It ended at the 28th position on the year-end chart,[112] selling 900,000 copies by December 1997,[113] and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

[115][116][117] The music video for "Say You'll Be There" was directed by Vaughan Arnell, produced by Adam Saward and filmed on 7–8 September 1996, in the Mojave Desert, located in California.

[118] The video features the group as a band of female techno-warriors, who use martial arts and high-tech ninja influenced weapons to capture a hapless male, played by American model Tony Ward,[119] who happens to appear in a Petty blue Dodge Charger Daytona.

[120] Chisholm played "Katrina Highkick", Halliwell's alter ego was "Trixie Firecracker", Bunton took on the role of "Kung Fu Candy", Adams played "Midnight Miss Suki" (wearing a black PVC catsuit which would attract the attention of her future husband, David Beckham),[121] and "Blazin' Bad Zula" was Brown's alter ego.

[127] The song was performed many times on television programmes, in both Europe and North America, such as Top of the Pops, Live & Kicking, The Noise,[49] An Audience with...,[128] MTV's The Grind,[129] The Rosie O'Donnell Show,[130] and MuchMusic's Intimate and Interactive.

[132] The group have performed the song at the 1996 Smash Hits Poll Winners Party,[122] the 1997 Prince's Trust Gala,[133] the 1997 San Remo Festival,[134] and the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards.

[144] The performance at the Spiceworld Tour's final concert can be found on the video: Spice Girls Live at Wembley Stadium, filmed in London, on 20 September 1998,[145] and released on VHS around two months later.

[148] Victoria Adams' appearance in her black PVC catsuit first attracted the attention of David Beckham; the pair would eventually marry in July 1999.