Forever Love (Gary Barlow song)
1996 single by Gary Barlow
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Forever Love" is a song by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow, taken from his debut solo album, Open Road (1997). Released on 8 July 1996 as Barlow's first single outside Take That, it debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart six days later, becoming Barlow's first of three solo number-one singles. Worldwide, "Forever Love" also topped the charts in Lithuania, Spain and Taiwan, while reaching the top five in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland. The song was used as the official theme for the film The Leading Man (1996).
| "Forever Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by Gary Barlow | ||||
| from the album Open Road | ||||
| B-side | "I Miss It All" | |||
| Released | 8 July 1996 | |||
| Studio | Metropolis (London, England) | |||
| Length | 4:36 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter | Gary Barlow | |||
| Producers |
| |||
| Gary Barlow singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The single's cover was a portrait done by Norman Watson for the April 1996 cover of Arena magazine. This issue became the fastest-selling in the magazine's history and as a result the image was chosen as the debut artwork.[1]
Critical reception
British magazine Music Week rated the song four out of five, writing, "Barlow's undisputed writing skills are evident on this wistful ballad which builds to a dramatic climax. A surefire number one."[2] Editor Alan Jones added, "An introspective ballad, it starts slowly and becomes increasingly urgent and compelling. Aside from Barlow's voice, which is in fine fettle, the song is dominated by piano and is a romantic tour-de-force of the kind his fans must have been hoping for. One of the year's biggest hits."[3]
Chart performance
Selling 109,000 copies during its first week of release,[4] "Forever Love" entered the UK Singles Chart at number one, where it stayed for one week, thus making Barlow the first member of Take That to top the charts with a solo record. It remained in the top 75 for a total of 16 weeks, being certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[5][6]
Music video
The official music video of "Forever Love" is shot in black and white and begins with Gary Barlow waking up alone and looking out of a window. He is then shown to partake in a number of day-to-day activities and finally ends up in a downtown cafe where he witnesses all types of love that exist between people before returning to his studio.[7]
Track listing
Credits and personnel
Credits are lifted from the UK CD single liner notes and the Open Road album booklet.[8][11]
Studio
- Recorded and mixed at Metropolis Studios (London, England)
Personnel
- Gary Barlow – writer, piano, production
- Chris Porter – production
- Chris Cameron – piano, bass, strings
- Andy Duncan – drums, percussion
- Steve McNichol – programming
- Rob Cattermole – programming assistance
- Stylorouge – artwork design
- Norman Watson – artwork photography
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[6] | Gold | 400,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||