The track begins with slow strings , deceptively creating the impression that it is a ballad . Richards opens the song with the lyrics " Say you 're mine and stay by my side , do n't say you 're leaving . Do n't turn out the lights , I 'll scream , I 'll scream , I 'll scream , " after which it transforms into an up-tempo disco track . All five members perform the chorus , singing " Do n't let the darkness come and hold me , I need someone cause I ca n't be lonely tonight . Come on baby , come and take me in your arms , I 'll never be scared of the dark . " Matt Bagwell of '' The Huffington Post '' described the lyrics as being " straight out of the ' How To Do ABBA ' songwriting handbook . " " Scared of the Dark " garnered rave reviews from contemporary music critics , with many praising it for being deliberately off-trend . Shaun Kitchener for the '' Daily Express '' praised the group for recording a song which is not trying too hard to fit in with the current trends in the music industry , writing " It 's exactly what Steps should be releasing in this era : big , dramatic pop music that does n't try to be too clever or does n't try to chase any particular trend ( no guest rappers here , mercifully ) . " He continued to described " Scared of the Dark " as a " dramatic floorfiller " with an " ace " chorus , and praised Richards and Tozer for their " reliably strong vocals " . Idolator 's Mike Wass echoed a similar sentiment , writing that it being off-trend is what makes it appealing because the group are making music which their fans want to hear , not what makes them conformist to current musical trends . '' The Huffington Post '' writer Matt Bagwell wrote that the song " harks back to that golden age of pop , but with a modern day sheen " and praised Steps for " wisely avoiding " not to sound too cool or too current . Writing for '' Entertainment Focus '' , Ellwood Hughes wrote that it , " is a classic slice of Steps with a modern twist and it fits effortlessly into their hits-packed back catalogue . " Hannah Flint for '' OK ! '' similarly praised Steps for sticking to their original " disco-dance-pop " sound , and noted that the strong and positive reception from fans had resulted in them wishing that Steps and " Scared of the Dark " was the United Kingdom 's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 instead of " Never Give Up on You " by Lucie Jones . Free Radio presenter Andy Goulding tweeted " The new Steps tune is the greatest Eurovision song we never entered ! Why did nobody think of it ? We would 've won ! " In response , Richards stated that the group had been approached for Eurovision " every year , for years " , but they had declined each time because it is " too political " ; Tozer added that they did not want to tarnish their legacy and that they would rather watch it as a spectator than partake as a competitor . '' Digital Spy '' writer Ian Sandswell described the song as an " absolute banger " , while Ben Travis of '' The Independent '' wrote that it " sounds like it was zapped through a wormhole right from 1999 . " Following its release at midnight on 10 March 2017 , " Scared of the Dark " reached number-one on the iTunes Store in the United Kingdom within twelve hours , displacing Ed Sheeran and Coldplay & The Chainsmokers to numbers two and three with " Galway Girl " and " Something Just Like This " , respectively . It debuted at number 37 on the UK Singles Chart and number three on the UK Indie Chart on 23 March 2017 . The song peaked at number two on the UK Indie Chart on 4 May 2017 . It also debuted at number six on the Scottish Singles Chart
Eurovision Song Contest 2017
Eurovision Song Contest 2017
Scared of the Dark