The battle of the classics draws to a close!
Will the winner be a heartfelt song symbolising the end of an era and a relationship, by a band which defined the mixed group genre?
Or the triumphant, trailblazing, no Big Reunion TV show needed as we did one by ourselves thanks return after 16 years with no new music (well apart from that disaster of a Christmas album, and as iconic as the 'or, or me' moment is, the version of Dancing Queen with a backing track from a backstreet pub's karaoke machine...)
From what I recall, this track was #1 until maybe about half way through the voting period, when the winner overtook and then eclipsed it...
LEGEND ELIMINATION
#2
Steps - 'Scared of the Dark'
Dedicated rate:
Steps
by @Lost In Japan. (2018)
Our rankings
#1 @Ezz, @Hybridcookie, @Wezzo, @Ana Raquel, @Markus1981
#2 @Mvnl
#3 @DJHazey, @unnameable
#4 @Hudweiser, @Sprockrooster, @Conan, @Lost In Japan., @Untouchable Ace
#5 @saviodxl
#6 @Doodvid, @berserkboi, @AcerBenII, @iheartpoptarts
#9 @idratherjack @MilesAngel
Notable achievements
The lead track of the amazing 'Tears on the Dancefloor' album. A return to the UK singles top 40 after over 15 years, with their final (to date, come through a killer track for their 25th anniversary!) entry on the charts at #37
Although I'm a little sad my favourites didn't get the #1 spot, #2 seems like an entirely appropriate position for Steps, given their phenomenal success built on successive top 5 singles, but only hitting the #1 position twice. This was such a moment in pop history that still makes me a bit emotional nearly 5 years later! Those countdown Instagram posts with snippets of the album, billboard adverts, appearances on mainstream TV as opposed to the bloody QVC channel. A perfectly executed comeback, started off with those dramatic strings which just encapsulated the Steps sound. Over to @Lost In Japan. who curated the superlative Steps Discography rate in 2018 (which was my first foray into this forum!):
Voters say:
@Ana Raquel
By a landslide, this song is a work of art
@berserkboi
This melody sounds so much like another song!
@Doodvid
I love it although I love others of theirs much more. A perfect comeback though - they really did smash it, didn’t they?
Will the winner be a heartfelt song symbolising the end of an era and a relationship, by a band which defined the mixed group genre?
Or the triumphant, trailblazing, no Big Reunion TV show needed as we did one by ourselves thanks return after 16 years with no new music (well apart from that disaster of a Christmas album, and as iconic as the 'or, or me' moment is, the version of Dancing Queen with a backing track from a backstreet pub's karaoke machine...)
From what I recall, this track was #1 until maybe about half way through the voting period, when the winner overtook and then eclipsed it...
LEGEND ELIMINATION
#2
Steps - 'Scared of the Dark'
Dedicated rate:
Steps
by @Lost In Japan. (2018)
Our rankings
#1 @Ezz, @Hybridcookie, @Wezzo, @Ana Raquel, @Markus1981
#2 @Mvnl
#3 @DJHazey, @unnameable
#4 @Hudweiser, @Sprockrooster, @Conan, @Lost In Japan., @Untouchable Ace
#5 @saviodxl
#6 @Doodvid, @berserkboi, @AcerBenII, @iheartpoptarts
#9 @idratherjack @MilesAngel
Notable achievements
The lead track of the amazing 'Tears on the Dancefloor' album. A return to the UK singles top 40 after over 15 years, with their final (to date, come through a killer track for their 25th anniversary!) entry on the charts at #37
Although I'm a little sad my favourites didn't get the #1 spot, #2 seems like an entirely appropriate position for Steps, given their phenomenal success built on successive top 5 singles, but only hitting the #1 position twice. This was such a moment in pop history that still makes me a bit emotional nearly 5 years later! Those countdown Instagram posts with snippets of the album, billboard adverts, appearances on mainstream TV as opposed to the bloody QVC channel. A perfectly executed comeback, started off with those dramatic strings which just encapsulated the Steps sound. Over to @Lost In Japan. who curated the superlative Steps Discography rate in 2018 (which was my first foray into this forum!):
Which means…
#1
Scared of the Dark
Average Score: 9.918
Highest Score: 11x7 (@SaturSteps, @roborovsky, @Hybridcookie, @CasperFan, @confess85, @Markus1981, @baxterclan), 10x45 (@mrdonut, @Lost In Japan., @Stepsmatt, @AllTheUsernames, @JMRGBY88, @MadameX, @Angeleyes, @Hudweiser, @Adora Day, @JakeMagnus, @Scotty B, @Chips111, @Sweet Music, @HollyDunnSomething, @One Stop Candy Shop, @GhettoPrincess, @Seanie, @Mirwais Ahmadzaï, @DJHazey, @2014, @LoveUMore2017, @tylerc904, @steps2it, @Mvnl, @Mina, @londonrain, @JamieHT, @idratherjack, @Iggypig, @WhipperSnapper, @stomp, @SuperNerd, @VivaForever, @Conan, @TheBakersSon, @Empty Shoebox, @Robsolete, @Lucas, @SinceYouTookYourPopAway, @paradiddle1211, @Sideout, @Eric, @AlmostFamous, @KingBruno, @TrueBeliever)
Lowest Score: 8x3 (@iheartpoptarts, @Spiral, @Remorque)
Which means that with this, we have our winner! It ended up with less 11s than either ‘It’s the Way You Make Me Feel’ or ‘One for Sorrow’, but there was no beating it with those 10s: at several points during the rate, this song had a score of 10+. And with good reason: ‘Scared in the Dark’ was more than any of us ever hoped a Steps comeback song would be. From the minute I heard those strings in the first Twitter teaser I was excited, but even at that point I had no idea what was to come. The chorus is melodic heaven in the classic Steps way, and they stuck to the tried and true girls formula for the verses, making this feel like a classic Steps song put through a 2017 filter rather than Steps taking an attempt at the modern market. I remember the day it premiered, and specifically I remember sitting at my computer for over an hour rewinding the Ken Bruce Show over and over again just to hear this song. And every single time I was blown away, mostly by that key-change and Claire’s incredible “I’ll never be scared of the dark”, with vocals sounding like they could have come out of the ‘Chain Reaction’ recording sessions. While it wouldn’t be my personal winner (see #2), this is fully justified as the victor of this rate and, coming just over a year after the song and accompanying album were released, is another success for what has been a shockingly well-executed reunion.
HollyDunnSomething (10) echoes many of our thoughts, saying “WHAT. A. COMEBACK. Seriously, other acts should take notes on how to come back after so long and elevate your sound with one lead single”. Seanie (10) has some well-deserved praise for the management, saying “Fascination got it so right with this as their comeback single, it went right back to the Step One/Steptacular formula of Faye opening then Claire gets her verse and leads the chorus then Lisa and the boys get their bits. Some may think that’s a slight, but the formula worked in 1998 then and it works again now!” One Stop Candy Shop (10) says “this is how you do a comeback single. A LOT of artists should take notice”. GhettoPrincess (10) says “what a comeback single. It perfectly captures the Step sound yet makes it fresh. Claire reminds me of why I love her vocals and Lisa’s verse is iconic & full of personality. Best bit has to be that chorus though. Wouldn’t surprise me if this sneaks into the top position of the rate and it’d be worthy of it too”. Mina (10) simply calls it “sublime”, while Fantasy (9) says it was “a perfect comeback song for them. Such a return to form and Steps doing what they do best. I especially love the pitch change at the end, as it makes the whole thing end in such an epic finale”.
JamieHT (10) says “where to start? After Light Up The World I thought we’d probably never have new music from them again; just nostalgia tours every little while. How wrong I was as I would say this might actually be their best single. This was very nearly my eleven. It’s perfect Steps but current sounding. All the girls get a line and a killer chorus. I was not prepared for how good it would be. The actual moves for ‘Scared of the dark’ are iconic too”. And while I’m not sure what Light Up the World is, it had VivaForever (10) worried too, as they said “I was ... concerned ... when this came out, because of course I wanted to believe in Steps, and actually I quite liked Dancing Queen, but the Light Up the World album was such an unqualified disaster. Luckily, this was nothing like it. Nor, in fact, is it vintage Steps. It's a more sophisticated Steps, dropping the camp for genuine theatricality while keeping the four-on-the-floor beats, and I LOVE IT”. KingBruno (10) says that “the fact that this single is intentionally off-trend makes it so splendid”, and tylerc904 (10) calls it “what a return. It was unexpectedly amazing for me, because I did feel they would go the easy way out and do something less upbeat”.
londonrain (10) says it was “one of my favourite songs of 2017. The song that made me check out their amazing comeback album”, while DJHazey (10) says that “when I first listened to this album, I actually didn't really consider it a favorite compared to many others but I've since come around. I think the video helped me get into the spirit. The love how entrancing the verses are and the way the production keeps bumping up the chorus and driving it along masterfully”. AlmostFamous (10) says it was “so so so close to being my eleven, but I need a bit more time with it to know fully. It’s insane how much I played this the last year, people who don’t even like Steps like this bloody song, they never had that the first time round”.
iheartpoptarts (8) says it was an “iconic comeback, but I’d listen to it more if it didn’t take so long to get to the fun part!” Empty Shoebox (10) may have thought it 10-worthy, but still thinks it “needs more key changes, and a better dance. This was the big comeback after so many years, so the choreo just feels like so much of a letdown”. OspreyQueen (8.5) says “honestly, I don’t think this song is all that. I always feel like there’s 20% missing from it, and I’m not keen on how it ends so abruptly. Still worthy of a good score though”. And Angeleyes (10) says “sadly, this has worn off on me slightly. It doesn't have quite the impact it did the first 100 listens or so when it just sounded *so good.* But still, it's incredible that they were able to come out with something like this after being broken up for so long. It totally stands up with their best early singles”.
Hudweiser (10) calls it “the comeback everybody wanted (and needed). Everything about this just works. In 2002 this would've landed in the Top 3 no problem. As with all the world's problems - I blame Ed Sheeran”. Chips111 (10) says “WOW! WOW! WOW! Just the orchestral introduction used as samples during their Twitter countdown was enough to excite any fan about the new era! Scared of the Dark is genius. Take Old Steps, mix it up a bit with 2017 sounds (not latin obviously!) and you’ve got a new single worthy of an 11! No more “it could be me” quibbles over vocals (as far as we know!) even Lee gets a look in with H’s in your arms. It’s a bigger stomper of a track than Stomp. An ideal show opener and a great return to glory for the group we now want to see more releases from”. mrdonut (10) says it was “amazing though to return to a cynical public with an off-trend slice of pop melodrama and absolutely blow everyone away. This deserves to be Top 5 in this rate, a superb accomplishment that actually manages to tower above many of Steps’ most loved hits”.
TrueBeliever (10) thinks "this is one of the best songs of the last decade from any artist (along with Bananarama’s “Love Don’t Live Here”). It’s beyond brilliant. From Faye’s beguiling intro, to the tempo change one minute in, to the jaunty guitar work, to Claire’s key change … this song has everything I love in music. It’s dramatic, fraught with energy and melancholic microtension. I can still listen to this song 20 times in a row, and not grow tired of it, even a year later. Top 2 contender for my 11; I hope it wins without it”. (Well, congrats!) JakeMagnus (10) “never ever would have imagined that they had another single (let along an album) like this in them. It's current (though certain members of this forum will not agree) and vocally they are on top form. Love the timeless production. Hope they will sing this for years to come and that the casual fans will accept it as another Steps classic (which I guess has already happened, judging from the reactions at the concerts). Quick aside: Back when they teased the new song with just a picture that said 'Scared of the Dark' I was honestly afraid that they were gonna release a studio version of the Ghostbusters cover. Glad we avoided that one”.
JMRGBY88 (10) simply says “what a return”, while AllTheUsernames (10) says “what. A. Comeback. Christ...this song is everything I wanted and more from Steps in 2017. Just perfect. It’s a darker sound from where they used to be, and I adore the Phantom of the Opera-like synths in the chorus”. MadameX (10) nails it, saying “that's how you do a pop comeback”. And TheBakersSon (10) calls it a “perfect comeback song, tuning in to watch things you wouldn't normally watch on the telebox just to watch Steps perform their new single was such a happy little trip down memory lane”.
SaturSteps (11) says it was “the perfect comeback song that I never thought I'd get after Light Up The World. The key change still gives me chills nearly a year later”. Hybridcookie (11) says “what a comeback song. My most played song on Itunes. It made a killer tour opener and Claire's "I'll never be scared of the dark" middle 8 line is magical”. (The best bit of the song, by far!!) confess85 (11) calls this “Steps at their best. The return we were all waiting for. A brilliant piece of pop music and I loved how dramatic and huge it sounded on tour”. And CasperFan (11) speaks for all of us, saying “this is how to do a comeback! From the opening dramatic strings, you just know this is going to be amazing. They all sound on top form, Claire being so prominent in the chorus, as all Steps songs should be. Lisa snatching the best line! Nice blocals and that key change is life-affirming. Perfect pop”.
Full results and final album summaries coming soon!
Voters say:
@Ana Raquel
By a landslide, this song is a work of art
@berserkboi
This melody sounds so much like another song!
@Doodvid
I love it although I love others of theirs much more. A perfect comeback though - they really did smash it, didn’t they?
@Ezz
One of the musical memories to take to my grave when I heard this for the first time. I was so dreading a Blue 'Roulette'-style new album and this was just perfection. The opening of the original mix or the 7th Heaven Remix in bars just gives me goosebumps! (Bars? What are these mysterious things?)
Not sorry at all to be sneaking Here and Now into this (my 11 of the 2018 rate and the biggest surprise of their latest tour!)
One of the musical memories to take to my grave when I heard this for the first time. I was so dreading a Blue 'Roulette'-style new album and this was just perfection. The opening of the original mix or the 7th Heaven Remix in bars just gives me goosebumps! (Bars? What are these mysterious things?)
Not sorry at all to be sneaking Here and Now into this (my 11 of the 2018 rate and the biggest surprise of their latest tour!)
