Rebellious Jukebox

It's been a great year for the Spice Girls, but what do they really, really
listen to?  Mel C picks her favourite singles for us.


1. PRODIGY
"YOUR LOVE" (XL)

"I think this was someone else's song but they did the better version.  It's on 
the first Prodigy album but the version on there is s***e.  You want to get the
original 12-inch - it's on the B-side of "Charly" - cos that's excellent. 
It was back in my raving days and there's a mental piano solo in there, it just
goes off on one.  It's a real hands-in-the-air tune.  I love the Prodigy and 
I'm really upset cos they hate us.  They slagged us off in Melody Maker - Liam 
said we look like we've had a Richard and Judy makeover.  Mind you, they can 
talk - Keith used to have long blond hair and now look at him! 
I remember shaking his hand actually, in this dodgy club, Mr Smith's in 
Warrington.  It was rave night on Monday and the Prodigy were doing a PA.  They
were f***ing brilliant and I was there at the front going for it and afterwards
I was like [dons over-excited girlie-type voice] 'I shook hands with Keith!' 
All the Prodigy singles are brilliant but the albums are always s***, really
heavy going.  What do I think of 'Smack My Bitch Up'?  Well, it's not exactly 
Girl Power, is it?"


2. STEVIE WONDER
"I WISH" (Tamla Motown)

"This is from my favourite album of all time, 'Songs In The Key Of Life'.  He's
my mum's favourite artist, so this is from my childhood and it really sticks in
my mind.  It's very comforting listening to Stevie Wonder, it's like a mum 
thing: when I'm feeling a bit sad, I put Stevie on and I soon feel all right.
I love Stevie Wonder - he's a f***ing genius.  He's a bit boring now but they 
all go like that, don't they?
I'd like to see him Iive and I'd love to sing with him."


3. BLUR
"SONG 2" (Food)

"Ah, I love this!  This is my favourite Blur song, just cos of the madness of 
it.  You can go really mental to this.  It's a bit heavy metal but I think I'm
a closet metalhead.  You don't want to admit it, do ya, cos only the geeks at 
school were into it, but I've always liked a bit of Led Zeppelin. 
I love all Blur's stuff - I got into them on 'Parklife' and although this is 
very different to that, I think change is a good thing.  That's something the 
Spice Girls have got in common with Blur-to experiment.  [Er, hello?-Ed]
I mean, I love Oasis, but all their stuff is so samey-samey.  You've got to 
experiment, haven't you?"


4. MANIC STREET PREACHERS
"KEVIN CARTER" (Epic)

"'Everything Must Go' is a f***ing fantastic album - every single song is 
brilliant but this is the one that, when it comes on, you just have to crank 
it up.  I have to admit I wasn't really aware of the Manics before this album 
and I haven't got any of the albums before this but I know this is the album 
that their hardcore fans think is a bit of a sell-out.  That's just snobby
though, isn't it? 
I like James Dean Bradfield.  He's a cocky git though - he was completely
unimpressed at meeting us while I was like 'Oh my God! I love Manic Street 
Preachers!'  He did gabble something at us at the Brits, but he's got such
a thick Welsh accent I couldn't make it out."


5. OASIS
"SUPERSONIC" (Creation)

"Their first single, and still their best.  It's the one that me and my mates 
go mad to.  The lyrics are really good too - (starts singing) 'I need to be 
myself...'  The first time they played Earl's Court I arrived a bit late and 
this was the song they were playing when I walked in.  It was top!
There's not as much rivalry between us and them as people make out, but I think
Oasis like it-they had the Oasis vs Blur thing and now it's Oasis vs Spice 
Girls.  I still think their first album is their best one."


6. THE VERVE
"BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY" (Hut)

"A masterpiece.  It's beautiful.  I think it's a song that will go down in 
history.  Those strings!  Again, I'd never heard of them before this record - 
I've always been a bit slow on the uptake with bands - but I remember seeing a 
video of them rehearsing at Virgin before this came out and thinking 'F***ing 
hell, that is brilllant'.
This is the sort of song that you just know will go down in history."


7. BLUR
"BANK HOLIDAY" (Food)

"Another of their nutty songs.  It's just such a mad, pissed-up, jump-around 
song which summed that trip up.  We went to see them at the Astoria and got 
loads of stuff thrown at us!  I spoke to Damon very briefly after that gig, but
I met Dave before the Spice Girls, after Mile End.  We were at the after-show
party and Damon walked in and got mobbed, Graham walked in and got mobbed and 
then Dave walked in - and everyone ignored him!  But he came and sat on the 
same table as us, so we talked to him.  Poor Dave.  Just cos he's ginger."


8. WHAM!
"WHAM RAP (ENJOY WHAT YOU DO)" (Innervision)

"I absolutely loved Wham!  Me and Geri are the big Wham! fans in the Spice 
Girls-we hated Duran Duran - and this is the song of theirs that sticks in my 
mind most.  It's about being on the dole and I was on the dole for ages, so I 
can relate to it as well.  We met George at 'Top Of The Pops' but he's never 
done anything as good as this since."


9. JOURNEY
"OPEN ARMS" (CBS)

"I know they're a terrible soft-rock band but I've got my parents to blame for 
this one.  It's not my sort of thing at all really but they had the 'Escape'
album and they used to play this all the time. Mariah Carey covered this quite 
recently and f***ing slaughtered it."


10. JONNY L
"HURT ME SO" (XL)

"This is another hardcore thing that I remember from my raving days.  I've no 
idea who Jonny L is - probably some Belgian DJ or whatever - but at the time I 
was going out with a boy whose name actually was Johnny L so it was like 'Oooh,
it's your song!'
Did he 'Hurt Me So'?  Nah - I hurt him so, actually.  Ha!"