The top 5 best Spice Girls songs

I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig, ah

Published 26th Mar 2020
Last updated 6th Apr 2021

The Spice Girls formed in 1994, and to date, are the best-selling girl group of all time. Emma Bunton, Mel B, Geri Horner (nee Halliwell), Mel C and Victoria Beckham are responsible for some incredible tunes - which you can hear on Magic Radio!

Of course, the band had a huge amount of beloved songs, but here are five of our favourites...

1) 'Wannabe' (1996)

As their debut single, this was the song that propelled the Spice Girls into stardom! 'Wannabe' won Best Single at the 1997 BRIT Awards, and was one of the most iconic songs in the group's 'Girl Power' philosophy.

2) 'Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)' (2007)

This was written for the girls' Greatest Hits album, and was their first single to be released since Geri (Ginger Spice) left the band in 1998! It reached No.11 in the UK charts, but was remembered for its emotional lyrics about the band reuniting.

3) '2 Become 1' (1996)

This song was inspired by the 'special relationship' developing between Geri and Matt Rowe, one of the group's writers. The ballad came from their debut album 'Spice', and was the group's first Christmas No.1 in the UK!

4) 'Say You'll Be There' (1996)

This was the Spice Girls' second UK No.1. It was released as the second single from their debut album 'Spice', and is particularly remembered for its music video starring the girls as techno warriors! 'Say You'll Be There' was nominated at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, and again at the BRITs in the same year.

5) 'Spice Up Your Life' (1997)

Possibly the Spice Girls' most iconic song, this was taken from the group's second album 'Spiceworld'. Its Latin and Bollywood influences make this such a fun dance-pop song. Ahhhhh... slam it to the left!

The Spice Girls have been very successful over the years, from winning multiple BRIT Awards to getting three consecutive Christmas Number 1s!

Check out the Spice Girls through the years...

Spice Girls

The Spice Girls formed in 1994 after replying to an advert posted in a trade magazine looking for singers and dancers.

'Wannabe'

In 1996, the Spice Girls released their debut single 'Wannabe' which reached Number 1 in the UK and was certified 2x Platinum in the UK.

'Spice'

In November 1996, the debut album from the Spice Girls 'Spice' was released. It went to Number 1 around the world and was certified 10× Platinum in the UK.

'2 become 1'

'2 Become 1' was the Spice Girls' first Christmas Number 1. Moving away from their upbeat pop, '2 Become 1' was a slow pop ballad, which sold over 1,200,000 copies, certifying it 2x Platinum in the UK.

Geri Halliwell's iconic Union Jack dress

The Spice Girls gave an iconic performance at the BRIT Awards in 1997, singing 'Who Do You Think You Are' - also known as when Geri Halliwell wore THAT Union Jack dress which is influential to this day.

Spice Girls won multiple BRIT Awards

Over the years, the Spice Girls have won multiple BRIT Awards including Best British Single for 'Wannabe' and Best British Video for 'Say You'll Be There' in 1997. They also picked up, the Outstanding Contribution Award in 2000.

'Spiceworld' (album)

'Spiceworld' was the Spice Girls' second studio album to be released in 1997. As before, it was incredibly popular and went to Number 1 around the world, selling over 1.5 million copies in the UK.

Spice World (film)

In 1997, Spice World the film was released. The girls promoted their film at the annual Cannes film festival held in the South of France.


The film starred all five members of the group along with Richard E. Grant, Claire Rushbrook, Naoko Mori, Meat Loaf, Barry Humphries, and Alan Cumming.

'Too Much'

'Too Much' became the Spice Girls' second Christmas Number 1 in the UK. The girls' fifth single went Platinum, selling 682,000 copies and stayed at the top for two weeks.

Geri left the Spice Girls

In May 1997, Geri left the Spice Girls. In a statement released through her solicitor, she said, "Sadly I would like to confirm that I have left the Spice Girls. This is because of differences between us. I'm sure the group will continue to be successful and I wish them all the best."

'Goodbye'

'Goodbye' was the group's third consecutive Christmas Number 1, this time as a quartet. The girls became the first act to have three consecutive Christmas Number 1s since The Beatles in 1965.

Spiceworld Tour

The Spice Girls took to the road on their 'Spiceworld' Tour. Starting in Ireland and the UK with Geri, in February 1998, they continued after she left at the end of May, to mainland Europe and the USA.

Christmas in Spiceworld Tour

This eight-day tour saw the Spice Girls (without Geri) perform in Manchester and London in December 1999.

'Forever' (album)

The Spice Girls' third and - as yet - final studio album 'Forever' was released in 2000 and spawned singles 'Goodbye' and the double A-side 'Holler'/'Let Love Lead the Way'.

The Return of the Spice Girls tour

In 2007, the Spice Girls reunited as a group of five, and went on their 'The Return of the Spice Girls' tour. They performed across the UK, mainland Europe and the USA.

Spice Girls perform at the Olympics

The Spice Girls reunited once again in 2012 for the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. Their spectacular performance saw them standing on top to black cabs whilst they were singing.

GEM - mini reunion

In 2016, on the 20th anniversary of 'Wannabe', Emma, Mel B and Geri had a mini-reunion. They posted a video saying they would be back under a different name - GEM (named after their collective initials). Despite this video, nothing was released.

Spice Girls reunite in 2018

In 2018, Spice Girls fans all over the world went wild when it was confirmed that all five of the Spice Girls had met up at Geri's house, along with their former manager Simon Fuller.
Since the initial meeting back in February there have been continued rumours that we could see a full reunion.

2019 tour

Off the back of their reunion on 2018, the Spice Girls - minus Posh Spice - embarked on a nationwide tour sell-out performing all of of their greatest hits.

2020 pandemic

In the 2020 global coronavirus pandemic, the girls tried their best to unite fans on social media and posted endless throwback videos of better times.

2021: Celebrating 25 years

In October 2021, to celebrate 25 years since the release of their debut album, Spice, the girls released a deluxe edition of the album featuring bonus tracks, b-sides and previously unheard recordings. Curated by the band, 'Spice25' was released as a 2CD set inside an A5 hardback book.

2022: Spice Girls TV documentary

All five members of the Spice Girls will be reuniting for a TV documentary made by the same team behind Netflix's Emmy-winning Michael Jordan series The Last Dance.
They have also teased Spiceworld25, with Mel C telling OK! magazine: "You need to stay tuned to hear more. There will be big celebrations in the coming months, I can say that."

2022: Spice Girls re-released 'Spiceworld' to celebrate its 25th anniversary

Celebrating their second album's 25th anniversary, Spice Girls re-released 'Spiceworld' with extra material. They also released a brand new music video, an alternative version to 'Spice Up Your Life'.

2023: Melanie C reveals that 'all' the Spice Girls would like to perform at Glastonbury

Melanie C got fans excited about the prospect of a potential future Spice Girls reunion by confirming that 'all' members of the band would like to perform at Glastonbury. Melanie performed at the iconic festival in 2023.
She said: "All of the Spice Girls would like to play Glasto, that is the truth. Like I said to the audience on Saturday night, doing a couple of Spice Girls songs, 'A bit of a warm-up for next year?'
"They're rehearsed, they know the words, they're ready. So, if I can drag the other girls along...I say 'drag' the other girls along - all of the Spice Girls would like to play Glasto, that is the truth."

2024: Spice Girls stamps

In January 2024, a series of Spice Girls stamps was released. The stamps include individual stamps for each member of the group and group shots from iconic performances such as The BRITs in 1997 and the 2012 Olympics in London.

You can hear the Spice Girls' biggest hits on the Magic Radio playlist! Listen to Magic Radio now.

WATCH: Richard E Grant reminisces about Spice World at BFI London Film Festival

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