Heartbeat / Tragedy

"Heartbeat / Tragedy"
Single by Steps
from the album Step One and Steptacular
B-side	"Stay With Me"
Released	6 November 1998
Format	CD single, cassette single
Recorded	1998
Genre	Pop
Length	4:24 / 4:31
Label	Jive
Writer(s)	"Heartbeat": Jackie James "Tragedy": Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb
Producer(s)	Frampton, Waterman
Certification	Platinum
Steps singles chronology
"One for Sorrow" (1998) "Heartbeat / Tragedy" (1998) "Better Best Forgotten" (1999)

"Heartbeat / Tragedy" is the fourth single released by British pop group Steps. "Heartbeat", written by Jackie James, was the first ballad released as a single by the group. The single is also known as one of their Christmas songs as it was released near Christmas. Whilst promoting the 2012 Hit Factory Live event, Pete Waterman revealed that the song had been sat in a drawer for years before he gave it to the band to record.

The video for "Tragedy", originally a hit by the Bee Gees, contained the dance step of putting both hands parallel to the sides of the head in time with the word 'Tragedy', which became a trademark of the group. The single hit the number one spot in the UK Singles Chart after eight weeks on that chart.^[1] "Heartbeat / Tragedy" spent a total of 30 weeks in the chart, and sold more copies than all three previous Steps singles combined, with 1.19 million copies sold in the UK.^[2] Heartbeat features Claire and Faye singing the first two verses. Lisa performs the middle eight, followed by Claire. The rest of the group join in for the choruses. Tragedy features again Faye and Claire singing the verses, with the rest of Steps joining in for the choruses.

Music videos

The music video for "Heartbeat" is set in snowy surroundings. It begins with Steps riding a sleigh while an evil Ice Queen has her sights set on Ian "H" Watkins; she is watching an image of on the tiny pond in her throne room. The group are staying in a lodge, and H goes out back to fetch some wood for the fire. The Ice Queen decides that this is the time to strike, and she sends her three dwarf guards to kidnap H. They jump H, and the Ice Queen casts a spell, knocking him out. By the time H wakes up, he is in the back of their sleigh. The rest of the group come out and find H is missing, finding only a little sword carried by one of the guards. On skis and snowmobiles, they set off to rescue H. Along the way to the Ice Queen's castle, they stop at a barn, finding absolutely nothing. Arriving at the castle, they break into the throne room where H is tied up in the middle of the frozen pond. Faye Tozer, Lee Latchford-Evans and Claire Richards easily take care of the guards (while H is able to free himself), and Lisa Scott-Lee defeats the Ice Queen with a karate kick to the chin. The group then return to the lodge for a Christmas party.

The video for "Tragedy" sees Faye, Claire, and Lisa getting married, but the lads, Lee and H, sabotage all three weddings before they all go to a disco. The church and disco scenes were filmed in All Saints Harrow Weald, and the adjoining Blackwell Hall. The external location shots of the boys leaving their house and driving were filmed in Blackheath, South London. The group's actual families all took part in the video, with the girls' fathers walking them down the aisle, and record producer Pete Waterman appears as the wedding DJ.

Personnel

(Heartbeat)

• Claire Richards – co-lead vocals, backing vocals
• Lisa Scott-Lee – co-lead vocals, backing vocals
• Faye Tozer – co-lead vocals, backing vocals
• Lee Latchford-Evans – backing vocals
• Ian "H" Watkins – backing vocals

(Tragedy)

• Claire Richards – co-lead vocals, backing vocals
• Faye Tozer – co-lead vocals, backing vocals
• Lisa Scott-Lee – backing vocals
• Lee Latchford-Evans – backing vocals
• Ian "H" Watkins – backing vocals

Track listings

UK version

1. "Heartbeat" - 4:24
2. "Tragedy" - 4:31
3. "Heartbeat" [Instrumental] - 4:24

US version

1. "Tragedy"
2. "Stay With Me"

(Includes fold out poster with the dance steps to "Tragedy")

Cassette

1. "Heartbeat" - 4:24
2. "Tragedy" - 4:31

Remixes

1. "Tragedy" (W.I.P. Reception Mix) [features elements from their first single, 5,6,7,8 - featured on "Stomp" single]
2. "Tragedy" (W.I.P Mix) [excludes sample of 5,6,7,8] - featured on the Last Dance ( CD 2)
3. "Heartbeat" (Simon Hill Mix) - featured on Stomp All Night: The Remix Anthology (CD3)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1998) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[3] 10 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[4] 8 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[5] 27 Ireland (IRMA) 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6] 24 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[8] 4 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[9] 1 Year-end charts Chart (1998) Position UK Singles Chart 13 Chart (1999) Position Australian Singles Chart[10] 92 UK Singles Chart 18

Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments Sweden (GLF)[11] Gold 15,000^x New Zeland[12] Platinum 15,000 United Kingdom (BPI)[13] Platinum 1,190,000[2] United States (RIAA)[14] N/A 98,000[15] ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

See also

• List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1990s
• List of million-selling singles in the United Kingdom

References

1. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 629. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
2. Lane, Daniel (27 June 2013). "Daft Punk's Get Lucky becomes one of the UK's biggest selling singles of all-time!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
3. "Australian-charts.com – Steps – Heartbeat / Tragedy". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
4. "Ultratop.be – Steps – Heartbeat / Tragedy" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
5. "Ultratop.be – Steps – Heartbeat / Tragedy" (in French). Ultratop 50.
6. "Dutchcharts.nl – Steps – Heartbeat / Tragedy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
7. "Charts.org.nz – Steps – Heartbeat / Tragedy". Top 40 Singles.
8. "Swedishcharts.com – Steps – Heartbeat / Tragedy". Singles Top 100.
9. "Steps: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company.
10. "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 1999". Aria.com.au. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
11. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1999" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
12. "RIANZ Top 50 Singles > 18 April 1999". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
13. "British single certifications – Steps". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Steps in the field Search. Select Artist in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
14. "American single certifications – Steps". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
15. UK Pop Acts Have To Speak New Language. Billboard. Retrieved 2012-04-09.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics