diff --git a/stepmania/src/BitmapText.cpp b/stepmania/src/BitmapText.cpp
index 1c6a4849e8..f70f55a631 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/BitmapText.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/BitmapText.cpp
@@ -224,8 +224,8 @@ void BitmapText::DrawChars()
 
 		/* We fade from 0 to LeftColor, then from RightColor to 0.  (We won't fade all the way to
 		 * 0 if the crop is beyond the outer edge.) */
-		const RageColor RightColor  = scale( FadeSize.right,  FadeDist.right,  0, RageColor(1,1,1,1), RageColor(1,1,1,0) );
-		const RageColor LeftColor   = scale( FadeSize.left,   FadeDist.left,   0, RageColor(1,1,1,1), RageColor(1,1,1,0) );
+		const float RightAlpha  = SCALE( FadeSize.right,  FadeDist.right,  0, 1, 0 );
+		const float LeftAlpha   = SCALE( FadeSize.left,   FadeDist.left,   0, 1, 0 );
 
 		const float StartFadeLeftPercent = m_pTempState->crop.left;
 		const float StopFadeLeftPercent = m_pTempState->crop.left + FadeSize.left;
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ void BitmapText::DrawChars()
 				 * TODO: fade all channels, not just alpha */
 				float fPercent = SCALE( start+0.5f, fLeftFadeStartGlyph, fLeftFadeStopGlyph, 0.0f, 1.0f );
 				fPercent = clamp( fPercent, 0.0f, 1.0f );
-				fPercent *= LeftColor.a;
+				fPercent *= LeftAlpha;
 
 				verts[i+0].c.a = (unsigned char)( verts[i+0].c.a * fPercent ); // top left
 				verts[i+1].c.a = (unsigned char)( verts[i+1].c.a * fPercent ); // bottom left
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ void BitmapText::DrawChars()
 			{
 				float fPercent = SCALE( start+0.5f, fRightFadeStartGlyph, fRightFadeStopGlyph, 1.0f, 0.0f );
 				fPercent = clamp( fPercent, 0.0f, 1.0f );
-				fPercent *= RightColor.a;
+				fPercent *= RightAlpha;
 
 				verts[i+0].c.a = (unsigned char)( verts[i+0].c.a * fPercent ); // top left
 				verts[i+1].c.a = (unsigned char)( verts[i+1].c.a * fPercent ); // bottom left