For the Take That

Take That

Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...

 song of the same name, see When We Were Young (Take That song)

When We Were Young (Take That song)

"When We Were Young" is the second and final single by British pop group Take That from the band's first EP, Progressed. It acted as the theme song in the feature film adaptation of The Three Musketeers, which premiered in the United Kingdom on 14 October 2011. The song features Robbie Williams and...

"When We Were Young" is a 1983 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz

Bucks Fizz (band)

Bucks Fizz are an English pop group who achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and...

. Featuring lead vocals by member Jay Aston

Jay Aston

Jay Hilda Aston is a singer, dancer, and occasional songwriter who was formerly with the British pop group, Bucks Fizz. She was the youngest member of the group's original line-up, being just 19 at the Eurovision Song Contest....

, the song became their sixth top ten hit in the UK.

Song information

The song was written by Warren Harry

Warren Harry

Warren Harry was a British songwriter and performer.-Biography:In 1978, Warren Harry and his band released the self-funded single "1965" / "Radio Show"...

 (under the name Warren Bacall) and was produced by Brian Tench and Andy Hill

Andy Hill (composer)

Andy Hill is a British music producer and songwriter who scored many hits during the 1980s and 90s...

 - the first time Hill had not solely produced one of the group's singles. The song's lyrics tell of a woman in old age, who laments the fact that she has lost her youth and looks.

The song was notable for its change in direction for the group. The production was heavy and the song had an ominous tone far removed from the group's usual pop sound. It was the first and only single to feature lead vocals by Jay Aston

Jay Aston

Jay Hilda Aston is a singer, dancer, and occasional songwriter who was formerly with the British pop group, Bucks Fizz. She was the youngest member of the group's original line-up, being just 19 at the Eurovision Song Contest....

. Aston's vocals were notably different from her solo appearances on previous songs ("Getting Kinda Lonely" on Bucks Fizz

Bucks Fizz (album)

Bucks Fizz is the debut album by British pop group Bucks Fizz. Released in 1981, it features their Eurovision-winning song "Making Your Mind Up" as well as the two follow-up singles "Piece of the Action" and "One of Those Nights"...

 and "Easy Love" on Are You Ready). At the time of release, Aston said of the song: "It's a very different kind of song. It's much harder and heavier and a concerted effort from Andy and the production team. We'll probably lose a lot of our old fans with this single but I hope we'll interest lots of new people." Aston has also said that she was adopting an effected voice, similar to Hazel O'Connor

Hazel O'Connor

Hazel O'Connor is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of a soldier from Galway who settled in England after World War II to work in a car plant...

, although a review at the time remarked on her simulating Lene Lovich

Lene Lovich

Lene Lovich is an American singer based in England, who first gained attention as part of the New Wave music scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Her most popular hit single was "Lucky Number", first released in 1979.-Early years:...

. Aston has since stated, despite the song's success, her vocal affectation wasn't a good idea, although has rated it her favourite Bucks Fizz song, while member Cheryl Baker

Cheryl Baker

Cheryl Baker is an English television presenter and singer. She is most famous for being a member of 1980s pop group Bucks Fizz, and has performed for the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest twice, winning it the second time.-Early career:After leaving school and a series of secretarial jobs, Cheryl...

 has commented that she never liked the song due to its downbeat tone.

The single was released in June 1983 on 7" and 12" vinyl. It was also released on 7" and 12" vinyl picture discs. The B-side to the single was "Where the Ending Starts" (also featuring Aston on lead), which had been recently released on the group's third album, Hand Cut

Hand Cut

Hand Cut is the third studio album by pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released in 1983 and features the UK top 20 hits, "If You Can't Stand the Heat" and "Run for Your Life".- Overview :Hand Cut was the third album released by Bucks Fizz...

. The 12" single featured an extended version of the song with a long drum-laden passage after the second chorus. Included on this also was a previously unreleased bonus track "When the Love Has Gone". "When We Were Young" was later featured on the group's first Greatest Hits album, released in November 1983. In 2005, it was released in a slightly edited form on the Bucks Fizz compilation, The Ultimate Anthology

The Ultimate Anthology

The Ultimate Anthology is a compilation album by pop group Bucks Fizz.Released in 2005, this album was significant in that it was the first release that contained all of Bucks Fizz's 20 hit singles together on one disc...

.

Music Video

The Promotional video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 for the song prominently featured member Jay Aston singing the song to camera in a set resembling a room in a house. Throughout the video she is dressed in a white basque

Basque (clothing)

A torsolette is a short corselette, covering the chest to the waist line.The undergarment is similar to a Victorian-era corset, but with less compression of the ribs. The modern-day Torsolette features lace-up or hook-and-eye fastening, as well as boning or vertical seams for structure and support...

, adorned with frills and torn pieces of material. Her hair is unusually long and unkempt. At the bridge

Bridge (music)

In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...

, the other members of the group appear separately facing camera in a misty setting. After the second chorus, the group appear together, standing against a garishly-coloured chroma key

Chroma key

Chroma key compositing is a technique for compositing two images together. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production...

 background. In the distance, electricity pylons

Transmission tower

A transmission tower is a tall structure, usually a steel lattice tower, used to support an overhead power line. They are used in high-voltage AC and DC systems, and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes...

 are visible. Aston, while remarking on the musical change in direction for the group, also made mention that the video took a different approach to their previous ones. The video was filmed in Germany, although is mainly studio-bound.

Chart performance

"When We Were Young" became the group's ninth consecutive top 20 hit in the UK. The single entered the chart on the 18 June 1983 at No.23, which was the group's highest ever first-week entry into the charts, beating "Making Your Mind Up

Making Your Mind Up

"Making Your Mind Up" is a song by British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was the winner of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and a UK Number-one single...

" by one place. The following week it rose to its peak position of ten, where it remained for the following week. It then fell down the chart, remaining there for eight weeks in total. The single performed particularly well in Europe also, becoming their biggest hit since "The Land of Make Believe" and the third biggest hit of the group's career. It reached the top five in France and top ten in Ireland, as well top 20 placings in the Netherlands and Austria. This was to be Bucks Fizz's last UK top 10 hit for three years.

Track listing

7" single

1. "When We Were Young" (Warren Bacall) (4.04)
2. "Where the Ending Starts" (Andy Hill) (3.57)

12" single

1. "When We Were Young" (extended club mix) (6.27)
2. "When the Love Has Gone" (Andy Hill / Nichola Martin) (5.50)
3. "Where the Ending Starts" (3.57)

Chart positions

Country	Peak position
UK	10
France	4
Ireland	6
The Netherlands	14
Germany	52
Austria	19