The 11 best songs by S Club

Why have a Top 10 when you can have one more? Here are our 11 favourite S Club songs, ranked

Did you ever pretend to be too cool for S Club? You’re a fool. The British group proudly produced some of the naughties’ shiniest, happiest, most addictive pop – tracks that still have people all over the country flooding dance floors in seconds. Now, twenty-four years after their debut, the group are returning for a huge arena tour, including a stop at Dublin’s 3Arena. And we’re returning to their discography for a much-needed hit of serotonin. Here are the 11 best songs from S Club.

11. S Club Party

(S Club, 1999)

There’s something about those tracks from pop groups in the late nineties and early naughties that saw each member called out by name. Much like the Spice Girls’ ‘Wannabe’, ‘S Club Party’ is a fun piece of dance pop that, somewhere in the song’s three and a half minutes, crosses the line from a little silly to deeply unserious. But being introduced to each member in term makes them feel familiar and brings the youthful ruckus charmingly to life.

10. Whole Lotta Nothing

(Seeing Double, 2002)

Taking their cues from Shania Twain, the women of S Club aren’t impressed much by a nice car and a few insincere assurances. This track from 2002’s Seeing Double sounds a little different from many of the group’s other offerings, with a salsa-inspired instrumental and a Destiny’s Child harmony, whilst still delivering the infectious energy.

9. Have You Ever

(S Club, 1999)

As twinkly and romcom-worthy as any big naughties pop ballad could hope to be, ‘Have You Ever’ sees the group singing about a lost love that, collectively, could win back. S Club’s third album, Sunshine, lives up to its name, and ‘Have You Ever’ is one of its brightest rays.

8. Secret Love

(Seeing Double, 2002)

Much of Seeing Double has a slightly edgier, more seductive vibe than the brighter pop of the group’s earlier albums. ‘Secret Love’ exemplifies this evolution, depicting two lovers forced to keep their distance in public, even though the chemistry between them is undeniable. The track’s sonics are perfect, tension building up in the verses to a sultry chorus. A tempo switch in the track’s bridge keeps us on our toes. And, of course, there’s a whispered monologue before the final chorus.

7. Don’t Stop Movin’

(S Club, 1999)

As naughties club tracks go, ‘Don’t Stop Movin’’ can claim a place in the hall of fame. The lyrics aren’t especially original, but there’s something in the anticipatory verses and celebratory hook that makes the listener want to join in. It’s hard not to imagine friends tugging friends out onto the dancefloor when that pre-chorus hits.

6. Natural

(“7”, 2000)

Rachel Stevens shines in this Britney-esque banger. Comparisons to ‘Oops!… I Did It Again’ are both fair and complimentary – ‘Natural’ captures the sultry US pop of the era with a decidedly British spin, Stevens giving an incredibly entertaining vocal performance as a young lover who just can’t help herself. Just listen to the delivery of that chorus.

5. You

(Sunshine, 2001)

Did any British group do sparkly pop better than S Club? It’s doubtful. The first few notes of ‘You’ suggest glitter cannons going off and clouds of butterflies rising triumphantly into the air. The final single on Sunshine and the one most closely aligned with the album’s title, this euphoric, bubblegum pop love song is blindingly bright.

4. Bring It All Back

(S Club, 1999)

The group’s very first single – and their very first British No.1 – couldn’t have done a better job of introducing them to the world. Twinkly, catchy and unfailingly cheerful, ‘Bring It All Back’ suggests that all problems in life can be shrugged off with a positive attitude and a high kick. And it’s so self-assured that we might actually be convinced.

3. Show Me Your Colours

(Sunshine, 2001)

Buried in Sunshine is an endlessly fun piece of pop that sounds somewhat like a Natalie Imbruglia B-side. ‘Show Me Your Colours’ forces Stevens into her husky lower register for some entertainingly conversational verses before we launch headfirst into a big S Club chorus. It’s a truly great piece of naughties pop, and we were all robbed of a single version.

2. Never Had A Dream Come True

(“7”, 2000)

Closing out 2000’s 7, ‘Never Had A Dream Come True’ is far and away S Club’s best ballad. It shimmers, it wails, and it makes you want to press one hand to your heart and throw the other one into the air. In all seriousness, that chorus melody is beautiful and makes for a perfect album closer.

1. Reach

(“7”, 2000)

And here it is: S Club’s biggest banger. ‘Reach’ is bubblegum pop at its most dangerous, pathological levels of infectious. You can play Pass The Parcel to it at five, you can dance around your bedroom to it at eleven, you can grab a friends’ hand and scream it in the Student Union, and you can bop to it in your headphones on your morning commute. Isn’t that the universality that all music aims to capture?