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Who Is Robbie Williams?
Music
Career & Better Man's True Story Explained
Source:
by
Lewis Glazebrook
(Jan
6, 2025)
 BETTER
MAN is a musical biopic
centered around the life of Robbie Williams, but as someone
whose fanbase is centered primarily in the United Kingdom,
the question of who he is for North American audiences is
certainly a worthy one. BETTER
MAN'S cast of characters tells the story of Williams, from
his early life and rise to fame to the trials and
tribulations he faced once reaching the heights of stardom.
The film comes from director Michael Gracey, who most
recently helmed the critically divisive THE GREATEST
SHOWMAN.
As one of the bigger movies
released in January 2025 in domestic markets, BETTER MAN is
receiving a lot of attention. The film was released in
the United Kingdom on December 26, 2024, given Williams'
popularity with the British public, yet American audiences
may be forgiven for not being aware of the musician.
Despite Williams' overwhelming fame in the UK, the artist
never cracked domestic markets. With Better Man's
positive reception marking it as one of the best music
biopics in recent years, it may be worth exploring who
Robbie Williams is for those unfamiliar with his work.
Robbie Williams Is The Best-Selling British Solo
Artist Of All-Time With A 30+ Year Career
Although many North American audiences may not be aware of
Robbie Williams, there is a reason for BETTER MAN'Ss
creation: Williams' career as a solo artist in the UK, other
parts of Europe, Asia, and Australia. As of 2024,
Robbie Williams is the best-selling British solo artist in
history where number-one albums are concerned. Via THE
STANDARD, Williams' 2022 album XXV topped the UK charts,
giving the artist his 14th of the sort, overtaking Elvis
Presley's 13 UK number-one albums to reach the acclaimed
milestone.
A big factor in Williams' overwhelming success in the
UK is also his longevity. The musician began his
career in 1990 at the age of only 16. Since then,
Williams has embarked on both a group and a solo career and
is now venturing into the world of filmmaking with BETTER
MAN'S production. Over the past 30+ years, Williams
has released many albums and singles that have not dwindled
in popularity with the UK's population, allowing him to
become the best-selling artist the state has ever seen
regarding number-one records.
Robbie Williams Was A Member Of Take That
The earliest stage of Williams' career came as a
member of Take That. BETTER MAN'S first half explores
this part of Williams' life, detailing the aspiring
musician's first audition in front of a cutthroat musical
manager at the young age of 15. After becoming
successful, Williams was paired with four other young men
from the UK with varying skill sets, combining to become
Take That. Eventually, Take That became one of the
most popular bands of the 1990s in the UK, catapulting
Williams and his co-members to true stardom.
The other four
members of Take That were Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Howard
Donald, and Mark Owen.
While Williams was
never the frontman of Take That, he was often a prominent
focus of the British public and media due to his eccentric
personality. This caused his own personal fame to
reach levels unrivaled by the other members of Take That,
save for Gary Barlow. Regardless of individual
popularity, Take That is considered one of the best-selling
British boy bands of all time. The band is still
functioning in the present - though only with three members
after the departure of Williams himself and Jason Orange.
Robbie Williams' Music Career As A Solo Artist
As alluded
to, Robbie Williams did not last long as a member of Take
That. Five years after the band was formed, Williams
faced an ultimatum from the other members: either the
musician needed to reign his substance abuse in and adhere
to strict band principles, or Take That would become a
quartet. Williams decided on the latter, later
beginning a career as a solo artist. Evidently,
Williams' solo career was just as successful as his band
career, with the combined accolades combining to help the
musician achieve the aforementioned title of best-selling
British artist in history.
Williams
released seven studio albums as a solo artist after
departing Take That, with each one becoming a massive
success ...
From 1996
onwards, Williams' solo career began. Williams
released seven studio albums as a solo artist after
departing Take That, with each one becoming a massive
success in the British market. A second stint as part
of Take That came in 2010, yet Williams' solo career
persevered also. Between 2009 and 2022, Williams
released a further six studio albums, solidifying his
immense success as a solo artist.
|
Robbie Williams Solo Albums |
Release Date |
|
Life thru a Lens |
September 29, 1997 |
|
I've Been Expecting You |
October 26, 1998 |
|
Sing When You're Winning |
August 28, 2000 |
|
Swing When You're Winning |
November 19, 2001 |
|
Escapology |
November 18, 2002 |
|
Intensive Care |
October 24, 2005 |
|
Rudebox |
October 23, 2006 |
|
Reality Killed the Video Star |
November 6, 2009 |
|
Take the Crown |
November 2, 2012 |
|
Swings Both Ways |
November 8, 2013 |
|
The Heavy Entertainment Show |
November 4, 2016 |
|
The Christmas Present |
November 22, 2019 |
|
XXV |
September 9, 2022 |
Although
Williams is primarily described as a pop artist, especially
as part of Take That, the singer's solo career has had a
varied sound. BETTER MAN explores this also, with the film
detailing how inspired Williams was by the likes of Dean
Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis Jr. from a young age.
In his solo career, these influences can be heard much more
prominently than they were in Take That. In many ways,
this is likely tied to the success of Williams as a solo
artist, given that his sound could be both similar and
different to Take That.
Better Man Covers Robbie Williams' True Story
From 1982 To 2009
Where BTTER
MAN is concerned, the film covers all of these aspects of
Williams' life. Beyond his musical career, BETTER
MAN focuses on the ins and outs of Williams' personal life.
The film begins in 1982 when Williams was only eight years
old, detailing his familial connections, mental health
struggles, his time in Take That, his breakthrough as a solo
artist, and the difficulties a stratospheric rise to fame
can bring.
Perhaps one
of the most intriguing elements of BETTER MAN is its
depiction of Robbie Williams. Rather than hire an
actor to simply portray the musician, the decision was made
to have Williams be portrayed by a CGI ape. The reason
for this stems from Williams' view of himself as someone who
is less evolved than those around him, as well as the
connotations of musicians being performing monkeys for fans
across the world. In BETTER MAN, Williams provides the
narration for the film as well as some voice acting, with
English actor Jonno Davies providing voice work and motion
capture.
The ape was
brought to life by Wētā FX, the visual effects company founded
by Peter Jackson and famed for its work on countless
Hollywood films, including King Kong and the rebooted Planet
of the Apes series.
While Better Man's
timeline is somewhat altered from Williams' real life and
naturally has some dramatized elements, the film does an
excellent job of portraying the musician's life. The
film is frequently hard-hitting due to its exploration of
Robbie Williams' mental health issues and substance abuse,
and how all of that ties to his incredibly successful
career. Despite many in the UK already being privy to
this story, audiences in the Americas likely did not know
the trials and tribulations, nor even the true success, of
Robbie Williams, making BETTER MAN even more intriguing as a
musical biopic.
ROBBIE WILLIAMS:
The Award-Winning British Pop Singer And Songwriter Has Found Great
Success Over His Multi-Decade Solo Career
Source:
by
uDiscover Team
(Jun
28, 2020)
Words:
Max Bell
 One
of the great British entertainers in pop history Robbie
Williams is synonymous with releasing classic albums, more
massive hit singles than you can shake a stick at -
'Angels', 'Millennium', 'Rock DJ'
have become party anthems and accepted standards - and for
perfecting a brand of entertainment that appeals across the
board to people of all ages. While he rose to fame as
a key member of Take That - of course he is back with that
fine group today - Williams carved out his own career thanks
to phenomenal albums LIFE THRU A LENS, I'V BEEN EXPECTING
YOU, SING WHEN YOU'RE WINNING and his well-received swing
escapades, the sum total of which has given him sales in
excess of 77 million and helped the man garner a staggering
17 BRIT awards, far more than any other artist. He is
also in the Guinness Book of Records for having sold 1.6
million tickets in a single day to accompany his Close
Encounters Tour. He is in the UK Music Hall of Fame
and was voted the Greatest Artist of the 1990s.
Parlaying all that talent across other
fields, Robbie is much in demand for his acting skills and
voiceover work; he is an accomplished producer, a damn good
footballer and father of two. And the lad's still only
40 years old. Anything he can't do? Well, we
haven’t seen him walk on water recently but he does have the
freedom of his native Stoke-on-Trent where there is a
tourist trail and several streets named in his honour.
That is true fame. He is, after all, a Triple-A
celebrity and for once here's someone who can talk the talk
and walk the walk.
Born of Anglo-Irish
stock Williams seemed destined to enter the world of show
business when he took the role of the Artful Dodger in a
school production of Oliver! and started to show prowess as
a singer and dancer. At 16 he was the youngest member
of Take That, the outfit he joined in 1990 and helped
transform them from standard Boy Band fodder into something
with integrity and household appeal that has survived nigh
on 25 years. He sang the lead on such Take That hits
as 'Everything Changes' and 'Could It Be Magic'
before extricating himself to pursue his solo dream.
His first single was a slow-burning cover of George
Michael's 'Freedom' but his partnership with Guy
Chambers was a more significant turning point. Already
a fixture in tabloid columns and on TV stations Williams'
effervescent personality made him an instant hit with the
public and such is his charisma there was no point in the
snootier world of rock criticism ignoring him. They
did so at their peril. The debut album, LIFE THRU A
LENS (1997) would go on to sell 2.4 million copies and is
currently certified 8xPlatinum. Small wonder.
The hits were so strong that everything else fell into
place. 'Angels' and the signature tune
'Let Me Entertain You' were and are natural crowd
pleasers but they are way more than that. They have
the memorable hooks and the emotional depth of classic pop.
While the title of LIFE THRU A LENS could be construed as
indicative of Robbie's life in the public gaze there was
still an element of 'can this be sustained?' No
worries once the Bond-inspired I'VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU
(1998) arrived complete with trademark raised eyebrow a la
Roger Moore on the cover. Mixing elements of cheeky,
chappy and extreme chutzpah this disc is a 24-carat marvel.
'Millennium', which borrows well from John Barry's
theme music for YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, was his first British
number one ('Angels' hit number two) and the Karl
Wallinger/World Party-penned 'She's The One'
duplicated that feat - as indeed did World Party’s original.
Just as good is 'No Regrets' - featuring Neil
Tennant of Pet Shop Boys and Neil Hannon of The Divine
Comedy.
Ostensibly a fond adieu to the
rest of Take That, in recent years the lyric has been
altered to add a far more positive spin. Proving that
he wasn't just a pretty face either Williams was all over
the writing with Chambers and they'd formed a formidable
alliance that swept them through SING WHEN YOU'RE WINNING
(2000).
Now, this is again
a total recommendation. It's well worth discovering
for the tracks 'Supreme' and the ferociously
energetic 'Rock DJ', itself inspired by Robbie's
UNICEF mentor, the late Ian Dury. Around this time the
Williams effect - where everything he touches turns to gold
(or multi-Platinum) really does kick in and his fame now is
such that he can boss massive crowds in Europe, Australasia
and Latin America.
The track 'Kids' is
a collaboration with Kylie Minogue (they toured together in
2000) while 'Better Man' shouldn't be overlooked -
it's a first-rate ballad in any language, including Spanish
because by now Williams' was savvy enough to offer
multilingual versions of key songs. Smart chap.
The all dressed up
and somewhere to go brilliance of the standards styled SWING
WHEN YOU'RE WINNING (2001),
where the Robster tackles 'Somethin' Stupid' as a
duet with Nicole Kidman, revived that lovely slice of
bittersweet easy listening for a new generation or two.
Never lacking ambition Williams also gets into character for
'Have You Met Miss Jones?'', 'One For My Baby'
and an audacious duet with Frank
Sinatra on
the perennially lovely 'It Was A Very Good Year'.
The Royal Albert Hall show that launched this extravaganza
has gone on to become one of the biggest and fastest-selling
DVDs of all time. The album? Oh, only 2 million
and something sold so far.
Nothing fancy.
On ESCAPOLOGY (2002) Robbie
makes inroads into the US market, taking more control of the
writing and still turning in the best selling album of the
year. Unusually, the biggest hit on this recording is
'Feel' where the demo is used rather than anything
grander. Once again the boy done good because this is
his biggest international hit.
Following a hiatus from
studio work, we rejoin Robbie for INTENSIVE CARE (2005)
where he is now teamed up with Stephen Duffy of TinTin and
Lilac Time repute. While all his albums to this time
have been packed with obviously immediate material INTENSIVE
CARE starts to offer a more introspective and mature look at
life in the modern age for a man entering his thirtieth
years as the biggest pop star on the planet. The
songs, co-written with Duffy, take Williams down different
avenues musically and lyrically and the standouts include
'Tripping', 'Make Me Pure',
'Advertising Space' and 'Sin Sin Sin'.
But if anyone thought this meant the outcome would be a
difficult album they were wrong. Again the sales are
phenomenal. As with most of the Williams oeuvre, this
is available in Special and Deluxe formats with a wealth of
TV appearances to capture the moment in this instance.
Never overly anxious to stay
in one place Robbie's RUDEBOX
surprised those who didn’t
think he could embrace dance technology with such ease.
Working with men of the zeitgeist like Mark Ronson, William
Orbit, Pet Shop Boys, Joey Negro and Soul Mekanik this is by
far Robbie's most eclectic disc. He writes with the
Pet Shop Boys, he covers Stephen Duffy’s 'Kiss Me'
and Manu Chao's 'Bongo Bong And Je Ne t’aime Plus'.
This album didn't exactly slip through the net (hardly
likely since it has so far gone Platinum in 15 countries)
but it’s one we feel deserves reappraisal.
Likewise, REALITY KILLED THE VIDEO STAR (2009) produced by
Trevor Horn and utilising many of the Sarm/ZTT personnel
associated with this esteemed British control man.
'Morning Sun' written with James Bond lyricist Don
Black is about the perils of stardom and was initially
penned in response to news of Michael Jackson's
death. It sets a standard for smart writing
throughout with 'Bodies' and 'You Know Me'
displaying maturity and wit that is to be expected from such
a consummate artist.
TAKE THE CROWN (2012) is the ninth studio album, so one
might imagine his star is waning. No, sir. Look
what happens! The lead single 'Candy',
written with Take That's Gary Barlow, goes straight to
number one. This guy is here for the long haul,
shifting the paradigm, working with Australian musicians,
joining up with Irish producer Jackknife Lee, and taking
time to return to the big London stage at the O2 Arena where
more box office records topple in his wake.
SWINGS BOTH WAYS is the second instalment in his love affair
with Broadway and the classic song era although this time
many of the tracks are originals and Guy Chambers is back
onboard. Guests include Lily Allen, Rufus Wainwright,
Michael Bublé and Kelly Clarkson. It's a very swank
and swinging affair.
As always when we have an artist of Robbie Williams's
stature there are numerous quality anthologies and other
artefacts worth your time. GREATEST HITS and IN AND OUT OF
CONSCIOUSNESS: GREATEST HITS 1990-2010 cover a sizeable
chunk of golden brilliance while ROBBIE WILLIAMS: CLASSIC
ALBUM SELECTION is an authentic gimmick-free box set of the
first five.
Better mention LIVE AT KNEBWORTH had we not?! This 2003
document is legendary and it seems like everyone owns a
copy. If you don’t then join the millions who made
this the fastest selling live album bar take That's The
Greatest Day.
And that brings us full circle. Mr Williams ... what
is there more to say? He's a national treasure with
the keys to the magic kingdom. Let him entertain you.
Resistance is futile.
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