Babe (Take That song)

"Babe" is a song by boy band Take That. It was the fourth single from Take That's second album, Everything Changes. Written by Gary Barlow, it features Mark Owen on lead vocals. The production was led by David Clayton who later spent 10 years as keyboard player and backing vocalist with Simply Red.

"Babe"
Single by Take That
from the album Everything Changes
B-side"All I Want Is You"
Released6 December 1993
Format
  • Cassette
  • 7" vinyl
  • CD single
Recorded1993
Genre
Length4:51
Label
Songwriter(s)Gary Barlow
Producer(s)
  • Steve Jervier
  • Paul Jervier
  • Jonathan Wales
  • Chris Porter
  • Dave Clayton
Take That singles chronology
"Relight My Fire"
(1993)		 "Babe"
(1993)		 "Everything Changes"
(1994)
Alternative covers
Alternative cover
Music video
"Babe" on YouTube

Background

Released on 6 December 1993,[1] it became Take That's third single in a row to go straight to number one in the UK Singles Chart, knocking Mr Blobby's self-titled novelty single from the number one slot in the process.[2] The following week however, Mr Blobby's single climbed back to number one, denying Take That the Christmas number one place.[2] The single sold 350,000 copies in 1993, and was that year's 14th biggest-selling single.[3] The song was certified platinum on 1 January 1994 for shipments of over 600,000 copies in the UK.[1] The song was featured in the Only Fools and Horses episode "Fatal Extraction" broadcast on 25 December 1993, the day that the song had been knocked off number one in the singles chart.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Bryan Buss described the song as a "surprisingly risqué" in his review of Nobody Else.[4] Tom Ewing from Freaky Trigger noted that the melody is "murky and sad – this is as fog-bound and haunted a number one as we've seen since the high Gothic of John Leyton – and the tension gives the story a dignity."[5] Pop Rescue wrote that "this song has tear-jerking lyrics and vocals from Mark". They added that "the emotions soar here as much as the dramatic strings".[6] Smash Hits gave the song 5 out of 5, calling it "gorgeous". They noted that Owen's vocals "are the real triumph".[7]

Music video

The music video was the first Take That video to involve the members act out a story and to use drama in. The video runs parallel to the song's lyrics, showing Owen trying to track down a loved one after coming back from war. Later in the video it emerges that Owen has fathered a child. The video uses intercut clips of the band standing around Barlow, all performing the song. The last few seconds of the video are somewhat happier, showing outtakes of the band from the video.

Personnel

Track listing
UK cassette single (74321 18286 2)
  1. "Babe" (Return Remix) – 4:55
  2. "Wasting My Time" – 3:21
UK 7" vinyl (74321 18213 7)
  1. "Babe" (Return Remix) – 4:55
  2. "All I Want Is You" – 3:21
UK 7" vinyl (74321 18214 7) (Limited Edition w/ photo sleeve)
  1. "Babe" (Return Remix) – 4:55
  2. "All I Want Is You" – 3:21
UK CD single #1 (74321 18212 2)
  1. "Babe" (Return Remix) – 4:55
  2. "All I Want Is You" – 3:21
  3. "Could It Be Magic" (Live) – 6:18
  4. "Pray" (Live) – 6:33
UK CD single #2 (74321 18213 2)
  1. "Babe" (Return Remix) – 4:55
  2. "It Only Takes A Minute" (Live) – 3:47
  3. "Give Good Feeling" (Live) – 3:52
Japanese CD single (BVCP-7412)
  1. "Babe" (Return Remix) – 4:55
  2. "It Only Takes A Minute" (Live) – 3:47
  3. "Give Good Feeling" (Live) - 3:52
EU CD single #1 (74321 18286 2)
  1. "Babe" – 4:51
  2. "All I Want Is You" – 3:21
EU CD single #2 (74321 18285 2)
  1. "Babe" – 4:51
  2. "All I Want Is You" – 3:21
  3. "Pray" (Live) – 6:33
  4. "Give Good Feeling" (Live) – 3:52

Chart performance

Official versions
  • Album version (4:51)
  • Return Remix (4:55)
  • Live at Berlin Deutschlandhalle (6:25)
  • Live From MTV's Most Wanted (4:41)
  • Live From the Manchester Nynex (7:39)

References
  1. "Take That, Babe, Single". bpi. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 561. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. "Official Chart Flashback 1993: Take That, Pray". Official Charts Company. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  4. "Take That - Nobody Else". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  5. "TAKE THAT – "Babe"". Freaky Trigger. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  6. "REVIEW: "EVERYTHING CHANGES" BY TAKE THAT (CD, 1993)". Pop Rescue. 19 August 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  7. "New Singles". Smash Hits. 8 December 1993. p. 57. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  8. Steffen Hung. "Take That - Babe". lescharts.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  9. Pennanen, Timo: Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava, 2006. ISBN 9789511210535. page: 280
  10. "Take That - Babe". Ultratop.be. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  11. "Hits of the World - Eurochart Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 5 February 1994. p. 40. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  12. "テイク・ザットのプロフィール・ヒストリー │ オリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  13. "M-1 TOP 40". M-1.fm. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  14. "Take That - Babe" (in Dutch). top40.nl. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  15. "TAKE THAT - BABE" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  16. "Ultratop Belgian Charts". Ultratop.be. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  17. "1994 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  18. "Billboard". 1 January 2000. Retrieved 31 March 2014 – via Google Books.
  19. "Single Top 100 Over 1004" (PDF). Top40.nl. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  20. 1994 Finnish Singles Chart Sisältää hitin -kirjaan (Retrieved 16 September 2018)
  21. https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/single-jahr/for-date-1994
  22. "Årslista Singlar, 1994" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
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