"When I Said Goodbye" and "Summer of Love" are two songs by British pop music group Steps, released as a double A-side single. "When I Said Goodbye" is taken from their second studio album, Steptacular (1999), while "Summer of Love" was a previously unavailable track, later included on their third album, Buzz (2000). Following its release on 3 July 2000, the single peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 18 in Ireland.
Critical reception
Can't Stop the Pop described "Summer of Love" as "an obvious nod" to the Latin-pop craze which dominated the charts at the time. They added that "everything about this track is ramped up to the max" and "moves with such pace that you’d scarcely believe it’s almost four minutes long because it zips by in a flash."[2]
Chart performance
"When I Said Goodbye" / "Summer of Love" peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart and spent 11 weeks in the top 75, two of which were spent in the top 10.[3] It is their earliest single release (and one of only four in the band's original run) not to have reached at least a Silver certification. The single also reached number 18 in Ireland.[4]
Music videos
The video for "When I Said Goodbye" was a black-and-white video shot in Rome, Italy. It features shots of the members singing solemnly. A colour version was released in 2022. In contrast, the video for "Summer of Love" features brightly coloured clothes and energetic dancing. It portrays Steps and their dancers as "good" Steps (colourful and dressed innocently) and "bad" Steps (dressed in leather, with black makeup); in the end, good Steps chase bad Steps away with their dancing.
^When I Said Goodbye / Summer of Love (UK cassette single sleeve). Steps. Jive Records, Ebul Records. 2000. 9201164.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Steptacular (European CD album liner notes). Steps. Jive Records, Ebul Records. 1999. 0519442.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Buzz (UK CD album liner notes). Steps. Jive Records, Ebul Records. 2000. 9201172.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
