2001, in two single versions. The first one, an enhanced CD, included the song and two different B-sides. The first B-side, "(Hey You) Free Up Your Mind", written by Bunton with fellow Spice Girls group member Melanie C and songwriter-producer Rhett Lawrence, was originally included on the soundtrack of the English-language adaptation of Pokémon: The First Movie (1998), released in November 1999. The second one, "Merry-Go Round", was penned by Bunton with songwriting and production duo Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers. In addition, the CD contains a picture gallery and the song's music video and lyrics. The second version was a cassette single, featuring the song and the two B-sides. Critical reception Upon release, initial reviews of "What Took You So Long?" from critics were mostly positive, many of whom praised the song's melody and Bunton's vocal delivery. Peter Robinson of NME dismissed the R&B direction of Forever and was pleased that she worked with Stannard on the track, labelling it "a solo Spice single which actually sounds like a solo single". Chart Attacks writer Erik Missio had a similar opinion; he praised the song for not sounding like a "Spice cover". In a review of the single, Gary Crossing of Dotmusic considered Bunton's image change a "cynical marketing ploy" but called the song's chorus "irresistible" and lauded it for being a "perfectly fine strummalong pop song". Ian Wade from the same publication, characterized the song as a "Shania-for-the-tweens", singling it out as one of A Girl Like Mes highlights while calling the song a "birrova standout". Smash Hits Caroline Millington chose it as the issue's single of the fortnight, calling the song a "catchy little number" while describing Bunton's singing as "absolutely lurving". The staff of the Evening Mail described it as "completely inoffensive" and added that the song matched with Bunton's "fragile, little girl vocals". Dale Price of the Drowned in Sound named the song the best solo track released by any of the Spice Girls, commenting that it "comes as a complete bolt from the blue". He described the instrumental introduction as "Chris Isaak making a concerted effort to go pop", and complimented the vocals and the production. Some reviewers had mixed opinions about the production. Writing for Stylus Magazine, Dom Passantino was critical of the song. He commented that to have a number one, Bunton had to "channel the spirit of Lene Marlin from a mere