Once again taking you back to the massive UK chart hits of 25 years ago, and the tales behind the artists who made them hits, it’s The Story of Pop: 1998. This week: the name’s Williams…
- Artist: Robbie Williams
- Song: Millennium
- Released: 07/09/1998
- Writers / Producers: Robbie Williams / Guy Chambers / Leslie Bricusse / John Barry / Steve Power
- Highest UK Chart Position: #1
- Weeks on Chart: 31
Over a year on from the split of the decade’s biggest boyband – Take That – and the case of who was going to end up their biggest success away from the group was still anyone’s guess. True, Gary Barlow had come straight out the traps with two number one singles (“Forever Love” in July 1996, and “Love Won’t Wait” in May 1997), as well as a chart topping solo album with Open Road.
But we don’t think we’re being unkind in saying that they were hardly the most remembered chart toppers of that time, and were, even with any musical merit they may have had, trading on the residual goodwill Gary accumulated from his time in the band. And the same could have arguably been said of his bandmate who had fled the nest eight months before, Robbie Williams.
His solo career had started with two #2 hits (“Freedom” and “Old Before I Die”), but after that, things were going into reverse: “Lazy Days” made #7, whilst “South of the Border” just scraped into the top 20 at #14. His debut solo album Life Thru A Lens had peaked at #11, and was putting in the sort of performance that would normally have record labels hovering their finger over the “abort” button. But the canny choice of the soaring “Angels” as his fifth single in November 1997, was what ultimately elevated Robbie to a level that he would maintain solidly for the next few years that followed.
Although only peaking at #4, the track, which he had co-written with his songwriting partner Guy Chambers, was eventually a million seller, and was an Ivor Novello and BRIT Award winning song, rescuing Life Thru A Lens to the top of the UK album chart and eventual sales of over 2.4 million copies.
After one more single from that album, in the form of the balls to the wall showstopper, “Let Me Entertain You” (#3 in March 1998), it was clear that suddenly, Robbie had found his musical path: as pop’s great new showman of the decade, illustrated when he played the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury that year. And with his second album, I’ve Been Expecting You, he was about to solidify that new reputation once and for all.
Of its lead single, “Millennium”, which sampled “You Only Live Twice”, Nancy Sinatra’s theme for the James Bond film of the same name, Guy Chambers said that he and Robbie wrote it “quite cynically”. Speaking for a BBC Top of the Pops documentary in 2022, he said “We knew the whole millennium topic was going to be huge in 1999. So we thought ‘Will anyone else write a song called “Millennium”? Let’s get in there first’ … And you could see a newly liberated Robbie in his eyes. They were special to him, these songs.”
Indeed, it was hard to reconcile that just shy of a year before, Robbie was still having trouble shifting his image as “the fat dancer from Take That” who was constantly in and out of rehab with his mental health and drink and drug problems.
So it was quite the turnaround to see him deliver a single like this with such confidence: “We’ve got stars directing our fate / And we’re praying it’s not too late / Cause we know we’re fallen from grace / Millennium”. And with a memorable promo video from his long time collaborator, director Vaughan Arnell, which saw him living out his Bond fantasy in a sharp tux with a bevvy of beauties, swish Aston Martins and cool gadgets, and the middle 8 line of “Come and have a go if you think you are hard enough” delivered with a hint of cheeky rebellion, it just elevated Robbie to a new level of cool.
So it was therefore, no surprise whatsoever that with the release of this single in early September 1998, after seven chart toppers as part of Take That, he scored his first ever solo number one smash. And with the release of the I’ve Been Expecting You album over a month later in October, that too also went straight to the top of the charts, going onto be certified 10 x Platinum in the UK for sales of over 2.6 million copies.
More success came with the release of later singles – “No Regrets” (featuring backing vocals of both Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys and Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy) and “Strong” made #4 in November of this year and March 1999 respectively, whilst the final single in November 1999, “She’s The One” (which we covered on The Story of Pop: 1999) was his second number one. But by all accounts, 1998 was the year Robbie truly became the man of the new century of pop.
Don’t forget to follow our brand new playlist on Spotify – updated weekly so you never miss a song from the story of pop in 1998. And you can leave your memories of the songs below in the comments, Tweet us or message us on Instagram, using the hashtag #StoryofPop1998.
The Niche Reference 