We take a look back on the best and worst of the girl band's solo material

We all have our favourites when it comes to Spice Girls songs, and most of us even have our favourite Spice Girl, too – but what about their solo material?

Each member of the girl group has indulged in solo material, some even while they were still a member.

Considering there's every chance that they may well play a few of their own hits at Croke Park tonight, we've ranked 10 of the best solo songs from Camp Spice - from worst to best.

Warning: nostalgia may have played a big part in the ranking of these songs...

10. Victoria Beckham - 'Out of Your Mind'

Sorry, Posh – as much as we may have loved this song when it first came out in 2000, we have since realised the folly of our youth. Victoria Beckham made her solo debut with Dane Bowers and garage act True Steppers for this number - my goodness, it hasn't aged well. and let's just say that it's probably just as well she won't be at Croker. 'This tune's gonna punish you'? Oh, it has.

*

9. Geri Halliwell - 'Lift Me Up'

Geri Halliwell's solo career didn't get off to the most sparkling start with the (quite frankly, crap) 'Look at Me' – but she subsequently made up for it with floaty little pop gems like this. Weird video featuring aliens (why?) and all, its release in 1999 set her up nicely for solo success.

*

8. Geri Halliwell - 'Mi Chico Latino'

Another track taken from her 1999 debut album 'Schizophonic', this one saw Ginger Spice playing to the holiday anthem crowd, as she threw the odd Spanish word atop a wistful little flamenco-style melody. Well, her mum is Spanish so she gets a pass for cultural appropriation.

*

7. Melanie B feat. Missy Elliott - 'I Want You Back'

If you're gonna release your first solo single, you might as well make a splash by drafting in one of the hottest rappers on the planet to lend a helping hand. The lead single from her debut album 'Hot' in 1998, it sounds a smidge dated, 21 years on – but it's still the best of all her solo songs.

*

6. Melanie C - 'I Turn To You'

Unquestionably the best singer in the band, no one really expected Sporty to swerve into dance music with her solo material – but her eclectic debut album took in numerous styles. Would we still dance to this trancey little ditty at 3am in a club after a few light shandies? We probably would, y'know.

*

5. Geri Halliwell - 'It's Raining Men'

It's a cover, yes - but you can't deny that this is a wee banger. It's difficult to put your own stamp on such an iconic song, but Halliwell had a bit of fun with The Weather Girls' 1982 hit, introduced it to a new generation at the same time.

*

4. Emma Bunton & Tin Tin Out - 'What I Am'

Okay, so it's also a cover version – but Emma Bunton made Edie Brickell's 1988 hit her own when she re-recorded it with electronic duo Tin Tin Out in 1999. A perky little pop tune with vocals perfectly suited to it, it reached #2 in the UK chart but only #14 in Ireland.

*

3. Melanie C feat. Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopez - 'Never Be the Same Again'

Whoever had the idea to pair a Spice Girl with a member of TLC, we raise a glass to you. On paper, it didn't seem like a collaboration between Sporty Spice and the late Left Eye would work at all – but this slinky little r'n'b-flavoured pop tune remains one of the best things either of them have done.

*

2. Emma Bunton - 'What Took You So Long'

Maybe it's nostalgia speaking. Maybe we're getting old. Or maybe we're correct in saying that they don't make 'em like this. A wistful little pop tune from 2001 with a superb melody and great vocals, it's stood the test of time – in fact, we reckon that this could still be a hit in 2019, given a few tweaks and the right singer.

*

1. Melanie C & Bryan Adams - 'When You're Gone'

This is the best solo Spice Girls song, and we'll fight whoever says otherwise. Melanie C actually wasn't Bryan Adams' first choice for this track – allegedly, he approached Sheryl Crow, who blanked him. Thankfully the Scouse singer came on board and the rest is history. A lighthearted little radio-friendly ditty, we can still remember every lyric, 21 years on...

 

Related: Spice Girls: 10 of the Best