"Child" is the debut solo single of

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singe ...

band member

Mark Owen Mark Owen (born 27 January 1972) is an English singer and songwriter best known for being a member of pop group and band Take That; as of 2019, the group have sold 14 million albums and 11.4 million singles in the UK. In Owen's solo career, he ...

, released on 18 November 1996. It was the first single to be released from Owen's debut album, ''

Green Man The Green Man is a legendary being primarily interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, representing the cycle of new growth that occurs every spring. The Green Man is most commonly depicted in a sculpture, or other representation of a face which is ...

'' (1996). He told in an interview, "It was the first song I wrote, and while I was writing the others I always knew it was going to be the first."

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

-influenced track peaked at number three on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, making it the joint-most successful single of his whole solo career. It was certified silver and sold over 200,000 copies. The song reached number one in Lithuania, Spain, and Taiwan and peaked within the top 10 in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, and Switzerland. "Child" was available on both CD and Cassette formats.

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' described "Child" as "a subtle

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

, full of genuine emotions, which will pull everyone's heartstrings." A reviewer from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' rated it five out of five, adding, "Already one of the favourites for the Christmas number one slot, this ballad has hints of early Seventies

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

and should appeal to the teenies and their parents. A surefire hit." Pop Rescue stated that "it’s a great song, that orchestrally, lyrically, and vocally shines here."

Track listings

* UK CD1 # "Child" # "Confused" # "Home" # "Child" (acoustic version) * UK CD2 # "Child" # "Confused" # "Child" (instrumental) * UK cassette single # "Child" # "Confused" * European CD single # "Child" (radio edit) # "Confused" * Australian and Japanese CD single # "Child" (radio edit) # "Child" (full length) # "Confused" # "Home"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Child (Song) 1996 debut singles 1996 songs Bertelsmann Music Group singles Mark Owen songs Number-one singles in Spain RCA Records singles Songs written by Mark Owen Songs written by Martin Brammer