Face to Face (Gary Barlow song)

Last updated

"Face to Face"
Facetofacd.jpg
Single by Gary Barlow featuring Elton John
from the album Since I Saw You Last
Released20 January 2014 (2014-01-20)
Recorded2013
Genre Pop
Length3:34
Label Polydor
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Steve Power
Gary Barlow singles chronology
"I Should've Followed You Home"
(2013)
"Face to Face"
(2014)
"Since I Saw You Last"
(2014)

"Face to Face" is a song by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow featuring Sir Elton John. It was released in the United Kingdom on 20 January 2014 as the second single from his fourth solo album, Since I Saw You Last (2013). It was written by Barlow and John Shanks, and it was produced by Steve Power.

Contents

Background

When writing Since I Saw You Last , Barlow came up with a song called "Face to Face", and knew straight away that he wanted to try to get his friend Sir Elton John to sing it with him. Barlow says: "I called him and said I am going to email you this song. Literally, within an hour he was back saying let’s book a studio, let’s get in there and do it." [1] They both met up in Abbey Road Studios and recorded the vocals to the song in 10 minutes. [2]

When speaking about the meaning behind the song, Barlow states that "Face to Face" is a thank-you note to Elton for sticking by him during his wilderness years and a pointed rejoinder to those who deserted him. "It’s a respect song" Barlow confirms. "I can count on the fingers of one hand the people who kept in touch with me when nobody else wanted to know me and he was one of them. I’ll never forget that." [3]

Music video

The video was filmed in Abbey Road Studios on the same day as both Barlow and Elton John recorded the vocals to the song. The video shows Barlow passing the lyrics to Elton with both singing the song to each other around a piano and in the vocal booths.

Track listing

  1. "Face to Face" (album version) – 3:33
  2. "Face to Face" (instrumental version) – 3:34

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Since I Saw You Last liner notes. [5]

Charts

Chart (2014)Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) [6] 55
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia) [7] 14
Ireland (IRMA) [8] 75
Scotland (OCC) [9] 61
UK Singles (OCC) [10] 69

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nik Kershaw</span> English musician (born 1958)

Nicholas David Kershaw is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Barlow</span> British singer, songwriter, pianist, record producer and film score producer

Gary Barlow is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the British pop group Take That.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiki Dee</span> English pop singer (born 1947)

Pauline Matthews, better known by her stage name Kiki Dee, is an English pop singer. Known for her blue-eyed soul vocals, she was the first female singer from the UK to sign with Motown's Tamla Records.

<i>Peachtree Road</i> (album) 2004 studio album by Elton John

Peachtree Road is the twenty-seventh studio album by English musician Elton John released on 9 November 2004. The album was named after Peachtree Road, the northern part of Peachtree Street in Atlanta, where one of John's four homes is located. This is the only album during his long career on which John has sole credit as producer, although on some previous projects he was listed as a co-producer, with Clive Franks, or Greg Penny. It was recorded in January 2004.

<i>Madman Across the Water</i> 1971 album by Elton John

Madman Across the Water is the fourth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1971 through DJM and Uni Records. The album was his third album to be released in 1971, at which point John had been rising to prominence as a popular music artist. John's first progressive rock album, Madman Across the Water contains nine tracks, each composed and performed by John and with lyrics written by songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman plays Hammond organ on two songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word</span> 1976 single by Elton John

"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin. It was recorded by Elton John and released in 1976, both as a single and as part of the Blue Moves album. It was John's second single released by The Rocket Record Company. The song is a mournful ballad about a romantic relationship which is falling apart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me</span> 1974 single by Elton John

"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin. It was originally recorded by John for his eighth studio album, Caribou (1974), and was released as a single that peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sure (Take That song)</span> 1994 single by Take That

"Sure" is a single by British boy band Take That, released as the lead single from their third studio album, Nobody Else (1995). It was written by Take That's lead singer Gary Barlow and fellow band members Robbie Williams and Mark Owen. Released on 3 October 1994 by RCA and BMG, the song became the band's fifth number one on the UK Singles Chart and has received a silver disc certification in the UK for selling over 200,000 copies. Q Magazine ranked "Sure" at number 86 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever" in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrap Her Up</span> 1985 single by Elton John

"Wrap Her Up" is a song by English musician Elton John, released as the second single from his 1985 album, Ice on Fire. George Michael provides backing vocals on the song. The single had limited success worldwide.

<i>Twelve Months, Eleven Days</i> 1999 studio album by Gary Barlow

Twelve Months, Eleven Days is the second solo studio album released by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. The album was released by BMG and RCA Records on 11 October 1999. It was to be Barlow's last studio album for 13 years until the release of Sing. Furthermore, this was his last full-length record up until the release of Since I Saw You Last.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Barlow discography</span>

English singer Gary Barlow has released six studio albums, eighteen singles, twenty-two music videos and five featured songs. Barlow has had fifteen number-one UK singles, eleven number-one albums and has written thirteen UK number-one singles, selling over 50 million records worldwide and over seven million concert tickets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Different (Robbie Williams song)</span> 2012 single by Robbie Williams

"Different" is a song by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams, taken from his ninth studio album, Take the Crown. It was released as the album's second single on 17 December 2012. The song was written by Williams, Gary Barlow and Jacknife Lee. The single was accompanied by four extra tracks: "On My Own", a duet with Tom Jones, "Soul Transmission", "White Man in Hanoi", a cut from Take the Crown, and "The Promise", a cover from singer songwriter Paul Freeman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let Me Go (Gary Barlow song)</span> 2013 single by Gary Barlow

"Let Me Go" is a song by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. It was released in Ireland on 15 November 2013 and in the United Kingdom on 17 November 2013 as the lead single from his fourth solo album, Since I Saw You Last (2013). It was written by Barlow and produced by Steve Power. "Let Me Go" peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart, becoming Barlow's sixth solo top 10 hit in the UK.

<i>Since I Saw You Last</i> 2013 studio album by Gary Barlow

Since I Saw You Last is the fourth solo studio album released by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. The album was released by Polydor Records on 22 November 2013 in Ireland, and on 25 November in the United Kingdom. It debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, and met with a mixed critical reaction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Should've Followed You Home</span> 2013 single by Agnetha Fältskog and Gary Barlow

"I Should've Followed You Home" is a duet sung by Swedish recording artist and ABBA member Agnetha Fältskog and British singer-songwriter and Take That frontman Gary Barlow. Written by Barlow and producer Jörgen Elofsson, it was the third single taken from A.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Since I Saw You Last Tour</span> 2014 concert tour by Gary Barlow

The Since I Saw You Last Tour was a concert tour by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow in support of his fourth studio album Since I Saw You Last. The tour saw Barlow play some of the biggest arenas in the UK and Ireland performing both Take That and his solo material from his career spanning two decades as well as his new material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Since I Saw You Last (song)</span> 2014 single by Gary Barlow

"Since I Saw You Last" is a song by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. It was released in the United Kingdom on 14 April 2014 as the third and final single from his fourth solo album, Since I Saw You Last (2013). It was written by Barlow and produced by Steve Power.

<i>III</i> (Take That album) 2014 studio album by Take That

III is the seventh studio album by English pop band Take That. It is their first studio album since 2010's Progress and the first to feature the band as a trio, following the departures of Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. The album was released on 28 November 2014. According to Gary Barlow, the album's sound is an "amalgamation of the past eight years" of Take That material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocket Man (song)</span> 1972 single by Elton John

"Rocket Man" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin and performed by John. It was originally released on 17 April 1972 in the US, as the lead single to John's album Honky Château. The song first charted in the UK on 22 April, rising to No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming a major hit single for John.

<i>Music Played by Humans</i> 2020 studio album by Gary Barlow

Music Played by Humans is the fifth solo studio album by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. The album was released by Polydor Records on 27 November 2020 and is Barlow's first solo album in seven years, following Since I Saw You Last in 2013. The album's lead single, "Elita" features both Michael Bublé and Sebastián Yatra, and was released on 30 September 2020.

References

  1. http://metro.co.uk/2013/11/20/gary-barlow-left-in-awe-after-recording-elton-john-duet-in-10-minutes-4193141/ The Metro Gary Barlow left in ‘awe’ after recording Elton John duet in 10 minutes 20.11.13
  2. http://www.contactmusic.com/article/gary-barlow-elton-john-face-to-face_3962882 Gary Barlow and Elton John Recorded 'Face to Face' In 10 Minutes Contact Music 20.11.13
  3. "Gary Barlow interview: 'Nobody wanted to know me'". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  4. "The UK's Online Marketplace". eBay. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  5. Since I Saw You Last (Media notes). Gary Barlow. Polydor Records. 2013. 375 715-5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. "Gary Barlow – Face To Face" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  7. "Gary Barlow – Face to Face" (in French). Ultratip.
  8. "Chart Track: Week 51, 2013". Irish Singles Chart.
  9. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.