Emma, Geri, Mel B and Melanie C are currently wowing audiences and critics across the UK on their Spice World stadium tour, and tonight sees them begin their final three shows at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium. At the end of the tour the band will have played to over 700,000 fans in three weeks.
They now have more cause to celebrate as the Official Charts Company can confirm that Wannabe is the biggest girl band single in the UK of all time, while its parent album Spice takes the honour of the biggest girl band album of all time.
The group’s 1996 debut single leads our newly unveiled chart of the Official Top 100 girl group singles of the last 25 years with an impressive 1.7 million combined sales, taking in physical, download and streaming equivalent sales. The track spent seven weeks at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart and instantly turned them into a global phenomenon.
Speaking about the achievement to OfficialCharts.com, Spice Girls said, “This is so incredible - we can't believe it! The last couple of weeks have been magical. To be back together and celebrating with all our fans is an absolute joy. We want to say a very special thank you to everyone who has supported us. It’s phenomenal that over 20 years later our music and message still resonates with so many people. This tour has been one of the greatest things we’ve ever done as a band. None of us were quite sure how it would be received but it’s all been like a brilliant dream.”
Continuing with, “We love seeing the new generation of girl power. It's evolved so much and it's just not about girls it's about everybody...it's people power. This band, the Spice Girls belongs to everyone. Not just 5 girls, it belongs to eight billion people, and everyone is welcome. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making our dreams come true - we love you all"
All of Spice Girls’ record nine Number 1 singles appear in the Top 100, with four featuring in the Top 20. 2 Become 1 – the Official Christmas Number 1 in 1996 – is their second biggest single (eighth overall), followed by Say You’ll Be There (12th overall) and 1998 Christmas chart-topper Goodbye (17th).
The Spice Girls’ music is also performing well in the streaming era. Their music has racked up 172 million streams across their catalogue since records began in 2014 as fans re-live the group’s hits and watch their music videos, recently remastered in 4K.
Elsewhere on the Official Top 100 girl group singles chart, Little Mix place second with their 2016 chart-topper Shout Out To My Ex on 1.52 million, with a further 16 songs in the Top 100, including 2015’s Black Magic at Number 5. The quartet have enjoyed a hugely successful career since winning The X Factor in 2011, racking up four Number 1 singles and a further 18 Top 40 hits Their new single, Bounce Back is released this Friday (June 14).
London-based All Saints place third with Never Ever (1.51 million), the first of their five Number 1 singles between 1997 and 2000. Fifth Harmony take the highest spot by an international act – the US girl group’s 2016 hit Work From Home is fourth (1.47 million).
Further down, Noughties girl group Atomic Kitten, who landed 13 Top 10 singles between 1999-2005, make their first of three appearances in the Top 100 at Number 9 with Whole Again. It’s the last of four million-selling (physical and downloads only) tracks on the countdown, behind Wannabe, 2 Become 1 and Never Ever.
The most recent girl band track to make an appearance in the Top 100 is Woman Like Me by Little Mix ft. Nicki Minaj, which was released in October last year and reached Number 2 on the Official Singles Chart. The oldest track on the countdown comes from The Ronettes, whose 1963 single Be My Baby is at 99 on our countdown with nearly 300,000 combined sales since 1994.
Official Top 10 biggest girl band singles of the last 25 years
1. WANNABE -SPICE GIRLS
2. SHOUT OUT TO MY EX - LITTLE MIX
3. NEVER EVER - ALL SAINTS
4. WORK FROM HOME - FIFTH HARMONY FT TY DOLLA SIGN
5. BLACK MAGIC - LITTLE MIX
6. NO SCRUBS - TLC
7. TOUCH - LITTLE MIX
8. 2 BECOME 1 - SPICE GIRLS
9. WHOLE AGAIN - ATOMIC KITTEN
10. C'EST LA VIE - B'WITCHED
Read the full Top 100
here.
