"Sure"
UK CD1 artwork
Single by Take That
from the album Nobody Else
Released3 October 1994 (1994-10-03)
Genre
Length3:42
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Take That singles chronology
"Love Ain't Here Anymore"
(1994) 		"Sure"
(1994) 		"Back for Good"
(1995)
Alternative cover
UK CD2 artwork
Music video
"Sure" on YouTube

"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.[4] 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.[5]

Critical reception

Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News Sentinel described the song as "slinky" and "hip-hoppish", adding that songs like "Sure" "are serviceable as updates of British blue-eyed soul".[1] Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "International stardom is not enough. Concerns about the credibility factor are the latest craze in teenland. Yet through "Sure"'s hip and raw swingbeat production even Take That enemies will have to give in."[3] Alan Jones from Music Week gave the song five out of five and named it Pick of the Week, adding that it is "far from their most distinctive track, but this slick piece of synthetic soul balladry has all the ingredients necessary to keep the Take That bandwagon rolling." He concluded, "Clearly one to watch."[2]

Release and chart performance

The single was released on 3 October 1994.[6] Take That's previous single had stalled at number three on the UK Singles Chart after four consecutive number-one hits, but "Sure" debuted at number one becoming their fifth number-one single. It remained at the top for two weeks but dropped quickly thereafter.[7] It was the 42nd best selling single of 1994 in the UK, the lowest-selling number-one single of the year.[8][9]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Sure" is seven minutes long and somewhat comical. It shows the band preparing for a party in their apartment whilst also babysitting a disruptive 5-year-old girl named Emily who is halting them from getting ready while her mother is out of town. Gary Barlow is writing a song, Jason Orange is dancing and Mark Owen is preparing food and struggling to deal with Emily throwing her food on the table while answering phone calls about the party. When Robbie Williams returns from grocery shopping, Howard Donald takes the calls in Owen's place. Once Owen is finally able to tuck Emily into bed, the song starts, and many guests arrive for the party. As several couples hook up at the party, the band are seen performing the song in vest nets against a blue backdrop. As the guests leave the party, one girl is left behind and falls asleep in the trashed apartment. The video ends with Emily waking up in the middle of the night to find the band asleep amidst the disarray from the party.

A shorter edited version of the song exists in which music video channels play the video from where the song starts. It was A-listed on Germany's VIVA in November 1994.[10]

Track listings

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Silver 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Campbell, Chuck (15 September 1995). "Take That Arrives Stateside With 'Back For Good'". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  2. ^ a b Jones, Alan (1 October 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream – Singles – Pick of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. p. 18. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 15 October 1994. p. 16. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  4. ^ 1000 UK Number One Singles by Jon Kutner & Spencer Leigh, page 400, ISBN 978-1844492831
  5. ^ "Q – 1001 best songs ever (2003)".
  6. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Music Week. 1 October 1993. p. 27. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Top 100 Singles 1994". Music Week. 14 January 1995. p. 9.
  9. ^ "Top 50 UK singles of 1994". Onmc.iinet.net.au. Archived from the original on 1 July 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  10. ^ "Station Reports > VIVA TV/Cologne" (PDF). Music & Media. 12 November 1994. p. 30. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  11. ^ Sure (UK & European CD1 liner notes). Take That. RCA Records, BMG. 1994. 74321236622.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Sure (UK & European CD2 liner notes). Take That. RCA Records, BMG. 1994. 74321236632.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Sure (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). Take That. RCA Records, BMG. 1994. 74321236621.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Sure (UK cassette single sleeve). Take That. RCA Records, BMG. 1994. 74321236624.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ "Take That – Sure". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  16. ^ "Take That – Sure" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  17. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 44. 29 October 1994. p. 20. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  18. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 44. 29 October 1994. p. 18. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  19. ^ "Adult Contemporary Europe Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. 17 December 1994. p. 34. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  20. ^ "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. 22 October 1994. p. 27. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  21. ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  22. ^ "Take That – Sure" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  23. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Sure". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  24. ^ 22 November 1994
  25. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 3. 21 January 1995. p. 15. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  26. ^ "M-1 TOP 40". M-1.fm. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  27. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 45, 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  28. ^ "Take That – Sure" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  29. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  30. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  31. ^ "Take That – Sure". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  32. ^ "Take That – Sure". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  33. ^ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 8 October 1994. p. 6. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  34. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1994" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  35. ^ "1994 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 52. 24 December 1994. p. 12. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  36. ^ "Jaarlijsten 1994" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  37. ^ "British single certifications – Take That – Sure". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
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