"Love's Got a Hold on My Heart" is a song by British

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

group Steps. It was released as the lead single from the band's second album, ''

Steptacular ''Steptacular'' is the second studio album by British pop group Steps, released in the United Kingdom on 25 October 1999, through Jive Records. The album was accompanied by five singles; "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart", "After the Love Has Gon ...

'' (1999). The song features

Faye Tozer Faye Louise Tozer (born 14 November 1975) is an English singer, dancer, and actress, best known as a member of British pop group Steps. Career Music Steps are a pop group that have had a series of charted singles between 1997 and 2020. Their ...

and

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 pos ...

on lead vocals. The single peaked at number two in the United Kingdom and became a top-20 hit in Finland,

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

, Ireland, and New Zealand.

Critical reception

Can't Stop the Pop stated that "the one thing that immediately jumps out with this single – from that first keyboard whizz in the intro – is how summery it sounds. The track is not without a trademark hint of melodrama, but on the whole, it’s a much lighter production which exudes sunshine and warmth." They added that the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

is "deceptively – and enduringly – catchy." Scottish newspaper '' Daily Record'' said it is "their best tune yet. A

Europop Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and ...

sound,

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...

-tinged melody and they even supply the dance moves on the CD box". They also wrote, "This song sounds like the band looks - cheesy. The tune pops along using all the right ingredients to make sure you're tapping your feet."

Chart performance

The single missed out at number one on 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 ...

, losing out to

Latin pop Latin pop (in Spanish and in Portuguese: Pop latino) is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. Originating in Spanish-speaking musicians, Latin po ...

singer

Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...

, who spent a second week at the top with "

Livin' La Vida Loca "Livin' la Vida Loca" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his fifth studio album and English-language debut, ''Ricky Martin'' (1999). The song was written by Draco Rosa and Desmond Child, while the production was handl ...

". Spending 12 weeks on the British charts, this single is the group's only single to fall off the charts for two consecutive weeks and then re-enter. The song did reach number one on the

Scottish Singles Chart The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...

, conversely preventing "Livin' la Vida Loca" from reaching the top spot. "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart" also peaked at number nine in Finland and Ireland, number 14 in the

region of Belgium, number 18 in New Zealand, and number 29 in Australia.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song, shot in Cannes in the South of France, was directed by

Dani Jacobs Dani Jacobs (born April 16, 1963) is a British music video director and editor. Background Jacobs was born in London, United Kingdom. He went to University of Manchester to study physics but left to pursue his interests in film. He worked at T ...

. The main plot sees the group chase a man who has stolen the film reel for the fictitious "Steps: The Movie", interspersed with clips of the band performing the dance routine on a jetty dressed in yellow outfits.

Track listings

UK CD1 # "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart" – 3:19 # "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart" (W.I.P. Off the Wall mix) – 6:12 # "To Be Your Hero" – 3:49 UK CD2 # "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart" – 3:19 # "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart" (instrumental) – 3:20 # " Last Thing on My Mind" (Wip't Up in the Disco mix instrumental) – 5:41 UK cassette single # "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart" – 3:19 # "To Be Your Hero" – 3:49 Australian and New Zealand CD single # "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart" – 3:19 # "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart" (WIP Off the Wall mix) – 6:12 # "To Be Your Hero" – 3:49 # "Last Thing on My Mind" (WIP't UP the Disco mix instrumental) – 5:41 # "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart" (instrumental) – 3:20

Credits and personnel

A-side: "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart"

Credits adapted are from the liner notes of ''

''. Recording * Recorded at PWL Studios, Manchester in 1999 * Mixed at PWL Studios, Manchester * Mastered at Transfermation Studios, London Vocals * Lead vocals – Claire Richards, Faye Tozer * Background vocals – Lisa Scott-Lee, Lee Latchford-Evans, Ian "H" Watkins Personnel * Songwriting – Andrew Frampton, Pete Waterman * Production – Dan Frampton, Pete Waterman * Mixing – Dan Frampton * Engineer – Dan Frampton * Drums – Pete Waterman * Keyboards – Andrew Frampton * Guitar – Dan Frampton * Bass – Andrew Frampton

B-side: "To Be Your Hero"

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart". Recording * Recorded at PWL Studios, Manchester in 1999 * Mixed at PWL Studios, Manchester * Mastered at Transfermation Studios, London Vocals * Lead vocals – Ian "H" Watkins * Background vocals – Claire Richards, Faye Tozer, Lisa Scott-Lee, Lee Latchford-Evans Personnel * Songwriting – Dan Frampton, Pete Waterman * Production – Dan Frampton, Pete Waterman * Mixing – Dan Frampton, Pete Waterman

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Love's Got A Hold On My Heart 1999 singles 1999 songs Jive Records singles Number-one singles in Scotland Pete Waterman Entertainment singles Songs written by Andrew Frampton (songwriter) Songs written by Pete Waterman Steps (group) songs UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles