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Steam (East 17 song)

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"Steam"
Single by East 17
from the album Steam
Released19 September 1994 (1994-09-19)
Genre
Length3:25
LabelLondon
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Matt Rowe
  • Richard Stannard
East 17 singles chronology
"Around the World"
(1994) 		"Steam"
(1994) 		"Stay Another Day"
(1994)
Music video
"Steam" on YouTube

"Steam" is a song by English pop boy band East 17, released on 19 September 1994 by London Records as the second single from their second album by the same name (1994). The song was written by band member Tony Mortimer with its producers, Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard. It was a major hit in Europe, peaking at number six in Portugal, number seven in the UK and number eight in Scotland, while becoming a top-20 hit in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Its accompanying music video was directed by Kevin Godley, featuring the band performing onstage at a concert.

Critical reception

[edit]

In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton said, "Whilst the last single was in truth a little wimpy "Steam" cranks up the pace and marks a return to the white-boy pop/rap the band have carved a niche for themselves with."[2] Victoria Segal from Melody Maker named it a "pop spectacular", noting its "Gett Off" rip-off.[3] Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Street cred they've always had, more than all their competitors combined, but even with a Carter USM remix to their account, it's a proven fact that these lads have grown up."[4] Alan Jones from Music Week gave "Steam" four out of five and named it Single of the Week, adding, "Rock guitars and whistling are just two elements of this introductory jackswing-style single from the forthcoming East 17 album. Far from their best, but they have enough impetus to score Top 10 hits at will."[1] Iestyn George from NME commented, "A sweaty swingbeat vibe prevails on "Steam", coupled with a natty whistling riff that'll annoy the f— out of Credit to the Nation fans. Naturally, it is ACE and will be Number One for 16 weeks."[5] Female pop-punk music duo Shampoo reviewed the song for Smash Hits, naming it Best New Single.[6]

Music video

[edit]

A music video was produced to promote the single. It features the band performing at a concert, and was directed by English singer, songwriter, musician and music video director Kevin Godley.[7] "Steam" was later made available by London Records on YouTube in 2017[8] and had generated almost one million views as of October 2023.

Track listings

[edit]

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1994) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[9] 18
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[10] 28
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] 28
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[12] 17
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[13] 12
France (SNEP)[14] 46
Germany (GfK)[15] 23
Ireland (IRMA)[16] 6
Italy (Musica e dischi)[17] 19
Lithuania (M-1)[18] 4
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[19] 16
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 13
Scotland (OCC)[21] 8
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 34
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 12
UK Singles (OCC)[24] 7
UK Club Chart (Music Week)[25] 50

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 19 September 1994
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 London [26]
Japan 2 November 1994 CD [27]

References

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  1. ^ a b Jones, Alan (24 September 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles - Pick of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. p. 16. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  2. ^ Masterton, James (25 September 1994). "Week Ending October 1st 1994". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  3. ^ Segal, Victoria (9 November 1996). "Albums". Melody Maker. p. 49. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  4. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 38. 17 September 1994. p. 10. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  5. ^ George, Iestyn (24 September 1994). "Singles". NME. p. 39. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  6. ^ Shampoo (14 September 1994). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 54. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  7. ^ "East 17: Steam". IMDb. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  8. ^ "East 17 - Steam (Official Video)". YouTube. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  9. ^ "East 17 – Steam". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  10. ^ "East 17 – Steam" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  11. ^ "East 17 – Steam" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 42. 15 October 1994. p. 20.
  13. ^ Week 39, 1994
  14. ^ "East 17 – Steam" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  15. ^ "East 17 – Steam" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  16. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Steam". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 28 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "East 17".
  18. ^ "M-1 Top 40". M-1.fm. 6 November 1994. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  19. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – East 17" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  20. ^ "East 17 – Steam" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  21. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  22. ^ "East 17 – Steam". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  23. ^ "East 17 – Steam". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  24. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  25. ^ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 17 September 1994. p. 4. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  26. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Music Week. 17 September 1994. p. 21. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  27. ^ "スティーム | East 17" [Steam | East 17] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
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