The career of singer Robbie Williams (13-02-1974) began in the boy band Take That, of which he was a member from 1990 to 1995. Robbie went solo and grew into one of the biggest pop stars of the 1990s. He has sold over 55 million records worldwide and has been inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame, even being dubbed the 'greatest artist of the nineties'. Six of his albums are among the top 100 best-selling albums in the United Kingdom. He has won fifteen BRIT Awards (more than any other artist) and seven ECHO Awards. Fifteen years after leaving Take That, he and the band announced they would be working together again; in November 2010, a new album titled Progress was released. Williams also spent a year touring with his old band. After the tour, Williams left the group again to focus on his solo career in 1996.
His first single "Freedom", a cover of George Michael's 1990 song, was released in August 1996. After spending some time in a rehab clinic, Williams released the single "Old Before I Die" in 1997. Both singles were successful in England. This led to the release of his first solo album, Life Thru a Lens, later that year. Life Thru a Lens included his single "Old Before I Die" but initially flopped. The last song released from Life Thru a Lens was "Angels". This song marked Williams' international comeback. "Angels" was voted the best song of the past 25 years by the British public during the BRIT Awards in February 2005.
The British singer worked on a new album during the coronavirus crisis. Williams wrote no fewer than 20 songs, which he hopes to release soon. According to him, he is treading a path he has not taken before: disco mixed with dance and electronic music. This was reported by The Mirror. "I am very pleased with my new songs because they are really different from what I have done before. I am very curious to see what my fans think of them," said Robbie.
Visit the website of Robbie Williams here
Top 2000
In the 23rd edition of the Top 2000, Robbie appeared solo with the following entries:
Sunday Morning Classic: Life Thru a Lens
On 23 August 2020, Robbie was our Sunday Morning Classic with his album Life Thru a Lens.
Life Thru a Lens, one of the best British debuts of the 90s, is an unrestrained joyride through various British music styles, from glam to alternative, from soft rock to dance-pop.
For his first step onto the stage as a solo artist, this is good work. It is unmistakably a soul-searching work. Robbie's lyrics often deal with his past life, either directly and honestly or with a touch of irony.
The opener struck a chord with me; 'Lazy Days' is a song about depression. A very Oasis-like tune with the right lyrics.
'Life Thru A Lens', the title track, is a fun tune about life in the public eye.
'Ego A Go-Go' is a personal attack by Robbie on his rival and former bandmate Gary Barlow and manager.
'Angels' is the greatest ballad ever heard or written since Wonderwall. It not only brought Robbie into the British conscience but also made people take him very seriously. This is a beautiful love song. The chorus, every verse, the music all speak for themselves. To this day, Robbie's best song.
'South Of The Border' is another rocker in the influential direction of Oasis.
'Let Me Entertain You' can easily be seen as Robbie's signature song. He is here to entertain us. He is good at it. He has been doing it since 1992; the difference is that he used to do it with four other boys, now he entertains on his own.
'Killing Me' is Robbie's most open song. It is an essential song about Robbie's most intimate feelings of insecurity and unhappiness. The depression he began to experience as a member of Take That and how he escaped it by pretending to be the joker of the group. 'Killing Me' is essentially in the same class as 'Isolation' from Lennon's debut album 'Plastic Ono Band'.
'Clean' is another fun song where you hear Robbie rhyme 'I'm Clean' with 'Charlie Sheen' and talk about kicking his addiction to harmful substances.
'Baby Girl Window' is a touching song and a beautiful closer.
Source: Jan Liebregts and NPO Photo:
Drew de F Fawkes
