Released as the group's debut single in July 1996, "Wannabe" topped the UK Singles Chart for seven weeks and received a Platinum certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). In January 1997 it was released in the United States, topping the "Billboard" Hot 100 for four weeks. It was the group's only number-one single in that country. By the end of 1996, "Wannabe" had topped the charts in 22 nations, and by March 1997 this number had climbed to 31. Despite negative reviews from critics who found the track as "more a compendium of music styles than an actual song", and the group's image as a "pro-woman posing that project lots of false confidence", it became the best-selling single by a female group, selling over six million copies worldwide.