Pray (Take That song)

Last updated

"Pray"
Pray (Take That song).jpg
Single by Take That
from the album Everything Changes
Released5 July 1993 (1993-07-05) [1]
Genre
Length3:44
Label
Songwriter(s) Gary Barlow
Producer(s)
  • Steve Jervier
  • Paul Jervier
  • Jonathan Wales
Take That singles chronology
"Why Can't I Wake Up with You"
(1993)		"Pray"
(1993)		"Relight My Fire"
(1993)
Music video
"Pray" on YouTube
"Pray – Odyssey version"
Single by Take That
from the album Odyssey
Released21 September 2018
Length3:40
Label Polydor
Songwriter(s) Gary Barlow
Producer(s)
Take That singles chronology
"New Day"
(2017)		"Pray – Odyssey version"
(2018)		"Out of Our Heads"
(2018)
Music video
"Pray – Odyssey version" on YouTube

"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. [3] The music video for "Pray" was directed by Gregg Masuak and filmed in Mexico.

Contents

"Pray" 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. In 1994, the song won the Ivor Novello for Best Contemporary Song and Songwriter of the Year for band lyricist Gary Barlow. [4]

A newly arranged and recorded version was released on 21 September 2018 as the first single of their greatest hits album Odyssey . The album was released on 23 November 2018 followed by a Greatest Hits tour marking the band's 30th anniversary in 2019.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Peter Fawthrop described "Pray" as a "quality ballad" in his review of Everything Changes . [5] Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger complimented Barlow's songwriting on the song. He said that "at this point he was still the group's secret weapon – canny and professional enough to bring the hooks but with a streak of desperate earnestness. So the classic Take That song – "Pray" isn't their best, but it very much sets a template – wanders like a lost puppy on the verses then pulls itself together for a monster chorus." [6] Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian viewed it as "rather fine". [7] Chris Roberts from Melody Maker felt the song "boasted a fantastic chorus". [8] Another Melody Maker editor, David Bennun, named it "one of Nineties pop's most exalted moments, and the only song so far to justify the talk about Gary Barlow's writing talent." [9] A reviewer from Music & Media commented, "The five messiahs have found a juvenile congregation in the UK willing to lend its ear. Now they're praying for continental attention for their matchless bubble gum soul." [10]

Alan Jones from Music Week gave "Pray" three out of five. He found that it is a "fairly intricate mid-tempo workout [that] has pleasant harmonies and a glossy sheen, although the song itself is more slight than some of the group's previous efforts – none of which really matters, as it's bound for the Top Five." [11] In a retrospective review, Pop Rescue wrote that Barlow's "soft soulful vocals make light work of this whilst the rest of the group put in some great vocal harmonies. The song is light and summery, thanks to the 90s rent-a-beat". [12] Smash Hits gave "Pray" four out of five, praising the chorus as "a fab gospel tune with the group sharing vocals and doing those beautiful harmonies that they seem to be getting so good at these days." The magazine also declared it as "a pretty mature song" and "a definite number 1." [13] A reviewer from Staffordshire Sentinel complimented it as a "soulful ballad". [14]

In a 2012 retrospect Pray was awarded The Guardian Music Award for Best Number 1 Single of 1993 stating "filled with euphoria, guitar riffs and the boys' echoing vocals, this was Take That at their peak, and rightly kept them at No 1 for four weeks". [15]

Music video

The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Gregg Masuak and shot in Acapulco, Mexico. The clip features the band members in the exotic location singing and dancing. The band members are paired with a goddess of the four elements, taking on a different form with each – Air (Mark Owen), Fire (Jason Orange), Earth (Robbie Williams) and Water (Howard Donald) – with the exception of Gary Barlow who is represented in a neutral black and white context. In Barlow's autobiography, he stated that after the disappointment of where "I Found Heaven" was filmed, the band were a lot happier about the location for this video. Reflecting on the video in 2005 for Take That: For the Record , Donald remarked: "We was doing all the sexual thing and stuff. ... Even then it felt a little bit uncomfortable. But girls like it. Girls like this kind of thing." [16] David Bennun from Melody Maker praised "the gorgeous, sinister, young Aryan cod-arcadia of "Pray", Leni Riefenstahl on MTV." [9] The video was later made available remastered on Take That's official YouTube channel in 2009, and had generated more than eight million views as of early 2024 on the platform.

Track listings

Original version

2018 version

  1. "Pray – Odyssey version" (new arrangement and vocals) – 3:40

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [55] Gold438,000 [56]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perfect (Fairground Attraction song)</span> 1988 single by Fairground Attraction

"Perfect" is the debut single by the English folk and soft rock band Fairground Attraction, written by Mark E. Nevin. Released on 21 March 1988 by RCA, the single reached number one in the United Kingdom on 8 May 1988, where it stayed for one week. It also reached number one in Australia, Ireland, and South Africa. In the United States, the song peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Perfect" won the award for British Single of the Year at the Brit Awards 1989 and was nominated for the Ivor Novello 'Best Song Musically and Lyrically' award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let's Dance (Five song)</span> 2001 single by Five

"Let's Dance" is the first single from English boy band Five's third studio album, Kingsize (2001). The song was written by Richard Stannard, Julian Gallagher, Ash Howes, Martin Harrington, Abz Love, Jason "J" Brown, and Sean Conlon and produced by Stannard and Gallagher. Released on 13 August 2001, "Let's Dance" charted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Five's third and final number-one single, and was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The song also peaked at number two on the Irish Singles Chart and became a top-10 in hit in Australia, Flanders, Greece, and Romania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World of Our Own (song)</span> 2002 single by Westlife

"World of Our Own" is a song by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released on 18 February 2002 as the second single from their third studio album of the same name (2001). The song peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming their 10th number-one single. "World of Our Own" was the 40th-best-selling single of 2002 in the UK and received a platinum sales certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for over 600,000 sales and streams. It is the band's fourth-most-streamed song and 12th-best-selling single in both paid-for and combined sales in the United Kingdom as of January 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Million Love Songs</span> 1992 single by Take That

"A Million Love Songs" is a song by English boy band Take That that appeared on their debut studio album, Take That & Party (1992). The song was written by lead vocalist Gary Barlow. It was released in the United Kingdom on 28 September 1992 by Sony Music and peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart that October. It also reached number 50 in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swear It Again</span> 1999 single by Westlife

"Swear It Again" is a song by Irish boy band Westlife. The ballad was released on 19 April 1999 in the United Kingdom as the first single from their self-titled debut album (1999). The song peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks, giving Westlife their first of 14 UK number-one singles. "Swear It Again" is Westlife's only single to have charted in the US, peaking at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ranking number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">If I Let You Go</span> 1999 single by Westlife

"If I Let You Go" is a song by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released in the United Kingdom on 9 August 1999 as the second single from their self-titled debut album (1999). It became the band's second number-one hit, spending 11 weeks on the UK Singles Chart. The song has received a gold sales certification in the UK for selling over 400,000 in combined sales of purchased and streaming-equivalent sales. It is the band's 10th-best-selling single in paid-for sales and combined sales in the UK as of January 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fool Again</span> 2000 single by Westlife

"Fool Again" is a song by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released on 27 March 2000 as the fifth and last single from their self-titled debut album (1999). The song debuted and peaked at number two in the band's native Ireland, making it the first Westlife song not to top the Irish chart. It became the band's fifth consecutive UK number-one single and spent 12 weeks on charts. In the UK, it is the band's 14th-best-selling single in paid-for sales as well as their 13th-best-selling single in combined sales as of January 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You're the One (SWV song)</span> 1996 single by SWV

"You're the One" is a song recorded by American female R&B vocal trio SWV for their second studio album, New Beginning (1996). RCA Records released the song on March 29, 1996, as the lead single from New Beginning. "You're the One" topped the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and became a top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and in New Zealand, receiving gold certifications in both countries. A sample of this song can be heard in South Korean boy group EXO's song "Ya Ya Ya" from their seventh studio album, Obsession (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Relight My Fire</span> 1979 single by Dan Hartman

"Relight My Fire" is a disco song written and released by American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer Dan Hartman as the title track from his 1979 album of the same name. It was also performed by Costa Anadiotis' band Café Society in 1984 and British boy band Take That in 1993, five months before Hartman died.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keep On Movin' (Five song)</span> 1999 single by Five

"Keep On Movin'" is a song by British boy band Five. It was released on 25 October 1999 as the second single from their second studio album, Invincible (1999), and debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Five's first UK number-one single. "Keep On Movin'" was the 36th-biggest-selling single of 1999 in the UK, and in 2023, it received a double-platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales and streaming figures exceeding 1,200,000 units. "Keep On Movin'" also charted within the top 10 in several other countries, including Hungary, where it reached number one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">So Help Me Girl</span> 1995 single by Joe Diffie

"So Help Me Girl" is a song written by Howard Perdew and Andy Spooner and recorded by American country music singer Joe Diffie. It was released in January 1995 as the third single from his fourth studio album, Third Rock from the Sun (1994). The song reached number two on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, where it debuted at number 59 for the week of February 4, 1995, and number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Child (Mark Owen song)</span> 1996 single by Mark Owen

"Child" is the debut solo single of Take That band member Mark Owen, released on 18 November 1996. It was the first single to be released from Owen's debut album, Green Man (1996). He told in an interview, "It was the first song I wrote, and while I was writing the others I always knew it was going to be the first." "Child" peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, making it Owen's joint-most-successful single of his solo career. It was certified silver and sold over 200,000 copies. The song reached number one in Lithuania, Spain, and Taiwan and peaked within the top 10 in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, and Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Love (Westlife song)</span> 2000 single by Westlife

"My Love" is a song by the Irish boy band Westlife. It was released on 30 October 2000 as the second single from their second studio album, Coast to Coast (2000). The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, giving the band their seventh UK number one. The song was the 35th best-selling single of 2000 in the UK. It also won The Record of the Year in 2000. It has sold 400,000 copies in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Why Can't I Wake Up with You</span> 1993 single by Take That

"Why Can't I Wake Up with You" is a song by English boy band Take That. Written by band member Gary Barlow, the song was released on 8 February 1993 by RCA and BMG as the lead single from their second album, Everything Changes (1993). The song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and number seven in Ireland.

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

"Babe" is a song by English boy band Take That, released in December 1993 by RCA and BMG as the fourth single from the band's second album, Everything Changes (1993). Written by bandmember Gary Barlow, it features Mark Owen on lead vocals. Production was led by David Clayton, who later spent 10 years as keyboard player and backing vocalist with Simply Red. Accompanied by a music video directed by Gregg Masuak, the song was a Number One hit in both Ireland and the United Kingdom while peaking within the top 10 in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Israel, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

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

"Everything Changes", sometimes "Everything Changes But You", is a song by English boy band Take That. Released as the fifth single from the band's second studio album, Everything Changes (1993), and written by Gary Barlow and producers Michael Ward, Eliot Kennedy and Cary Bayliss, the song features Robbie Williams on lead vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Ain't Here Anymore</span> 1994 single by Take That

"Love Ain't Here Anymore" is a song by English boy band Take That. Released on 27 June 1994 by RCA and BMG, it was the sixth and final single taken from the band's second studio album, Everything Changes (1993). The song peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart, ending their string of consecutive number-one singles. It failed to overtake Wet Wet Wet's cover of "Love Is All Around" at number one, and American R&B group, All-4-One, who reached number two with "I Swear". "Love Ain't Here Anymore" was re-recorded for release in the United States and included on their first Greatest Hits compilation in 1996.

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

"Sure" is a single by English 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">Unbreakable (Westlife song)</span> 2002 single by Westlife

"Unbreakable" is a song performed by Irish boy band Westlife, taken from their first greatest hits album, Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits Volume 1 (2002). It was released on 16 September 2002 by RCA Records and Syco Music as the lead single from the album's. The song was written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid, and produced by Steve Mac. It was composed in the traditional verse–chorus form in G major, with the group's vocals ranging from the chords of D4 to C♯6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Until the Time Is Through</span> 1998 single by Five

"Until the Time Is Through" is the sixth single from English boy band Five from their debut studio album, Five (1998). Written by Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson, the ballad was released on 16 November 1998, reaching number two in the United Kingdom and Spain, number three in Ireland, and number eight in Australia. The single features both Ritchie Neville and Scott Robinson on lead vocals, whereas the UK album version features vocals solely from Scott. It is their first single not to feature any rapping.

References

  1. ↑ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week . 3 July 1993. p. 19. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 Petridis, Alexis (21 January 2021). "Take That's 20 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian . Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  3. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 555–6. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  4. ↑ "Archive | The Ivors | The Ivors Academy | Champions of Music Creators". The Ivors Academy. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  5. ↑ Fawthrop, Peter. "Take That – Everything Changes". AllMusic . Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  6. ↑ Ewing, Tom (24 April 2012). "Take That – "Pray"". Freaky Trigger . Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  7. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (22 October 1993). "Rock/pop: Take that back". The Guardian .
  8. ↑ Roberts, Chris (18 December 1993). "Singles". Melody Maker . p. 27. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  9. 1 2 Bennun, David (23 March 1996). "Albums". Melody Maker . p. 35. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 10, no. 29. 17 July 1993. p. 13. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  11. ↑ Jones, Alan (10 July 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream – Singles" (PDF). Music Week . p. 8. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  12. ↑ "Review: "Everything Changes" by Take That (CD, 1993)". Pop Rescue. 19 August 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  13. ↑ "The New Take That Single!". Smash Hits . 23 June 1993. p. 49. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  14. ↑ Staffordshire Sentinel . 29 July 1993. p.25.
  15. ↑ "Best No 1 singles, 1952–2012 – the full list | Music | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. London. 3 June 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  16. ↑ Notman-Watt, David (Director) (17 November 2005). Take That: For the Record (Television production). London: FremantleMedia. 15:47 minutes in.
  17. ↑ Pray (UK CD1 & European CD single liner notes). Take That. RCA Records, BMG. 1993. 74321154502.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ↑ Pray (UK CD2 liner notes). Take That. RCA Records, BMG. 1993. 74321154512.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ↑ Pray (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Take That. RCA Records, BMG. 1993. 74321154507.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ↑ Pray (UK cassette single sleeve). Take That. RCA Records, BMG. 1993. 74321154504.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ↑ Pray (Australian limited maxi-CD single liner notes). Take That. RCA Records, BMG. 1993. 74332116125.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ↑ Pray (Australian Tour Edition limited CD single liner notes). Take That. RCA Records, BMG. 1993. 74321211122.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ↑ Pray Odyssey version on iTunes
  24. ↑ "Take That – Pray". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  25. ↑ "Take That – Pray" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  26. ↑ "Take That – Pray" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  27. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2913." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  28. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2934." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  29. ↑ Danish Singles Chart. 6 August 1993.
  30. ↑ "Hits of the World – Eurochart Hot 100". Billboard . 14 August 1993. p. 40. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  31. ↑ "European Adult Contemporary Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 40. 2 October 1993. p. 20. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  32. ↑ "EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 10, no. 37. 11 September 1993. p. 22. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  33. ↑ source: Pennanen, Timo: Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava, 2006. ISBN   9789511210535. page: 280
  34. ↑ "Top 100 French Radio Airplay". SNEP. 10 April 1994. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  35. ↑ "Take That – Pray" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  36. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (12. – 18. apríl)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 12 August 1993. p. 20. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  37. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Pray". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  38. ↑ 31 August 1993
  39. ↑ "M-1 Top 40". M-1.fm. 24 October 1993. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  40. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 36, 1993" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  41. ↑ "Take That – Pray" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  42. ↑ "Take That – Pray". VG-lista. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  43. ↑ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 10, no. 35. 28 August 1993. p. 24. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  44. ↑ "Take That – Pray". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  45. ↑ "Take That – Pray". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  46. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  47. ↑ "The Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week . 7 August 1993. p. 26. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  48. ↑ Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  49. ↑ "1993 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 10, no. 51/52. 18 December 1993. p. 15. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  50. ↑ "EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 10, no. 51/52. 18 December 1993. p. 17. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  51. ↑ "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1993" (in German). GfK Entertainment . Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  52. ↑ "Top 100 Singles 1993". Music Week . 15 January 1994. p. 24.
  53. ↑ "Airplay Top 50 1993" (PDF). Music Week . 15 January 1994. p. 41. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  54. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  55. ↑ "British single certifications – Take That – Pray". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  56. ↑ Myers, Justin (24 March 2017). "Take That's Official Top 40 biggest songs revealed". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 24 March 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.