I think I did this on Spice Circle before let's see what the results are on here. The Spice Girls had their fair share of just missing out on the #1 spot and hitting #2. Say you had the power to push one of those #2s over the line and give them one more #1 either as a group or solo, who gets it and why?

The choices

Spice Girls

Stop - The first of any Spice release to miss the top spot. If Stop had gotten to #1 then Spice Girls would have achieved 10 consecutive #1 hits from debut giving them the record. (Westlife took it from them when they achieved their 7th #1 single).

Forever - The first album not to hit the top spot. It stalled at #2 (beaten by Westlife again!!!). Whether it was already planned or not, promotion was wrapped up immediately after and the album left to flounder. Perhaps a #1 would have seen them continue to promote with another single or even a tour allowing the album to continue selling and being a bigger success. It would also have seen them obtain #1 albums in two different decades alongside #1 singles in two different decades making them the only girl band to achieve this.

The Greatest Hits - The comeback release went up against the unbeatable (at the time) Leona Lewis after they moved it back a week to avoid going up against Westlife again following Louis Walsh trying to stir up another chart battle saying he would move the album date to whichever week they released (although they chose not to face Leona). A #1 from the Greatest Hits would have given them a #1 in the reunion era as Forever had Holler / LLTW give them a #1 in that era, and Headlines gave them a double #1 instead at #11. It would also have seen them obtain #1 albums in two different decades alongside #1 singles in two different decades making them the only girl band to achieve this.

Geri Halliwell

Look at me - Geri's first released missed the top spot by barely anything. A second CD release with a different tracklisting and cover could potentially have seen her beat Boyzone who had that for their release. A #1 from first single would have seen Geri obtain 5 consecutive #1s making her the only British female to obtain this record (she currently has it with 4). It would also have kept her record as British female with the most #1s until 2018 (tied with Cheryl in 2014 and later Jess Glynne in 2015). She would also be the only British female to achieve 5 consecutive #1s from debut.

Emma Bunton

What I am - Emma's first release was beaten to #1 by Geri with Lift me up. It would have quite the effect on current records as Emma would tie with Melanie C as the British female to feature on the most #1 singles (if we don't include Melanie C's feature on The Justice Collective), and Geri would be bumped down into second place (currently shared with Emma and Melanie B). It would also mean Emma would have two #1s to her name while Geri had three and would also take away Geri's record of being the only female artist to have 4 consecutive #1 singles in a row as she would have just two in a row making her, Emma and Melanie C have the same amount.

Victoria Beckham

Out of your mind - Victoria's debut release was beaten to the top spot by Sophie Ellis-Bextor. If Victoria achieved the top spot then Spice Girls would be the only band to have all of it's members achieve a solo #1 single. They currently hold the record with 4 members of the group achieving it.

I went for Forever here. A girlband with a studio albums 100% #1 record is more impressive than giving Stop a #1 especially as Stop is already more fondly remembered than a good portion of their #1s anyways!

Edit: So I do kinda also wanna huge VB her flowers here and have all of them achieve at least one solo number one single but again I actually think to the GP that Out of Your Mind is more memorable and recognisable to the GP than what Mel Bs #1 is (and some of Geris too).

Edited July 6Jul 6 by Jordanlee1402

Out Of Your Mind as then all girls have a solo number 1 !!

Def something dodgy happened on that Saturday

I'm gravitating towards 'Look At Me' as it's my favourite Geri song and Boyzone were underwhelming competition.

'Stop' does feel iconic and it's a shame their consecutive run of #1 hits, ahem, stopped - but I am fond of 'It's Like That' too, the song that blocked them.

I was just about to out Stop, essy question, then saw VB, who had her no.1 cruelly stolw. 180k in one week!! That's a no.1.

29 minutes ago, vibe said:

Out Of Your Mind as then all girls have a solo number 1 !!

Def something dodgy happened on that Saturday

Agreed!! Very didgy. The press was obsessed with her, too. Any other week and even their shenanigans woulfn't have worked.

I was set to give Victoria her deservedly number one so all of them could have number one but then I decided to go with Stop. I think that number two changed the whole course of the spice girls history. Mostly Geri wouldn’t have left right in the middle of the tour if she saw signs that the girls’ popularity was waning. Plus, ten number one straight.

Wow this is actually a tough question! There's reasons why I'd like all of them to be #1! Mostly repeating what Spiceboy has said really lol but I wrote this anyway 😆

I do wonder if Forever getting to #1 might have made the girls feel it was worthwhile continuing the era. But on the other hand, if it had got to #1, they might have still faced bad press if it had fallen sharply in the second week (remembering that Forever went 2-16... but it's hard to say whether Forever might have had a stronger second week if it had the impact of being a #1 album).

Stop being #1 and giving them 10 #1s in a row would be iconic and a highly memorable stat... and it deserved it! I will always wish it had come out a week earlier and had a solid chance of outselling Celine Dion.

Victoria having a #1 debut could have completely altered the perception of her as a solo artist. It's wild that a #2 peak set off the narrative that she was a flop.

Geri having 5 #1s in a row from debut would have been so cool, and it'll always be frustrating that her reaching #2 was more of a self-inflicted own goal moment because of the lack of a CD2. EMI seriously dropped the ball for her there.

Spice Girls having a #1 Greatest Hits would feel so right, after all it contains so many #1s, yet all those #1s together resulted in a #2 lol...

I think I'm least fussed about Emma getting to #1 with her debut. The best scenario would have been her releasing in a separate week to Geri and them both having a turn at #1. Although that chart battle is a one of the most memorable moments in chart history for me personally.

Ahhhh I want them all to be #1 but I think I'll go with Stop. It would have just be such a grand achievement. Although it being a #2 did in its own strange way make it stand out. I kind of wonder if it had gone to #1, whether this would have prevented Geri from feeling like leaving - or whether she would have done anyway regardless. We know she was quite obsessed with chart peaks.

I find it very hard to choose between Stop, Forever and Out of your mind! 😂

I ruled Geri out because she had 4 other #1s and has the record for most consecutive #1s of any female in the UK anyway... she doesn't need another one as much!

I ruled Emma out because... it's my least favourite entry on there. A cover (which tbf is decent enough) and also would take away Geri's record. I'll always prefer Lift me up due to it being an original song and also it holds very fond memories for me as a deaf person with it's signed performances.

The Greatest Hits was up against Leona who was a bit of a phenomenon at the time so I really felt no shame in them losing that one, another female too so girl power and all that.

Out of your mind, would have been great for all the girls to get a solo #1 each, I've always felt for Victoria not quite managing it.

Stop is probably the one I am gearing most towards, an unbroken string of 10 #1s in a row would be amazing!

Forever - to shut up Louis Walsh! Plus 100% #1 studio albums for a girl group would be so cool too... but then again it might have given the press a heyday to use against them with the GH missing the top spot...

Also if you included #3s there would be:

• When you're gone (Melanie C and Bryan Adams single)

• Downtown (Emma Bunton single)

• This groove / Let your head go (Victoria single)

Would any of these change your vote?

I’d go with look at me - it’s not my fave of the lot but certainly is better than the dire boy zone song that kept it off number one

2 hours ago, Spiceboy said:

Also if you included #3s there would be:

• When you're gone (Melanie C and Bryan Adams single)

• Downtown (Emma Bunton single)

• This groove / Let your head go (Victoria single)

Would any of these change your vote?

"This Groove/ Let Your Head Go" - of course. She really deserved that number one that week. Plus, I think it would likely push her and Telstar to release the second album in that spring (before they went bankrupt).

Definitly Forever, for the various reasons. It was such a great album and deserved better recognition. Sadly them landing at #2 was such a slap and the press really went to town on them for it. Even it dropped harshly in the following week, I think it would have at least given them a clean slate of #1 albums at the time which was unheard of for most groups, let alone girlbands.

Then, I think it would have really pissed of Westlife and that asshole Louis. What a f***ing plage for the music industry they were (and Louis Walsh was a viper and should have absolutely been cancelled back then let alone wait until last year for him to get his rightly public cancellation!)

Plus, I think it would have given them a bit more confidence as a 4-piece. It really did a number on them as a group to not succeed with Forever. It reinforced the (wrong) idea that they were nothing without Geri, and also that the group was 'over'. I think it also gave amunition for Mel C to put a stop to all campaigning.

Stop and What I Am would have also been cute but both were hits nonetheless, and Stop ultimately got its dues at least, I think those are less important.

What I Am, I don't care much for it. But I HATED that they went against each other and that Geri basically sold her soul to win the chart battle. It was a sad, sad moment in Spiceworld, in my opinion, and just reinforced that I was kind of done with Geri. True, both of them could have moved it but I think their record lable wanted the chart battle. I just wish that Geri wasn't so obviously and publicly turned on by it! So after Forever I would have picked that one. Plus I don't think Geri deserved it at all, the song was f***ing rubbish (and rightly forgotten nowadays lol)

4 hours ago, Rebel said:

I was set to give Victoria her deservedly number one so all of them could have number one but then I decided to go with Stop. I think that number two changed the whole course of the spice girls history. Mostly Geri wouldn’t have left right in the middle of the tour if she saw signs that the girls’ popularity was waning. Plus, ten number one straight.

That is true... she left because of that. She even admitted it once. Ego Spice has always been that way.

5 hours ago, Rebel said:

I was set to give Victoria her deservedly number one so all of them could have number one but then I decided to go with Stop. I think that number two changed the whole course of the spice girls history. Mostly Geri wouldn’t have left right in the middle of the tour if she saw signs that the girls’ popularity was waning. Plus, ten number one straight.

this is a very good point that I hadnt considered actually. Not so much about Stop but the relenteless anti-Spice press while they were on tour and then she saw that Stop also didn't get to #1 and probably jumped ship so that she could 'get ahead' with her solo career... clever, but not wise in the long run

I know it's not an option here, but I have always wished Spiceworld the album would have made no 1 in the USA. It charted "low" at number 8, with around 80,000 sales in it's first week, but sales increased in the second week and sales increased week on week, before peaking at no 3. I remember when sales were increasing, Virgin said "it's not important who arrives at the party first but it's the guest that stays and continues to party." After a modest start, it became a solid seller and eventually outsold a lot of no 1 albums in 97 and 98. I wish it had managed to climb to no1, but alas, was not meant to be.

In the end I went with Stop, the lure of 10 consecutive #1s was too great for me. Second was OOYM for Victoria as I think they truly did all deserve to have a solo #1 to their name.

#justiceforvictoria

I kind of almost feel like 'Stop' is more iconic in pop culture for having not reached #1.

On balance I've decided to give it to Vicky B. Probably should've released it in a different week, but it gave us the most memorable chart battle of the century (and this side of Blur vs Oasis) which probably boosted its sales as a result anyway.

Honestly all of these deserved the #1

Edited July 7Jul 7 by Hima22