"Pray" | ||||
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Cover of "Pray"
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Single by Take That | ||||
from the album Everything Changes | ||||
Released | 5 July 1993 | |||
Format | 7" single, maxi single, 3" CD single | |||
Recorded | 1993 | |||
Genre | Pop, new jack swing | |||
Length | 3:44 | |||
Label | RCA, BMG | |||
Songwriter(s) | Gary Barlow | |||
Producer(s) | Steve Jervier, Paul Jervier, Jonathan Wales | |||
Take That singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Pray" on YouTube |
"Pray" is a song by English boy band Take That. Written by Gary Barlow, it was released on 5 July 1993 as the second single from their second studio album, Everything Changes (1993). It is the first of twelve singles by the band to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart, staying at number one for four weeks, and starting a streak of four consecutive number one singles. The song has received a Gold sales status certification and sold over 438,000 copies in the UK, won Best British Single and Best British Video at the 1994 BRIT Awards, and was the finale of Take That's Beautiful World Tour (2007).
The video was directed by Gregg Masuak and shot in Acapulco, Mexico. The clip features the band members in the exotic location singing and dancing. The band members are paired with a goddess of the four elements, taking on a different form with each – Air (Mark Owen), Fire (Jason Orange), Earth (Robbie Williams) and Water (Howard Donald) – with the exception of Gary Barlow who is represented in a neutral black and white context. In Barlow's autobiography, he stated that after the disappointment of where "I Found Heaven" was filmed, the band were a lot happier about the location for this video. Reflecting on the video in 2005 for Take That: For the Record, Donald remarked: "We was doing all the sexual thing and stuff. ... Even then it felt a little bit uncomfortable. But girls like it. Girls like this kind of thing."