Official Charts Pop Gem #49: Steps – One For Sorrow

Steps’ lovelorn classic was the first of five Number 2 hits for the band – and is the latest song to get the Pop Gem honour.

Our search for classic Pop Gems this week took us to that hallowed chart position that’s great to achieve, but only a consolation prize to some: Number 2.

They’re the also-rans, the ones that nearly made it but stalled at the last minute in the face of a track that had the backing to go all the way. There’s no prize for reaching Number 2, until now…

We asked for your favourite runners-up and got plenty of brilliant suggestions. Deciding between them was tough, with lots of songs nominated that were very dear to your hearts. But the decision had to be made, and we finally got it down to these beauties. Most of them were well-known, yes, but each one of them definitely deserved a moment in the sun.

Ace Of Base – The Sign (1994)
Natalie Imbruglia – Torn (1997)
Dario G – Sunchyme (1997) – probably our first Pop Gem nomination to come from the artist himself!
Steps – One For Sorrow (1998)
Blur – Tender (1999)
Shaft – Mucho Mambo (Sway) (1999)
Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Murder On The Dancefloor (2001)
Rachel Stevens – Some Girls (2004)
Destiny’s Child – Lose My Breath (2004)
Avril Lavigne – Girlfriend (2007)
Sam Sparro – Black & Gold (2008)

And after much deliberation and agonising, we went for that cheery fivepiece with the dance routines and vocal acrobatics that left us fighting for breath: step forward Steps! Watch the video for One For Sorrow before we explain why Steps had to take the prize. (There's even a nice little intro from Claire!)

Why it had to be Steps

Few bands sum up the late ‘90s better than this quintet. Lisa, Claire, Faye, Lee and, of course, good old hyperactive H ruled the Official Singles and Albums Charts for four years, delivering hit after hit after hit. They broke up – and our hearts into the bargain – in 2001, but nobody could forget their expertly synchronised boogying and outfits with brightness turned all the way up to eleven. They staged a successful comeback in 2011, thanks to a reality TV show, and launched a sell-out tour. There may have been squabbles, dodgy hairdos and a heck of a lot of cheese, but Steps had pure pop running through their veins, and more gems than a tiara.

The song

Steps have come up time and time again in our search for Pop Gems, but only now was the time right. One For Sorrow held many first for Steps – it was their third release, but their first single to go Top 5. It was also the very first in a run of five Steps singles to make it to Number 2.

One For Sorrow sold 418,000 copies, is their second bestselling single in the UK and, more importantly, has possibly the most memorable of all their dance routines. Ain’t it too, TWO bad? More famous songs of theirs would follow, but One For Sorrow will always have a special place in our hearts, right guys? Right.

The Steps chart story

Steps’ first Top 40 hit was 1997’s 5-6-7-8, which peaked at Number 14. Fourteen more hits would follow, and all of them would go Top 10. Only the first of those – Last Thing On My Mind – would miss the Top 5. They scored two Number 1s: the double-A side of Heartbeat and Tragedy, which topped the Official Singles Chart in 1999, and Stomp in 2000.

They weren’t afraid of a cover version, that’s for sure. Along with Tragedy, they tackled Kylie’s Better The Devil You Know (4), Diana Ross’s Chain Reaction (2) and even Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige’s 1985 Number 1 I Know Him So Well (5). They are also in the prestigious million-sellers club: Heartbeat/Tragedy has sold 1.15 million copies in the UK.

Video playlist

Fancy reminiscing over all our esteemed pretenders to the Pop Gem throne this week? No bother. Check out all eleven of our Number 2 classics in our video playlist.

Your Pop Gem needs you

Got a Pop Gem of your own? Want to suggest a theme for another week? Find out how you can get involved in the Pop Gem party.

Pop Gem 50

Next week's Pop Gem will be our 50th, and we're throwing it out to you to decide the theme! What would be the perfect theme for our next search for your overlooked classics that need a bit of love? Suggest your ideal theme to us on Twitter using the hashtag #PopGem50. If we pick your theme, we'll send you loads of Official Charts merch for your trouble!