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)
Hold Up A Light
Take That Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can sing every line of every song
No, you don't have to steal the show
It was your show all along
As the orchestra plays
The people take the seats
There's no room left in this house
And if life is your stage
I'll be watching
[Chorus]
Hold up a light for me [Repeat x3]
Hold up a light for me ohhhh
Ill be watching
Hold up a light for me [Repeat x3]
Hold up a light for me ohhhh
And I'll be watching you.
Everything that you do
As we start, rehearsing every scene
The words to everything
We realize that the crowd is listening
And then the tears, fall down on your face
In exactly the right place
[Chorus]
The first verse of this song by Take That is essentially telling the listener to let loose and express themselves in any way they feel comfortable. The lyrics encourage the person to dance and sing without any worry of stealing the spotlight. The main message conveyed is that every individual has their own unique show, and this song is meant to celebrate that.
The second verse seems to describe a scene where the listener and the singer are sat in an auditorium, where the orchestra is playing to a full house. However, the attention is solely on the individuals as there is no more room left in the auditorium. The lyrics suggest that life is a stage and the singer watches the listener as they perform on this stage. It could be interpreted that the two individuals have a deep emotional connection, and the performance is not just music but their relationship.
The chorus encourages the listener to keep shining and to ‘hold up a light’ as a beacon for the singer. It is the embodiment of the partner's continuous support and encouragement when the going gets tough. The closing line of the chorus expresses the involvement of the singer as they would always be watching over the listener's journey.
Overall, the song celebrates life and the audience's individuality with the reassurance of always having someone to watch and support.
Line by Line Meaning
You can dance if you like
Feel free to express yourself and move however you want
You can sing every line of every song
Sing your heart out and enjoy every word of the music
No, you don't have to steal the show
You don't have to be the center of attention or try to outdo others
It was your show all along
You have the power to create your own destiny and make things happen for yourself
As the orchestra plays
Amidst the music and surroundings
The people take the seats
The audience members sit down to watch
There's no room left in this house
The theater is packed full of people
Its only you and me
Even though the theater may be packed, we only truly see and pay attention to each other
And if life is your stage
If life is seen as a performance or an opportunity to shine
I'll be watching
I'll be there to support and encourage you in your pursuits
Hold up a light for me [Repeat x3]
Shine a light to guide and inspire me, and never let me lose my way
Hold up a light for me ohhhh
Continue to shine your light on me so I can see the way forward
Ill be watching
I'll be there to witness and appreciate all that you do
Everything that you do
Every action you take and every decision you make
As we start, rehearsing every scene
As we work together to perfect our craft and hone our skills
The words to everything
The lyrics to all the songs and the script to the entire production
We realize that the crowd is listening
We become aware that we are not alone and that others are paying attention to us
And then the tears, fall down on your face
Emotions overcome you and you become overwhelmed by feelings of joy, passion, or sadness
In exactly the right place
The tears come at the perfect moment, adding depth and emotion to the performance
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kassner Associated Publishers Ltd
Written by: GARY BARLOW, BENJAMIN WEAVER, JAMIE NORTON, MARK OWEN, JASON ORANGE, HOWARD DONALD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind