You might have heard that Girls Aloud are back. They’ve been selling out arenas across the UK with their latest reunion tour that pays homage to Sarah Harding who tragically passed away from cancer the year before the group’s 20^th anniversary.

Since winning Popstars: The Rivals their collaboration with songwriting and production team Xenomania made them the most successful girl group of the noughties. They secured a whopping 20 consecutive UK Top 10 singles, including four No 1 singles as well as a No 1 album, but how do their 23 singles really rank?

Let’s find out…

23. Beautiful Cause You Love Me

I had never heard this song before – and seemingly nobody else had either, it ‘peaked’ at No 97. It’s honestly a snooze – in fact, the song’s Wikipedia entry is more fun than the three minutes I wasted listening to it; Nadine threatening to leave the reunion if it was used as the lead single; Xenomania not producing (big mistake there); a dodgy message; and it being the only single that Nadine doesn’t sing co-lead vocals…so much drama, it’s like an episode of Hollyoaks.

22. I Think We’re Alone Now

Was anyone asking for a cover of this song? It’s never been a good song.

21. Whole Lotta History

This song rang no bells when I relistened (yes, I did the research) and I can sort of see why. It’s all a bit blah, forgettable melody, no fun hooks and bland lyrics. Girls Aloud aren’t really a ballads band and this is a good reason why.

20. I’ll Stand By You

This cover of The Pretenders’ 1994 modest hit made it to No 1 despite being significantly worse than the original. One of the most boring covers out there, its saving grace is that it was recorded as a charity single for Children in Need.

19. See the Day

A largely forgotten cover that doesn’t get the same attention as the other three. Arguably this is Girls Aloud doing their best Sugababes impression. It’s pleasant but nothing special.

18. Life Got Cold

Life Got Cold sounds like Dido singing Wonderwall with a bit of Blue (remember them?) thrown in for good measure. Should be good right? Well…it’s nostalgic at least.

17. Untouchable

A strange song in that it’s neither great nor is it in any way bad. The group’s twentieth single and the first not to enter the top ten (hitting No 11). The album version clocks in at almost seven minutes long which was condensed to the radio-friendly three and a half for the single – maybe some of the essence of the song is lost in the edit? Or maybe it’s just not all that.

16. Something New

After going on hiatus to pursue solo projects and quickly realising that only Cheryl had any solo clout, Girls Aloud made their comeback in 2012 with this high energy, punchy track that also served as their second Children in Need single. Ironically there’s nothing new here – it’s a typical GA offering that wouldn’t sound out of place on any of their previous albums.

15. Sexy! No No No…

Another batty entry, this song is loud, chaotic and all over the place in terms of structure. The verse-to-chorus transition is enough to give you whiplash which, incidentally, is not sexy.

14. Walk this Way (with Sugababes)

Back in 2007 getting Girls Aloud and Sugababes to record a single together was a Big Deal™ sadly, this is what they went for. On paper a cover of the iconic Aerosmith song featuring two powerhouses of 00s female pop seems like a no-brainer but in reality it’s an entirely skippable entry in both groups’ discography. It getting to No 1 is only justified by the fact that it was another charity single.

13. Wake Me Up

Wake Me Up is like a poor man’s version of Something Kinda Ooooh. Enough said.

12. Long Hot Summer

Peaking at No 7 in the charts, this was something of a flop by Girls Aloud standards. Given that James Blunt’s You’re Beautiful absolutely dominated the UK charts that summer (five weeks at the top of the charts) perhaps this upbeat bop wasn’t quite the right vibe.

11. The Loving Kind

Underrated. Their later ballads outshine those that they released earlier in their career and hint at what could have been had they stuck it out for another decade.

10. No Good Advice

The follow up to their debut Sound of the Underground, No Good Advice picks up where the girls left off – guitar riffs, moody chorus and that special brand of “00s bad girl” lyrics that we all thought was cool and edgy. Whilst No Good Advice is an enjoyable pop song it pales somewhat in comparison with the hits that followed. A valiant second single that proved they weren’t a one hit wonder.

9. Love Machine

This song was everywhere in 2004 but somehow managed to miss out on a No 1 spot in the charts (losing out to Nelly’s My Place, seriously?!). It’s one of the group’s cheesiest offerings, jam-packed with nonsense lyrics that are so bad they’re good (so Mr Prehistoric, make your wheel and I’ll breathe underwater cause I like the way it feels…). No trashy night out with the girls is complete without this banger to set the mood.

8. Can’t Speak French

Fun. At the end of the day, fun is what Girls Aloud is all about and Can’t Speak French is exactly that. There’s a mild 60s vibe to this song (more of that later, promise) but perhaps the best thing is that they released a French version of the track.

7. Jump

Jump was the first – and best – cover that GA produced. Recorded for a place on the Love Actually soundtrack, the single reached No 2 in the charts, placing higher than the Pointer Sisters’ original No 6 (go watch their music video and find two friends to dance along with). In this instance we’re looking at a great song rather than a great Girls Aloud song meaning it likely would have placed high on any list, but the girls do add a little more punch to their version removing some of that quintessentially 80s synth in favour of more bass.

6. Something Kinda Ooooh

Another classic Girls Aloud offering – an absolute banger that you can’t help but sing along to. So much packed into a three-minute song, not least more of those nonsensical lyrics that so many of their hits seem to include. It’s rather like The Show on steroids – you just can’t not like this song.

5. The Show

This was the first single from their follow up album and is an underrated gem of a song. With more hooks than a fisherman it’s easy to forget that lines like “I won’t (ooh) unless you want me to, I want (you) get in the queue” and “I should’ve known, should’ve cared, should’ve hung around the kitchen in my underwear” are even part of the same song.

4. Call the Shots

A mid-tempo, not-quite-ballad that presented a slightly more sophisticated entry for the girls (there’s no Love Machine hen-do vibes here). Laid back, chill, classy – not the usual descriptors of a Girls Aloud single – it reached No 3 in the charts but deserved the top spot.

3. Biology

Still fresh today, Biology is one of the best pop songs of the 00s. It throws away the standard verse-chorus structure in favour of snippets of delightfully melodic hooks, something that girl bands aren’t exactly known for. Biology is Girls Aloud at their very best – earworm pop, nonsense lyrics and a memorable music video to top it all off – that it ‘only’ reached No 4 is a crime.

2. The Promise

Girls Aloud were arguably at their peak when this went straight to No 1. Similar to Can’t Speak French the 1960s vibes are strong in this classy bop that manages to combine iconic Girls Aloud hooks with the more sophisticated vibes of Call the Shots. No Girls Aloud concert is complete without this song. Sadly, it became their last real mega hit.

1. Sound of the Underground

Could anything else really be number one? Whilst there may technically be better songs on this list (Biology, Call the Shots) there’s no denying that Sound of the Underground is GA’s greatest hit. Leaping to No 1 back in 2002 and essentially winning them Popstars: The Rivals (remember their competition? One True Voice – no? Me neither), the song spent four consecutive weeks at number one and was certified platinum in March 2003. What’s all the more refreshing is that unlike the hoards of reality TV winners’ singles that were churned out for years to come, Sound of the Underground was no sappy love song and featured no final chorus key change and accompanying choir. And it’s still great over 20 years later.