Official Charts Flashback 1993: Take That – Babe

It’s 20 years since Take That put Mark Owen centre-stage in an all-guns-blazing bid for Christmas Number 1.

There are some records that, as soon as you hear the intro, make you go “awwww”, like you’ve just seen a tiny kitten balancing a ball of wool on its nose or two polar bear cubs hugging each other.

Babe, by Take That, is a good contender for one of those songs. Released as the third single from the That’s huge second album Everything Changes, Babe marked a huge change in tack for the group. Taking the mic on lead vocals was neither Gary Barlow nor Robbie Williams. No, it was little Mark Owen’s time to shine. Awwww. See?

Babe was the band’s blatant attempt at getting that all-important Official Chart Christmas Number 1. Melancholic lyrics with a hint of hope and romance, backed by slow dance-tastic strings and harmonies. A video featuring Mark and his puppy-dog eyes (awwwwww) searching for the lady who left him years before (or “Babe” as Mark liked to call her). And snowflakes! And then at the end, that little surprise… Awwww x 1,000,000.

So, on paper, the track looked set for a long reign at the top of the Official Singles Chart. The song had just knocked off large pink and yellow monster Mr Blobby off the top spot and all was rosey. But Noel Edmonds’ blancmange-bonced best friend wasn’t finished yet, as we’ll see below… But for this week only, Babe enjoyed its time at Number 1.

They have had so many hits and many classic ballads, Babe is almost forgotten in Take That’s back catalogue by all but the biggest Mark fans. Almost. Babe was their third consecutive Number 1 after Pray and Relight My Fire and sold 350,000 copies in 1993 to become the year’s 14th biggest seller.

Watch the video for Babe (you may need some tissues) before we count down the rest of this week’s retro Top 5.

Falling a place to Number 2 was Mr Blobby with his imaginatively titled single Mr Blobby. Mr Blobby shot to fame on Saturday night entertainment show Noel’s House Party, presented by Deal Or No Deal box-master Noel Edmonds. He started out as a practical joke played on unsuspecting celebrities, and before anybody realised quite what was happening, became an actual popstar with a Number 1 single. Mr Blobby would knock Take That back off Number 1 the following week and spend a further two weeks there, landing the Official Charts Christmas Number 1, proving that if you want to land that festive chart-topper, releasing the week before might turn out to be a risky strategy. You never know how the Official Charts will turn out… anything can happen!

At Number 3, Meat Loaf’s former chart-topper I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That) fell another place. The ultra-dramatic hit had spent seven weeks at Number 1.

At Number 4 was a song that was the staple of many office parties during Christmas 1993. Chaka Demus & Pliers were a new entry with Twist & Shout, a loose cover of the Beatles’ classic. The track didn’t bag the Christmas Number 1, but they did nab the top spot eventually, leapfrogging Take That’s Babe to reach the summit in early January.

Rounding off the Top 5 was legendary ‘boyband’ (only joking), the Bee Gees, with For Whom The Bell Tolls. The song would go on to peak at Number 4.