“Stop” is a song by English girl group the Spice Girls from their second studio album, Spiceworld (1997). The group co-wrote the song with its producers, Paul Wilson and Andy Watkins of the Absolute production duo, during the filming of the film Spice World.
“Stop” is a dance-pop song with influences of Motown and blue-eyed soul, and features guitar and brass. Its lyrics are about the group’s frustrations with being overworked by their management. The music video, directed by James Brown and filmed in Ireland, features the Spice Girls in a 1960s working-class street playing children’s games with young girls. The song received mostly positive reviews for its Motown influences and production. The Spice Girls performed “Stop” in a number of live appearances in Europe and North America including their three tours.
Released by Virgin as the album’s third single in March 1998, it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart behind “It’s Like That” by Run-DMC vs Jason Nevins, ending the Spice Girls’ streak of consecutive number-one singles on the chart at six, and becoming the group’s only single during their original tenure to not reach number one on said chart. It was moderately successful internationally, peaking inside the top 20 on the majority of the charts that it entered. In the United States, “Stop” peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the group’s sixth consecutive top-20 entry on the chart.
