| "Neon Blue" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single bySteps | ||||
| from the albumTears on the Dancefloor | ||||
| Released | 4 August 2017 (2017-08-04) | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:26 | |||
| Label |
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| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Steps singles chronology | ||||
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| Music videos | ||||
| "Neon Blue" onYouTube | ||||
| "Neon Blue" (7th Heaven Radio Mix) onYouTube | ||||
"Neon Blue" is a song recorded by British groupSteps for their fifthstudio album,Tears on the Dancefloor (2017). Written by Carl Ryden andFiona Bevan, it was announced as the third single from the album on 20 July 2017, and subsequently released on 4 August. Musically, it is amid-tempopop ballad which begins with a soft piano introduction and builds into an upbeatsynth track, while lyrically, it is about encouraging adowncast friend to come out and have some fun. Band memberIan "H" Watkins described "Neon Blue" as agay anthem due to its message ofcoming out. It garnered a positive response from music critics, with a general consensus that it is a classic Steps song. Its accompanying music video features a man and a woman who have had bad fortune in their relationships meeting at a party in a night club and their luck turning around. "Neon Blue" was included on the set list of their eighth headlining concert tour, theParty on the Dancefloor Tour (2017).[1]
"Neon Blue" was co-written by Carl Ryden andFiona Bevan and produced by Ryden with The Alias forSteps fifthstudio album,Tears on the Dancefloor (2017).[2] It appears as the ninth song on the track listing, with a running time of three minutes, 26 seconds.[3] It is amid-tempopop ballad[4] which begins with a soft piano introduction which unfolds in an upbeat "euphoric" chorus backed by a piano andsynths.[5][6]Official Charts Company writer Justin Myers wrote that the song's introduction was reminiscent of the musical style ofColdplay, and also compared elements of it to "Collide" byLeona Lewis andAvicii (2011).[7] Lyrically, the group sings about asking adowncast friend to join them on a night out and have some fun, which can be heard in the line "Come out, come out and dance with me/ If you're down it's a remedy."[8] Band memberIan "H" Watkins considered the track to be agay anthem owing to its message ofcoming out.[8]
On 20 July 2017, the group announced the song as the third single from the album, and it was released in the form of two remixes – a radio edit and a club mix – produced by Adam Turner on 4 August.[8][9] A radio edit and a club mix by 7th Heaven was later released on 11 August.[10] On 18 September 2017, Steps announced thatTears on the Dancefloor would be reissued as a deluxe edition with new songs and accompanying remixes, titledTears on the Dancefloor: Crying at the Disco.[11] "Neon Blue" appears as the fourth track on the deluxe edition instead of the ninth, and the Adam Turner Radio Edit is included as the nineteenth track.[12]
The song was met with a positive response from critics. Matt Bagwell ofThe Huffington Post awarded the song five out of five stars in his track-by-track review ofTears on the Dancefloor in April 2017; he wrote that the piano introduction is reminiscent of the musical style on English singerAdele's third studio album25 (2015), but noted that it soon evolves into "classic Steps. OrKylie." He concluded by endorsing its release as a potential single.[5] Shaun Kitchener of theDaily Express echoed Bagwell's notation of the down to up-tempo structure, and described the song as an "instant classic".[6]AXS contributor Lucas Villa praised the track, writing that the song "shines as a true Steps classic with feel good lyrics that could light up the darkest room."[8] In his review for the music video, Villa also wrote that the song is a "glowing ode to celebrating away the bad times" and the "perfect pop potion for fighting the blues."[13]
The treatment for the accompanying music video for "Neon Blue" was written by band memberLee Latchford-Evans, his girlfriend Kerry-Lucy Taylor and Steps' stylist Frank Strachan.[13]Claire Richards and Latchford-Evans premiered a clip of the music video onThis Morning on 11 August 2017 and it was released in full the same today.[13][14][15] It begins with solo shots of each of the band members during the first verse sitting in a room with dust covers draped over various props. It is intercut with shots of a woman sitting at a table in a cafe who has been stood up. The barista looks over and hands her a leaflet to attend a party at a nightclub for people who are feeling downcast. At the same time, a man and woman are shown to be having an argument outside of the nightclub and it is premised that they break up. As the chorus begins, a dust cover is pulled off of a glitter ball and the room transforms into a lively club space whereby Steps are performing a dance routine along with club goers.
As the video progresses, the woman from the cafe and the man from the argument meet each other on the dancefloor, their luck having turned around, amongst the crowd of people enjoying themselves and dancing. The video ends with confetti and streamers flying around the night club as the band hug each other. Lucas Villa for AXS praised the video, writing that "the feel good hues of the song come through beautifully on the screen."[13]Gay Times writer Daniel Megarry noted that the video contains everything fans of Steps would look for, writing "Disco balls? Check. Insanely catchy chorus? Check. Easy-to-learn choreography? Check. What more could you ask for?"[14]
Digital download – Adam Turner Remixes[9]
Digital download – 7th Heaven Remixes[10]
Remixes EP
Tears On The Dancefloor - The Singles Collection (4-CD Box Set)[16]
CD3 - Neon Blue
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofTears on the Dancefloor.[2]
| Country | Date | Format | Version | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 21 April 2017 | (as part of theTears on the Dancefloor album) | Original |
| [3] |
| 4 August 2017 |
| Adam Turner Remixes | [9] | ||
| 11 August 2017 |
| 7th Heaven Remixes | [10] |
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