Released as the lead single of Spiceworld in October 1997, "Spice Up Your Life" received an extensive worldwide promotional campaign that included a series of appearances on television programmes and presentations at award shows.

It debuted atop the UK Singles Chart, becoming the group's fifth consecutive number one in the United Kingdom and has since been certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

An accompanying music video, directed by Marcus Nispel, features the group in a futuristic setting, inspired by the 1982 film Blade Runner, controlling every aspect of society in a dark post-apocalyptic cityscape.

The song has been regularly included on the setlists in most of the group's concerts and presentations, most notably their performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London.

It was also used in the 2023 film Barbie[1] and the third of the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials, "The Giggle", in which the main villain of the episode (The Toymaker) makes a grand entrance with the song playing in the background.

[5] Their schedule was physically arduous with logistical difficulties,[4] as Melanie Brown commented in her autobiography: "doing the two full-time jobs at the same time took its toll and within a couple on weeks, exhaustion set in".

Eliot Kennedy, who co-wrote "Say You'll Be There" with the group, worked on a couple of backing tracks for Spiceworld, but decided not to get involved in the album after hearing from the other teams about the complications of the recording schedule.

[8] In May 1997, the Spice Girls did a promotional trip to North America in support of their second single "Say You'll Be There",[9] which included a performance on the Mexican television show Siempre en Domingo in Acapulco.

[12] In an interview with Music Week, Stannard commented about their initial ideas for the song: "We were talking about Bollywood films, the colours and how the Spice Girls could present themselves.

[18][19][20] Critics noted that the song incorporates an infectious melody and "haunting" harmonies,[15][21][22] mixed with a piano hook and a "relentless" drum beat,[15][23] that creates a carnival atmosphere.

[30] Some critics considered the song to be an example of branding or "sloganeering",[31][32] while the lyrical content has been labeled as dance-oriented ("Slam it to the left / If you’re having a good time / Shake it to the right / If you know that you feel fine"),[21][33][34] with a self-promoting message ("Every boy and girl / Spice up your life").

[41] The single was originally going to be released in the United Kingdom on 6 October 1997, but the date was delayed for a week in an attempt to displace Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997"—a tribute to Princess Diana, who had died two months before—from the top position.

[44] The first one, released in cassette and CD maxi single format, included two radio mixes, one from record producer Mark "Spike" Stent, and another from American DJ David Morales, an instrumental version of the song, and the B-side "Spice Invaders".

[46][47] On 12–13 October 1997, the group performed songs from Spiceworld including "Spice Up Your Life" in a two-night concert in Turkey, as part of a sponsorship deal organized by Pepsi.

[48] Following the concerts, the Spice Girls made a couple of weeks of promotion in Singapore, Thailand, India, Hong Kong and Japan,[49] and attended the Bambi Awards in Germany.

[50] In November, they appeared at a charity event in South Africa,[51] taped a special concert for Antena 3 in Spain,[52] and did promotion in Italy, France, the Netherlands, and the UK.

[53][54] In December they traveled to Brazil for a press conference,[55] and then to the US to made televised appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, while UPN released a one-hour special dedicated to the group titled Too Much Is Never Enough.

[63] Critic Ian Watson from the Melody Maker was less enthusiastic, commenting that the song's production and instrumentation have a "black magic feel" that evokes depictions of the Mardi Gras and the Day of the Dead, he added that the introduction "sounds almost demonic" and that it resembles the "chant of a dance that goes on for all eternity".

[71] The Telegram & Gazette's Craig S. Semon enjoyed the song's melody and harmonies but criticised the lyrical content, commenting that the Spice Girls were "concerned more with shaking hips than moving social consciousness".

Although he described it as "insanely catchy and devilishly fun", he did not considered it a real song, calling it "just a festive cha-cha groove and a lyrical command to add some 'spice' to your life by way of countless dance moves".

[35] Chicago Sun-Times critic Jim DeRogatis was unimpressed with the lyrics, yet when comparing it to Aqua's "Barbie Girl", he found that its "unifying sentiment is more admirable".

[16] Will Stroude of Attitude named it the best of the group's single releases, characterizing it as an "unapologetically brash banger which perfectly encapsulates the Spice Girls' bolshy philosphy [sic]".

[108] New remixes by American house musician Ralphi Rosario released during the group's 2007–08 The Return of the Spice Girls Tour, reached number 17 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart in July 2008.

[112] The video features the group in a futuristic setting, inspired by the 1982 film Blade Runner, controlling every aspect of society in a dark post apocalyptic cityscape.

The scenes are interspersed with shoots of each group member in different activities, such as Brown doing turntablism with bright flashing lights and a large rotating fan, Beckham posing on top of a platform while photographers takes pictures of her, Bunton in a room surrounded with neon-blue balloons, Melanie C winning a boxing match and Halliwell giving a speech at a press conference to a crowd of journalists.

[121] "Spice Up Your Life" had its television premiere in the UK on 27 September 1997, on the BBC's The National Lottery Live programme, which attracted more than nine million viewers.

[132] In October 1997, the group performed "Spice Up Your Life" as the eleventh song of their first live concert at the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey.

[136] In the scene, the group performed it at London's Royal Albert Hall, surrounded by the media and thousands of fans, while the rest of the supporting cast can be seen dancing and singing during the show.

[146] The performance at the tour's final concert can be found on the video: Spice Girls Live at Wembley Stadium, filmed in London, on 20 September 1998,[147] and released on VHS around two months later.

Then the group appeared standing motionless in five ascending platforms, dressed in tight bronze and copper coloured outfits made by Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli.