"Giants" is a song recorded by English band

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 singer ...

for their eighth studio album, '' Wonderland'' (2017). It was written by

Gary Barlow Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the British pop group Take That. Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, havi ...

Howard Donald Howard Paul Donald (born 28 April 1968) is an English singer, songwriter, drummer, pianist, dancer and record producer. He is a member of English pop-group Take That. Donald was also judge on the German reality talent show ''Got to Dance'' fro ...

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 ...

, Jamie Norton and Ben Mark, while the production was done by Mark Ralph. It was released as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from ''Wonderland'' on 17 February 2017 through

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

Background and release

The lead single from the album, titled "Giants", was released on 17 February 2017. It was written by

, Jamie Norton and Ben Mark. The production of the song was handled by Mark Ralph, who had previously produced songs for

Clean Bandit Clean Bandit are an English electronic music group, formed in Cambridge in 2008. They have had four number 1 hits and ten top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart. They direct and produce their own music videos, many of which have been nominated for ...

and

Years & Years Years & Years is the solo project of British singer Olly Alexander. Originally formed as a band in 2010, Years & Years' music has been described as electropop, mixing R&B and 1990s house elements. The band's debut studio album, '' Communion'', ...

. In addition, Ralph also provided the bass,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

s, synthesizers and the programming. Drew Smith and Tom AD Fuller, served as the song's

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

s, whilst Charlie Russel did the additional engineering and the keys programming. Fuller also provided additional

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

alongside Geoff Holroyde. The mixing of "Giants" was done by

Mark "Spike" Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed She ...

, with Geoff Swan serving as the mixing assistant. The strings were recorded at the Abbey Road Studios in London. Will Malone was the string arranger and conductor whilst Perry Montague-Mason was the string leader. Isobel Griffiths served as conductor and Susie Gillis provided assistance in the process. Tim Young did the mastering at the

Metropolis Studios Metropolis Studios is a music production and entertainment industry company established in 1989 by Gary Langan, Carey Taylor and Karin Clayton.Donald Brackett It is located in the Powerhouse, a Grade II listed building, at 70 Chiswick High Ro ...

in London.

Critical reception

In his review of the song, Nicholas Reilly of the British newspaper ''

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...

'' called it "ready-made for arenas" and stated, "It’s a welcome return to their penchant for huge choruses that are tailor made for cavernous arenas. It’s also got a damn catchy chorus too that wouldn't be too far out of place on a recent

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...

album."

Music video

The song's

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

was directed by

Mat Whitecross Mat Whitecross (born 21 September 1977) is an English film director, editor and screenwriter. He began his career working for filmmaker Michael Winterbottom and producer Andrew Eaton at Revolution Films, being also known for directing ''The Road ...

Chart performance

The single debuted at 13 in the UK, becoming Take That's 24th UK top 20 single. However, it was the week's highest selling physical release. It performed well on the Scottish charts, entering the top 10 at number 6, whilst it also reached 86 on the Irish chart.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from "Giants" physical CD single. ;Locations * Strings recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London * Mastering at

in London ;Personnel * Gary Barlow – vocals, writing * Howard Donald – vocals, writing * Mark Owen – vocals, writing * Mark Ralph – production, bass, guitars, synthesizers, programming * Jamie Norton – writing * Ben Mark – writing * Drew Smith – engineering * Tom AD Fuller – engineering, backing vocals * Charlie Russel – additional engineering, keys programming *

– mixing * Geoff Swan – mixing assistant * Will Malone – strings arranger and conductor * Perry Montague-Mason – string leader * Isobel Griffiths – string contractor * Susie Gillis – assistant string contractor * Tim Young – mastering * Geoff Holroyde – backing vocals, drums

Charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2017 singles Take That songs Songs written by Gary Barlow Songs written by Howard Donald Songs written by Mark Owen Songs written by Ben Mark Songs written by Jamie Norton Polydor Records singles 2017 songs Song recordings produced by Mark Ralph (record producer) Music videos directed by Mat Whitecross