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BuzzJack Music Forum _ Steps _ Steps - The Singles Rate 2018: Results

Posted by: SamJudd 22nd February 2018, 02:41 PM

Steps Singles Rate - The Results

28 singles in the running and 30 of you voted, who will come out on top, all will be revealed very soon..

A reminder of what's in the running =

~~5,6,7,8~~
~~Last Thing On My Mind~~
~~One For Sorrow~~
~~Heartbeat~~
~~Tragedy~~
~~Better Best Forgotten~~
~~Thank ABBA For The Music (Ft B*Witched, Tina Cousins, Cleopatra + Billie Piper)~~
~~Love's Got A Hold On My Heart~~
~~After The Love Has Gone~~
~~Say You'll Be Mine~~
~~Better The Devil You Know~~
~~Deeper Shade Of Blue~~
~~When I Said Goodbye~~
~~Summer Of Love~~
~~Stomp~~
~~It's The Way You Make Me Feel~~
~~Too Busy Thinking About My Baby~~
~~Here And Now~~
~~You'll Be Sorry~~
~~Chain Reaction~~
~~One For Sorrow [US Mix]~~
~~Words Are Not Enough~~
~~I Know Him So Well~~
~~Light Up The World~~
~~Scared Of The Dark~~
~~Story Of A Heart~~
~~Neon Blue~~
~~Dancing With A Broken Heart~~

Posted by: Spiceboy 22nd February 2018, 07:02 PM

Tell meeeeeeeee

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 22nd February 2018, 07:04 PM

I think going by the scores I saw, 'Scared of the Dark' may be in with a shot of winning this.

Posted by: PAJ88 22nd February 2018, 07:19 PM

Predicting ‘It’s The Way You Make Me Feel’ to win.

Posted by: SamJudd 23rd February 2018, 03:03 AM

#28. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby | 4.316

Highest Scores: 7: (gooddelta, Hide&Seek, Good Old Days), Lowest Scores: 0: (rafik4u)

The first to drop out at #28 is 'Too Busy Thinking About My Baby', originally sung by Marvin Gaye back in 1969, then later covered by Steps for ITV show 'Motown Mania' in 2001, then included as the b-side to their single 'It's The Way You Make Me Feel' which reached a #2 peak back in January of that year. The song wasn't included on any of their studio albums, but would later feature on their compilation album 'The Last Dance'. It's no surprise that this ended up in last place considering that this was the only song not to get higher than a 7, and most of the scores were under 5. I never understood why this was tacked on to 'ITWYMMF' as it definitely wasn't needed and to be honest it's not very good, very cheap sounding and contrived and not something I go back to at all, they've done much better covers than this and this should have just stayed on the 'Motown Mania' soundtrack. Of note this also finished at the bottom position of the last rate back in 2011.

#27. Thank ABBA For The Music (Ft Various Artists) | 4.733

Highest Scores: 9: (gooddelta), Lowest Scores: -1: (ElectroTroye, rafik4u)

At #27 another cover drops 'Thank ABBA For The Music' which to date stands as their only collaboration release, featuring some of the biggest names at the time B*Witched, Cleopatra, Billie Piper & Tina Cousins (well I did say some), coming together to perform a medley of ABBA songs at the 1999 BRIT Awards, then released as a single in April of that year to coincide with the release of the musical 'Mamma Mia'. The song became a success for everyone involved by reaching a #4 peak on the UK charts, spending 3 weeks in the top 10 and 11 weeks in the top 40 and selling over 250,000 copies. The only song in this countdown to receive multiple -1's and honestly I don't find it that bad, I remember seeing this for the first time back in 99 and loved it back then and even rushed out to buy the single, but now you can see that it's aged quite badly with some rather cringeworthy production and overall cheeseiness ranked up to 11, in all this is just a fun little time capsule and nothing more, this is probably in about the right position on this countdown. NME ranked this 3rd in it's 7 worst Brit Award performances.

For some reason I couldn't find the Brit Awards performance of this song, so had to include the audio instead.

Posted by: SamJudd 23rd February 2018, 03:24 AM

More to come tomorrow, the next 2 to drop will be ballads any guesses as to what they'll be...

Posted by: Good Old Days 23rd February 2018, 06:01 AM

QUOTE(SamJudd @ Feb 23 2018, 03:24 AM)

More to come tomorrow, the next 2 to drop will be ballads any guesses as to what they'll be...

Light Up The World + I Know Him So Well or Words Are Not Enough

Posted by: Simon. 23rd February 2018, 07:27 AM

No idea how Too Busy even goes and I consider myself a big fan.

Thank Abba would be such a flop today, it was a weird release looking at it now but obviously was not a for the late 90s.

Posted by: Jüpiter 23rd February 2018, 03:32 PM

Can't believe they paired the sublime ITWYMMF with that awful cover! I predict that single to bookend this countdown now.

Also, I've never noticed before, but why have they made Lisa look Asian on the single cover???

Posted by: vibe 23rd February 2018, 04:10 PM

I purchased the ABBA tribute.

Anyone know who produced it ? They really didn’t share the vocals out at all.

Posted by: SamJudd 23rd February 2018, 06:39 PM

#26. Light Up The World | 5.017

Highest Scores: 8.5/8: (ElectroTroye, gooddelta, Simon), Lowest Scores: 1: (Euphorique, rafik4u)

A shout out to Good Old Days for correctly guessing the next 2 songs to have dropped. Firstly though finishing in the 26th position is their first and only foray into the X-Mas market 'Light Up The World', which was released in October 2012 as the first and only single from their Christmas album of the same name, and despite being their first release in 11 years and reuniting with their long term producers Topham & Twigg, it became a bust by limping into the UK charts at #82, breaking their string of top 5 hits. Even the album wasn't well received either by peaking at #32 and only managing to sell around 20,000 copies. Although their comeback wasn't a total failure their arena tour did very well with 22 sold out dates across the country and their Greatest Hits album released the year before did manage to top the charts, so it wasn't a total loss at all. But this song however was a big disappointment, definitely not the big comeback we had hoped for (that would come 5 years later), and I found it rather odd that they chose to record a Christmas album instead of a proper studio album, I never bought the album so I couldn't say whether it was good or not, but as 'LUTW' goes, it's a very bland sounding ballad that really fails to leave any impression at all and really they deserved better than this limp tripe.

#25. I Know Him So Well | 5.4

Highest Scores: 10: (me me), Lowest Scores: 1.5: (dandy)

At #25 another ballad drops out 'I Know Him So Well' which was originally a chart topping smash hit by Elaine Page and Barbara Dickinson back in 1984 and has been covered many times throughout the years by the likes of Whitney Houston, Susan Boyle & Geraldine McQueen and Melanie C + Emma Bunton. But funnily enough Steps are the only other act to have their version in the top 10. Released in December 2001 as a double a-side alongside 'Words Are Not Enough' a track from their 'Gold - Greatest Hits' album and peaked at #5 on the UK charts becoming their 14th and final top 10 hit, as well as being their last release before their Boxing Day split of that same month. Their version of this track was actually recorded back in 1999 for the 'ABBAMania' soundtrack, and while this was fine at the time, however by today standards it doesn't really hold well against their other far superior songs from their peak period, making this a rather pointless addition to the single release with it's cheap production values, although the girls vocals do sound really good on here, but that's not really enough to save a rather lifeless cover.

Posted by: pippa 23rd February 2018, 07:19 PM

No surprises with the exception of Thank Abba For The Music. I enjoy this, very feel good like many of their songs.

Posted by: SamJudd 24th February 2018, 04:06 AM

#24. Words Are Not Enough | 5.516

Highest Scores: 9: (Stepsrcwl, Good Old Days), Lowest Scores: 1: (rafik4u)

At #24 is the other side to 'IKHSW' which ranked just below this, 'Words Are Not Enough' which was their 15th and final single before their split shortly after in December 2001 and peaked at #5 in the UK charts and taken as the 2nd and final single from their 'Gold - Greatest Hits' album. Upon release the song was slightly edited to be more radio friendly. The music video was their first and only to date to be almost fully computer animated and while at the time it was a rather fun idea, but now it looks incredibly dated and pretty awful and cheap looking, you can tell that they didn't quite the budget to make this idea fully work. This ranks as my least fave from them during their 97-01 peak, very wishy washy and a very disappointing and tepid way to end their chart career, which up until this point was packed with so many glorious gems. Although this was better than 'LUTW', but still a rather limp swan song for them and funnily enough this was the only one not to be included on their 'Ultimate Collection' release in 2011, as well as being their lowest selling single during the peak period of their career with just over 110,000 copies sold.

'Baby Don't Dance' was planned to follow this during the early months of the following year, but the abrupt split put an unfortunate end to plans unfortunately, which was shame as I really loved that track on their Greatest Hits album and would have made a great single, a far better choice than this one. It was later remixed as a promo release to promote the 'Last Dance' album in late 2002.

#23. When I Said Goodbye | 5.533

Highest Scores: 10: (Lukuzz), Lowest Scores: 1: (Hide&Seek)

At #23 yet again another ballad drops out, making this 4 in a row (ouch...they don't seem to be popular on here). 'When I Said Goodbye' narrowly beats 'WANE' by a mere 0.5 and throughout this competition this was mainly below it and was even nearly neck and neck, but this managed to edge out in front at the last minute gladly as this is definitely the far more superior song. Released in July 2001 as the 5th and final single from their 2nd album 'Steptacular', as a double a-side release alongside an all new track 'Summer Of Love' which would later end up on their 3rd album (but more on that later). Releasing a ballad during the summer period was a pretty odd move especially for a pop act, but having another upbeat alongside it was definitely a smarter move. This is a really nice ballad where you can see that they were aiming to be more mature, with it's black and white music video shot in Rome/Italy with some beautiful scenery and shots which gives off a more sophisticated feel as well as a more serious tone. The song was re-recorded with an orchestra for it's single release which definitely gives it a much better classier sound. Okay this did get overshadowed by the more dancier and colourful other song and to be honest I wouldn't really rank this as one of my favourites from them, but it's still a really nice song with some great vocals by Claire, H also sounds decent on here as well, but Claire clearly steals the show with her fantastic range as always.

Posted by: SamJudd 24th February 2018, 04:09 AM

Another 2 to drop tomorrow, any guesses as to what they'll be....

Posted by: PAJ88 24th February 2018, 05:29 AM

Predicting Dancing With A Broken Heart & One For Sorrow US Mix

Posted by: Jüpiter 24th February 2018, 06:58 AM

One For Sorrow US mix should be coming out soon, and with it...hmm.

I feel like Here and Now will be at the lower end of proceedings, probably Stomp too as that one's not that well liked for some reason!

Posted by: Jay ☆ 25th February 2018, 01:13 AM

QUOTE(SamJudd @ Feb 23 2018, 03:03 AM)

#28. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby | 4.316

I never understood why this was tacked on to 'ITWYMMF' as it definitely wasn't needed

Someone on Popjustice mentioned a while ago that it was in Steps' contract that each single release had to include a song that was produced by PWL (Pete Waterman Entertainment). It's The Way You Make Me Feel was Steps' very first single not to be produced by PWL, so that's why Too Busy Thinking About My Baby was added onto the CD and why the artwork made a special note of its inclusion.

Incidentally that explains why Chain Reaction was released alongside a remix of One for Sorrow (the remix was released in August 1999 in the US, two years before its eventual UK release) and why Words Are Not Enough was backed with a cover of I Know Him So Well (also from 1999).

~~

No major losses so far! I have to say, 'When I Said Goodbye' really comes into its own during their tours. Such a touching moment during Party on the Dancefloor tour in particular!

Posted by: SamJudd 25th February 2018, 02:33 AM

#22. Dancing With A Broken Heart | 6.083

Highest Scores: 9: (Jupiter), Lowest Scores: 2: (Slowdown73)

Taking a big jump average wise, at #22 we have the first of their new comeback era singles to drop 'Dancing With A Broken Heart' released in September 2017 from the re-issued version of their fifth and latest studio album 'Tears On The Dancefloor: Crying at the Disco" as the overall 4th and final single. Originally sung by Delta Goodrem back in 2012 and peaked at #15 on the Australian charts, but never released over here or anywhere else. After already releasing the album back in April of that year, the group had announced that they gonna re-release it just 6 months later with some extra tracks, including this one which had been chosen and recorded specifically for the new release. Upon release it didn't enter the official UK charts but did manage to peak at #58 on the download chart as well as matching that peak position on the Scottish charts. I would definitely say that this song is a fine effort with some great production by The Alias, along with a fantastic key change section that the original didn't have, but it's definitely not as great as the other brilliant songs they'd brought out last year and definitely lacks that special WOW factor that the others had. However it's still a decent enough pop song and a good addition to their already wonderful back catalogue.

There were already several potential singles on the album even without the re-release such as 'No More Tears On The Dancefloor', 'Firefly', Glitter & Gold' & 'I Will Love Again'. With an album packed with so many gems it must have been very hard to choose the singles.

#21. One For Sorrow [Tony Moran US Mix] | 6.214

Highest Scores: 11: (Euphorique), 10: (Rossco, Stepscrwl), Lowest Scores: 0: (Good Old Days)

Both entries were guessed correctly by Good Old Days. Despite having a lower score than 'DWABH' due to receiving 28/30 votes, this managed the higher average and this almost made the top 20 on here, but the last minute 0 score caused it slip just outside the top 20.

'One For Sorrow [US Mix]' was remixed from it's original pop sound for the American market in the summer of 1999 as their debut single from the US version of their debit album 'Step One' as well as featuring on the soundtrack to 'Drive Me Crazy' movie which starred Melissa Joan Hart. It failed to make an impression on the Top 100 only managing to peak at #38 on the US Hot Dance Club/Play charts. Eventually it did manage to get a UK release 2 years later alongside 'Chain Reaction' as a double a-side and even managed to match it's previous peak position at #2. Obviously this doesn't compare to the original version, but it's okay enough, but I do find that in it's more sped up form it loses the essence and heart of what made the song so great in the first place, and talk about dated, while the original has aged very well, this however hasn't at all with it's very 90's production which comes across as very stale now and despite having a new music video shot for the USA, it's a 100 times more cheesier than ever and very cringe worthy, plus Claire's very questionable hairdo decision

Hilarious.

Posted by: Jüpiter 25th February 2018, 04:42 PM

Now wishing I'd scored that remix lower to boost Dancing over it! >.< slightly surprised by the lowish scores for it, but I guess some of y'all probably knew the original version already...

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 25th February 2018, 06:42 PM

'Dancing With a Broken Heart' is bland as, but I do quite like the key change.

Posted by: Jonjo 25th February 2018, 09:42 PM

No losses for me so far. Very good. Although I'd love it if 'Tragedy' could drop out anytime now (def won't happen though).

Backing 'It's The Way You Make Me Feel' to win, but I suspect 'Scared of the Dark' will. Would love to see 'Say You'll Be Mine' come top 10 and for 'Here And Now' to get as high as possible. But I suspect HAN will be out within the next 3 songs

Posted by: SamJudd 25th February 2018, 11:28 PM

#20. Better The Devil You Know | 6.333

Highest Scores: 10: (Rossco), Lowest Scores: -1 (Hide&Seek)

Kicking off the top 20 is yet another cover which this time it's the Kylie classic 'Better The Devil You Know'. which was released in December 1999 as yet another double a-side alongside 'Say You'll Be Mine' which featured on their 2nd album, but the former didn't and later ended up on their 3rd album 'Buzz' in 2000. Of course their version was never gonna compare to Kylie's and while it was a brave attempt, it simply didn't quite cut it and honestly they've done far better covers than this. At the time I actually really liked it and when sung live on their concerts, it sounds great and the fact that it's been included on all their tours since it's release, must mean that's well liked or something. On the whole I don't hate and don't love it either, it's just a fine enough pop song.

Posted by: Jonjo 26th February 2018, 12:17 AM

Keep it.

Posted by: Spiceboy 26th February 2018, 01:05 AM

BTDYK comes to life when it's done live! I tend to skip it on Gold but when its in concert I'm totally up there doing the dance routine wearing my flashing devil horns singing for dear life lol

Posted by: Feel_The_Fever 26th February 2018, 02:01 AM

Better The Devil you know is an ok song by them but the original by Kylie is such a classic that the cover version isnt as appealing to me.

Posted by: pippa 26th February 2018, 04:27 PM

I think Steps should have stayed away from covering Kylie;s better the devil you know. They could have gone with covering an album track by Kylie in its place.

Posted by: kye 26th February 2018, 05:30 PM

I grew up with Steps and one of my fondest memories of them were the Better The Devil You Know performances, so this song means more to me than most. At the time, I’d never heard Kylie’s version when Steps released their version and now that I’ve heard them both, I ultimately prefer the Steps version.

Posted by: SamJudd 26th February 2018, 07:24 PM

#19. 5,6,7,8 | 6.55

Highest Scores: 9: (Euphorique, me me), Lowest Scores: 2: (ElectroTroye)

At #19 is the one that started it all, 5,6,7,8, released in November 1997 as their debut single taken from their first album 'Step One' and would eventually reach a #14 peak on the UK charts, after first entering the charts #18, making a rare feat at the time of when it was expected to drop after it's initial peak. Therefore turning this into a sleeper hit and despite being one of they're lowest charting singles, it's actually their 3rd highest seller with over 400,000 copies sold to date and earning a Gold disc. This is possibly their most divisive hit in their entire back catalogue and it's not hard to see why as it basically sticks out like a sore thumb, it's a line dancing techno pop song that features none of Steps usual traits, such as for instance Claire's signature belting vocals. But this does has it's charm and to think that they got together through an ad in the paper and would only signed on for a one-off single, which thankfully this became a huge hit because otherwise if it wasn't then we wouldn't have had them in our lives and they'd wouldn't have had the career that they had. So there's a lot to thank this song for as it did pave the way for a successful career, but nobody would guess what the future had in store for these days.

Posted by: Jester 26th February 2018, 07:33 PM

Lee there having the most vocals he would ever have in a Steps song (and probably equal to the total he would have for the rest of the Steps songs).

And HA at how butch H is trying to be in the video.

Posted by: pippa 26th February 2018, 07:52 PM

5,6,7,8 is still catchy and without it we would have never got all the golden Steps albums and singles that followed.

They were originally signed for 1 single so thankfully it did so well for them.

Posted by: Jay ☆ 27th February 2018, 12:40 AM

QUOTE(kye @ Feb 26 2018, 05:30 PM)

Exactly the same for me! I'm glad they covered it, it's always so fun on tour!

~

5, 6, 7, 8 has always ranked as one of my least favourite Steps singles, but I'll always appreciate it for being their starting point that lead to much greater things.

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 27th February 2018, 06:56 AM

'5, 6, 7, 8' has its place I suppose.

Posted by: Jüpiter 27th February 2018, 11:12 AM

I didn't realise until watching the video there now but H literally does nothing at all in 5,6,7,8. Not a bad way to make your money!

Posted by: SamJudd 27th February 2018, 06:36 PM

#18. After The Love Has Gone | 7.033

Highest Scores: 10: (Jonjo, Jay), Lowest Scores: 3: (me me)

At #18 is the underrated gem 'After The Love Has Gone' which was released in October 1999 as the 3rd single from their 2nd album 'Steptacular' and peaked at #5 on the UK charts. I really wish that I gave this a 10 instead of a 9, but it wouldn't have made any difference. Anyway now this really deserves to be much higher as this feels pretty much forgotten when compared to their other bigger pop hits and yes it is very similar to their own hit 'One For Sorrow', where Claire also takes lead vocals, but at the same time it's oriental sound gives it a more unique flavour that makes it standout amongst their discography. It's a really beautiful number with a stronger sense of melancholy and some fantastic pipes by the one and only Claire. Plus let's talk about that awesome music video, which has to be one of their best with it's awesome fight scenes, their cool green outfits and Asian setting that really suits the song perfectly. So yeah this is a well and truly an underrated gem and should be more remembered.

Posted by: Jonjo 27th February 2018, 06:51 PM

What an underrated gem It's always been a fave of mine and I think it's one of their tracks that has aged quite nicely.

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 27th February 2018, 07:02 PM

I never really give the two 'love' singles from 1999 the time of day if I'm honest.

Posted by: Jester 27th February 2018, 07:39 PM

After The Love is Gone is great. Shame it's so low

Posted by: Jüpiter 27th February 2018, 09:44 PM

That one's not so bad, does sound like classic Steps.
I actually also appreciate the animated music video one a lot more now having heard it as part of this rate. I might rate it higher another time!

Still here for a Way You Make Me Feel win hopefully!

Posted by: SamJudd 27th February 2018, 10:44 PM

#17. You'll Be Sorry | 7.066

Highest Scores: 11: (Jester), 10: (Lukuzz, Aaron, Dexton), Lowest Scores: 2: (dandy)

At #17 is one of their most danceable numbers 'You'll Be Sorry' which was their 4th double a-side release alongside 'Here And Now'. Both of which feature on their 3rd album 'Buzz' and released in May 2001 as the final single from that album. This like the other track was remixed for it's release, in this case the 'Pardon Mix'. To be honest I always preferred the album version which had a long intro section which really sets tone better. However on the single version it was dramatically shorter which makes it lacking that certain something that it had before. The song is still pretty good and the Euro Trance elements really suits them, definitely one of their most floor filling moments, but maybe on the whole a little bit forgettable. Another aspect that lets this down is the music video, while I did like the connecting story-lines where they got taken away in a spaceship. This one just wasn't nowhere near as good, kinda bland with not much effort put into it and also like the other one, aged quite badly. I also remember there being a lot of hype about the competition held through their website for fans to appear in the video, however all the footage was cut and disappointed the competition winners.

This only beat 'ATLHG' by a single point, this is in about the right place on this rundown, and while this was a definite standout on the album, I don't really know that this quite worked as a single, find that H gets way too much of the lead vocal and this would have sounded so much better with Faye/Claire lead. Not that he sounds bad or anything, but it is kinda average and that's what halts this from being great. Why 'Paradise Lost' was never given the single treatment is beyond me.

Posted by: kye 27th February 2018, 10:54 PM

i remember being SO mad that 'You'll Be Sorry' was so H-heavy when I was younger, he used to grate on me even back then.
it's sad to think that he only started to get more solo's as the group went on because he was in a secret relationship with their manager... nothing like sleeping your way to the top!

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 27th February 2018, 11:04 PM

I think YBS is quite sophisticated sounding for a Steps 2001 single.

Posted by: Spiceboy 27th February 2018, 11:29 PM

QUOTE(kye @ Feb 27 2018, 10:54 PM)

Now I'm by no means a H fan, he is my least fave out of the group, but that is a bit unfair really. He had solos right from the first album. Too weak to resist and Experienced are both pretty much H solo tracks with backing vocals from the others on Step One. He also had another pretty much solo track on Steptacular with My Best Friends Girl, and then he had solo parts on Deeper shade of blue and When I said goodbye. He only had the same amount of solo parts on Buzz and Gold as he did on the first two albums...

Posted by: kye 28th February 2018, 12:06 AM

QUOTE(Spiceboy @ Feb 27 2018, 11:29 PM)

it's not an opinion - it's the truth. it's heavily noted in claire's autobiography & was talked about in Steps Reunion. in claire's book she actually says the line "H started getting more lines because of his relationship with Tim".

solo tracks on albums is nowhere near the same - lee had solo's on the albums too. the singles formula went from faye (verse one) > claire (verse two + ad-libs) > lisa (middle eight) to incorporating much more H & it's 'cause he was screwin' the boss.

Posted by: Feel_The_Fever 28th February 2018, 02:22 AM

You'll be sorry is one of their least memorable for me,it's nice but forgettable.

Posted by: PAJ88 28th February 2018, 03:11 AM

Would’ve preferred Happy Go Lucky/Paradise Lost as a double release over Here Abd Now/You’ll Be Sorry.

The former are at least both solid 10’s.

Posted by: SamJudd 28th February 2018, 04:20 AM

#16. Here And Now | 7.466

Highest Scores: 11: (Rossco), 10: (Aaron, Stepsrcwl, Spiceboy, Jonjo), Lowest Scores: 2.5: (dandy)

At #16 is the other side of the song below it, 'Here And Now' which was released in May 2001 as the final single from their 3rd album 'Buzz' alongside ;YBS' of course and peaked at #4 on the UK charts, becoming their 12th top 5 hit and 13th top 10 hit overall and despite being yet another success for them, it's their 2nd lowest seller during their 97-01 period after 'Words Are Not Enough'. Not many people know this but this song is actually a cover, originally sung by boyband World's Apart and was recorded back in 2000, but was never given a worldwide release as far as I know. This song was re-recorded for it's single release just like it's counterpart called the Q-Street mix, which gives it a much better and more polished sound. This definitely stands as one of their more mature numbers, but still very much Steps and while this may not be one of their strongest or better singles, it's still a pretty fun time. Funnily enough for it's worldwide release 'YBS' wasn't released alongside it, instead 'Summer Of Love' was released, which sadly didn't make much impact peaking at a mere #71 in Australia, showing that despite still being massively successful in the UK, their worldwide popularity had waned.

Posted by: PAJ88 28th February 2018, 04:44 AM

Australia got H&N/YBS, I remember picking up the cds of it.

Posted by: pippa 28th February 2018, 01:51 PM

Here and Now was catchy and more organic than you'll be sorry.

Posted by: Jüpiter 28th February 2018, 02:54 PM

That fashion and those videos

Also it's really interesting seeing it become the H show. I never picked up on that before. Crazy how little focus Claire has in some of these too given that H&Claire was probably on the cards already around this time!

Posted by: Lukuzz 28th February 2018, 03:21 PM

You’ll Be Sorry should be higher. Amazing dance track. Even if it is heavy on the H haha

Posted by: gooddelta 28th February 2018, 03:47 PM

Everything about the styling of the Buzz era was so dire, Steps lost focus with their branding, image and direction completely

It's The Way You Make Me Feel excepted of course as period costume never goes out of style.

I never really loved either of those songs but You'll Be Sorry is better, Here And Now is melodic but I never go back to it, considering it has much glossier production than their older singles, it always felt a bit hollow and charmless somehow.

Posted by: Jester 28th February 2018, 05:30 PM

You can see/hear how Here and Now translated to the H&Claire ‘sound’.

You’ll Be Sorry is the best steps track imo. Love the heavier dance sound to it.

Posted by: Jüpiter 28th February 2018, 07:10 PM

I am really enjoying this countdown and discussion, thanks for putting the effort in to run it!
H and Claire I remember really badly. Even looking them up again on spotify, nothing really rings a bell. What were they thinking?? Were H and Claire obviously seen as the 'leads' back when Steps were at their biggest? I don't remember...

Posted by: SamJudd 28th February 2018, 07:29 PM

#15. Heartbeat | 7.483

Highest Scores: 11: (Lukuzz, Chapman), 10: (Simon, Hide&Seek), Lowest Scores: 2: (dandy)

At #15 is the last of the Steps ballads to feature here 'Heartbeat', and funnily enough their first ballad released as a single also. Released in November 1998 as the 4th single from their debut album 'Step One', as a double a-side alongside the much more well known 'Tragedy' (which didn't feature on the album). This is also their first chart topper, although I do think that most of those sales were for the other song, which I will talk about later. But for now I'm gonna talk about this which I do feel gets very much overshadowed and ignored when compared to you know what, however on it's own it's a really nice song that's sung well and surprisingly quite grown up. Plus I love the festive feel that this song has, it really gets you in the mood for Christmas as well as the video (which has to be their most cheesiest), with the terrible green screen skiing shots and deranged kidnapping dwarfs and Faye's questionable dreadlocks all of which makes for a fun camp time.

Another note YES this is a million seller, okay that's mainly down to the other song as well as it's rise to the #1 spot, but honestly if this was released on it's own then I do think it would have been successful and during the '98 X-Mas period it could have easily pulled of sales of 400,000-500,000 and still had it's original #2 peak.

Posted by: pippa 28th February 2018, 07:55 PM

Heartbeat is a good song. That said it fell down for me as Tragedy was excellent and Heartbeat felt like a poor attachment to me as the double a side of the single.

Posted by: SamJudd 28th February 2018, 08:26 PM

Results So Far 15-28 =

15. Heartbeat - 7.483
16. Here and Now - 7.466
17. You’ll Be Sorry - 7.066
18. After the Love Has Gone - 7.033
19. 5,6,7,8 - 6.55
20. Better the Devil You Know - 6.333
21. One for Sorrow (US Mix) - 6.214
22. Dancing with A Broken Heart - 6.083
23. When I Said Goodbye - 5.533
24. Words Are Not Enough - 5.516
25. I Know Him So Well - 5.4
26. Light Up the World - 5.017
27. Thank ABBA for The Music (Ft Various) - 4.733
28. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby - 4.316

For anyone whose interested here are the results from the 2011 Rate =

1. One For Sorrow – 8.76
2. It's The Way You Make Me Feel - 8.69
3. Deeper Shade Of Blue – 8.27
4. Last Thing On My Mind – 7.76
5. Love's Got A Hold On My Heart – 7.54
6. Chain Reaction – 7.49
7. Summer Of Love – 7.44
8. Say You'll Be Mine – 7.37
9. Tragedy – 7.25
10. Stomp – 7.24
11. After The Love Has Gone – 7.20
12. Better Best Forgotten - 7.13
13. Here And Now – 7.08
14. You'll Be Sorry - 6.98
15. Heartbeat – 6.86
16. Better The Devil You Know - 6.5
17. 5,6,7,8 – 5.89
18. One For Sorrow (2001/Tony Moran US mix) – 5.78
19. Words Are Not Enough – 5.57
20. Thank Abba For The Music – 5.31
21. I Know Him So Well – 5.13
22. When I Said Goodbye - 5.03
23. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby – 3.53

Posted by: Simon. 28th February 2018, 08:30 PM

Oh stop why is Heartbeat so low

ATLHG I loved back in the day, I find it a bit loud now and screechy

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 28th February 2018, 08:39 PM

Adore 'Heartbeat', it reminds me fondly of Christmas 1998.

Posted by: Jüpiter 28th February 2018, 08:45 PM

So to this stage last time almost exactly the same songs in the same order had gone out, minus Dancing with a Broken Heart and Light Up the World, of course. Interesting!

I'm surprised at last time's winner though.

Posted by: SamJudd 28th February 2018, 11:04 PM

#14. Story Of A Heart | 7.566

Highest Scores: 10: (Rossco, Lukuzz, PAJ88, gooddelta), Lowest Scores: 2: (Tawdry Hepburn)

At #14 we finally lose another of their comeback releases, 'Story Of A Heart', which featured on their 5th studio album 'Tears On The Dancefloor' and released as the 2nd single, firstly in a remix EP known as the 7th Heaven mix in May, then a radio release in June 2017. The song is a cover co-written by Benny & Bjorn (formally of ABBA fame) and recorded by the 'Benny Anderson's Band' with vocals by Swedish singer Helen Sjoholm, and released back in 2009 and peaked at #17 on the Swedish charts. This was a good choice for Steps to cover given the many ABBA comparisons they've had in their early years, and even covered quite a few of their songs as well, making this quite a fitting choice and plus not many people would know the original version anyway and Steps would do a pretty fine job of it, giving the song a more modern pop twist feel that makes this the perfect follow up to the already classic 'SCTD'. The video itself is a nice love letter to the fans, mainly just them reminiscing about the last 20 years, which fits the song really well. Finally I must say that the vocals from the 3 girls Claire, Faye & Lisa each sounding beautiful without trying to outshine each other which is really refreshing and all of which makes for a well crafted pop song that's a welcome addition to their discography.

Posted by: Jonjo 28th February 2018, 11:20 PM

Here & Now has always been a favourite of mine. Such a huge pop chorus imo

Really surprised to see Heartbeat so low I genuinely thought it'd be top 5! A really lovely pop ballad. I don't love it as much as I used to, I think it was actually my fave until ITWYMMF came along. Story Of A Heart is lovely too. But I barely listen to the original anymore tbh. The 7th Heaven Remix still slays my existence!

Posted by: pippa 1st March 2018, 12:40 PM

Story of a Heart wasn't as instant for me as it was for many people who were posting in the Steps thread. That said, after a while i got why so many people liked it and i started enjoying it a lot. I would rate it the 3rd best single of the sublime Tears On The Dancefloor album.

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 1st March 2018, 12:48 PM

I can't abide 'Story of a Heart'. It's so grating, and it's the only one I skip from the original album.

Posted by: Spiceboy 1st March 2018, 01:32 PM

Story of a heart took a while to grow on me but it is one of my absolute favourites on the album now. I think Neon Blue is my favourite followed by Scared of the dark then Story of a heart.

Posted by: vibe 1st March 2018, 01:50 PM

Here and Now should be higher .

Posted by: SamJudd 1st March 2018, 03:44 PM

#13. Stomp | 7.75

Highest Scores: 10: (SamJudd, Rossco, me me, Aaron, Stepscrwl, Spiceboy, pippa, Feel The Fever), Lowest Scores: 2: (Good Old Days)

At #13 and coming somewhat as a surprise is 'Stomp' which was released in October 2000 as the lead (and 3rd overall) single from their 3rd album 'Buzz' and went on to become their 2nd and final UK #1. This was originally higher at #11 for the most part, but the two low scores of 2 and 3 caused this to plummet and settle for the 13th position. I think that most people would agree that this was one of those occasions when a group reaches the top of the charts with a track quite inferior to most of their other classics that didn't. Taking full advantage of a slow sales week, but yeah it was well earned and glad that they managed to reach the top of the charts again after several #2 hits and while this may not be one of their greater moments, I still really like it and do like the orchestral riff from Chic's 'Everybody Dance' which is used really well here and it is a really good disco pop number, despite the pretty bland music video with dodgy acting and questionable hairdos (apart from Faye's which ROCKS as well as Lisa's cool braces). However the song is still a fun romp and despite it's chart topping status it's only ranked as their 11th best selling single with 181,000 copies sold to date.

Posted by: vibe 1st March 2018, 04:32 PM

STOMP is much better than some the tracks left in !!

Posted by: Jester 1st March 2018, 06:09 PM

Stomp is not good. So many more deserving number 1s from them!

Posted by: Aaron. 1st March 2018, 06:19 PM

You'll Be Sorry/Here and Now were the first Steps songs that I had ever heard. Stomp was also a classic for me, sad they are both out.

Posted by: Jüpiter 1st March 2018, 06:57 PM

I quite like Stomp still tbh!
Lee's hair in that video though... my god. They've served a lot of looks that haven't aged well but it's normally more the girls and H!

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 1st March 2018, 07:16 PM

I enjoy 'Stomp', but yeah... it ranks fairly lowly for me.

Posted by: Stepsrcwl 2nd March 2018, 09:44 AM

Just going back to Sam Judds comment about why Paradise Lost was never released as a single, the band asked the fans to vote for their favourite single off Buzz (Via their website) and which ever song was top was to be released (Which was Here and now) but they then decided to pick the 2nd popular track from the album and release a double a-side. Now, every fan I speak too who loves Paradise lost, they weren't aware of the voting via the website, had more people know at the time I think Paradise lost would have been the 2nd choice over You'll be sorry and adding to that they also asked for entries from fans (Photo's and reasons why you love Steps) to appear in the video for You'll be sorry (I didn't get picked ) but after being on set and the graphics they used at the time, the video wasn't able to be done with the fans. Any fans here had the chance to go to the video shoot for You'll be sorry.

Posted by: pippa 2nd March 2018, 12:58 PM

Stomp is great, it is a Steps song that always remained on my playlists for years and right up to before they reformed. It is a very summer song and i would have thought this would have easily reached the top 10 on this countdown. Stomp is a song by them that im happy it has number 1 status.

Posted by: PINKFUNQ 2nd March 2018, 01:06 PM

Merci bien SJ, lovely read this far

No big surprises! Only..just realising how underrated ATLHG is. You and I should've given it a higher position

Posted by: SamJudd 2nd March 2018, 05:11 PM

#12. Say You'll Be Mine | 7.766

Highest Scores: 10: (Spiceboy, Jester, Jonjo, pippa, Feel The Fever, Good Old Days), Lowest Scores: -1: (vibe)

At #12 we have the glorious 'Say You'll Be Mine' which was released in December 1999 alongside side 'Better The Devil You Know' as the 4th single from their 2nd album 'Steptacular', and would reach a #4 peak on the UK charts. Brought during the very busy X-Mas week in a battle for the top slot in which Westlife would win, Steps had entered at #7 in the first week, which seemed a bit of a disappointment and lowest since their debut single, but would rise to the top 5 position in it's 3rd week and therefore securing their legacy. Now I really like this song, it has an incredibly cheerful mood with an infectious tone that's sure to put a smile upon your face, there's just something so heartwarming and honest about the whole thing, which really sums up the band to a tee. At first this did get off to a rather slow start with the scoring at the beginning, but about more than halfway through it started piling on the 10's, which really helped it rise from the bottom half of the top 20 to this position, not quite enough to secure a top 10 position. But anyway it's still a good song with that brilliant music video which is what most people remembers about this.

BTW I just had to post that hilarious Japanese CD cover for this single, WTH is Faye wearing.

Posted by: Spiceboy 2nd March 2018, 05:40 PM

One of my ultimate fave Steps song, I adore it from the song to the awesome video to those cheesy yellow outfits!

WTF is Faye wearing on that second cover lol, looks like she should be in East 17!

Posted by: pippa 2nd March 2018, 06:17 PM

Say You'll Be Mine was glorious. Another song from them that i would have expected to reach the top 10 on this countdown.

Posted by: Jonjo 2nd March 2018, 07:02 PM

Ahhh. That's way too low :'(

SYBM is fantastic. Really catchy. The video is brilliant too

Posted by: Spiceboy 2nd March 2018, 07:36 PM

I hate that both of the tours I have seen Steps on they have left out SYBM!!!

Posted by: Jester 2nd March 2018, 09:06 PM

SYBM is such a chirpy endearing song.

Posted by: SamJudd 2nd March 2018, 09:07 PM

#11. Chain Reaction | 7.9

Highest Scores: 10: (SamJudd, Rossco, rafik4u, me me, Aaron, Stepsrcwl, pippa, Feel The Fever, Jay), Lowest Scores: 1: (vibe)

Just missing the top 10 by the skin of it's teeth, 'Chain Reaction' which was released in September 2001 as the lead single from their 'Gold - Greatest Hits' album and peaked at #2 on the UK charts, becoming their 6th song to reach that position. They held off the top spot by the mammoth Kylie classic 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head'. Originally a UK chart topper for Diana Ross in 1986 and remains one of her most well known hits and so it was a pretty big risk for Steps to cover. But thankfully they pull it off and do a really good job of this cover, giving a fresh sounding take on it with some Fantastic inspired percussion, all of which makes this one of their best covers. This was a really good choice to lead their Greatest Hits album and even managed to put their own stamp on a classic while still paying respect to the original. Another fact this was actually intended for their 3rd album 'Buzz', but wasn't included on the final tracklisting and instead included it on their next release, which was definitely the better choice.

Posted by: Jester 2nd March 2018, 09:12 PM

So many key changes! Good cover, glad it isn’t top 10 though.

Posted by: PAJ88 2nd March 2018, 09:16 PM

So 7 of the last rates top 10 remain.

Better Best Forgotten wil jump into the top 10 & Scared of the Dark & Neeon Blue willl be there as well.

Posted by: SamJudd 2nd March 2018, 09:16 PM

Here's what's to feature in the top 10 =

"Last Thing On My Mind"
"One For Sorrow"
"Tragedy"
"Better Best Forgotten"
"Love's Got A Hold On My Heart"
"Deeper Shade Of Blue"
"Summer Of Love"
"It's The Way You Make Me Feel"
"Scared Of The Dark"
"Neon Blue"

So please tell me your thoughts or your predictions...

Posted by: kye 2nd March 2018, 10:14 PM

Chain Reaction not being top 10 is exactly why I didn’t rate. Criminally low.

Posted by: Feel_The_Fever 3rd March 2018, 02:04 AM

I love chain reaction and would have it higher. Love the cover sleeve image for it too.

Posted by: Jüpiter 3rd March 2018, 11:44 AM

Hope Deeper Shade of Blue makes top 5!

Next to come...Love's Got a Hold, I think!

Posted by: Spiceboy 3rd March 2018, 12:38 PM

I'm hoping Love got a hold of my heart is out next! So pleased to see Better Best Forgotten making top 10!!! JUSTICE! SHOULD'VE BEEN #1!!!

Posted by: Feel_The_Fever 3rd March 2018, 04:19 PM

Better best forgotten would be my number 1but for this I'm hoping the top 5.

Posted by: Spiceboy 3rd March 2018, 04:55 PM

Better Best Forgotten is always and forever my number 1

Posted by: SamJudd 3rd March 2018, 05:57 PM

#10. Love's Got A Hold On My Heart | 7.9

Highest Scores: 11: (Simon), 10: (SamJudd, PAJ88, gooddelta, Slowdown73, Stepsrcwl, LB1108, Jay), Lowest Scores: 3: (Euphorique)

At the #10 spot is 'Love's Got A Hold On My Heart', which despite scoring the same average as 'CR', this is higher due to a single score of 11, meaning that this only just about made the top 10, and taking quite a tumble from the last rate where this was top 5, but has gained a much higher average though which is something. Released in July 1999 as the lead single from their 2nd album 'Steptacular' and narrowly missed out on the top spot, due to Ricky Martin's 'Livin La Vida Loca' which had pretty much took over the world by that point and Steps had to settle for the #2 spot, despite being #1 for most of the week (this wouldn't be the last time this would happen). This is a great song that definitely ranks as one of their strongest with it's fantastic summery vibe and infectious chorus which makes this the perfect choice to lead a new era. There's not a bad word I could say about this, it's just a really good solid pop song that's perfect for the summer with some fantastic lead vocals from Claire & Faye. Even the music video, which has to be one of their best with those corny canary yellow outfits and interesting plot line that involves a man trying to steal a film reel of 'Steps: The Movie', and why hasn't that been made. So on the whole this is a well earned top 10 position and deserves to be higher.

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 4th March 2018, 02:08 AM

Their version of 'Chain Reaction' is a bundle of joy, and I will hear no less.

Posted by: SamJudd 4th March 2018, 03:53 PM

#09. Neon Blue | 8.00

Highest Scores: 10: (Rossco, gooddelta, Stepsrcwl, Spiceboy, Feel The Fever, Dexton, Jay), Lowest Scores: 4/4.5: (vibe, dandy)

At #9 is the fantastic 'Neon Blue', which turned out to be a rather dark horse in this competition, starting out in the top 15, then looking to settle around the #12-#13 mark, then out of nowhere shot into the top 10, becoming a somewhat surprise considering that it's pretty new as well as beating several of their more well known and bigger hits, well it just goes to show how popular their comeback stuff is and it's nice to see the fans full embracing it with open arms. Released in August 2017 as the 3rd single from their 5th album 'No More Tears On The Dancefloor' and just like the other singles received a positive critical response and while it didn't make any impact on any of the charts it's still a great song with a great message of coming out and basically coming out with them and having a good time. The soft piano intro is very much like something Adele would have on one of her albums, but it soon builds into an upbeat synth track making this a definite classic Steps track that's not only a instant standout on the album, but a more than welcome addition to their wonderful discography.

Posted by: Jüpiter 4th March 2018, 03:59 PM

Claire is seriously looking the best she has ever looked right now.

Neon Blue grew on me. It's not one I'd skip, though I still feel it doesn't have that much to it.

Posted by: SamJudd 4th March 2018, 04:13 PM

Any guesses as to what will drop next...

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 4th March 2018, 07:23 PM

I'm not sure I'd place 'Neon Blue' that high personally.

Posted by: Feel_The_Fever 4th March 2018, 07:43 PM

Loves got a hold on my heart is one of the weakest songs in the top 10.

Neon Blue is great and was the standout track on the album when i first heard it. Shame it managed nothing as single but least it done well here.

Posted by: Euphorique 4th March 2018, 07:49 PM

Neon Blue is good but too high. Never got the appeal of Love's Got A Hold... way too cheesy.

The remix of One For Sorrow should be higher, gave the original a much needed oomph, and still slays today.

Posted by: SamJudd 4th March 2018, 09:55 PM

#08. Summer Of Love | 8.183

Highest Scores: 11: (Tawdry Hepburn, LB1108), 10: (ElectroTroye, SamJudd, gavindeejay, Lukuzz, Aaron, Jester, iiiiiiiiii, Chapman), Lowest Scores: 1: (dandy, Good Old Days)

At #8 is the colourful and bright 'Summer Of Love' which spent most of the rate switching between the 5th and 6th positions due to it's overwhelming high scores consisting of double 11's, eight 10's and a whole bunch of 8's and 9's, but the 2 low scores caused a slight dip and ending up at the lower half of the top 10, which is still a respectable position. Released in July 2000 alongside 'When I Said Goodbye' (which dropped ages ago) and was already featured on their million selling 2nd album. But this one was an entirely new track which would later feature on their 3rd album 'Buzz'. This also saw them tackle a slight change in sound, going for a Latino-Flavoured pop sound and even features Spanish lyrics. They may have been a bit late in gategrashing the Latin pop craze, nevertheless they pulled it off to perfection and even managed yet another top 5 hit, thanks to a euphoric production which ranks up their usual uptempo pop sound to an 11. It's not hard too see why this overshadowed the other track, because not only are their faster paced pop songs are more popular, their a million times better and this is a shining example of that.

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 4th March 2018, 10:19 PM

My favourite!

Posted by: Spiceboy 4th March 2018, 10:52 PM

I adore Neon Blue it's my favourite out of the new tracks! I'm actually a little surprised I didn't give SOL a 10 lol, perhaps it's because I was comparing it to other tracks... I do love that song though their vocals on it harmonising are amazing.

Posted by: Jüpiter 4th March 2018, 11:02 PM

Surprised at Better Best Forgotten and Last Thing On My Mind getting this far over classics like Chain Reaction and fan faves like Summer of Love! Would've thought that one in particular was a shoe-in for top 5!

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 4th March 2018, 11:23 PM

Pretty sure 'Last Thing on My Mind' is generally more regarded as a classic than 'Chain Reaction'.

Posted by: Jay ☆ 5th March 2018, 12:50 AM

Pleasantly surprised that Neon Blue made it into the Top 10! A huge favourite of mine.

Something I didn’t notice until recently: Lee doesn’t lip sync in the Summer of Love (during the chorus) or Stomp videos.

Posted by: Feel_The_Fever 5th March 2018, 01:46 AM

Summer Of Love is middle of the table for me, so im happy its not in the top 5.

Posted by: Jester 5th March 2018, 06:39 AM

Ahh Summer of Love is probably my joint fave Steps track. Deserved top 5!

Posted by: SamJudd 5th March 2018, 05:23 PM

#07. Tragedy | 8.233

Highest Scores: 10: (SamJudd, PAJ88, rafik4u, me me, Jupiter, Spiceboy, Jester, pippa, Dexton, Jay), Lowest Scores: -1: (Jonjo)

At #7 and it's getting really serious now it's 'Tragedy', which has to be their most famous and well known song of their entire career. This of course catapulted the group into the big leagues and proved that they were here to stay. Released in November 1998 alongside the lesser known 'Heartbeat' and entered the UK charts at #2, then 8 weeks later in the early months of January 1999 it shot to the top of the charts, becoming their first UK chart topper and went on to sell over 1.2 Million copies, not surprisingly becoming their biggest selling hit. An inspired re-working of the Bee Gees classic, Steps brought the song back into the 90's becoming an instant pop classic that has not only overshadowed the original but eclipsed it by about a 1000 percent. Wow it's hard to imagine that this is nearly 20 years old now, which makes me feel very old now, but listening to this again really brings back those fond memories and made Steps an household name, and sure at the time it was easy to get so sick of this as it got played everywhere all the time, but now enough time has passed for everyone to enjoy it again. It also perfectly sums up what they were about: and that is pure pop and just plain good old fashioned fun. Also let's not forget to mention that iconic dance routine, is there anyone who doesn't know the hands besides the ears pose.

Posted by: pippa 5th March 2018, 06:00 PM

Huge shock seeing Tragedy miss the top 5.

Posted by: Jester 5th March 2018, 07:33 PM

Its slightly over-rated now, glad it isn't top 5.

Posted by: SamJudd 5th March 2018, 10:08 PM

#06. Better Best Forgotten | 8.3

Highest Scores: 11: (Spiceboy, pippa, Feel The Fever), 10: (Rossco, PAJ88), Lowest Scores: 4.5: (Jupiter)

At #6 is another track that proved to be a darkhorse in this competition 'Better Best Forgotten', which was released in March 1999 as the 5th and final single from their debut album 'Step One', and despite being pushed back a month due to the massive popularity of their previous single, this also proved to be yet another smash hit by peaking at #2 and going on to sell over 330,000 copies and earning a Silver disc. Another thing that was going against this was the fact that it was single #5 from an already Million selling album, but Steps still riding high from their breakthrough the year before still managed to knock it out of the park. This is yet another great Steps track, although not quite a classic when compared to some of their others, although there is something charming about it's cheap and cheerful production. But they make it work and it is catchy as hell and out of what was left on the album this was probably the best choice. Although I wouldn't call the music video as one of their better moments, it does kinda look on the cheap side and I don't really get what was going on with the whole watery theme, however like the song itself it does have a certain charm to it.

After the massive success of this song, another track 'Love U More' (originally recorded by Sunscreem in 1992) was planned to follow this as the album's 6th single, but thankfully they chose to release a new track 'Love's Got A Hold On My Heart' instead, which was definitely for the better, as I doubt this would have done half as well as the album's previous singles and plus it was basically an album filler track anyway.

Posted by: SamJudd 5th March 2018, 10:17 PM

So we are now down to our final 5 and they are =

"Last Thing On My Mind"
"One For Sorrow"
"Deeper Shade Of Blue"
"It's The Way You Make Me Feel"
"Scared Of The Dark"

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 5th March 2018, 10:40 PM

'Tragedy' gets maligned quite a lot, but I adore it. It truly reminds me of my school disco days.

Posted by: gavindeejay 5th March 2018, 11:48 PM

It’s The Way You Make Me Feel to win please!

Posted by: Jester 6th March 2018, 06:09 AM

QUOTE(gavindeejay @ Mar 5 2018, 11:48 PM)

It’s The Way You Make Me Feel to win please!

This.

Posted by: Rossco 6th March 2018, 11:08 AM

In my opinion BBF is a classic steps track and one a lot of people remember. Gutted DSOB is in the top 5. Reaaaaly dislike the track and would not say it is in their top 5 songs at all.

It’s the way you make me feel for the win

Posted by: Jüpiter 6th March 2018, 01:39 PM

I honestly didn't remember Better Best Forgotten until this rate. (also...anyone else hearing a lot of Madonna's Express Yourself in it??)

I'm thinking Last Thing On My Mind out next!

Posted by: pippa 6th March 2018, 02:28 PM

Annoying that Better Best Forgotten has just missed the top 5 as its their song i have never forgotten!!

It done extremely well as a 5th single from a very successful album and ended the era wonderfully and on a high. I think at one point on release week they were number 1 in the midweeks with Better Best Forgotten.

While a 6th single would likely have been a hit regardless due to their popularity i would have selected Back To You over Love You More. That said, a 6th single didn't happen and they moved on to the next successful era of their career.

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 6th March 2018, 04:56 PM

QUOTE(Jüpiter @ Mar 6 2018, 01:39 PM)

I honestly didn't remember Better Best Forgotten until this rate. (also...anyone else hearing a lot of Madonna's Express Yourself in it??)

Trying as hard as I can to see that, but just can't.

Posted by: SamJudd 6th March 2018, 10:17 PM

#05. Last Thing On My Mind | 8.6

Highest Scores: 11: (Stepsrcwl, Hide&Seek), 10: (SamJudd, Rossco, PAJ88, gooddelta, Simon, Tawdry Hepburn, Spiceboy), Lowest Scores: 6.5: (Jupiter)

[font="Verdana"]Kicking off the all important top 5 is the fabulous 'Last Thing On My Mind', which was their 2nd single following '5,6,7,8', released in April 1998 and peaked at #6 on the UK charts, becoming their first ever top 10 hit and setting them on the path to greatness as things would only go up from here. This is quite possibly the most important track in their careers. Their debut was seen by many as one-hit wonders, but this joyous catchy pop anthem proved that they were here to stay. Originally a minor #71 hit for Bananarama back in 1992 and a kinda slow and lifeless ballad that lacked that special something, but Steps totally made the song their own and transformed it into an upbeat pop song that's so full of life and energy that it's astounding that Steps are probably one of the only acts in history to release covers better than their originals, not saying all of them, but come on this is a definite shining example of what I mean. This would also where the ABBA references would start with their sound and it's music video, which isn't a bad thing to be compared to whatsoever. So yeah I would definitely call this a Steps classic, it's well and truly earned that title.[/size]

Posted by: gooddelta 6th March 2018, 10:27 PM

Incredible track, so glad it made the top five. Reminds me of my final school discos/get togethers in primary school

It was the only pre-2017 song in my top 100 most listened to songs of last year according to my Spotify stats. It's just a joy to listen to and, as mentioned above, set the template for what was to come, with the Faye verse, Claire verse, Lisa middle-eight structure.

Posted by: SamJudd 6th March 2018, 10:35 PM

Also just noticed that the remaining 4 left are from each of their 4 studio albums, glad it's worked out like that.

One For Sorrow from Step One
Deeper Shade Of Blue from Steptacular
It's The Way You Make Me Feel from Buzz
Scared Of The Dark from Tears On The Dancefloor

Which will drop next anyone care to guess ?

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 6th March 2018, 11:33 PM

I think 'Deeper Shade of Blue' is destined to drop next.

Posted by: Jay ☆ 7th March 2018, 11:00 AM

I'm guessing Deeper Shade of Blue too!

Posted by: pippa 7th March 2018, 02:58 PM

Last Thing on My Mind, extremely catchy and was so different from 5,6,7,8 which really helped them progress and expand their audience.

That said, i really liked the Bananarama version and on its release was disappointed when it flopped. This shows that sometimes a good song needs to be delivered by a popular act to become a hit.

Posted by: SamJudd 7th March 2018, 04:48 PM

#04. Deeper Shade Of Blue | 8.666

Highest Scores: 10: (SamJudd, Euphorique, gavindeejay, PAJ88, Tawdry Hepburn, Slowdown73, Spiceboy, Jester, iiiiiiiiii), Lowest Scores: 3: (Rossco)

At #4 is the last of the 'Steptacular' singles to drop 'Deeper Shade Of Blue', released in April 2000 as the albums 4th single and of course became another smash hit for them by reaching a #4 peak on the UK charts and thanks to digital downloads it has sold over 200,000 copies and has finally earned a Silver disc. The song was originally recorded by Tina Cousins back in 1998, but aside from a few promotional copies, her version remained unreleased, and later it would be given Steps and they worked wonders with it. This definitely shows a more mature side to their sound, moving more towards a dance/club style sound, while still being very much Steps at the same time and totally works in their favour and plus it fitted in with the current retro-dance revival that was going on at the time and even non fans like this, which probably makes this their coolest sounding song of their careers. Even the music video showed signs of them moving away from the cheesy pop sound as well as dropping the same coloured outfits (despite the blue latex thing they've got going on here), but after this they dropped that concept, and have created something futuristic and weird with each member transforming into an alter ego, so yeah this was and still is an awesome music video and goes really well with the song. I was very surprised that this song didn't score any 11's, but it did score a lot of 10's and plus a bunch of other high scores which are all well deserved. Finally would I call this a Steps classic?...Hell YES, a slight change in style, resulting in a pop masterpiece.

Posted by: SamJudd 7th March 2018, 05:10 PM

One For Sorrow VS It's The Way You Make Me Feel VS Scared Of The Dark

Posted by: pippa 7th March 2018, 05:39 PM

From the remaining songs i would welcome a Scared of the Dark Win.

That said, it would be interesting to do the same vote again in a few years time when Scared of the Dark has time to age, as to be fair, most of the songs in this rate have had lengthy "ear time" from those of us who have followed Steps.

Posted by: PAJ88 7th March 2018, 06:24 PM

Think ‘One For Sorrow ‘ will drop next, hope it’s ‘Scared of the Dark’ though.

Posted by: pippa 8th March 2018, 04:08 PM

One For Sorrow, somewhat higher than i would rank it, but i too believe it will be out next.

Posted by: SamJudd 8th March 2018, 11:34 PM

#03. One For Sorrow | 8.933

Highest Scores: 11: (PAJ88), 10: (SamJudd, Lukuzz, gooddelta, rafik4u, Tawdry Hepburn, vibe, Slowdown73, Hide&Seek, Spiceboy, Jay), Lowest Scores: 6: (Feel The Fever)

At #3 is wonderfully iconic 'One For Sorrow', despite scoring coming out first in the last rate, could only manage a bronze medal in this one, but did manage to score a higher average than last time, so that's something. Released in August 1998 as the 3rd single from their debut album 'Step One' and became their first ever top 5 hit by reaching a #2 peak (a position they would visit many times in their career) and would be the first of an impressive run of 13 top 5 hits. After their last hit prevented them from the dreaded one-hit wonder status, this firmly pushed them into the big leagues as well as being their 2nd biggest selling with 423,000 copies sold to date. This also confirmed the intention of re-creating the ABBA sound and pulls it off rather well, while yes it does sound like 'The Winner Takes It All', but it's great enough to stand on it's own as a credible pop song that's packed with a wistful melody and beautiful chorus and a wonderfully dramatic production, then of course all of which wouldn't have been pulled off if it wasn't for Claire's big vocals which rises this above the usual standards for a good pop song and turns it into something incredible. So yes this definitely stands as one of the greatest songs of their careers and with good reason. This was also the first time we got witness the full range of Claire's powerful vocals and I think this was the moment when we all realized that she was the lead singer of this group, a title that would be well deserved.

Posted by: Feel_The_Fever 8th March 2018, 11:37 PM

I do like one for sorrow but don't love it.

Posted by: SamJudd 8th March 2018, 11:37 PM

So just 2 left now =

'It's The Way You Make Me Feel' VS 'Scared Of The Dark'

Posted by: Spiceboy 8th March 2018, 11:43 PM

I love One For Sorrow it's possibly my second favourite Steps song. It would be my first if Claire didn't sing everything in it. Faye could easily have done the second verse. Claire and H were always my least favourites so it kind of put the tiniest dampener on the song that she hogs it all while the rest are essentially backing singers. I personally think Faye has the best voice in the group, it may not be as powerful as Claire's but it has a much sweeter tone than Claire's and Claire sometimes shouts rather than sings... I still gave the song a 10 though.

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 9th March 2018, 12:17 AM

'One For Sorrow' is iconic!

I have a feeling ITWYMMF is gonna clinch it, but I'd probably prefer 'Scared of the Dark' out of the two.

Posted by: pippa 9th March 2018, 01:53 PM

When this rate started i did not expect ITWYMMF to be so big.

Posted by: Spiceboy 9th March 2018, 06:53 PM

Really? I was expecting it to win from the start, it's always been a massive fan favourite. I was expecting it to be between One for sorrow and TTWYMMF though, I am a little surprised how high SOTD is. (Although rightly so as I love it, wonder if it would stay there in 20 years time though?)

Posted by: gavindeejay 9th March 2018, 06:58 PM

Go on ITWYMMF! I'm surprised 'SOTD is this high!

Posted by: pippa 9th March 2018, 07:18 PM

SOTD, right now, deserves its high placing. I do agree would it rate as high in 20 years time. It is likely it would but possibly not as high.

It is a very solid pop song and very Steps.

Posted by: Jonjo 9th March 2018, 08:41 PM

SOTD got old far too quickly for me. But it's good.

ITWYMMF is such a timeless pop ballad that thoroughly deserves to win, but I have a feeling SOTD is gonna clinch it.

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 10th March 2018, 02:14 AM

I can honestly say that a year on, SOTD has truly established itself as a bonafide pop CLASSIC!

Posted by: Feel_The_Fever 10th March 2018, 02:49 PM

I still love sotd,it will be a song that will be among my faves by them in years to come.

Posted by: SamJudd 10th March 2018, 07:37 PM

#02. Scared Of The Dark | 9.233

Highest Scores: 11: (Electro Troye, gooddelta, Slowdown73, Dexton), 10: (SamJudd, Rossco, Lukuzz, PAJ88, rafik4u, me me, Jupiter, Simon, Tawdry Hepburn, Aaron, Spiceboy, Jester, pippa, Feel The Fever, Jay)
Lowest Scores: 3: (Good Old Days)

We are almost at the end of this countdown and in the runner up spot is their triumphant comeback single 'Scared Of The Dark', which means.. you already know who the winner is, but for now let's talk about this. Released in March 2017 as the lead single from their 5th studio album 'Tears On The Dancefloor' and following it's release it hit #1 on the iTunes chart almost instantly, which I must say was a very proud moment and hit #37 on the UK charts, becoming their 17th top 40 hit and if it wasn't for Ed Sheeran's album clogging up the charts, then this would have hit a #21 peak.
Wow I was expecting this to do well, but didn't expect it to get this high, I was maybe predicting a top 5 position, but 2nd, that's just amazing and just goes to show how much love there is for this. Already a classic Steps number which was the perfect choice to reintroduce Steps back into the pop world - as well as winning over some new fans. I do like the fact that they stuck to their original pop sound, although updated a little and not conformed to todays modern sound, it's just Steps doing their own thing and giving the fans what they want and are proud of it. An instant stone cold banger classic upon first listen and have never looked back. The track begins almost deceptively into thinking that it may be a ballad with some slow strings before bursting into a up-tempo dramatic disco pop track with some fantastic vocals from our 3 leading ladies Claire, Faye & Lisa and therefore makes a glorious return with a song that's a more than welcome addition to their legacy. Now if this was released back in their hey-day then of course this would have been a huge chart smash, hell if this was brought out during this 2012 comeback instead of that awful Christmas song, then this would have stood a much better chance, but having nowadays is still a more than welcome surprise and brings the modern music scene something that's sorely missing.

#01. It's The Way You Make Me Feel | 9.766

Highest Scores: 11: (SamJudd, gavindeejay, rafik4u, me me, Jupiter, Aaron, vibe, Jonjo, iiiiiiiii, Jay)
10: (Electro Troye, Euphorique, Rossco, Lukuzz, PAJ88, gooddelta, Simon, Hide&Seek, Spiceboy, Jester, Good Old Days)
Lowest Scores: 6: (dandy)

So there you have it Buzzjack your winner of the 2017 Steps Singles Rate is.... 'It's The Way You Make Me Feel' which makes this a welcome and somewhat surprising turn of events, but the scores don't garnering ten 11's (far more than anyone else) and a whole bunch of other high scores and no really low scores either. All of which makes this a very worthy winner.
Released in January 2001 as 4th overall single taken from their 3rd album 'Buzz' and reached #2 on the UK charts, but during the final week of 2000 a few copies were released to record stores, which caused this to enter at #72 during it's first week and was properly released the following week which caused it to climb 70 places, which made this a record at the time, but this also prevented it from reaching #1. This also marked their first non PWL single, which was probably why 'Too Busy Thinking About My Baby' was tacked on to this and funnily enough finished at the complete tail end of this countdown. This was also their first time working with famous producer Max Martin who launched the likes of Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys & N Sync, all of which were huge at the time and it shows with it's very polished production, however I would say that this song executes that kind of sound far more effectively, making this their most classiest sounding release yet and at the same time quite refreshing change of pace from their usual pop.disco style. Yet it's still very much Steps, with some beautiful strings which made this a definite standout on the album and on the whole a very well deserved winner. Even the music video which is fantastic BTW with it's 'Dangerous Liaisons' costume themed drama, making this whole thing a very classy affair and just goes to show at how far they've come from their quite tacky line-dancing beginnings.
So there you have it and would like to thank everybody whose taken part in this rate and made it a big success thank you
SamJudd..

Posted by: SamJudd 10th March 2018, 07:42 PM

Full Results =

1. It'’s the Way You Make Me Feel = 9.766
2. Scared of The Dark = 9.233
3. One for Sorrow = 8.933
4. Deeper Shade of Blue = 8.666
5. Last Thing on My Mind = 8.6
6. Better Best Forgotten = 8.3
7. Tragedy = 8.233
8. Summer of Love = 8.183
9. Neon Blue = 8.00
10. Love’s Got A Hold on My Heart = 7.9
11. Chain Reaction = 7.9
12. Say You’ll Be Mine = 7.766
13. Stomp = 7.75
14. Story of A Heart = 7.566
15. Heartbeat = 7.483
16. Here and Now = 7.466
17. You’'ll Be Sorry = 7.066
18. After the Love Has Gone = 7.033
19. 5,6,7,8 = 6.55
20. Better the Devil You Know = 6.333
21. One for Sorrow (US Mix) = 6.214
22. Dancing with A Broken Heart = 6.083
23. When I Said Goodbye = 5.533
24. Words Are Not Enough = 5.516
25. I Know Him So Well = 5.4
26. Light Up the World = 5.017
27. Thank ABBA for The Music (Ft Various) = 4.733
28. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby = 4.316

Posted by: PINKFUNQ 10th March 2018, 08:36 PM

Great winner

And..thanks for this amazing rate Sam

Posted by: Feel_The_Fever 10th March 2018, 10:19 PM

Great thread and thank you for doing it.

Posted by: Jonjo 11th March 2018, 12:10 AM

Thank you SO MUCH Sam! This has been great. Loved reading your commentary and above all, the very best song won! YAY!

Posted by: gavindeejay 11th March 2018, 12:39 AM

Yes! Amazing winner!

Posted by: Spiceboy 11th March 2018, 01:48 AM

Deserving winner! Should have been #1 back in the day.

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 12th March 2018, 02:00 PM

It's a decent winner, I can't deny it.

Posted by: pippa 12th March 2018, 04:16 PM

I would have preferred a different winner but it was a decent winner.

This countdown has only made me realize what a big fan favourite it is, i was not aware of this prior.

Thank you for the countdown, it was very enjoyable.

Posted by: Good Old Days 12th March 2018, 05:13 PM

Best song won !!!

Posted by: SamJudd 12th March 2018, 06:47 PM

The averages of all 30 people whose voted =

1. Gooddelta = 8.785
2. Jay = 8.142
3. Lukuzz = 8.089
4. SamJudd = 7.982
5. Rossco = 7.946
6. Spiceboy = 7.928
7. Simon = 7.928
8. Jester = 7.857
9. Chapman = 7.839
10. Me me = 7.821
11. Dexton = 7.803
12. Stepsrcwl = 7.785
13. PAJ88 = 7.75
14. L1108 = 7.75
15. iiiiiiiiiiiiii = 7.66
16. Pippa = 7.357
17. Aaron = 7.339
18. Slowdown73 = 7.178
19. Gavindeejay = 6.857
20. Feel The Fever = 6.821
21. Tawdry Hepburn = 6.814
22. Jonjo = 6.759
23. Hide&Seek = 6.642
24. Electro Troye = 6.642
25. Jupiter = 6.625
26. Good Old Days = 6.392
27. Euphorique = 6.178
28. Rafik4u = 5.629
29. Vibe = 5.357
30. Dandy = 4.357

Posted by: Jüpiter 12th March 2018, 08:17 PM

The right winner! SOTD did great too though. Did it win the last rate too I wonder?

Posted by: Jay ☆ 13th March 2018, 05:53 AM

My two favourite songs are the Top 2! Great results overall, thanks for doing this Sam!

Not too surprised to see I have one of the highest averages.

Posted by: Good Old Days 13th March 2018, 08:25 AM

QUOTE(SamJudd @ Mar 12 2018, 06:47 PM)

The averages of all 30 people whose voted =

26. Good Old Days = 6.392

Steps had more than 10 number ones in my chart.

Posted by: pippa 14th March 2018, 08:25 PM

I had thought my own average would be higher. I must have been in strict marking mood the day i submitted my scores.

Posted by: Feel_The_Fever 15th March 2018, 01:37 AM

Many of their hits have aged really well,when they reformed I really got back into them and I was surprised by how good the songs still sound today.