Posted December 19, 2025Dec 19 If Spice Girls had done the right thing and come back IMMEDIATELY after Goodbye with a new pop bop, which pop bop should it have been? Bear in mind, at this point the right single could have done w00/300k in fitst week sales...Would you have gone thematic, but more generic sounding, with Right Back At Ya, with a traditional, energetic, crazy Spice Girls lead with Woman, or gone left field with Pain Proof, to get attention over them "going rock"?For me, I THINK I'd go with Right Back At Ya, for the theme, then follow up with W.O.M.A.N as second and Pain Proof third. Woman is by far the best, but it would have smashed as first or second. Pain Proof needs tweaking, as going from Mel C's opening rock verse to VB's Lana Del Rey-style ballad vocals is ... a choice Edited December 19, 2025Dec 19 by December Dong
December 19, 2025Dec 19 Interesting discussion, though I think you are missing Holler from the Poll. It was done and ready in 1999!I would have gone with WOMAN as it was a perfect disco-pop to launch a Spice album with. Had they finished the song and cleaned up some of those verses, I think it would have been a huge hit.The main reason is because I feel that Woman is a progression from their pop sound and the disco-pop thing would stand out from the rest of the industry that was turning to American R&B. So they would lead rather than follow trends!Plus, it is a total bop. I think Right Back At Ya (Pop version) is great and could serve as a post-album single or even for a Forever single in 2000 as I still think they should have kept the original sound as it still fitted the album in my opinion. Pain Proof, no, sorry. Thematically is fun but it is at best b-side material. It would have gone great as a b-side for a more mid-tempo single, for instance. But in my opinion it is too cringe and self-indulgent for even an album track.
December 19, 2025Dec 19 Author 13 minutes ago, Mr.X said:Interesting discussion, though I think you are missing Holler from the Poll. It was done and ready in 1999!I would have gone with WOMAN as it was a perfect disco-pop to launch a Spice album with. Had they finished the song and cleaned up some of those verses, I think it would have been a huge hit.The main reason is because I feel that Woman is a progression from their pop sound and the disco-pop thing would stand out from the rest of the industry that was turning to American R&B. So they would lead rather than follow trends!Plus, it is a total bop. I think Right Back At Ya (Pop version) is great and could serve as a post-album single or even for a Forever single in 2000 as I still think they should have kept the original sound as it still fitted the album in my opinion.Pain Proof, no, sorry. Thematically is fun but it is at best b-side material. It would have gone great as a b-side for a more mid-tempo single, for instance. But in my opinion it is too cringe and self-indulgent for even an album track.I always see Hollier as belonging to a fourth album in 2000, with Tell Me Why (Gago dance verdion) and If You Wanna Have Some Fun (faster radio edit version) than bring on a third pop album
December 19, 2025Dec 19 W.O.M.A.N. - a progression of where they were at the time with the sound yet still maintains the spiceyness.
December 19, 2025Dec 19 Honestly, I feel like WOMAN would have been a full-on statement. Like, a comeback showing “we’re four women, we’ve grown, but we’re still the same fun, colorful, and powerful Spice Girls.” I don’t know if it would’ve actually been that perfect, or if I’m just obsessed with the song and imagining it as epic… but I genuinely think it could’ve been a massive hit.
December 19, 2025Dec 19 W.O.M.A.NI’ve just realised that Pain Proof sounds a little like Hang Tough by New Kids On The Block.
December 19, 2025Dec 19 1 hour ago, ilovepollo said:Honestly, I feel like WOMAN would have been a full-on statement. Like, a comeback showing “we’re four women, we’ve grown, but we’re still the same fun, colorful, and powerful Spice Girls.” I don’t know if it would’ve actually been that perfect, or if I’m just obsessed with the song and imagining it as epic… but I genuinely think it could’ve been a massive hit.Yeah I agree. It would have been epic in 1999 as it would have provided a really welcomed transition to being more mature while still colourful and individuals!I could totally see a Summer release of WOMAN, and then another single with the album in Oct/Nov 1999!The only thing I would say is that they needed to clean up some of the verses. The 'hanging round on corners playing games with my friends' line is particularly cringe lol but thats the kind of thing they would have changed if they had worked more on it for release!
December 24, 2025Dec 24 I believe Holler would have been an excellent choice in 1999 as well. The three songs listed in this poll are not strong enough.
December 24, 2025Dec 24 Slightly off-topic, but honestly, we shouldn’t even be debating which four-piece single should’ve come out in 1999.The real point is that there shouldn’t have been a four-piece era at all. They should’ve still been five going into the third album. Everything else is just damage control after the fact.Sorry, it’s been 27 bloody years since 31 May 1998, and I still haven’t got over Geri doing that absolute dick move to the other four.It’s the biggest backstab in history, and honestly? I’m not over it. Not even close. 😓
December 25, 2025Dec 25 Thats part ot the history. Maybe if they continued as five until the end of the September, they may have got into huge fight along the way and decided to end the band in September 1998 and we wouldn't have what followed if Geri hadn't decided to quit before.
December 25, 2025Dec 25 On 24/12/2025 at 15:35, ilovepollo said:Slightly off-topic, but honestly, we shouldn’t even be debating which four-piece single should’ve come out in 1999.The real point is that there shouldn’t have been a four-piece era at all. They should’ve still been five going into the third album. Everything else is just damage control after the fact.Sorry, it’s been 27 bloody years since 31 May 1998, and I still haven’t got over Geri doing that absolute dick move to the other four.It’s the biggest backstab in history, and honestly? I’m not over it. Not even close. 😓Yes it was f***ing awful what she did. In her own words, she was being a brat. I think once they had more control after Simon left, the others stepped up more and she felt redundant (in her own words, she said it in the Giving you Everything doc). She also was clearly struggling with touring as it exposed her in ways that studio and TV performances didnt. Which says more about her being egotistical than anything else. She was never much of a group player, she always wants to be the one that calls the shots. When that wasnt the case anymore, she left. And personally, good riddance, if thats the case. It's a group, not 'Geri and the others'. But lets not just blame Gerita. Mel C had as much blame for the demise of the group, since she prioritised her solo career in 1999, which derailed the group's album to late 2000 and even then she acted like a spoiled brat who didn't want to be there. Had she not gotten any success with Never Be The Same Again and I Turn To You, she would have f***ing crawled back to the group (like she did in 2007 when she couldnt fund her own music anymore and need a regular cash cow!).I would have LOVED a 4-piece album in 1999 as planned and another in 2000, personally. I do not care that Geri wasn't there, I don't think they needed her. What they needed was to be the great group they were as a 4-piece.
December 27, 2025Dec 27 They should have released the best pop track they recorded as the first single in November 1999. Then release Holler as the 2nd/lead single in February 2000.Nov 99: Best pop track Feb 00: Holler & Forever albumMay 00: Let Love Lead The WayAug 00: If You Wanna Have Some FunMelanie C could have released Northern Star between November 2000 and February 2001. That album still would have sounded fresh.
December 28, 2025Dec 28 8 hours ago, Sideout said:They should have released the best pop track they recorded as the first single in November 1999. Then release Holler as the 2nd/lead single in February 2000.Nov 99: Best pop trackFeb 00: Holler & Forever albumMay 00: Let Love Lead The WayAug 00: If You Wanna Have Some FunMelanie C could have released Northern Star between November 2000 and February 2001. That album still would have sounded fresh.I would have loved that but I do wish they had kept the original plan of putting a full album out in 1999... WOMAN as lead and then Holler following would have been like an updated strategy like Wannabe - Say You'll Be There but more modern overall, and probably received much much better than Forever eventually was. I would have also kept Let Love Lead The Way as an album track though, as much as I love it nowadays, I just think the chorus and verses lyrics are a bit too undercooked still... I think as a ballad, Oxygen would have worked much better with a single edit. Something like: 1st single: WOMAN2nd single: Holler + album3rd single: If You Wanna Have Some Fun/Oxygen for Christmas4th single: another pop track in Spring 2000 to close the album's promo and go on tour!Then go on to do a final album in late 2000, in the lines of Forever with maybe three singles and call it a day and focus on solo albums for a while. Mel C should have waited, damn it!
