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.