"The Flood" is a song by British pop group
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 ...
from their sixth studio album, ''
Progress
Progress is the movement towards a refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. In the context of progressivism, it refers to the proposition that advancements in technology, science, and social organization have resulted, and by extension wi ...
'' (2010). It was released as the lead single in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2010. The song is the first to feature
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...
since his return to the band in July 2010, and features both Williams and
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 ...
on lead vocals.
The song received acclaim from critics, who praised its anthemic sound and Williams' vocals. It peaked at number 2 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 ...
, and was a hit internationally.
Promotion
The song was placed on the Radio 1 A-Playlist for a number of weeks after its first play on radio in early October. The band appeared on X Factor result show 6 to perform "The Flood" live for the first time on 14 November, it was also the first time they had performed as a five piece in 15 years. They also performed it on ''
Children in Need'' and closed the show with number-one single "
Never Forget". They then sang "The Flood" on ''
X Factor Italy'' on 23 November, as well as on ''
The Voice of Holland
''The Voice of Holland'', also known as ''TVOH'', is a Dutch reality TV singing competition, that became a near global TV format franchise, created by media tycoon John de Mol and musician Roel van Velzen, in the Netherlands airing on RTL 4.
...
'' on 27 November. Following that was ''Skavlan''.
Then they performed it on ''Benissimo'' on 1 December. Next up was ''
The Late Late Show'' in Ireland on 10 December and then they performed it live on ''
Wetten, dass..?'' in Germany. They also performed "The Flood" on ''
Strictly Come Dancing
''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...
'' and ''
Dance avec les stars''. They later sang it on the ''X Factor'' final on 12 December, where they also sang their number 1 single "Never Forget" with the final three contestants. They closed the
Royal Variety Performance
The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...
with "The Flood", with their backing dancers representing the progress of man.
Critical reception
The single gained rave reviews across the media and social network sites since its first play at
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
with social network users and fans commenting on the single as "incredible".
During the ITV broadcast of the documentary ''Look Back, Don't Stare'',
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
appears to listen to an early demo of the song with the band and comments "Brilliant, do you know how big this is gonna be?" - however, this was clever video editing and the extended cut reveals Elton was actually listening to the song ''Underground Machine''.
Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
awarded the single 4 stars commenting that the single "reveals itself to be a genuinely epic pop belter". ''The Daily Telegraph'' again praised the single stating "The Flood is a stirring us-against-the-world pop anthem that blends the best of Williams' rabble rousing instincts with Gary Barlow's smooth songwriting."
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
agreed with this view, stating that "when it comes to perfect
pop, they're still the masters of their game".
The Flood was nominated for an
Ivor Novello Award
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...
in 2012 for best work and most performed song.
Chart performance
The single achieved commercial success in the United Kingdom and across Europe upon release, charting in more than 20 countries to date.
"The Flood" debuted in
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
at number 7 on 22 October 2010 before moving up to 4. It remained in the Danish Singles Chart for a total of 20 weeks and was certified Gold by the
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 19 ...
.
The track debuted in the Top 10 in Ireland on the
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...
dated 11 November 2010, at number 8, but later rose to number 3 whilst also spending 15 weeks in the Irish Top 50.
On 14 November 2010, the single debuted at number 2 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 ...
with sales of 69,484 copies, and remained there the week after selling 89,917; it was held off number 1. The track has sold over 600,000 copies to date in the United Kingdom alone, being certified as Platinum, and has spent a total of eight weeks in the UK top ten and 20 weeks in the top 100.
The song peaked at number 6 in Switzerland and remained in the charts for 21 weeks, also peaking at number 14 in Austria where it spent 19 weeks in the Austrian Singles Chart. The single became the band's 16th top 40 single in Germany where it peaked at number 12 and spent 25 weeks within the German Charts and in Norway the band continued their consecutive hits with The Flood peaking inside the top 5 at number 3. In the Netherlands the single peaked at number 4 and has to date spent 16 weeks within the charts, whilst the single peaked at number 2 in Italy where it was certified Gold by the
FIMI
The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when major corporate labels left the previously exist ...
.
Music video
The
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 promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
, 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 ...
, features the five members of the band racing against another crew in specially-made five-seater
sculling
Sculling is the use of oars to propel a boat by moving them through the water on both sides of the craft, or moving one oar over the stern. A long, narrow boat with sliding seats, rigged with two oars per rower may be referred to as a scull, it ...
boats.
The band's boat is named "Progress" after the record breaking number 1 album, whilst the band wear old-fashioned white rowing kits, bearing a custom-designed Take That crest. The group is shown to be competing in a race against a younger crew and although losing the race, the group continue going past the finish line (to the confusion of the winning team) and are shown to row down the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
past famous London landmarks before fading away into a stormy sea. The video for the single was filmed in July 2010 on
Dorney Lake
Dorney Lake (also known as Eton College Rowing Centre, and as Eton Dorney as a 2012 Summer Olympics venue) is a purpose-built rowing lake in England. It is near the village of Dorney, Buckinghamshire, and is around 3 km (2 miles) west of Wi ...
in
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
, which played host to the rowing events at the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
,
[ as well as on location on the River Thames.]
Track listing
*UK CD single
# "The Flood" – 4:51
# "The Flood" (instrumental) – 4:51
*UK DVD single
# "The Flood" (Video) – 5:00
# "The Flood" (Behind the Scenes) – 2:30
*UK promo single
# "The Flood" (radio edit) – 3:54
# "The Flood" (instrumental) – 4:51
* German CD single / UK iTunes package
# "The Flood" – 4:51
# "The Flood" (video) – 5:00
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Radio dates and release history
Radio add dates
Release history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flood (Take That Song)
Take That songs
2010 singles
Pop ballads
Rock ballads
Songs written by Gary Barlow
Songs written by Howard Donald
Songs written by Jason Orange
Songs written by Mark Owen
Songs written by Robbie Williams
Song recordings produced by Stuart Price
2010 songs
Music videos directed by Mat Whitecross