[1] During the ITV broadcast of the documentary Look Back, Don't Stare, Elton John appears to listen to an early demo of the song with the band and comments "Brilliant, do you know how big this is gonna be?

"[2] - however, this was clever video editing and the extended cut reveals Elton was actually listening to the song Underground Machine.

[3] The Daily Telegraph again praised the single stating "The Flood is a stirring us-against-the-world pop anthem that blends the best of Williams' rabble rousing instincts with Gary Barlow's smooth songwriting.

[6] The single achieved commercial success in the United Kingdom and across Europe upon release, charting in more than 20 countries to date.

[11] The music video, directed by Mat Whitecross, features the five members of the band racing against another crew in specially-made five-seater sculling boats.

The group is shown to be competing in a race against a younger crew and although losing the race, the group continue going past the finish line (to the confusion of the winning team) and are shown to row down the River Thames past famous London landmarks before fading away into a stormy sea.

The video for the single was filmed in July 2010 on Dorney Lake in Buckinghamshire, which played host to the rowing events at the 2012 Summer Olympics,[12][13] as well as on location on the River Thames.