There’s a Deeper Meaning Behind the Gibberish ‘Wannabe’ Lyric ‘Zig-A-Zig-A’—But the Spice Girls Won’t Tell What It Is

English pop group The Spice Girls, Paris, September 1996. Left to right: Melanie Chisholm, Emma Bunton, Melanie Brown, Victoria Beckham and Geri Halliwell aka Sporty, Baby, Scary, Posh and Ginger Spice.

The mid-1990s produced some music that had nonsensical titles or lyrics: “MMMBop.” “Tubthumping.” And, from the Spice Girls’ 1996 debut single “Wannabe,” the phrase “zig-a-zig-a.”

We never did find out what that lyric meant, and we probably never will, Spice Girl Melanie “Mel B” Brown said on Today with Hoda & Jenna. It was Mel B herself who made up the gibberish lyric and said its meaning is a “group secret,” per People.