Songoftheday 12/11/19 - Got a fist of pure emotion got a head of shattered dreams, gotta leave it gotta leave it all behind now...

"Back For Good" - Take That
from the album Nobody Else (1995)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 25

Today's song of the day comes from the British "boy-band" Take That. The act started when manager Nigel Martin-Smith auditioned and put together and singing and dancing group to accompany lead singer Gary Barlow. Hiring on Jason Orange, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, and 16 year old Robbie Williams, the group initially was aimed at the gay club market, as can be seen in their debut single "Do What U Like", which was released in 1991 as became a minor singles hit in their native Britain at #82. Their next release, "Promises", did much better, scoring their initial time in the UK Top-40. After another single missed the top-40, the group finally got their big break at home first with a cover song. As the fourth offering from the album, a redo of the disco classic "It Only Takes A Minute", which sounded much smoother than the previous raunchy material, landed them British top-ten hit at #7, and almost repeated the feat in Ireland at #11. During that run their first album Take That and Party was released. Their next single "I Found Heaven" with Robbie Williams on lead vocals found them on the charts in Germany for the first time at #56 while peaking at #15 in the UK. Then came the ballad "A Million Love Songs", which placed them back in the UK top ten at #7, and for the first time on the charts in the Netherlands at #50. But it was their lucky seventh single and another remake that would truly be their international breakthrough in Europe, as their take on Barry Manilow-by-way-of-Donna Summer "Could It Be Magic" (with Williams again on lead vocals) climbed to #3 in Britain and Ireland, peaking at #30 in Australia and Sweden, and getting into the German Top-40 at #37.

With that build-up of successes, and seven hits to their name, expectations where high for their sophomore effort Everything Changes. Eleven of its tracks were written by Barlow, with another co-penned by Donald, along with one cover song. Lead single "Why Can't I Wake Up With You", an attempt on a more mature love ballad, rose to #2 on the British charts in 1993. That would be followed by a string of four #1 hits in a row, with "Pray" scoring their first chart-topper and remaining there for a month, then the remake of Dan Hartman's disco classic "Relight My Fire" featuring 60s great Lulu. "Babe" not only topped the chart but was their first with Mark Owen on lead, and their first #1 in Ireland. Robbie took lead again for the fourth #1 in a row, "Everything Changes".

At the end of 1994, the group returned with their next record, Nobody Else. "Sure", the first single from it, brought them back to the top of the UK chart again. This time Barlow co-wrote all the songs on the record including that one with Robbie and Owen. But that would be soon eclipsed by "Back For Good", which gave Take That their long-desired American breakthrough, becoming their sole pop radio success and chart entry...

"Back For Good" became Take That's sole American charting pop hit, reaching the top ten in November of 1995. The song was huge on "easy listening" stations, spending three weeks at #2 on their Adult Contemporary chart and lasting there for 66 weeks. In fact when the new "Adult Top-40" format chart was introduced the following year this song spent 7 weeks on it, peaking at #8. Internationally, besides landing another British #1 hit, the song topped the charts in Canada, Germany, Australia, Ireland, Spain, Norway, Denmark, and Latvia. It also made the top ten in Sweden (#2), Switzerland (#2), Belgium (#2F/#4W), Finland (#2), Austria (#3), Italy (#5), Iceland (#5), New Zealand (#6), France (#7), and Poland (#10).

However, as the group was experiencing their biggest success at that time, they were going through their biggest turmoil, with Robbie Williams' drug use becoming such a hindrance to the act that he was unceremoniously booted by the time the next single "Never Forget" (with Howard Donald on lead) was rolled out (the video had childhood images not the real members). Nevertheless, the song topped the British, Spanish, and Irish singles chart, and went top ten in Denmark (#3), Finland (#5), Belgium (#8F/#5W), Switzerland (#6), Italy (#8), the Netherlands (#8), and Germany (#10). However the song was basically ignored in the States.

With Williams gone, Take That completed their tour in America, but by that time decided to dissolve the group altogether. A Greatest Hits set was released, with a new track, a cover of the Bee Gees' "How Deep Is Your Love", topping the charts in the UK, Spain, Ireland, and Denmark, marking an end of an era in 1996.

Ten years later, after the release of a best-selling compilation, Barlow, Donald, Owen, and Orange reunited to tour the country, which ended up a massive success. On that momentum, they went into the studio to record their "comeback" album, Beautiful World. The first single "Patience" returned the quartet to #1 in the UK, Germany, Spain, and Switzerland. They proved it wasn't a fluke when follow-up "Shine" with lead vocals from Owen, revealed later to have been written about Robbie Williams, also topped the British chart. The album was even re-released in a deluxe edition, featuring a new track "Rule The World", that went to #2 on the UK Chart.

In 2008, the foursome released a second reunion album, The Circus, with lead track "The Greatest Day" hitting #1 in Britain, and a total of four charting singles. They again embarked on a successful tour that ended up a DVD and a live album.

Things got even bigger when it was announced that Robbie Williams would be re-joining Take That for their next album Progress as well as the resulting tour. First taste of the set "The Flood", with Robbie on lead vocals, ended up at #2 with four singles making the top 100. The ensuing tour was even more rabidly sought, with Robbie performing songs from his own successful solo career.

Jason Orange left the group amicably in 2014, and with Robbie deciding not to participate for then, Barlow, Owen, and Donald continued as a trio for their next record III that same year. Lead single "These Days" landed them their 12th and so far most recent #1 hit in the UK. Three years later, their most recent studio album Wonderland was their first to not go to #1 since their debut (they both peaked at #2). Promoted single "Giants" topped out at #13 in the UK. Most recently, the trio re-recorded many of their hits for the compilation Odyssey, which again topped the albums chart.

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The group debuted "Back For Good" at the 1995 BRIT Awards before its release, causing a ramp up of the date...