Happy Now (Take That song)

Last updated

"Happy Now"
HappyNowTakeThat.JPG
Single by Take That
from the album Progress
Released18 March 2011
Recorded Sarm West Studios
(London, United Kingdom)
Electric Lady Studios
(New York City, United States)
Abbey Road Studios
(London, United Kingdom)
Genre
Length3:58
Label Polydor
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Stuart Price
Take That singles chronology
"Kidz"
(2011)
"Happy Now"
(2011)
"Love Love"
(2011)
Music video
Take That / Fake That "Happy Now" on YouTube

"Happy Now" is a song by English pop group Take That from their sixth studio album, Progress . The song features Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams performing lead vocals. The song was released as the third single from the album, mainly to promote the group's Comic Relief sketch, "Fake That".

Contents

Background

The song was first announced as the album's third single when it was revealed that the band would perform the song live on the Comic Relief telethon on Red Nose Day 2011 – Friday 18 March. The group performed the song at 9:15pm, following which an announcement was made that a video for the track would premiere on the same night at 10:30pm. The video premiered on digital music channels on 6 April 2011, which subsequently was the same date that the track was placed on the BBC Radio 1 B-Playlist, on 6 April 2011. [1] In the United Kingdom, the single was only released digitally, though a promotional physical release of the single, complete with remixes from Paul Oakenfold and Benny Benassi, was made available in Europe. [2]

Critical reception

The Guardian praised the "glam stomp" sound of the song. [3] Virgin Media praised the production: "While this could easily have been traditional Take That fare, Stuart Price touches it up with a trendy electro fringe." [4]

Music video

The official music video for "Happy Now" was recorded at the BBC Television Studios during February 2011. The video premiered on the Red Nose Day 2011 telethon on 18 March and Take That also performed the number live. [5] [6] The video begins with the band sitting as a Judges' panel in a small room. The band bring on participants who are hoping to be formed into the group's ultimate tribute act, Fake That. Many bands appear on stage, including a group of youths, a mixed gender group and five OAPs. The band are then introduced to a five piece made up of comedians Alan Carr, James Corden, John Bishop, David Walliams and Catherine Tate, impersonating Owen, Barlow, Williams, Donald and Orange respectively. The five comedians appear on stage in the group's outfits from their "Do What U Like" video in 1991. The real Take That heckle them off stage, however, they return disguised as the group from their video for "The Flood", complete with the Progress rowing boat. In similar fashion, they are heckled off; however, they return in outfits from the group's videos for "Pray" and "Back For Good", with each impersonator performing the dance moves of the member of Take That they are pretending to be. Gary Barlow and the rest of the band then agree that the group look good in their "Back For Good" outfits, and decide to make them into Fake That. The real Take That then appear on stage and perform the final piece of the track with them, before leaving what seems to be a television set. In the end, Carr says "Bye, thanks for coming" to them.

Personnel

Track listing

European promo single [7] [8]
  1. "Happy Now" (main version) – 3:56
  2. "Happy Now" (live version) – 3:45
  3. "Happy Now" (Paul Oakenfold Radio Edit) – 3:31
  4. "Happy Now" (Benny Benassi Radio Edit) – 3:52
  5. "Happy Now" (Paul Oakenfold Remix) – 7:19
  6. "Happy Now" (Benny Benassi Remix) – 7:00
UK iTunes package [9] [10]
  1. "Happy Now" (live version) – 3:45
  2. "Happy Now" (video) – 4:44
  3. "Happy Now" (behind the scenes footage) – 14:18

Charts

Chart (2011)Peak
position
Scotland (OCC) [11] 48
UK Singles (OCC) [12] 52
UK Singles Downloads (OCC) [13] 52

Release history

RegionDateFormat
United Kingdom18 March 2011 Digital download [10]
Europe18 June 2011Promotional CD single [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comic Relief</span> British charity

Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make the public laugh, while raising money to help people around the world and in the United Kingdom. A new CEO, Samir Patel, was announced in January 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take That</span> English pop group

Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer and primary songwriter, with Owen and Williams initially providing backing vocals and Donald and Orange serving primarily as dancers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benny Benassi</span> Italian DJ, record producer and remixer

Marco "Benny" Benassi is an Italian DJ, record producer and remixer. He is widely seen as a pioneer of electro house, a genre brought into the mainstream by his 2002 summer club hit "Satisfaction".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Help! (song)</span> 1965 single by the Beatles

"Help!" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that served as the title song for the 1965 film and its soundtrack. It was released as a single in July 1965, and was number one for three weeks in the United States and the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pray (Take That song)</span> 1993 single by Take That

"Pray" is a song by English boy band Take That. Written by band member Gary Barlow, the ballad was released on 5 July 1993 by RCA and BMG as the second single from the band's second studio album, Everything Changes (1993). It is the first of twelve singles by the band to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart, staying at number one for four weeks, and starting a streak of four consecutive number-one singles. The song has received a Gold sales status certification and sold over 438,000 copies in the UK, won British Single of the Year and British Video of the Year at the 1994 Brit Awards, and was the finale of Take That's Beautiful World Tour 2007. The music video for "Pray" was directed by Gregg Masuak and filmed in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Found Heaven</span> 1992 single by Take That

"I Found Heaven" is a song by English boy band Take That from their debut studio album, Take That & Party. It was released as the album's fifth single on 3 August 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'd Wait for Life</span> 2007 single by Take That

"I'd Wait for Life" was the third single released from Take That's album Beautiful World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rule the World (Take That song)</span> 2007 single by Take That

"Rule the World" is a song by English boy band Take That. It was recorded for the soundtrack of the film Stardust (2007), and then included on the deluxe edition of their fourth studio album Beautiful World (2006). It was released in the United Kingdom on 21 October 2007 via digital download and as a CD single the following day. The single peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and went on to become the group's second best selling single, shifting over 1.2 million units and being certified as 2× Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The song was submitted for consideration at the 80th Academy Awards for Best Original Song, but was not nominated. In addition to the song featuring in the film, it also plays over the ending of the episode “Fireworks” of the sitcom, Not Going Out.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greatest Day (Take That song)</span>

"Greatest Day" is a song by English pop group Take That. It was released through Polydor Records on 24 November 2008 as the lead single from their fifth studio album, The Circus (2008). The song was written by the band and produced by John Shanks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Up All Night (Take That song)</span> 2009 single by Take That

"Up All Night" is the second single from English group Take That's fifth studio album, The Circus (2008).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Garden (Take That song)</span> 2009 single by Take That

"The Garden" is a song by English group Take That. It was released on 20 March 2009 as the third single from their fifth studio album, The Circus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satisfaction (Benny Benassi song)</span> 2002 single by Benny Benassi

"Satisfaction" is a song by Italian DJ Benny Benassi. It was released in Italy in June 2002 as the lead single from his album Hypnotica. Using MacinTalk, the song's vocals consist of two speech synthesizers, one male and one female, repeatedly saying "Push me and then just touch me till I can get my satisfaction". The track was Benassi's debut single and most successful song, peaking at number two in the United Kingdom and earning a gold certification in Australia, Belgium, France, and the United States. As of August 2014, it was the 54th best-selling single of the 21st century in France, with 382,000 units sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Flood (Take That song)</span> 2010 single by Take That

"The Flood" is a song by English pop group Take That from their sixth studio album, Progress (2010). It was released as the lead single in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2010. The song is the first to feature Robbie Williams since his return to the band in July 2010, and features both Williams and Gary Barlow on lead vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hold Up a Light</span> 2009 single by Take That

"Hold Up a Light" is the fifth and final single from English group Take That's fifth studio album, The Circus. It was released to promote Take That's first live album The Greatest Day – Take That Presents: The Circus Live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kidz (song)</span> 2011 single by Take That

"Kidz" is a song by English pop group Take That from their sixth studio album, Progress. It was released as the second single from the album on 20 February 2011. The song features Mark Owen and Gary Barlow performing lead vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eyes Wide Shut (song)</span> 2011 single by JLS

"Eyes Wide Shut" is a song by English boy band JLS from their second studio album, Outta This World (2010). The song, written by JLS, and Tim McEwan and Lars Halvor Jensen of Danish production team DEEKAY, was released as the third single from the album on 13 February 2011. The single version of the track features guest vocals from English rapper Tinie Tempah. The song has peaked at number eight in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beautiful People (Chris Brown song)</span> 2011 single by Chris Brown

"Beautiful People" is a song by American singer Chris Brown featuring Italian DJ Benny Benassi, released as the third single from Brown's fourth studio album F.A.M.E. on March 11, 2011 . It was written by Brown, with Benny Benassi and Alle Benassi handling its production. Musically, "Beautiful People" is an uptempo song which draws from the genres of progressive house and Europop, containing influences of dancehall and R&B. The song's lyrics revolve around Brown encouraging people to be positive discovering their inside beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Love (Take That song)</span> 2011 single by Take That

"Love Love" is a single by English pop group Take That from the band's first EP, Progressed. The song features Gary Barlow and Mark Owen on lead vocals. It was released in the United Kingdom as a digital download on 11 May 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When We Were Young (Take That song)</span> 2011 single by Take That

"When We Were Young" is the second and final single by English pop group Take That from the band's first EP, Progressed. It acted as the theme song in the feature film adaptation of The Three Musketeers, which premiered in the United Kingdom on 14 October 2011. The song is the last to feature Jason Orange and Robbie Williams and features Williams and Gary Barlow on lead vocals. The single was released to radio on 11 July 2011 and was released in the United Kingdom as a digital download on 22 August 2011.

References

  1. "BBC - Radio 1 Playlist". BBC. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  2. "Music House - Hyperactive". www.music-house.co.uk. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  3. "Take That: Progress | CD review". the Guardian. 11 November 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  4. "Take That Progress album review - Red Room - Virgin.com". 23 January 2012. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  5. Youtube – Fake That
  6. "Comic Relief: Take That mocked by 'Fake That'". The Daily Telegraph . London. 18 March 2011.
  7. "Music House – Hyperactive".
  8. 1 2 "Take That – Happy Now – Remixes – 2011". 6 April 2011.
  9. "Red Nose Day | Comic Relief".
  10. 1 2 "Take That / Fake That's Happy Now on iTunes". robbiewilliams.com. 19 March 2011. Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  11. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  12. "Take That: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  13. "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.