Take That

Take That rose to prominence as Britain's foremost teen pop group in the opening years of the 1990s and have since matured into an act whose popularity reaches listeners across several generations. Formed explicitly as the domestic counterpart to New Kids on the Block, the quintet first occupied comparable stylistic ground, fusing new jack R&B textures, urban soul grooves, and broad pop melodies on records such as their initial chart-topping release, 1993's Everything Changes. Outselling every other English act of the period apart from the Beatles, they gradually shifted toward Hi-NRG dance material while cultivating an adult contemporary audience through Gary Barlow's introspective melodic compositions. Following their 1996 dissolution amid Britain's turn toward the guitar-driven Brit-pop of Blur and Oasis, the group reclaimed the summit of the UK charts as adults with the 2006 arrival of Beautiful World. Their 2014 effort III became the sixth consecutive studio album to debut at number one, its title reflecting the reduction of the original lineup to a trio, and the band entered a fourth decade with the November 2023 release of their ninth studio album, This Life.

Gary Barlow, born January 20, 1971, has remained the pivotal member throughout, handling lead vocals and primary songwriting duties. From an early age he concentrated on music, performing organ in Ken Dodd's touring ensemble by the time he turned fourteen. One of his initial compositions, "Let's Pray for Christmas," reached the finals of a BBC Pebble Mill competition for original holiday songs. During his late teens Barlow encountered Mark Owen, born January 27, 1974, and Robbie Williams, born February 13, 1974, both of whom came from middle-class families; Williams' father worked as a comedian and his mother as a vocalist, and he had made a brief appearance in the British soap Brookside before joining the band. Owen, meanwhile, had auditioned unsuccessfully for Manchester United's football squad. The three first united as the short-lived Cutest Rush.

Producer and manager Nigel Martin Smith set out to assemble a British pop outfit modeled on New Kids on the Block and recruited the Cutest Rush members. Barlow, Owen, and Williams consented, and with the addition of Jason Orange, born July 10, 1970, and Howard Donald, born April 28, 1968—both previously of the breakdancing collective Street Beat—Take That was officially established in 1990. After limited early performances in British gay nightclubs, the group issued its debut single, "Do What U Like," on the independent Dance U.K. imprint in July 1991; the track gained modest notoriety largely because its video contained suggestive imagery featuring the members' bare backsides. The ensuing controversy drew the attention of RCA Records, which signed the band in late 1991, after which "Promises" grazed the Top 40 by year's end. A Safe Sex club tour supporting the third single, "Once You've Tasted Love," followed in early 1992, yet the release stalled at number 47.

Breakthrough arrived mid-year when the Tavares cover "It Only Takes a Minute" climbed to number seven. Media frenzy ensued, propelling the debut album Take That & Party to a number-five chart entry upon its August release. Within weeks "A Million Love Songs" also reached the Top Ten. By December the group collected seven Smash Hits Awards, and the album ultimately peaked at number two. Early 1993 brought a number-three cover of Barry Manilow's "Could It Be Magic" that earned a Brit Award for Best British Single, followed by the number-two single "Why Can't I Wake Up with You."

Although the American edition of the debut attracted little notice despite a cereal-box marketing push, "Pray," the lead track from the forthcoming second album, debuted at number one on the UK chart. Later that year the Lulu-assisted "Relight My Fire" also topped the chart. Everything Changes entered at number one in October, and its string of singles dominated the upper reaches of the UK listings through 1994, though the album received no domestic American release.

As work began on a third album, British tastes were pivoting from lightweight dance-pop toward classic guitar rock, with Blur, Oasis, and Pulp emerging as rivals. The band addressed the shift variously: Barlow steered Take That forward with "Back for Good," a more substantial single that drew favorable notices across the press. At the same time Robbie Williams earned a reputation as the group's volatile member and grew increasingly detached. Nobody Else debuted at number one in spring 1995, yet Williams contributed minimally; he began associating with Oasis and became the subject of tabloid scrutiny over his conduct while hinting in interviews that solo material was underway. His July 1995 exit to pursue a solo album prompted the immediate removal of his image from all promotional materials, including the American edition of Nobody Else.

Williams was not alone in feeling the pressures of the Brit-pop era; the other members, now in their mid-twenties, sought greater personal credibility and grew uneasy with the band's glossy pop identity, with the exception of Barlow, who positioned himself as a successor to Elton John and George Michael. While "Back for Good" gained traction on American adult-contemporary and Top 40 stations plus MTV, the group formally disbanded on February 13, 1996. A greatest-hits package followed, and the final single, a Bee Gees cover titled "How Deep Is Your Love?," entered at number one. Barlow soon collaborated with professional songwriters including Diane Warren and issued a mature-leaning single in July that was blocked from the top spot by the Spice Girls. Owen launched a solo project shaped by Paul Weller and Radiohead, while Orange and Donald chose not to pursue solo paths.

Williams released his first solo single in July 1996, a cover of George Michael's "Freedom 90" that quickly faded. He rebounded with the 1997 album Life Thru a Lens, which topped the UK chart, and followed it with the equally successful I've Been Expecting You. Repeated attempts to establish him in the United States, beginning with the 1999 compilation The Ego Has Landed, proved unsuccessful, yet he retained enormous popularity across Europe.

The 2005 compilation Never Forget: The Ultimate Collection, which included the previously unreleased Barlow song "Today I've Lost You," achieved solid chart placement. A documentary and reunion tour without Williams generated momentum for new material. Signed to Polydor, the band returned in 2006 with Beautiful World, their first studio album of original songs since 1996; it blended a mature outlook with enough of their established sound to satisfy longtime listeners, sold millions worldwide, and earned nine-times-platinum certification in the UK. "Patience" secured a Brit Award for Best British Single. The Circus followed in 2008, its lead single "The Greatest Day" reaching number one, and the album sold more than 133,000 copies in Britain on its first day. A live counterpart, The Greatest Day - Take That Present: The Circus Live, appeared in December 2009.

Robbie Williams rejoined unexpectedly in 2010, his involvement central to the acclaimed Progress, which sold 235,000 copies on its opening day in the UK. An extensive tour ensued; after the European leg concluded in 2011 the group entered hiatus while Barlow joined the UK X-Factor panel and Williams resumed solo work. In 2012 they received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music and performed at the London Olympics closing ceremony.

Recording for a seventh studio album commenced in 2013. Williams declined to participate, and Jason Orange departed shortly afterward, leaving the remaining trio to complete III, released in November 2014 and marking their sixth straight number-one studio album. The three-piece configuration marked its 25th anniversary in 2017 with the greatest-hits collection Wonderland, which reached number two, and continued the retrospective theme with the 2018 chart-topping Odyssey, a reimagined greatest-hits set. The accompanying 2019 tour yielded the Top Five live album Odyssey: Greatest Hits Live and the year's best-selling concert DVD in the UK.

Emerging after the early-2020s pandemic restrictions, Take That issued This Life in November 2023. Recorded in Savannah, Georgia; Nashville, Tennessee; and New York City, the album represented their debut for EMI following nearly two decades with Polydor.