Songfacts®:

• The lustful, soulful "Sure" was written by Take That's main songsmith, Gary Barlow, alongside Robbie Williams and Mark Owen. It's about searching for the perfect person to commit to, with Barlow singing in the second verse: "It's gotta be social, compatible, sexual, irresistible. It's gotta be right for love."
• Produced by Barlow and British electronic group Brothers in Rhythm, "Sure" marked a diversion from Take That's typical pop sound, with the song instead taking inspiration from the swingbeat genre that was popular in the US at the time. This was no doubt an attempt by the band to find success in America, one of the few countries not yet sold on the Take That phenomenon. While "Sure" ended up flopping, the band's next single, "Back For Good," did manage to chart, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• "Sure" was Take That's fifth #1 single in the UK, following "Pray," "Relight My Fire," "Babe," and "Everything Changes." Despite remaining at the top of the chart for two weeks, "Sure" was the lowest-selling #1 single in the UK in 1994.
• The music video for "Sure" was directed by Gregg Masuak and takes the form of a short film. Clocking in at over seven minutes, it shows Take That planning a house party at their apartment while attempting to babysit a disruptive toddler called Emily. Once the band finally convinces Emily to go to sleep, the song starts, and guests begin arriving for the party. Take That is then seen dancing in fishnet tops between shots of attendees hooking up around the house. The video eventually closes with Emily waking up to find the band asleep amid the trashed apartment.
• Take That performed this song at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Berlin in 1994. The band won Best Group at the same event, beating out Aerosmith, Beastie Boys, Crowded House, and Rage Against the Machine.
• "Sure" was the first single released from Take That's third studio album, Nobody Else. It was the band's final album before going on hiatus in 1996. Take That didn't release any further original music until Barlow, Owen, Howard Donald, and Jason Orange reunited and released the hugely successful Beautiful World in 2006.
• Robbie Williams and Mark Owen wrote the middle eight for "Sure," with each of them getting five percent of the publishing royalties.