Block Rockin' Beats would be a contender for my favourite this year! Not as good as Setting Sun, but that's a high bar and it's still a brilliant big beat song, a staple of my running playlist x Quite like the two Spice Girls songs and Aqua is a classic cleverer-than-it-looks song.

I've grown to like Who Do You Think You Are? over time. I still think Spice Up Your Life is one of if not their worst singles and yes that includes Headlines. I just greats on me for some reason.

10 hours ago, Jester said:

9. Spice Girls - Spice Up Your Life

Number 1 for 1 week, October

AI summary: Spice Up Your Life launched the Spice Girls’ second album with a carnival of chaos and colour. A Latin-tinged rallying cry for global girl power, it debuted at number one and marked their fifth chart-topper in under two years. With its “zig-a-zig-ah” energy dialled to eleven, the song doubled down on their mission to be everywhere — from Pepsi ads to movie screens. The futuristic video and relentless tempo made it a whirlwind opener for Spiceworld, capturing the band at their most maximalist and magnetic.

My take: I think this is the most contemporary sounding Spice Girls song and got us out of the never ending depression of Candle In The Wind back in October 97. It really was a Spiceworld by this point, they were literally everywhere! This really is a hyper pop song and helped me with my left (slam it) and right (shake it).

Wait what??? It's Slam it to the left? I've been singing Stomach to the left for the past 28 years! I mean I know my one doesn't make sense but still I just feel silly now.🤦‍♂️

I rate 'Spice Up Your Life' as one of their best, it's quite a ride and I appreciate how bonkers it is.

I truly don't think I've heard 'Mama' since the 90s, you never hear that one anymore but 'Who Do You Think You Are' seems to still be played a lot.

30 minutes ago, Jessie Where said:

I rate 'Spice Up Your Life' as one of their best, it's quite a ride and I appreciate how bonkers it is.

I truly don't think I've heard 'Mama' since the 90s, you never hear that one anymore but 'Who Do You Think You Are' seems to still be played a lot.

Agreed. I still hear Who Do You Think You Are on the radio at least once every few months. That and Stop are the Spice Girls songs I hear out and about.

Two great Spice tracks there, the charity video is great , I think I like the song more than I did at the time (and I did like it a lot), but my preference was always Spice Up Your Life, that's a romp. Is there Spice Boys footage, that must be a period piece early slice of 90's iconic-dom now 😄

1 hour ago, Popchartfreak said:

Two great Spice tracks there, the charity video is great , I think I like the song more than I did at the time (and I did like it a lot), but my preference was always Spice Up Your Life, that's a romp. Is there Spice Boys footage, that must be a period piece early slice of 90's iconic-dom now 😄

Sadly no video, was actually in 2001 🤣

8. Tori Amos - Professional Widow (It’s Got To Be Big)

1 week at number 1, January

AI summary: Originally a harpsichord-driven baroque rock track from Boys for Pele, “Professional Widow” was transformed into a club juggernaut by Armand Van Helden’s remix. The reworked version—subtitled It’s Got To Be Big—hit #1 on 11 January 1997, spending 1 week at the top, 5 weeks in the Top 10, and 15 weeks in the Top 100. The remix’s pounding house beats and provocative vocal snippets (“It’s gotta be big”) made it a dancefloor staple, while the original’s rumored inspiration—Courtney Love—added a layer of rock mythology. It also topped the US Billboard Dance chart, showcasing Amos’s unexpected crossover into club culture.

My take: Well, Armand Van Helden certainly worked his magic on this absolute banger! This was Tori's only number 1, but with a cracker like this, who needs another?!

7. Oasis - D’You Know What I Mean?

Number 1 for 1 week, July

AI summary: Oasis thundered back with the lead single from Be Here Now, a sprawling 7-minute Britpop epic that fused swagger, Morse code samples, and Beatles nods into a wall of sound. “D’You Know What I Mean?” debuted at #1 on 19 July 1997, spending 1 week at the summit, 3 weeks in the Top 10, and 12 weeks in the Top 100. The track’s cryptic lyrics and cinematic video—filmed in a post-apocalyptic wasteland—cemented Oasis’s mythic status at the peak of their fame. Noel Gallagher described it as a mission statement: defiant, introspective, and colossal. It also cheekily sampled N.W.A’s “Straight Outta Compton,” blending Britpop with hip-hop bravado.

My take: Immense, sprawling, thunderous, epic - those words certainly apply to this. Bloated as well I think, it was the start of 'too big for their boots' Oasis. The video had parka and helicopters (and Liam looked oh so cool), the song had morse code and a huge wall of sound. This was massive (though not lengthy number 1 as it matched the 1 week of each of their chart toppers) but it lacked the quality of their first two albums. Follow up Stand By Me was miles better.

While I like Tori, and Armand (future chart topper for me), the repeat sampling on Professional Widow just annoyed me, though I'm sure it's fab in a club. I likes me Tori on slower numbers on the whole, like her recent fab cover of A Nightingale Sang In Berkely Square. Oasis, bloated and ambitious and Beatles-ey, what's not to like! 😄

Pleased 'Spice Up Your Life' has come out on top for their 1997 chart-toppers as that is definitely the case for me too. Poorly aged "yellow man" lyric aside, it's generally fab, inviting fun both lyrically and in sound with that carnival feel.

The Be Here Now album is a bit of a chop for me on the whole, far too much bloat, but I do get some enjoyment from 'D'You Know What I Mean?' as a standalone song. Hats off to them for being both predictable (Beatles pastiche galore - 'Strawberry Fields Forever' inspired morse code, plus 'Fool On The Hill' and 'I Feel Fine' lyrical mentions) and unpredictable, coming back with an almost 8 minute song, with a 2 minute wait before the drums come in.

I guess 'Professional Widow' was a 'Summertime Sadness' moment a couple of decades before Lana. I have a lot of time for Tori's usual style but actually really like this dance makeover too.

Spice Up Your Life is my favourite of the first four in the top ten, and was a big, bold comeback that fit them so well that is still played a lot on the radio, although they had become so conscious of their brand impact around this point so for me it had to be big and self referential but at the same time with that it lost some of the more simple innocence of the singles from the first album, which were written as great pop records, and not great pop records to advance the Spice Girls brand. A minor issue, but one that stops it being a 10/10 for me.

Who Do You Think You Are is decent and catchy, but not one I really love myself. Fun for Comic Relief though.

Professional Widow was a very good example of a transformative remix, and so cool to see Tori get a No.1 to her name, although I prefer the likes of Winter, Silent All These Years and Cornflake Girl.

Not a fan of the Oasis song, and agree that Stand By Me is better, but see why this was chosen as the lead as it fits the lairy, swagger, Liam-fronted template of most of their other lead singles since 1997. It was certainly big in sound, scope and ambition but still fell flat for me. I think it was my least favourite song performed at their Wembley show I saw in September.

6. Various Artists – Perfect Day

Number 1 for 2 weeks (in 1997), November

AI summary: A charity single with star power and emotional pull, “Perfect Day” brought together Elton John, Bowie, Bono, and more in a seamless cover of Lou Reed’s classic. Originally a BBC promo, it became a Children in Need fundraiser and a chart phenomenon, debuting at No.1 and staying there for two weeks. With 22 weeks on the chart, it proved that collaboration and nostalgia could strike a chord—and raise millions.

My take: I'd been a big fan of this beautiful song since Trainspotting the year before. This, though, is probably the best charity record ever (or as near as damn it) - what star power! Its stunning, bittersweet and uplifting at the same time all while making tons of money for Children in Need. A classic.

I've just watched the Perfect Day video for the first time in ages, it really is good. I'd forgotten how varied the acts were (even though that was the original point of the BBC advert) and in particular I'd forgotten that the wonderful Emmylou Harris was on it - and with two lines! Lovely to see Joan Armatrading on it too.

Tori was such a surprise #1 for me. It had definitely been a huge dance track over 1996 and I knew that loads of my friends thought it was great and knew it from the Ministry of Sound Annual II compilation, but I never dreamed it would enter at #2 let alone climb above the Spice Girls to make #1. Obviously I adore Tori's usual style as she's one of my favourite ever artists, but I actually prefer this dance version to the original track - the original on the Boys For Pele album is actually a really difficult and abrasive listen.

And then we have the comeback from Oasis... I like this one, I don't love it like their best singles but it was still my favourite from the album. I prefer the slightly more restrained re-recording that Noel Gallagher put out on one of the anniversary editions of the album.

I don't think I can recall hearing Perfect Day at the time. What on earth was I doing??

I remember it from the time as it must have been on the TV a lot because it was a charity record.

It was an advert first, but then the demand was high so they released it as a single

Perfect Day is either the best or second-best charity ensemble record ever. Band Aid is prob the most beloved, but Perfect Day is class, the variety of acts should not work at all, especially on a sombre Lou Reed cover, but it's goose-bump-time in places.

Yeah it's a great charity record, with a largely A-list cast, which helps. Some very memorable vocal performances from the likes of Tom Jones, Heather Small, Lesley Garrett and Emmylou Harris in particular. The diversity of artists and genres made this stand out. They tried to recreate that magic a few times in subsequent years with covers of It's Only Rock & Roll and God Only Knows, but they just didn't flow as well nor were as thoughtfully and respectfully put together.

5. No Doubt – Don’t Speak

3 weeks at number 1, February/March

AI summary: Originally a love song, Don’t Speak was rewritten after Gwen Stefani’s breakup with bassist Tony Kanal, turning it into a raw, emotional ballad. Its blend of pop-rock and aching vulnerability made it a global hit, with Gwen’s vocal performance and the band’s restrained arrangement striking a chord far beyond ska-punk roots.

My take: I wanted this song so much, I bought the album, Tragic Kingdom, ahread of the single release. A great pop/rock song that endures as a classic to this day.