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.

Background

Released on 6 December 1993, 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. The following week however, Mr Blobby's single climbed back to number one, denying Take That the Christmas number one place. The single sold 350,000 copies in 1993, and was that year's 14th biggest-selling single. The song was certified platinum on 1 January 1994 for shipments of over 600,000 copies in the UK. 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

editor Bryan Buss described the song as a "surprisingly risqué" in his review of Nobody Else. 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." 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". Smash Hits gave the song 5 out of 5, calling it "gorgeous". They noted that Owen's vocals "are the real triumph".

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

;UK cassette single
  1. "Babe" – 4:55
  2. "Wasting My Time" – 3:21
;UK 7" vinyl
  1. "Babe" – 4:55
  2. "All I Want Is You" – 3:21
;UK 7" vinyl
  1. "Babe" – 4:55
  2. "All I Want Is You" – 3:21
;UK CD single #1
  1. "Babe" – 4:55
  2. "All I Want Is You" – 3:21
  3. "Could It Be Magic" – 6:18
  4. "Pray" – 6:33
;UK CD single #2
  1. "Babe" – 4:55
  2. "It Only Takes A Minute" – 3:47
  3. "Give Good Feeling" – 3:52
;Japanese CD single
  1. "Babe" – 4:55
  2. "It Only Takes A Minute" – 3:47
  3. "Give Good Feeling" - 3:52
;EU CD single #1
  1. "Babe" – 4:51
  2. "All I Want Is You" – 3:21
;EU CD single #2
  1. "Babe" – 4:51
  2. "All I Want Is You" – 3:21
  3. "Pray" – 6:33
  4. "Give Good Feeling" – 3:52

    Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Official versions