}} "So Help Me Girl" was covered by English singer and songwriter
Gary Barlow, and released as the third single from his debut solo album,
Open Road (1997), in the United Kingdom on July 14, 1997, and as the lead single from the album in the US later in the year. Following the success of the album in the UK, Barlow signed a record deal with
Arista records for it to be released in the US. He reworked the album for the American market and subsequently released a remixed version of "So Help Me Girl" as the lead single there. Produced by
David Foster, "So Help Me Girl" was released in 65 countries around the world and topped the charts in 13 of them. In the UK, it peaked at number 11 on the
UK Singles Chart. In the US, the single peaked at number 44 on the
Billboard Hot 100 (Barlow's only solo hit on that chart), number three on the
Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart and number 58 on the
Billboard Radio Charts.
Critical reception Larry Flick from
Billboard magazine gave the American version of "So Help Me Girl" a positive review, saying that it did not stray from Barlow's work in the group
Take That. He also praised his "boyish teen-idol charm" and "flexible
tenor." A reviewer from
Music Week rated it three out of five, adding that "the song's
Nashville roots are barely discernible on this
David Foster update which turns it into a swoony, low-key ballad to give Barlow another hit." David Sinclair from
The Times wrote, "Old
country song given a dreary,
pop ballad treatment."
Music video Two music videos were released for
So Help Me Girl. The first video, accompanying the European release of the single, similar to the music video for Diffie's version, features Barlow taking a girl home after a night out, and waking up the next morning and realising that he has cheated on his girlfriend. He performs the majority of the song in the bedroom, before moving to a piano for the final scenes, which depict a fight between his girlfriend and the girl he took home. The second video, accompanying the American release of the single, begins with Barlow sitting alone on a bridge and throwing a rose into the water below, whilst a mysterious woman looks on. He then continues to perform the song whilst looking through the windows of a darkened house, where he spots a young girl. The video continues with Barlow walking through a lighted tunnel of moving cars, before returning to the house and performing the final line of the song to the girl personally.
Track listings •
UK CD1 and Australian CD single • "So Help Me Girl" • "Million to One" • "Offer My Peace" • "So Help Me Girl" (C Swing mix) •
UK CD2 • "So Help Me Girl" • "So Help Me Girl" (
Peter Mokran mix) • "Interview" •
UK cassette single and European CD single • "So Help Me Girl" • "Million to One" •
US CD and cassette single • "So Help Me Girl" – 4:29 • "
Back for Good" (live) – 4:03 •
Japanese CD single • "So Help Me Girl" • "Million to One" • "Offer My Peace"
Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts Release history ==Other versions==