As hard as it may be to imagine, today (July 20) marks twenty years since the Spice Girls burst on to the pop scene with the release of their debut single ‘Wannabe’. I was only two days shy of my first birthday on the day of the release, but I was captivated as soon as I heard those iconic footsteps and Mel B’s cackle that dominate the first four seconds of the group’s most recognisable hit.
To celebrate the big anniversary of the world’s favourite girl band, I have ranked all thirteen of the Spice Girls’ singles from worst to best, so please reminisce with me and take a walk through this Girl Power fuelled memory lane.
13. ‘Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)’
Of course 2007’s ‘Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)’ is the Spice Girls’ worst single. Don’t promise a reunion from the biggest girl group of all time and then deliver this. I’m still bitter as you can tell.
12. ‘Let Love Lead The Way’
So we’ve established that the Spice Girls didn’t return in style, but they didn’t exactly leave in style either. Their final single definitely didn’t live up to previous hits.
11. ‘Mama’
‘Mama’ is probably the Spice Girls’ cutest single, but it’s also probably one of the most boring tracks they ever recorded.
10. ‘Goodbye’
Ok, I just don’t really like most of their ballads…
9. ‘Holler’
Ah, this is more like it. The girls kicked off their ‘Forever’ album campaign with an absolute banger. The only problem was it sounded absolutely nothing like the Spice Girls.
8. ‘2 Become 1’
Now we’re on to the Spice Girls ballads that I actually really love. ‘2 Become 1’ still makes me feel so Christmassy and it’s one of the first added to my over gay Christmas playlist every year.
7. ‘Viva Forever’
This still sometimes makes me well up. See ya Ginger!
6. ‘Who Do You Think You Are’
This is just classic Spice Girls, isn’t it? Try and listen to it and not just imagine the Union Jack dress.
5. ‘Too Much’
This is, without a shadow of a doubt, my all time favourite Spice Girls ballad. The orchestral version of this track is absolutely stunning too.
4. ‘Say You’ll Be There’
The song that stopped the Spice Girls from being a one-hit wonder and made them the biggest girl group on the planet. Aren’t we all eternally grateful for this one?
3. ‘Stop’
It is STILL the biggest injustice in pop that this was the only Spice Girls single to not reach number one (apart from ‘Headlines’ but we’re pretending that one didn’t happen, ok?)
2. ‘Wannabe’
CONTROVERISAL. The song that kicked it all off and the reason why we are celebrating today is not, in my opinion anyway, the Spice Girls’ best single. It might not be my personal favourite, but it is a bloody great pop song isn’t it?
1. ‘Spice Up Your Life’
That means that number one and what I believe is the Spice Girls’ best single is ‘Spice Up Your Life’. This song just screams Spice Girls to me. Even now, just two days shy of my twenty first birthday, this song still excites me from the get go.
The only thing left to say now is: Scary, Baby, Ginger, Posh, and Sporty… Happy Birthday!
