Meaning of Take That’s The Champion

This would be a good time to note that the lyrics to some of the songs found on This Life are pretty abstract. And such can be deemed with the case with The Champion, whereas it may be challenging to conclude what Barlow and co. are getting via in the verses. Observations such as the vocalist partaking of “champagne from a fast-food restaurant” or likening “headlights” to “diamonds in the pouring rain” are pretty poetic. But our theory is that they reflect the musings of someone who is really enjoying life, as it isn’t common to drink champagne – an expensive, high-class beverage – while eating something as common as fast food. Nor is it conventional to liken a scene as run-of-the-mill as headlights in the rain to the sparkle of diamonds, which are considered to be one of nature’s wonders.

But just as positivity thinking is a permeating theme throughout This Life, so is the vocalist pointing out how at times he feels down, and such sentiments are also present in this song. One major difference though in the case of The Champion is that this time around, Gary is presenting himself as someone who is naturally inclined towards a victorious disposition. That is to say that despite acknowledging his shortcomings, defeats and depressions, the singer still touts himself as “feeling like a king” and “a champion of the world”, even if, self-admittedly, he is a “broken” one.

So all lyrics considered, we can take it that what’s being argued or presented here is that adopting a winner’s mentality doesn’t mean that a person has to be 100 percent confident or such that he or she never takes losses. Instead, as inferred, being self-positive is more along the lines of keeping personal deficiencies within perspective in relation to this thing we call life, which is intrinsically enjoyable, so to speak. As such, as also inferred, it’s up to the individual to make the continued commitment towards living and viewing life like “a champion”.

Who are the Writers and Producers of The Champion?

In more recent years, Take That has been a trio consisting of Mark Owen, Howard Donald and Gary Barlow. It is those three individuals who are credited with writing this song, alongside Jamie Norton and Ben Mark. And the track’s producer is the somewhat-ubiquitous Jennifer Decilveo.

When was this Song Released?

EMI Records released The Champion on 24 November 2023, being a part of This Life, i.e. Take That’s album which came out on that same day.