Victoria Beckham Turns 40, Her Ten Best Songs!

Posh, at her best

When a celebrity turns 40, it is seen as a milestone by many. Now I can't explain why, because I don't really understand it myself, but Victoria Beckham's birthday this year is receiving a strangely intense amount of attention. Magazines have dedicated their cover to the birthday girl and newspapers are giving away souvenir pullouts. One magazine created a 76 page birthday issue. Isn't that just plain bizarre?

Victoria Beckham's birthday seems to be big news

Yes, she has gone from an insecure little girl to a global superstar with the most successful girlband ever, the Spice Girls, and then managed to make a transition to the fashion World conquering the hearts and pockets of some very rich people. But does that really warrant such a reaction? It's almost amusing.

As for me ("Ha ha you'll see!"), I could never bring myself to care about Victoria's fashion career, I got to know her as a Spice Girl and became a huge fan of hers for the music she made with the rest of the Girls, the message she spread with them and her dry sense of humour, which is now buried under the façade she puts on to please the cold, heartless fashion industry.

Many of you don't know that Victoria released a solo album and a few solo singles away from the Spice Girls, before she decided that she had a passion for fashion and realised that was all she ever wanted to do.

So what way will this post celebrate her 40th birthday? By counting down the ten BEST Victoria Beckham songs (wonder if she ever listens to herself these days?). Ready? Let's go! (Click on the titles to listen)

1) "Bittersweet"

Victoria Beckham's best song is an unknown gem that was supposed to end up on her second solo album. The project was scrapped when record company Telstar failed and Victoria lost her contract. It's an electronic mid-tempo about a man who is now out of Victoria's life. She is a powerful woman who sings half-spoken verses, can perfectly live without a man in her life and has no regrets at all.

2) "Out Of Your Mind"

Victoria's biggest solo hit as a solo artist was released in the summer of 2000, when garage music reached its commercial peak. The Truesteppers and Dane Bowers had previously had a hit with "Buggin'" and, lyrically, "Out Of Your Mind" is an answer to that song. Girl Power aplenty, vocoder effects like there's no tomorrow and a dance routine that would give anyone a heart attack. A chart battle with a certain Sophie Ellis-Bextor made sure the song was on everybody's lips during its release week but a #2 peak in the charts was not enough to satisfy Victoria's haters, who deemed her a failure despite the fantastic sales and the general positive reaction to the track.

3) "Watcha Talkin' Bout"

Victoria's first solo album was influenced by a genre that she had always loved: R&B. This track couldn't sound any more slick and well-produced. It is a very honest, straight-to-the-point song and Victoria sings about a (former?) friend who now acts like a bit of a bitch, talks about limos and never seems to make time to see her friends. "It started when the fame and fans kept coming in, and then you changed on us, then you told us you were cool and we were wrong" is one of the lines that made people think this song was about Geri Halliwell, and when Victoria was asked by a reporter, she simply said something along the lines of: "Someone finally got there".

4) "I Wish"

That first solo album had a few gems, and this is one of them. It's musically engaging, with a fresh-sounding summery guitar, a big old chorus and a very confident singer. Victoria sings about trying to hide the attraction she feels for this incredibly sexy, wealthy man. "I wish I could right now, wish that I could show you how I'm feeling you. Boy I try, I can't hide, how badly I want you tonight". After "Not Such An Innocent Girl" and "A Mind Of Its Own", this was meant to be the third single from Victoria's album, but after her second pregnancy was announced, the release was cancelled and Victoria was dropped by Virgin Records shortly after.

5) "25 Minutes"

A dancey pop number that wouldn't sound out of place on a Kylie Minogue album, "25 Minutes" is breezy and catchy and has a somewhat cyclical sound that doesn't bore nor annoy the ears. Victoria is frustrated because "time is never on her side" and she is missing her man. She gets in her car and goes to find him, and as she counts down the minutes she sings about being lost in the way and keeping the radio down low while trying to contact him on the phone. The song finishes with Victoria singing "One more minute to goooouh" and one would hope she finally got there and managed to get some D.

6) "Me Without You"

This song kind of reminds me of Britney Spears's "Breathe On Me", Victoria sounds spaced out as she sings about being under somebody's influence, and it definitely sounds like this person is her drug. She is completely addicted and can't imagine herself without them. Sexy vocals, sexy production, sexy atmosphere.

7) "Flow"

The trumpet (or is it a saxophone?) intro is just great. This is one of Victoria's grooviest songs, it's fun, catchy, ridiculously flirty, and lyrically hideous. Victoria was married and had two children by the time she recorded this song, yet she sang about wanting "a little dirty with a family man". Although, to be fair, she could have been referring to her husband, David Beckham.

8) "Hustler"

"Are you single? Happy with your wash?", the line that gave Victoria Beckham's fans something to talk about for years. What sort of question is that?! This hustler surely has a random way of approaching a woman. Great, great track. Good production, fun lyrics, sexy vocals. Victoria describes a man's ways to impress a woman, admits he's pretty good but he'll never get her love.

9) "Like That"

This R&B-influenced number sees Victoria trying to help a friend who still lusts after a man despite his questionable ways. He lies, he cheats, he goes out with his mates and generally gives no f**ks about the girl. It's Victoria injecting her friend with some much-needed Girl Power.

10) "I'd Give It All Away"

This is a rough demo, and you can tell, but it's fine just the way it is. It's raw, it's genuine, and it's believable. It's Victoria's declaration of love to David: "I'd give it all away, I'd sacrifice everything". She is still completely in love with her man and is totally convinced she should be nowhere but with him.

Happy birthday, Victoria!

Give the woman some jewellery for her birthday!

Victoria Beckham