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Audiences in the United States and the United Kingdom react to music very differently. For example, numerous Robbie Williams songs are famous in the U.K. but not in the U.S. Williams had one big hit in America — and another star wrote it.

Robbie Williams’ biggest song in the U.S. was written by Gary Barlow

Williams is known for two things: his time with the 1990s boy band Take That and his solo career. Both of those things earned him icon status in the U.K. On the other hand, he is not a household name in the U.S. However, Take That had one huge hit in America: “Back for Good.” The track was written by fellow Take That member Gary Barlow.

During a 2020 interview with the BBC, Barlow discussed the creation of Take That’s album Nobody Else. He was planning on taking vacations to Ibiza and Greece. “They said, ‘We need an album written in a week and I thought, ‘Well then, I’m not going anywhere,'” he said. He then wrote the band’s songs “Back for Good,” “Sure,” and “Nobody Else” in a week.

In a 1997 interview with Mojo, Noel Gallagher of Oasis said he was a fan of one of those songs. “You know, people go on about Take That — but ‘Back for Good’ said something to me,” he said. “If it touches people, it’s a good song.”

Gary Barlow said he couldn’t write those songs in such a short time again

Barlow recalled writing some music in one week. “You do it just because that’s what you’ve been told to do,” he reckoned. “You don’t think, ‘Wow, this is so much pressure, everyone. How can I do this?’ You just get on with it.”

Barlow didn’t have a hard time penning the song. “I was full of confidence at the time because we were having hits all over the world,” he said. “And that is a good place to be as an artist.”

It wouldn’t be the same now. “I’ll be honest, I don’t think I’ve got that kind of confidence anymore,” said Barlow. “I’d have been 20 or 21 when those calls used to come in. And that’s a different person. I wouldn’t trust myself now to think I could do it in a week.”

The U.K. still liked Robbie Williams more than the U.S.

“Back for Good” became Take That’s only charting single in the United States. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 30 weeks. The song’s performance was a big deal, as British acts rarely achieved crossover success in the U.S. during the 1990s. “Back for Good” appeared on the album Nobody Else. That record climbed to No. 69 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for 19 weeks.

The Official Charts Company reports “Back for Good” was even more popular in the United Kingdom. There, the ballad peaked at No. 1 for four of its 18 weeks on the chart. Meanwhile, Nobody Else was No. 1 for two of its 44 weeks on the chart.

“Back for Good” is a great song — and it brought Williams’ music to American shores for the first and last time.

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