Take That’s first UK number-one single, released in 1993, was “Pray.” The song was written by Gary Barlow and released on 5 July 1993 as the second single from the group’s second studio album, Everything Changes.
“Pray” topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and became Take That’s breakthrough number-one hit. Its success helped establish the group as one of Britain’s leading pop acts of the 1990s, following their earlier chart appearances with songs such as “It Only Takes a Minute” and “Could It Be Magic.”
The song is sometimes confused with “Babe” or “Relight My Fire,” which also became major Take That hits. “Babe” was the group’s first Christmas number one, while “Relight My Fire” followed “Pray” at number one later in 1993.
At the 1994 Brit Awards, “Pray” won British Single of the Year. Take That later reunited in several line-ups, but the original 1990s recording remains strongly associated with the band’s first period of major chart success.