Back for Good - Take That (1995) | 1001 Songs Challenge #828

On 11 February 2019 I set myself the challenge of reading 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery (ed.) and following the book’s advice to the letter. I’ve previously read 1001 Films… and started 1001 Albums… but felt 1001 Songs… would be a sensible place to start for what I have in mind here.

My challenge is to read about one song per day and listen to it (YouTube and Spotify, I need you tonight!) before sharing my own thoughts. Some songs I will love, others I’ll hate, and I’m sure there will be those that leave me perplexed but listen to them I shall.

I’ll also try, and most likely fail, to pinpoint the best song from the 1001 on offer but I’m nothing if not foolhardy. Instead of one song, I’m predicting I’ll have about 100 favourites by the end and may have to resort to a Top 10 so far to maintain any semblance of sanity.

So long as I post every day (including Christmas) then this challenge should come to an end on Wednesday 8 November 2021. Staying with the Barney Stinson theme I am hoping that the whole experience will prove to be… legendary!

Take That – Back for Good (1995)

Back for Good (song) – Wikipedia

” Back for Good” is a song recorded by British band Take That for their third studio album, Nobody Else (1995). It was written and produced by lead singer Gary Barlow. The song topped the UK Singles Chart, whilst also charting at number one in 31 countries, as well as hitting the top ten in many others (including the United States, making it their only hit in that country).

Lyrics (via Genius)

Read “Back for Good” by Take That on Genius

We’re leaving Canada today, dear reader, and making our way back to the UK and to Manchester which is the breeding ground it seems for many UK acts on our list. Formed in 1990 Take That were made up of Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald. After a steady start, Take That became hugely popular in the UK from 1993 onwards, scoring no.1 hits effortlessly. We join them in 1995 with their third studio album – Nobody Else – and from there 1001 Songs have gone with the track – Back for Good.

Back for Good was written by Gary Barlow and is a painful lament to a broken relationship. The narrator is picking up the pieces and trying to move on, everyday items making him think of the girl he loved and lost. Although he should look to tomorrow, he is still stuck in the past and not ready to give up just yet. In the chorus he apologises for hurtful things said in the moment and beseeches his lover to come back to him, to try again and this time he will not ruin things. His pleas go unheard though. It sounds like it is too late.

While I was listening to Brit Pop in the 1990s, Take That were muscling their way to the top of the UK charts without breaking sweat. They seemed unstoppable. Back for Good is their most successful single and it ticks all the boxes as an emotive depiction of a tragic ballad. When Robbie Williams left Take That in 1995 fans were devastated and by 1996 the group had split up. They reformed in 2005 as a quartet with Williams rejoining in 2010 but by 2014 the group were a trio of Barlow, Owen and Donald. Older and wiser, Take That continue to churn out no.1 singles and albums, their boy band star undiminished.

Favourite songs so far:

The Animals – House of the Rising Sun (1964)

Simon & Garfunkel – The Sounds of Silence (1965)

The Beatles – A Day in the Life (1967)

The Doors – The End (1967)

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)

Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)

Ultravox – Vienna (1980)

Tracy Chapman – Fast Car (1988)

U2 – One (1991)

Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah (1994)