Song: Tragedy
Artists: Steps
Original artists: Bee Gees
I like the Bee Gees. There I’ve said, let the ridicule start. I warmed to them long before
their disco days.
Hits such as First of May, Words, I’ve Just Gotta Get a Message to You, I Started a
Joke, Massachusetts, I could go on – all helped to establish them as a favourite with
me. I tended to warm to the ones where Robin Gibb took the lead vocals. These were
great, but then Barry discovered that he could sing falsetto and the trio’s style changed.
I wouldn’t describe it as a change for the worse (or the better, for that matter) but it was
certainly a different direction.
Here, I’m looking at a hit single where Barry’s vocals featured prominently – Tragedy,
which was taken from the 1979 album, Spirits Having Flown. The song reached No 1 in
the UK in the February of that year and went on to top the US Billboard Hot 100 the
following month. The US hit was the fifth of six consecutive No 1s for the group. This
tied a record also held by Bing Crosby, Elvis and The Beatles though Whitney Houston
would later score seven consecutive No 1s.
Almost two decades after Tragedy’s release – in 1998 – a version by the group Steps
reached No 1 in the UK again. It came out as part of a double ‘A’ side with Heartbeat
and was recorded as part of the Bee Gees Tribute Album: Gotta Get a Message to You.
The song was in the UK charts for 30 weeks and sold more than a million copies which
was more than the previous three Steps singles combined.
In the video for the Steps version many participants, including the five group members,
hold their hands next to their heads when the word Tragedy is sung. It became a
signature move for the group.
Parts of the video were shot in my old school stomping ground of Blackheath, south-
east London. The group included many family members in the video. For example, the
girls were all walked down the aisle by their real fathers. Producer Pete Waterman also
features as the DJ.
