"Child" is a song by Take That band member Mark Owen, released as his debut solo single on 18 November 1996 by RCA Records and BMG. It served as the lead single from his debut album, Green Man (1996). He told in an interview, "It was the first song I wrote, and while I was writing the others I always knew it was going to be the first." "Child" peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, making it Owen's joint-most-successful single of his solo career. It was certified silver and sold over 200,000 copies. The song reached number one in Lithuania, Spain, and Taiwan and peaked within the top 10 in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, Israel and Switzerland.
Critical reception Pan-European magazine Music & Media described "Child" as "a subtle ballad, full of genuine emotions, which will pull everyone's heartstrings." A reviewer from Music Week gave it a top score of five out of five, writing, "Already one of the favourites for the Christmas number one slot, this ballad has hints of early Seventies John Lennon and should appeal to the teenies and their parents. A surefire hit." Retrospectively, Pop Rescue stated that "it's a great song, that orchestrally, lyrically, and vocally shines here."
Track listings
UK CD1 "Child" "Confused" "Home" "Child" (acoustic version)
UK CD2 "Child" "Confused" "Child" (instrumental)
UK cassette single "Child" "Confused"
European CD single "Child" (radio edit) "Confused"
Australian and Japanese CD single "Child" (radio edit) "Child" (full length) "Confused" "Home"
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1996)Peakposition Airplay (Music & Media) 20Czech Republic (IFPI CR) 3 Denmark (IFPI) 9Estonia (Eesti Top 20)10Europe (European Hot 100) 9Europe (European AC Radio) 8Europe (European Hit Radio) 12Europe (Channel Crossovers) 6France Airplay (SNEP) 75 Airplay (Music & Media) 18Greece (IFPI Greece) 2Israel (IBA) 2Italy (Musica e dischi) See last week column. 15Italy Airplay (Music & Media) 10Japan International (Oricon)12Latvia (Latvijas Top 40) 8Lithuania (M-1) 1Poland (Music & Media) 11Spain (AFYVE) 1Spain Airplay (Top 40 Radio)1Taiwan (IFPI) 1UK Airplay (Music Week) 14
Year-end charts Chart (1996)PositionItaly (Musica e dischi) 83UK Singles (OCC) 97
Certifications
Release history RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United Kingdom18 November 1996Japan2 December 1996CDBMG
References