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"Sing" is a song written by British singer-songwriter
Gary Barlow Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the pop group Take That. Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, having writ ...
, of
Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...
, and British composer
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
, and performed by a number of artists assembled by Barlow from across
The Commonwealth ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
, to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The track was released via digital download and
CD single A CD single is a single (music), music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Rainbow Books, Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to any si ...
on 28 May 2012, and was performed as part of the
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
's
Diamond Jubilee Concert The Diamond Jubilee Concert was a British music concert and celebration held outside Buckingham Palace on The Mall in London on 4 June 2012. The concert was organised by Take That singer-songwriter Gary Barlow and was part of Queen Elizabeth ...
celebrations on 4 June 2012. "Sing" peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart.The Diamond Jubilee Official
. Thediamondjubilee.org.


Background

It was announced in January that six-time
Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...
recipient
Gary Barlow Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the pop group Take That. Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, having writ ...
and world-renowned composer
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
would be working together to write the official Diamond Jubilee single. Barlow and Lloyd Webber aimed to write the music to the song before Barlow would travel The Commonwealth looking for musicians, singers and contributors and begin writing the lyrics and producing the song as he visited remote villages and countries from across the Caribbean, Africa, the Pacific Islands and Australasia to find singers to perform in front of the Queen. Barlow said of the project: "This is probably the biggest challenge I've ever taken on musically. I'm so excited and thrilled to be a part of it." Lloyd Webber echoed these views and stated: "It is a huge honour to be involved in this historic occasion and I am looking forward very much to working with Gary."


Composition

Barlow revealed that the music of the song was written in January during "an afternoon round at loyd Webber'shouse, ith acouple of pianos and it was really good fun actually." He said that they "did all the melodies in an afternoon and then I waited to do the lyrics until I got to Kenya". Speaking about writing the track with Barlow, Lord Lloyd-Webber said: "We got together with embryonic ideas. Gary had an idea for the chorus, I had the idea for the verse, we both agreed that the message was about the Commonwealth. I was thinking 'anthem', but we had to involve all the people we could, and it had to be something very simple that people could learn. Working with Gary has been one of the great joys, he is such a fantastic songwriter, it was a completely new experience." The lyrics were written by Barlow whilst visiting villages in
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
, where Princess Elizabeth had been visiting when she was told that her father
King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...
had died and that she had ascended to the throne. Barlow said "She was in Kenya on holiday when she found out her father had died and she found out she was the Queen so I drove to this place called Treetops and I wrote". Barlow went on to say that "She started her reign there and we started our record in that place" and it was fitting that the song would return to those origins. The final version of "Sing" was completed and mastered during April 2012, and was given its premiere radio play on 18 May 2012 on Chris Evans BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show. The final record features more than two-hundred singers and musicians, including a guest appearance from
Prince Harry Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. As the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, he is fifth in the line of succession to ...
on tambourine, the African Children's Choir, the Kibera Drummers from Kenya as well as the Military Wives Choir conducted by
Gareth Malone Gareth Edmund Malone (born 9 November 1975) is an English choirmaster and broadcaster, self-described as an " animateur, presenter and populariser of choral singing". He is best known for his television appearances in programmes such as '' Th ...
, well-known musicians such as reggae duo Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, and ska guitarist Ernest Ranglin. The song was handed over to the Queen at the beginning of May, with Barlow and Lloyd Webber presenting her a framed copy of the sheet music whilst also performing the song to her for the first time. As
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
had predicted, she was most interested in the people on the screen – 'What are they playing and where are they and who are they?’. To this Barlow told her "all the stories about the people and the places and where they lived and who they were and she loved it."


Music video

The official music video for ''Sing'' premiered on 18 May 2012, via Barlow's official YouTube account. It was also premiered in full on the BBC during The One Show. It features Barlow's journey across The Commonwealth creating the song, and adding the vocals and instruments from various countries. It also includes clips of Prince Charles, Prince Harry and of Barlow and Lloyd Webber writing the music to the song as well as the mastering and addition of the orchestra to the track. The video also included excerpts from the recording of the single at Abbey Road Studios with 'The Military Wives' Choir' featuring military wives from 10 different Military Wives Choirs, including ladies from Marham Bluebirds, RAF Marham Military Wives choir.


Critical reception

Critics reviewed "Sing" positively, with Ross Lydall of the ''
London Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free of charge in London, England. It is print ...
'' stating that the song "Titled simply Sing, is required to appeal to the masses across the Commonwealth as well as an 86-year-old monarch. But if anyone can teach the world to sing in perfect harmony it is Barlow, who is well used to writing songs that suit stadiums." He continues by calling the accompanying video "a delight, beginning with Barlow pressing play on a CD in front of Prince Charles – and going on to show him recording singers from Jamaica, Kenya, Australia and the Solomon Islands, as well as our own Military Wives Choir and some Scottish bagpipers. It's so inclusive it even lets Prince Harry have a go, giving a tambourine a bash." He concludes by stating that the song is a refreshingly unstarry work and it's every bit as stirring as you'd expect nd thatthere's no doubt even her Majesty will tap a toe. Tim Walker of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' referred to the song as a "testament to Barlow's songwriting that having elicited contributions from Australia, Africa, Jamaica, the South Pacific and the House of Windsor – he has managed to produce something that sounds like a
Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...
track."


Chart performance

"Sing" entered at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart, having sold number 32,460 copies of the single, despite having been released on the Monday rather than the Sunday as is the case with most newly released singles. The song entered the top 60 in Ireland after 4 days on sale. The following week it rose from 53 to 12 in the Irish Singles Chart The following week, the single rose from 11 to number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, selling 142,470 copies and beating "
Whistle A whistle is a musical instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It is a type of Fipple, fipple flute, and may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a s ...
" by
Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), known professionally as Flo Rida ( ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 debut and breakout single "Low (Flo Rida song), Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the ...
to the top spot, the highest weekly sales for a number one in 2012 until
Cheryl Cole Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. She rose to fame as a member of Girls Aloud, a Pop music, pop girl group created through ITV (TV network), ITV's reality competition show ''Popstars: The R ...
's " Call My Name" sold over 153,000 copies a week later. The song became Barlow's first chart-topping single in the UK since his 1997 hit " Love Won't Wait". "Sing"'s sales week-on-week rose by 338.91% in its second week and were the highest weekly sale for a number one for 25 weeks. The song has sold 327,000 copies as of December 2012, becoming the 49th best-selling single of the year and has spent 30 weeks in the UK Singles Chart. As of November 2020, "Sing" has moved a total of 427,000 units in the United Kingdom. "Sing" also entered the Netherlands Top 100 at 69 and peaked at 88 in Belgium.


Charts and certifications


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Cover versions

For
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2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
, 1,624 children sang the song live unison from 10 towns across the UK. The performance started in the studio then cut between the choirs giving each choir around 10-15 seconds on air before cutting to the next one all live in real time, before finishing in the studio. This was the third year the choir had performed since it started in 2011 and continues to be a regular feature on the telethon. The choirs sang from:
Elstree Elstree is a large village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is about northwest of central London on the former A5 road, which follows the course of Watling Street. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of the ...
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Elstree Studios Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...
the studios on the outskirts of London where the main telethon was held,
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Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
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Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
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Kettering Kettering is a market town, market and industrial town, industrial town in the North Northamptonshire district of Northamptonshire, England, west of Cambridge, England, Cambridge, southwest of Peterborough, southeast of Leicester and north- ...
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Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...
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Merthyr Tydfil College Merthyr Tydfil College ( Welsh: Y Coleg Merthyr Tudful) is a further education college located in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. From May 2006 to April 2013, it was a constituent college of the University of Glamorgan and thereafter, a college of the Uni ...
and
Hexham Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden nearby, and close to Hadrian's Wall. Hexham was the administra ...
at Hexham Trinity Methodist Church Note The main event was at the Market place only the choir was in the Methodist church


Release history


References

{{Authority control 2012 singles British pop songs Gary Barlow songs Songs written by Gary Barlow Songs with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber UK singles chart number-one singles 2012 songs Decca Records singles Song recordings produced by Eliot Kennedy Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II