A Million Love Songs

"A Million Love Songs" is the penultimate single released by English boy band Take That from their debut studio album, Take That & Party. It was written by lead vocalist Gary Barlow. It was released in the United Kingdom on 5 October 1992 and peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached number 50 in the Netherlands.

"A Million Love Songs"
Single by Take That
from the album Take That & Party
Released5 October 1992
GenrePop
Length3:52 (album version)
6:12 (Lovers' Mix)
LabelSony Music
Songwriter(s)Gary Barlow
Producer(s)
Take That singles chronology
"I Found Heaven"
(1992)		 "A Million Love Songs"
(1992)		 "Could It Be Magic"
(1992)
Music video
"A Million Love Songs" on YouTube

Song information

Written by lead vocalist Gary Barlow at the age of 15,[1] it was released as the sixth single from the band's debut studio album, Take That & Party, peaking at number seven in the UK Singles Chart. The two primary instruments are piano, played by Barlow, with a saxophone in the bridges originally scored, performed and recorded by Snake Davis. Take That's longtime saxophonist and music director, Mike Stevens went on to perform these sax parts live, many of them using the extended saxophone part written by Davis, at the end of the song. In January 1993, the song entered the Dutch Top 100 and peaked at number 50. The song was released for airplay in the United States in September 1993, but it failed to chart.

The song was performed in the final of The X Factor's third series in 2006 by eventual winner Leona Lewis, who was joined on stage halfway through the song by all four members of Take That. It was also performed in the second series of The X Factor by eventual winner Shayne Ward and by JLS on the fifth series of X Factor and in sixth series by Lloyd Daniels. Ward's version was released as a B-side to his single "No Promises". The song was also covered by Alexander O'Neal on his 2008 album, Alex Loves.... On the ninth series of The X Factor, the song was performed by eventual winner James Arthur at the bootcamp, playing an uptempo rendition on acoustic guitar.

The song has also been voted by critics and music fans as the greatest ballad of all time.[2]

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that "the boys drip with toothy sincerity. Fluttering harp fills are a bit too much for weak stomachs, while the sax lines give the song a '50s retro pop tone that makes you think of sockhops and make-out point. Too bad it's not prom season."[3] Music Week commented, "Take That change tack with the ballad A Million Love Songs, all Philadelphia creamy harmonies and poignant phrasing, that's bound to cause another stampede among the teenies. A nagging sax that is given free reign to roam is a minor annoyance, but that won't stop this from renewing the group's acquaintance with the Top 20."[4] Simon Williams from NME called it "weepsome", stating that the song is "impeccably manufactured", and "one of the few times Take That sound remotely genuine".[5] Staffordshire Sentinel described it as "swooning".[6]

Music video

The music video for the song is shot in black and white, and makes use of the 'watercolour' video editing effect which effectively blurs the image. The video is simple and shows the band performing the song with Barlow at the piano performing the song.

Track listings

UK/EU CD single (74321 11600 2)

  1. "A Million Love Songs" (7" edit) – 3:53
  2. "Still Can't Get Over You" – 4:10
  3. "How Can It Be" – 4:57
  4. "Don't Take Your Love" – 4:04

UK cassette (74321 11600 4)

  1. "A Million Love Songs" (7" edit) – 3:53
  2. "A Million Love Songs" (Lovers' Mix) – 6:12

UK 7" vinyl EP (74321 11630 7)

  1. "A Million Love Songs" (7" edit) – 3:53
  2. "Still Can't Get Over You" – 4:10
  3. "How Can It Be" – 4:57
  4. "Don't Take Your Love" – 4:04

UK 7" vinyl - Limited Edition (74321 11600 7)(with transfer tattoos)

  1. "A Million Love Songs" (7" edit) – 3:53
  2. "A Million Love Songs" (Lovers' Mix) – 6:12

Japanese CD single (BVCP-1022)

  1. "A Million Love Songs" (live version) – 6:06
  2. "Satisfied" (live version)
  3. "Take That Medley" (live version)
  4. "Why Can't I Wake Up with You" (radio edit) – 3:38
  5. "A Million Love Songs" (Lovers' Mix) – 6:12

Japanese 3" CD single (BVDP-85)

  1. "A Million Love Songs" (7" edit) – 3:53
  2. "A Million Love Songs" (Lovers' Mix) – 6:12

Official versions
  • Album version (3:52)
  • 7" edit (3:53)
  • Live version (6:06)
  • Lovers' Mix (6:12)
  • Extended Mix (6:10)
  • Odyssey Mix (4:17)

Charts and certifications

Personnel

References
  1. http://www.smoothradio.com The Story of... A Million Love Songs by Take That
  2. "Take That Track Tops Love Songs Poll". Contactmusic.com. 20 September 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
  3. Flick, Larry (16 October 1993). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 61. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  4. "Mainstream: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 3 October 1992. p. 22. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  5. Williams, Simon. "TAKE THAT – Greatest Hits". NME. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  6. Staffordshire Sentinel. 29 July 1993. p.25. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  7. "Dutchcharts.nl – Take That – A Million Love Songs" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  8. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  9. "British single certifications – Take That – A Million Love Songs". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 January 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type A Million Love Songs in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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