The group have had 28 top-40 singles and 17 top-5 singles on the UK Singles Chart, 12 of which have reached number one, including "Back for Good", "Never Forget", "Patience" and "Greatest Day". They have also had eight number-one albums on the UK Albums Chart. Internationally, the band have had 56 number one singles and 39 number-one albums. They have received eight Brit Awards—winning for Best British Group and Best British Live Act. In 2012 they received an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), Take That has been certified for 14 million albums and 11.4 million singles in the UK.
Williams left the band in 1995 while the four remaining members completed their world tour and released a final single before splitting up in 1996. After filming a 2005 Take That: For the Record about the group and releasing a new greatest hits album, a four-piece Take That without Williams officially announced a 2006 reunion tour around the UK, entitled The Ultimate Tour. On 9 May 2006, it was announced that the group were set to record new material together once again; their fourth studio album, Beautiful World, was released in 2006 and was followed up with The Circus, in 2008. The group achieved new success as a four-piece, scoring a string of chart hits across the UK and Europe while selling over 45 million records worldwide. Williams rejoined Take That in 2010 for the band's sixth studio album, Progress. Released on 15 November of that year, it was the first album of new material to feature Take That's original line-up since their 1995 album, Nobody Else. It became the fastest-selling album of the 21st century and the second fastest-selling album in British history.
In 2014, the band recorded a seventh studio album, this time as a trio without Williams and Orange. The album, titled III, was released in November 2014 and became the band's seventh number one. It was preceded by the single "These Days", which became the band's 12th number one single in the UK.
In 2011, Take That set the new record for the fastest-selling tour of all time in the UK with Progress Live, beating the previous record set by their Circus Live Tour in 2009. At the 2011 Brit Awards they won Best British Group. In 2012, Forbes named them the fifth highest-earning music stars in the world. The group performed at the London 2012 Olympic Games closing ceremony, playing "Rule the World" while the Olympic Flame was extinguished. In the same year, the Official Charts Company revealed the biggest-selling singles artists in British music chart history with Take That currently placed at 15th overall, making them the most successful boy band in UK chart history. Four of their albums are listed in the best-selling albums of the millennium, with three of them among the 60 best-selling albums in UK chart history.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_That
Studio albums
Take That and Party (1992)
Everything Changes (1993)
Nobody Else (1995)
Beautiful World (2006)
The Circus (2008)
Progress (2010)
Progressed (2011)
III (2014)
Wonderland (2017)
This Life (2023)
Flowerbed
Take That Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was sitting on the fence
I was slowly going out of head
I did not hear a word that you said
I was enjoying myself sleeping in your flowerbed
If I could take your blows, If I could get pass go,
If I could find a way of fixing the things that I broke
And I might understand now I ended outta mind
And I might understand now I ended outta mind
But the truth is hard to find
When it's playing tricks with your mind
Darling please forgive me
I was hanging with my friends
I was slowly getting outta my head
I did not hear a word that you said
I was enjoying myself sleeping in your flowerbed
I was enjoying myself sleeping in your flowerbed
The song "Flowerbed" by Take That explores the theme of a man's realization of his flaws in his past relationship, and his desire to make amends with his partner. In the opening lines, the singer is asking for forgiveness as he was indecisive about his relationship, unsure of what he wanted. The line "I was sitting on the fence" expresses this feeling, describing his inability to fully commit or make a decision. As a result, he was not fully present, and "did not hear a word" that was said to him.
This distance between the singer and his partner is further emphasized through the metaphor of a flowerbed. While his partner was trying to communicate with him, he was "enjoying himself sleeping" in the flowerbed, a symbol of comfort and relaxation. The singer is acknowledging his actions and how he prioritized his own pleasure over the wellbeing of their relationship.
In the chorus, the singer expresses his desire to make things right, to "take the blows" and "fix the things that [he] broke." He acknowledges that he was "outta mind" and that it's difficult to see the truth when your mind is playing tricks on you, but he still wants to try and understand. The repetition of the phrase "if I could" in the chorus emphasizes the singer's yearning for redemption and his sincerity in making things right.
Line by Line Meaning
Darling please forgive me
I am sorry, my dear.
I was sitting on the fence
I was indecisive and uncertain.
I was slowly going out of head
I was losing my mind slowly.
I did not hear a word that you said
I was not listening to you.
I was enjoying myself sleeping in your flowerbed
I was finding comfort in your love and affection.
If I could take your blows, If I could get pass go, If I could find a way of fixing the things that I broke Then I would, if I could
If only I could endure the pain you are feeling, overcome the obstacles, and undo my mistakes, I would do it.
And I might understand now I ended outta mind
I am beginning to realize that I have lost my sanity.
But the truth is hard to find When it's playing tricks with your mind
It is difficult to discover the truth when your mind is clouded by deception.
I was hanging with my friends
I was spending time with my buddies.
I was slowly getting outta my head
I was slowly losing my wits.
I was enjoying myself sleeping in your flowerbed
I was finding comfort in your love and affection.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GARY BARLOW, MARK OWEN, ROBERT PETER WILLIAMS, JASON ORANGE, HOWARD DONALD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lizzie S
Jay is actually really good at singing! Why didn't they let him sing more? When they broke up for the first time, Jay should have gone solo. I would have defiantly bought his album!!
Shane Luke
Lizzie S I AGREE WITH YOU Lizzie S they SHOULD OF given Jason a chance , it would of served them right IF HE HAD GONE SOLO like Robbie Williams , buts obviously what HE WANTED which is a shame for US FANS posted from the UK
ro7mania
Jason has such a beautiful voice, so pure.
sasha pradhan
I love the long intro, it's not boring at all. Usually I hate them, but this one is so beautiful <3
Inessa Maria
beautiful song and wonderful voice! Jason should sing more song as leader vocal!
Red Rum
Why hide this on the album, as it is easily one of the top three songs.
BM 000
Beautiful song
Peggy Chan
Miss you Jay, hope you are living your best life somewhere out there
Heather Page
I've never heard this before. Beautiful.
Oliver Benson
Such a lovely song. Thanks for posting it :)