Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters, having written fourteen Number 1 singles and twenty four top 10 hits. He has had three Number 1 singles, six top 10 singles and two Number 1 albums as a solo artist, and has had seventeen top 5 hits, twelve Number 1 singles and seven Number 1 albums with Take That. He is also a six-time recipient of the Ivor Novello Award and has sold over 50 million records worldwide. He was appointed an OBE in 2012 for services to music and charity.
Barlow's solo career was predicted to be very successful, being described as 'the next George Michael'. His first two solo singles "Forever Love" (released July 1996) and "Love Won't Wait" (composed by Madonna and Shep Pettibone) both leapt to the number one spot in his home country. "Forever Love" was also used as the soundtrack to the film The Leading Man. His debut album "Open Road" reached number 1 in the UK Albums Chart and went on to sell 2 million copies worldwide. Barlow's first single to be released in the United States as a solo artist was "So Help Me Girl", which reached number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number 1 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. He then achieved another top ten hit in the UK with "Open Road" peaking at number 7 and number 8 in the Netherlands with "Are You Ready Now".
After the success of his first solo album he released his second LP "Twelve Months, Eleven Days" in 1999. Barlow released "Stronger" as the lead single preceding the album. However, due to an expected backlash against Barlow, it received minimal support and airplay and only peaked at number 16. The second single "For All That You Want" again was subjected to minimal radio play and peaked at number 24, however it peaked just outside the top 5 in Finland. "Twelve Months, Eleven Days" was released soon after the first single to little promotion and peaked at a disappointing number 35, which led to Sony recalling Barlow's 'greatest' song according to critics, the scheduled third single from his second album "Lie to Me". This resulted in both Barlow and BMG parting company. To date Barlow has sold 5 million records worldwide as a solo artist.
On September 2013, Barlow announced via his Twitter account that he would be releasing his first full-length solo album in 14 years, on 25 November 2013. Barlow encouraged his followers and fans to tweet #GBSOLO to reveal the album artwork and title, with their profile pictures being used to create a collage of the album cover. On 4 October 2013, Barlow revealed his new album would be called "Since I Saw You Last", and would be preceded by his first single from the LP, titled "Let Me Go", released worldwide on 17 November 2013. He also announced that he would be touring the album in April 2014, playing some of the biggest arenas in the UK.
Amazing Grace
Gary Barlow Lyrics
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That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I'm found;
Was blind, but now I see.
T'was grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fear relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
We have already come.
T'was grace that brought us safe thus far,
And grace will lead us home.
When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun.
The song Amazing Grace is a powerful hymn that reflects the profound gratitude of a believer who has been saved from a life of darkness and self-doubt. The hymn begins with the expression of amazement at how sweet the sound of grace is and how it has saved the singer from their wretched life. The singer recognizes that they were once lost and blind but now have been found and can see the light of the divine. This recognition of grace has taught the singer to fear their past actions and the consequences that may have arisen as a result. However, it is through the gift of grace that their fear has been relieved.
The singer acknowledges that they have faced many challenges but have come through them all because of grace. It is this grace that has brought them home safely and will continue to guide them home. The hymn ends on a hopeful note, looking forward to the day when the faithful will have spent ten thousand years in the bright shining light of God's glory. It is a testament to the infinite nature of God's grace and the unending cycle of praising God in return.
Line by Line Meaning
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
The grace that has saved me is beyond description
That saved a wretch like me.
It's hard to believe that someone as undeserving as me could be saved
I once was lost, but now I'm found;
Before I experienced grace, I was directionless and confused. But now, I've found my way.
Was blind, but now I see.
Just like someone who is physically blind cannot see, I couldn't see the truth before grace opened my eyes.
T'was grace that taught my heart to fear,
When I first experienced grace, I didn't fully understand it. But I knew I should be in awe of something so powerful
And grace my fear relieved;
After I learned to fear grace, I realized that it was actually a source of comfort and relief
How precious did that grace appear
Once I truly understood grace, I realized how valuable and irreplaceable it was
The hour I first believed.
When I first believed in grace, my life changed forever
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
Even though life is full of difficulties and obstacles, grace has been with me every step of the way
We have already come.
Despite the challenges we've faced, we've made progress and grown in ways we never thought possible
T'was grace that brought us safe thus far,
It's only through grace that we've been able to reach this point without giving up or losing hope
And grace will lead us home.
In the same way that grace has guided us up until now, it will continue to lead us forward in the future
When we've been here ten thousand years
No matter how much time passes, our appreciation for grace will never fade
Bright shining as the sun.
After spending an eternity in the presence of grace, we will shine brightly and be full of life
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Our joy and gratitude for grace will never diminish, even after thousands of years
Than when we've first begun.
In fact, our appreciation will only continue to grow and deepen over time
Lyrics © Sugarmusic s.p.a., Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: John Newton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind