Take That’s “The Flood” Lyrics Meaning

Although Take That never hit stateside, they are in fact extremely popular in Europe and especially in their homeland of the UK. The band managed to endure even after Robbie Williams, who can be considered their most popular member, first left in 1995.

Back during their heyday, the situation was such that they had become so famous that the only people the homeys found refuge in was each other. And the way this song (“The Flood”) has been interpreted by analysts is that “the flood” is actually a metaphor for that bumrush of stardom the boys experienced. As such, the vocalist proclaiming that they “were holding back the flood” and “learning how to dance in the rain” is fundamentally another way of saying that as the years progressed, Take That have become more accustomed to being music superstars and all that such a designation entails. 

In terms of those who “said (they’d) never dance again”, that speaks at least in part to the fact that Take That went on hiatus for about a decade after Robbie’s departure. And it’s safe to presume that many people, considering the length of that disbanding and the fact that Robbie became a major star on his own, thought that the boys would never regroup after that.

Outside of the chorus, there’s a whole lot going on in this song. But what it all seems to ultimately boil down to is the band arguing that outsiders and especially haters should not read too deeply into the quintet having temporarily disbanded and going through trials and tribulations throughout the years. Even without Williams, Take That put together a couple of really successful albums during the late aughts. So all lyrics considered, “The Flood” can be taken as an ode to the band’s resiliency.

When was “The Flood” released?

This track came out on 15 October 2020, as part of “Progress”, which was Take That’s sixth studio album.

Take That

Take That is a band from Manchester which, between 1992 and 2017, got around to dropping eight studio albums. All things considered, the most notable musician to ever grace the group’s membership would be Robbie Williams, since he has also been very successful as a soloist.

Robbie left Take That during its early goings, back in the mid-1990s, after the group had put out its first three albums. However, he did return briefly in the early 2010s. As such, “Progress” was the last Take That album he has participated on since 1995’s “Nobody Else” and last to feature Williams to date. To note, Jason Orange also left the crew during the mid-2010s.

The other members of the outfit, who are still down to this day, are:

• Gary Barlow
• Howard Donald
• Mark Owen

The three of them, alongside Robbie Williams and Jason Orange, were all founders of Take That, a boy(ish) band which was created to be a British version of New Kids on the Block.

“The Flood”

“The Flood” marks a notable hit in Take That’s history. The song was a chart topper in Portugal, peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and appeared on music rankings in over 20 nations overall. Additionally, it achieved double-platinum status in Italy and went platinum in the United Kingdom.

Mat Whitecross directed the music video to “The Flood”, which features Take That engaged in a boat race in England.

“The Flood” was written by all five original members of Take That (Barlow, Donald, Orange, Owen and Williams). And it is Williams and Barlow who serve as the lead vocalists. 

Meanwhile, the producer of the track is Stuart Price, who then proceeded to work with the band on their following studio album, which is entitled “III” (2014).