"Back For Good," Take That

Before “I Want It That Way,” there was this:

“Back For Good” was the inescapable pop ballad from Take That, the most successful British boy band of the 1990s.  Written and sung by Gary Barlow, the group’s lead singer, it was a Number 1 hit in over 30 countries. “Back For Good” even reached the Top 10 in the United States, an admirable achievement considering that boy bands had fallen out of flavor there.

While few would deny the song’s greatness, the same unfortunately cannot be said for the video.  The premise starts out simple enough – Barlow sings his tale of woe with his bandmates as fake rain falls around them.  Fairly standard ballad fare, right?  But then, a quarter way through, we start getting extreme close-ups of the band all pensive and moody in the rain, transitioning into the dance showcase portion of the video.  Yes, it’s a ballad, and they’re dancing like it’s 1999.  Robbie Williams, ever the character, even does a fake striptease with his fur (!) coat and sunglasses. 

Clearly, the video’s cheesiness didn’t affect its popularity – not then, not now.  After disbanding in 1996, the group returned to its full original lineup in 2010 and is currently in the middle of performing eight sold-out concerts at London’s Wembley Stadium.