"Deeper Shade of Blue" is a song by British dance-pop group Steps, released as the fourth single from their second studio album, '' Steptacular'' (1999), on 3 April 2000. The song was originally recorded by English singer-songwriter

Tina Cousins Tina Patricia Cousins (born 20 April 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and former model. She has had five singles in the Top 20 of the UK Singles Chart, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with others, including " Mysterious Times" w ...

, but aside from a few promotional 12-inch vinyl discs pressed in 1998, her version remains unreleased. "Deeper Shade of Blue" entered the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

at number four and spent one more week in the top 10 before falling down the charts. After a total of nine weeks, it left the top 100. In October 2011, following the band's reformation, Steps performed the track on ''

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...

'' and '' Loose Women''. The song was included on Steps's compilation albums ''Gold: Greatest Hits'' (2001), ''The Last Dance'' (2002), and ''The Ultimate Collection'' (2011). On 1 September 2015,

Claire Richards Claire Anne Richards (born 17 August 1977) is an English singer who is best known for being in the pop group Steps. Richards was a contestant on the second series of '' Popstar to Operastar'' before being voted off in the semi finals. She po ...

Richards premiered a stripped-backed piano recording of the track via her social media pages.

Composition

The first two verses of the song are performed by

Ian "H" Watkins Ian Watkins (born 8 May 1976), known by his stage name as H, is a Welsh singer and actor. He is known as a member of the British pop group Steps. In 2020, he competed in the twelfth series of '' Dancing on Ice''. Career Steps In May 1997, W ...

and

, respectively, whilst all five members perform the

middle eight The 32- bar form, also known as the AABA song form, American popular song form and the ballad form, is a song structure commonly found in Tin Pan Alley songs and other American popular music, especially in the first half of the 20th century. ...

. The chorus also features all five voices.

Reception

Jon O'Brien wrote for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

and in two different reviews he noted "Deeper Shade of Blue" is a "club potential", and the Sleaze Sisters remix is "realized on a

Sash A sash is a large and usually colorful ribbon or band of material worn around the body, either draping from one shoulder to the opposing hip and back up, or else running around the waist. The sash around the waist may be worn in daily attire, bu ...

-esque

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

remix". O'Brien also commented it is "

Italo house Italo house (often simply referred to as "Italian" or "Italian house" in the UK) is a form of house music originating in Italy. Typically popular in Italy, Britain, and United States since the late 1980s, it fuses house music and Italo disco. Th ...

-inspired" and it "fits right in with the current retro-dance revival". Lucas Villa from AXS described the song as a "futuristic club banger", adding that the group "battled the love blues atop pulsating house music beats with Richards' out-of-this-world vocals channeling the dance floor divas that came before her." He also stated that the song "remains the band's fiercest, most flawless effort." Can't Stop the Pop called it "a total mood-piece", noting that "the thumping club beat creates a brooding darkness that was quite unlike anything Steps had attempted before." The song was referenced by

Dave Benson Phillips Dave Benson Phillips (born 3 February 1965) is a British entertainer, comic, children's television presenter and wrestler, best known for his work presenting ''Playhouse Disney'' (1998–2006) and '' The Fun Song Factory'' (1994–1999). He ...

during an episode of ''

Get Your Own Back ''Get Your Own Back'' was a British children's television game show created by Brian Marshall. Each episode staged a contest between teams of children – attempting to score as many points as possible – and their respective adults – attemp ...

'' when H was thrown in the Gunk Dunk. After H's shocked reaction to being gunked, Benson Phillips remarked "As we can see, H has gone a deeper shade of blue" before H splashed him.

Music video

The music video has a futuristic style, with the group wearing blue and red latex uniforms with red latex gloves with the girls wearing blue latex hats for the dance sequences and each transforming into a darker alter ego during the video. The alter egos are to show the darker side of life that the song talks about.

Track listings

UK CD single # "Deeper Shade of Blue" (radio edit) – 3:45 # "Deeper Shade of Blue" (W.I.P. mix) – 6:47 # "Deeper Shade of Blue" (Sleaze Sisters Anthem mix) – 7:54 # "Deeper Shade of Blue" (video) – 3:50 UK cassette single # "Deeper Shade of Blue" (radio edit) – 3:45 # "Deeper Shade of Blue" (W.I.P. mix) – 6:47 European CD single # "Deeper Shade of Blue" (Kiss W.I.P. remix) – 3:59 # "Deeper Shade of Blue" (radio edit) – 3:45 European maxi-CD single # "Deeper Shade of Blue" (Kiss W.I.P. remix) – 3:59 # "Deeper Shade of Blue" (radio edit) – 3:45 # "Deeper Shade of Blue" (W.I.P. mix) – 6:47 # "Deeper Shade of Blue" (Sleaze Sisters Anthem mix) – 7:54 # "Deeper Shade of Blue" (Blockbuster Dirt Blue Klub mix) – 6:49

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''Steptacular''. Recording * Recorded at PWL Studios,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, in 1999 * Mixed at PWL Studios, Manchester * Mastered at Transfermation Studios, London Vocals * Lead vocals – Ian "H" Watkins, Claire Richards * Background vocals – Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer, Lee Latchford-Evans Personnel * Songwriting – Mark Topham, Karl Twigg * Production – Mark Topham, Karl Twigg, Pete Waterman * Mixing – Tim Speight * Engineer – Chris McDonnell, Tim Speight * Drums – Chris McDonnell * Keyboards – Karl Twigg * Guitar – Mark Topham * Bass – Mark Topham

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deeper Shade Of Blue 1999 songs 2000 singles Jive Records singles Pete Waterman Entertainment singles Songs written by Karl Twigg Songs written by Mark Topham Steps (group) songs