I have been a Spice Girls fan since Wannabe was released in '96 and to this day, 15 years later, I stay a Spice Boy. Always will be I reckon.
Here's a playlist of some their best b-sides, album tracks, and unreleased songs as a group and as solo artists. Spice Girls forever ya'll!
1. "One of these Girls" by Spice Girls
We just come as a one,
doing mmmmn, mmmmn and a whoah yeah!
An intro to Baby, Scary, Ginger, Posh, and Sporty (in this order). Indulgent, me-me, teen pop at its finest, well, that is if you're a Spice fan.
2. "Walk of Life" by Spice Girls
Rockin' rhythm at the rasta club, singin' in the dark and heart thumpin'...
Reggae + Spice Girls = Poptastic! I remember buying the cassette of the soundtrack of Sabrina the Teenage Witch only so I could get a listen to and get a copy of this track. Man did that strip of the tape wear out! LOLs.
Zing zinga zinga, zing zah!!!
3. "Last Time Lover" by Spice Girls
Someone fine, always steady, gentle hands, dirty mind...
Funky, sexy, and groovy. This pop gem didn't get overplayed until I got an iPod. I particularly love the verses with Mel B on lead and Emma doing harmonies.
4. "My Strongest Suit" by Spice Girls
That in negligee or formal I am anything but normal...
So Christmas-y this song! Perks me up every time, without fail. I wonder what this would've sounded like with Geri's vocals in it though. Perhaps verses would've been distributed better like "Stop" was.
5. "Do It" by Spice Girls
Give a little respect to me and it will be returned...
While I love all the songs in Spice World, I love this one a little more than the rest. If Ally McBeal's pick-up song was "Tell Him," this would be mine. So just come on and do it!
6. "W.O.M.A.N. (Live at Earl's Court Concert 1999)
Now we know what's goin' on this time we're strong in our feet...
Had it been recorded, I imagine this would've been an anthemic disco-pop track, what with its "We Are Family"-inspired beats. Sucks that only "Right Back At Ya" made it in the Forever tracklist (albeit too, too Americanized). I love it how the live track started with Emma saying, "I know these people keep telling you to sit down but if you want to dance, just dance."
7. "Step to Me" by Spice Girls
What do you think I am some kind of pussy cat?
An exclusive Pepsi single, this song had another version with Geri doing the rap. Different twist. My favorite part is the pre-chrous with Emma and Victoria taking turns. This should've been a single! It's too wicked not to have been one.
8. "Spice Invaders" by Spice Girls
Ignoring your conscience allows you to justify everything, don't you agree?
To this day, only the Spice Girls can get together, converse about the most arbitrary things, record it, and call it a song. This wouldn't make sense or sound good if you're not a die-hard Spice fan. Regardless, it's a pretty entertaining 3 minutes and 45 seconds that will bring you to the set of their movie, the part with them in colorful bathrobes.
9. "Something Kinda Funny" by Spice Girls
Rules are for fools, and fool's paradise is hard to find...
Funky, pop treat this is. A little trivia. As the song fades, turn up the volume and you hear Geri saying melodically, "We got it going on," as Emma sings adlibs. I love discovering bits like these in songs I've already listened hundreds of times to, makes them sound brand new to me somehow.
10. "Weekend Love" by Spice Girls
What we had was good but there's much more better...
One of the strongest pop-R&B tracks in
Forever. Emma's "la la la la la la" was sweet. Victoria's adlib was a revelation and perfect to a point, so were Mel C's with her trademark long notes. Mel B's rap was infectious. So why wasn't this released as a single? Oh yeah, the Spicies decided it was time for a break to pursue their solo projects. Tsk tsk.
11. "You Are" by Emma Bunton
I wanna thank you for the love you bring to my life...
Simple, sunny pop songs like this is Emma's strong suit. It paints rainbows and butterflies in the sky. If it were released, her freckled close-up on her first album could've been a fitting cover.
12. "Undressing You" by Emma Bunton
And all of the old records I play remind me of you...
Emma surprises in this one, singing about a woman lusting about a man she just met. The agony in her longing is especially conveyed in the last part where she sings "it's hard to hold it" again and again with some long "yeah"s interspersed in between.
13. "Sometime" by Geri Halliwell
I'm a living breathing contradiction, can't go through this crucifixion... An aphrodisiac rejection, immaculate is our conception...
A pop masterpiece in Geri's repertoire. It's creative, imaginative, and Ginger at her best.
14. "There's Always Tomorrow" by Geri Halliwell
La vie est courte (life is short), too beautiful for you to worry...
There's an inconsistency in this song. The music alludes to Spain, but the lyrics curtsies to France. Ambivalent, this one. Optimistic words written against nostalgic, melancholic sounds.
15. "What If I Stay?" by Melanie C
I lie awake just looking at your face, and I remember how you used to look at mine...
Mel C goes folk acoustic, and it works. One of her most (if not her most) vulnerable songs. Regret. Longing. Wishful thinking.
16. "Suddenly Monday" by Melanie C
Maybe I should and maybe you would, maybe tonight if only we could...
I loved this song from the second I heard it. Oh unrequited love, it makes me wonder how you kill and bring to life at the same time. You truly are a mystery.
17. "Be With You" by Victoria Beckham
I go to pieces every time you're near, without you I won't survive...With a little update on its music, I imagine this playing in the radio today. I really feel bad that her sophomore album, Open Your Eyes, never got release. This dance ditty should've been reason enough.
18. "Me And You This Time" by Victoria Beckham
And when you're driving to the side your profile turns me on...
Victoria channels a thug, ghetto, glam diva on this one. It works to various degrees of success. Not her best, but it's an interesting selection from Posh.
19. "Whose Is It?" by Melanie B
Yeah I'm British!
Say what?
The A-List are not the A-list!
UK invades the US! Thick Leeds-accent, throat-y voice, naughty attitude, hip-hop beats, femme fetale lyrics. "It's mine, it's mine, it's mine, it's mine" Scary chants, referring to her man's ass.
20. "Stay in Bed Days" by Melanie B
Acting kinda crazy, yeah this works for me...
Feet-stomping, sunny song about wanting to do nothing but stay in bed. Wicked vocals on this one. Guest vocals, albeit unnecessary, from then baby daughter Phoenix Chi.
Notes:
1. Normally, I will put up images of the albums where the songs can be found. Indulge this Spice boy for this post please.
2. I spent the entire Saturday creating this post, looking for the perfect photos. I wanted to put here images not rarely published, much as these songs are rarely played or featured.
3. Thank you to all the owners of images used. Cheers!
