Life thru a Lens is the debut solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams. It was Williams' first solo album following his departure from Take That. Released on 29 September 1997 through Chrysalis Records, it is influenced by Britpop, a departure from the poppier tone of music Take That employed. The album's working name was The Show-Off Must Go On.[4]
The album's first three singles, "Old Before I Die", "Lazy Days" and "South of the Border" (the only single to miss the top 10), were all moderate successes, but it was the fourth single "Angels" which catapulted Williams to international fame as a solo artist. Peaking at number 4, it has sold over 1 million copies in the UK and is his biggest-selling single to date. Fifth and final single "Let Me Entertain You" reached number three, becoming the album's third top-5 hit. "Freedom," Robbie's first solo success, a cover of George Michael's 1990 hit, is not featured on the album.
Life thru a Lens debuted at number 11 on the UK Albums Chart and initially remained in the lower regions, but, upon the chart success of "Angels", it began steadily climbing and finally reached number one in April 1998, five months after its release. Though never selling more than 60,000 copies in a single week, the album has sold over 2,094,000 copies as of November 2013, making it Williams' fourth-best-selling studio album and fifth-best-seller overall.[5]
After trying hard to find his own sound during a period of personal upheaval, Williams began recordings for the album at London's Maison Rouge studios in March 1997, shortly after his introduction to Guy Chambers. The title track, "Life thru a Lens" was written about his then girlfriend Jacqueline Hampton-Smith who was a socialite. It is often mistakenly attributed to Tara Palmer Tompkinson, but they did not date until 2006. "Ego a Go Go" was written about Gary Barlow, "South of the Border" discusses Kate Moss, and "Baby Girl Window" was inspired by Samantha Beckinsale and her late father, actor Richard Beckinsale. "One of God's Better People" and "Angels" were inspired by Williams' mother, Jan. Hidden track "Hello, Sir" is a poem that takes a dig at one of Williams' former teachers.[6] Williams reprised part of the poem on the 1 Giant Leap song "My Culture".
The sound of the album is influenced by Britpop, especially bands such as Oasis,[1] a direction his former Take That bandmate Mark Owen had also chosen to pursue on his debut album Green Man (1996). John Bush of AllMusic said that Life thru a Lens "continually betrays overt influences from Oasis and other Britpop stars, but triumphs nevertheless due to gorgeous production, Williams' irresistible personality, and the overall flavor of outrageous, utterly enjoyable pop music."[1]
Writing for Melody Maker in October 1997, Robin Bresnark gave Life thru a Lens a negative review; "There's nothing here... sure, Robbie Williams is as fascinating a hapless goon as we're ever likely to come across. But this album feels more like a press release than an album – and that's not what I call music."[6] However, John Bush of AllMusic was very positive in his four and a half stars out of five review, calling the album "excellent" and "one of the best U.K. debuts of the '90s".[1]
Q ranked the album at number 43 in their 2004 list of "The 50 (+50) Best British Albums Ever" and in their unordered 2005 list of the "Ultimate Music Collection".[10]Record Collector included the album in their unordered 2000 list of "10 Classic Albums from 21 Genres for the 21st Century",[10] whilst Robert Dimery included the album in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[11]
Commercial performance
The album was released in October 1997, not long after Williams's stint in rehab. The album was launched with his first live solo gig at the Élysée Montmartre in Paris. At first, the album was slow to take off, debuting at number 11 on the UK Albums Chart, and falling to 104 not long after release, having sold a little over 30,000 copies.[12] The album reached the number one position after spending 27 weeks on the chart, as a consequence of the huge success of the "Angels" single, boosting the album's sales to 300,000.[13] The album spent a total of 218 weeks on the chart and two weeks at number one, becoming the 58th best selling album of all time with sales of 2.4 million copies.[14] Despite the album's success in Williams' homeland, it failed to make a bigger impact in the international market. However, in Argentina, the album reached the top ten in early 1998. The album has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide. The album has been certified as 8× Platinum in the UK.
Singles
"Old Before I Die", a track co-written by Williams, Eric Bazilian, and Desmond Child, was released as the album's lead single in April 1997, peaking at #2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song failed to make an impact in other international charts.
"Lazy Days" was released as the album's second single in the summer of 1997, amidst Williams' battle with addiction. He was allowed to check out from rehab to shoot the video for the song. The single charted at number-eight in the United Kingdom but, because promotion was nonexistent, struggled to reach the top forty of any other European chart.
"South of the Border" was released as the album's third single in September 1997. It failed to make a significant impact on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #14, and as such, many saw this as the end of Williams' solo career.[15]
"Angels", a song penned by Williams and Guy Chambers, was released as the album's fourth single. The decision to release the song came after Williams met the record company to discuss concerns about his future. The single was released in December 1997, soon becoming Williams' best selling-single in the United Kingdom, being certified 2× Platinum by the BPI.[16] The song became a hit around Europe and Latin America and sold almost two million copies worldwide, rocketing sales of his album.
"Let Me Entertain You" was released as the album's fifth and final single in March 1998. It peaked at #3 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming one of Williams' signature songs and being the opening song for most of Williams' concerts throughout his career.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
References
^ abcdeBush, John. "Life Thru a Lens – Robbie Williams". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
^Fawthrop, Peter. "Ronan – Ronan Keating". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 February 2021. while Robbie Williams went all out with an egocentric rock album and became a British landmark
^Ranking the top 10 Robbie Williams albums from worst to best
^Southall, Nick (5 November 2014). . Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 October 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
^Sutherland, Mark (9 May 2016). "By the numbers: inside Robbie Williams' albums career". Music Week. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
^ abBresnark, Robin. "Review: Robbie Williams – Life Thru A Lens, Chrysalis". Melody Maker (4 October 1997): 51.
^Sullivan, Caroline (26 September 1997). "Robbie Williams: Life Thru a Lens (Chrysalis)". The Guardian.
^"Reviews: Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 20 September 1997. p. 31. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
^Cigarettes, Johnny (27 September 1997). . NME. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
^Scapolo, Dean (2007). The Complete New Zealand Music Charts: 1966–2006. Maurienne House. ISBN978-1-877443-00-8.
^"The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Robbie Williams; 'Life Thru A Lens')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
^"British album certifications – Robbie Williams – Life Thru A Lens". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
life, thru, lens, debut, solo, studio, album, english, singer, songwriter, robbie, williams, williams, first, solo, album, following, departure, from, take, that, released, september, 1997, through, chrysalis, records, influenced, britpop, departure, from, pop. Life thru a Lens is the debut solo studio album by English singer songwriter Robbie Williams It was Williams first solo album following his departure from Take That Released on 29 September 1997 through Chrysalis Records it is influenced by Britpop a departure from the poppier tone of music Take That employed The album s working name was The Show Off Must Go On 4 Life thru a LensStudio album by Robbie WilliamsReleased29 September 1997Recorded1996 1997StudioBattery Studios Maison Rouge Studios London England GenrePop 1 rock 2 Britpop pop rock 3 Length52 46LabelChrysalisProducerGuy ChambersSteve PowerRobbie Williams chronologyLife thru a Lens 1997 I ve Been Expecting You 1998 Singles from Life thru a Lens Old Before I Die Released 14 April 1997 Lazy Days Released 14 July 1997 South of the Border Released 15 September 1997 Angels Released 1 December 1997 Let Me Entertain You Released 16 March 1998The album s first three singles Old Before I Die Lazy Days and South of the Border the only single to miss the top 10 were all moderate successes but it was the fourth single Angels which catapulted Williams to international fame as a solo artist Peaking at number 4 it has sold over 1 million copies in the UK and is his biggest selling single to date Fifth and final single Let Me Entertain You reached number three becoming the album s third top 5 hit Freedom Robbie s first solo success a cover of George Michael s 1990 hit is not featured on the album Life thru a Lens debuted at number 11 on the UK Albums Chart and initially remained in the lower regions but upon the chart success of Angels it began steadily climbing and finally reached number one in April 1998 five months after its release Though never selling more than 60 000 copies in a single week the album has sold over 2 094 000 copies as of November 2013 making it Williams fourth best selling studio album and fifth best seller overall 5 Contents 1 Recording and music 2 Critical reception 3 Commercial performance 4 Singles 5 Track listing 6 Personnel 7 Charts and certifications 7 1 Weekly charts 7 2 Year end charts 8 Certifications 9 ReferencesRecording and music EditAfter trying hard to find his own sound during a period of personal upheaval Williams began recordings for the album at London s Maison Rouge studios in March 1997 shortly after his introduction to Guy Chambers The title track Life thru a Lens was written about his then girlfriend Jacqueline Hampton Smith who was a socialite It is often mistakenly attributed to Tara Palmer Tompkinson but they did not date until 2006 Ego a Go Go was written about Gary Barlow South of the Border discusses Kate Moss and Baby Girl Window was inspired by Samantha Beckinsale and her late father actor Richard Beckinsale One of God s Better People and Angels were inspired by Williams mother Jan Hidden track Hello Sir is a poem that takes a dig at one of Williams former teachers 6 Williams reprised part of the poem on the 1 Giant Leap song My Culture The sound of the album is influenced by Britpop especially bands such as Oasis 1 a direction his former Take That bandmate Mark Owen had also chosen to pursue on his debut album Green Man 1996 John Bush of AllMusic said that Life thru a Lens continually betrays overt influences from Oasis and other Britpop stars but triumphs nevertheless due to gorgeous production Williams irresistible personality and the overall flavor of outrageous utterly enjoyable pop music 1 Critical reception EditProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic 1 The Guardian 7 Music Week 8 NME7 10 9 Writing for Melody Maker in October 1997 Robin Bresnark gave Life thru a Lens a negative review There s nothing here sure Robbie Williams is as fascinating a hapless goon as we re ever likely to come across But this album feels more like a press release than an album and that s not what I call music 6 However John Bush of AllMusic was very positive in his four and a half stars out of five review calling the album excellent and one of the best U K debuts of the 90s 1 Q ranked the album at number 43 in their 2004 list of The 50 50 Best British Albums Ever and in their unordered 2005 list of the Ultimate Music Collection 10 Record Collector included the album in their unordered 2000 list of 10 Classic Albums from 21 Genres for the 21st Century 10 whilst Robert Dimery included the album in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die 11 Commercial performance EditThe album was released in October 1997 not long after Williams s stint in rehab The album was launched with his first live solo gig at the Elysee Montmartre in Paris At first the album was slow to take off debuting at number 11 on the UK Albums Chart and falling to 104 not long after release having sold a little over 30 000 copies 12 The album reached the number one position after spending 27 weeks on the chart as a consequence of the huge success of the Angels single boosting the album s sales to 300 000 13 The album spent a total of 218 weeks on the chart and two weeks at number one becoming the 58th best selling album of all time with sales of 2 4 million copies 14 Despite the album s success in Williams homeland it failed to make a bigger impact in the international market However in Argentina the album reached the top ten in early 1998 The album has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide The album has been certified as 8 Platinum in the UK Singles Edit Old Before I Die a track co written by Williams Eric Bazilian and Desmond Child was released as the album s lead single in April 1997 peaking at 2 on the UK Singles Chart The song failed to make an impact in other international charts Lazy Days was released as the album s second single in the summer of 1997 amidst Williams battle with addiction He was allowed to check out from rehab to shoot the video for the song The single charted at number eight in the United Kingdom but because promotion was nonexistent struggled to reach the top forty of any other European chart South of the Border was released as the album s third single in September 1997 It failed to make a significant impact on the UK Singles Chart peaking at 14 and as such many saw this as the end of Williams solo career 15 Angels a song penned by Williams and Guy Chambers was released as the album s fourth single The decision to release the song came after Williams met the record company to discuss concerns about his future The single was released in December 1997 soon becoming Williams best selling single in the United Kingdom being certified 2 Platinum by the BPI 16 The song became a hit around Europe and Latin America and sold almost two million copies worldwide rocketing sales of his album Let Me Entertain You was released as the album s fifth and final single in March 1998 It peaked at 3 on the UK Singles Chart becoming one of Williams signature songs and being the opening song for most of Williams concerts throughout his career Track listing EditLife Thru a Lens Standard editionNo TitleWriter s Length1 Lazy Days Robbie WilliamsGuy Chambers3 542 Life thru a Lens WilliamsChambers3 073 Ego A Go Go WilliamsChambers3 344 Angels WilliamsChambers4 255 South of the Border WilliamsChambers3 536 Old Before I Die WilliamsDesmond ChildEric Bazilian3 537 One of God s Better People WilliamsChambers3 338 Let Me Entertain You WilliamsChambers4 229 Killing Me WilliamsChambers3 5610 Clean WilliamsAntony GennMartin SlatteryRichard Hawley3 5511 Baby Girl Window WilliamsChambers3 1812 Hello Sir hidden track Williams1 27Total length 52 46 Life Thru a Lens Japanese edition bonus tracksNo TitleWriter s Length13 Teenage Millionaire WilliamsChambers3 0914 She Makes Me High WilliamsChambersGary Nuttall3 23 Life Thru a Lens RW 20th Anniversary bonus DVDNo TitleLength1 Old Before I Die Live on TOTP 2 Lazy Days Live on TOTP 3 South of the Border Live on TOTP 4 Angels Live on TOTP 5 Angels Unplugged live on TOTP 6 The Full Monty Medley with Tom Jones Live at the Brit Awards 7 Michael Parkinson Interview 8 Let Me Entertain You Live on TOTP 9 Killing Me Live on TOTP CD2 Life On The Flipside B Sides and Bonus Tracks RW 25th AnniversaryNo TitleLength1 Freedom Full Length Version 5 522 Better Days 3 303 Average B Side 2 584 Making Plans For Nigel 4 045 Kooks 2 336 Teenage Millionaire 3 107 Falling In Bed Again 3 298 She Makes Me High 3 239 Ev ry Time We Say Goodbye 3 0310 Lazy Days Original Version 4 3011 Cheap Love Song 4 1012 Walk This Sleigh 2 5813 Karaoke Overkill 3 2914 Get The Joke 3 0315 Angels Acoustic 4 2716 Angeles Spanish Version 4 2817 Let Me Entertain You Full Length Version 5 1818 The Full Monty Medley with Tom Jones Live at the Brit Awards 5 2819 I Wouldn t Normally Do This Kind Of Thing 3 0820 Iam The Res Erection 3 49Total length 77 00 CD3 Work In Progress The Making of Life Thru A Lens RW 25th AnniversaryNo TitleLength1 Freedom Ambient Mix 5 342 Freedom New Sound Dub 11 143 Hey Little Girl Axis Studios Demo October November 1996 4 044 Clean Axis Studios Demo October November 1996 4 125 Old Before I Die Crescent Moon Studios Demo October 1996 4 036 Lazy Days Tower Studios Demo January 1997 3 547 Angels Tower Studios Demo January 1997 4 198 Red Lights Tower Studios Demo January 1997 2 589 Average B Side Westside Studios Demo February 1997 3 0010 Teenage Millionaire Rehearsal Recordings Spring 1997 2 2411 South Of The Border Rehearsal Recordings Spring 1997 4 0312 Killing Me Rehearsal Recordings Spring 1997 3 5613 Life Thru A Lens Rehearsal Recordings Spring 1997 3 1514 South Of The Border Mother s Milkin It Mix 7 0915 Let Me Entertain You The Bizarro Mix 5 54Total length 70 07 CD4 Life On The Stage RW 25th AnniversaryNo TitleLength1 Let Me Entertain You Live At The Forum London UK 1998 7 242 I Wouldn t Normally Do This Kind Of Things Live At The Forum London UK 1998 3 143 Clean Live At The Forum London UK 1998 3 474 South Of The Border Live At The Forum London UK 1998 4 065 Average B Side Live At The Forum London UK 1998 3 216 Baby Girl Window Live At The Forum London UK 1998 3 377 One Of God s Better People Live At The Forum London UK 1998 3 138 There She Goes Live At The Forum London UK 1998 2 569 Killing Me Live At The Forum London UK 1998 4 0610 Life thru A Lens Live At The Forum London UK 1998 4 0711 Teenage Millionaire Live At The Forum London UK 1998 3 5112 Lazy Days Live At The Forum London UK 1998 6 2213 Ego A Go Go Live At The Forum London UK 1998 4 4114 Old Before I Die Live At The Forum London UK 1998 4 5115 Angels Live At The Forum London UK 1998 4 5116 Back For Good Live At The Forum London UK 1998 4 09Total length 68 46Personnel EditRobbie Williams vocals backing vocals Guy Chambers keyboards guitar backing vocals Chris Sharrock drums snare Andy Duncan percussion Martin Slattery keyboards Mark Feltham harmonica Gary Nuttall guitar backing vocals Steve Power keyboards programming Geoff Dugmore drums percussion Steve Bush programming Derek Watkins trumpet Fil Eisler guitar bass guitar tom tom Mark Smith bass guitar programming Oscar O Loughlin guitar Mark Smith guitar programming Steve Sidwell trumpet Chester Kamen guitar Dave Catlin Birch bass guitar backing vocals Kerry Hopwood programming Andre Barreau guitar backing vocals Beverley Skeete backing vocals Carroll Thompson backing vocals Andy Caine backing vocals Claudia Fontaine backing vocals Smiler backing vocals Nicole Patterson backing vocalsCharts and certifications EditWeekly charts Edit Chart 1997 98 PeakpositionArgentine Albums CAPIF 17 9Australian Albums ARIA 18 34Austrian Albums O3 Austria 19 33Belgian Albums Ultratop Flanders 20 13Dutch Albums Album Top 100 21 59Finnish Albums Suomen virallinen lista 22 2 French Albums SNEP 23 34German Albums Offizielle Top 100 24 42Irish Albums IRMA 25 6New Zealand Albums RMNZ 26 34Spanish Albums PROMUSICAE 27 37Swiss Albums Schweizer Hitparade 28 39UK Albums OCC 29 1Chart 2021 PositionUK Vinyl Albums OCC 30 10Chart 2022 PositionGerman Albums Offizielle Top 100 31 94Finland s peak was at midprice chart Year end charts Edit Chart 1997 PositionUK Albums OCC 32 96Chart 1998 PositionUK Albums OCC 33 4Chart 1999 PositionUK Albums OCC 34 33Certifications EditCertifications and sales for Life thru a Lens Region Certification Certified units salesAustralia ARIA 35 Gold 35 000 Belgium BEA 36 Gold 25 000 Denmark IFPI Danmark 37 Gold 25 000 Ireland IRMA 38 4 Platinum 60 000 Netherlands NVPI 39 Gold 50 000 New Zealand RMNZ 40 2 Platinum 30 000 Switzerland IFPI Switzerland 41 Gold 25 000 United Kingdom BPI 42 8 Platinum 2 400 000 SummariesEurope IFPI 43 3 Platinum 3 000 000 Sales figures based on certification alone Shipments figures based on certification alone References Edit a b c d e Bush John Life Thru a Lens Robbie Williams AllMusic Retrieved 1 April 2020 Fawthrop Peter Ronan Ronan Keating AllMusic Retrieved 14 February 2021 while Robbie Williams went all out with an egocentric rock album and became a British landmark Ranking the top 10 Robbie Williams albums from worst to best Southall Nick 5 November 2014 Robbie Williams Greatest Hits Review Stylus Magazine Stylus Magazine Archived from the original on 2 October 2009 Retrieved 14 May 2017 Sutherland Mark 9 May 2016 By the numbers inside Robbie Williams albums career Music Week Retrieved 9 May 2016 a b Bresnark Robin Review Robbie Williams Life Thru A Lens Chrysalis Melody Maker 4 October 1997 51 Sullivan Caroline 26 September 1997 Robbie Williams Life Thru a Lens Chrysalis The Guardian Reviews Albums PDF Music Week 20 September 1997 p 31 Retrieved 13 September 2022 Cigarettes Johnny 27 September 1997 Robbie Williams Life Thru A Lens Chrysalis NME Archived from the original on 16 August 2000 Retrieved 1 April 2020 a b Acclaimed Music Life Thru a Lens Acclaimed Music Robert Dimery Michael Lydon 23 March 2010 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die Revised and Updated Edition Universe ISBN 978 0 7893 2074 2 Scott Paul Heaven sent hit that gave Robbie solo wings Scotsman com News News scotsman com Retrieved 28 September 2011 Life Thru a Lens RobbieWilliams com Certified Awards British Phonographic Industry Archived from the original on 24 January 2013 Robbie Williams South of the Border Rtl musicbrigade com Archived from the original on 26 June 2015 Retrieved 28 September 2011 BPI Certification for Angels Discography Album Life Thru a Lens RobbieWilliams com Australiancharts com Robbie Williams Life Thru a Lens Hung Medien Austriancharts at Robbie Williams Life Thru a Lens in German Hung Medien Ultratop be Robbie Williams Life Thru a Lens in Dutch Hung Medien Dutchcharts nl Robbie Williams Life Thru a Lens in Dutch Hung Medien IFPI Robbie Williams Life Thru a Lens IFPI Tous les Albums de l Artiste choisi InfoDisc Retrieved 12 June 2017 Offiziellecharts de Robbie Williams Life Thru a Lens in German GfK Entertainment Charts Retrieved 8 December 2021 Billboard Hits of the World Page 59 Billboard 9 May 1998 Retrieved 12 June 2017 Charts nz Robbie Williams Life Thru a Lens Hung Medien Salaverri Fernando September 2005 Solo exitos ano a ano 1959 2002 1st ed Spain Fundacion Autor SGAE ISBN 84 8048 639 2 Swisscharts com Robbie Williams Life Thru a Lens Hung Medien Official Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Official Top 100 vinyl albums Official Charts Company 1 October 2021 Retrieved 1 October 2021 Robbie Williams Life Thru A Lens 9 December 2022 Retrieved 17 January 2023 End of Year Album Chart Top 100 1997 Official Charts Company Retrieved 28 March 2021 End of Year Album Chart Top 100 1998 Official Charts Company Retrieved 28 March 2021 End of Year Album Chart Top 100 1999 Official Charts Company Retrieved 28 March 2021 ARIA Charts Accreditations 2006 Albums PDF Australian Recording Industry Association Retrieved 24 November 2021 Ultratop Goud en Platina albums 2005 Ultratop Hung Medien Retrieved 24 November 2021 Robbie Williams Life Thru A Lens August 1998 Certified by IFPI Denmark No 1998 43 Liveauctioneers com Archived from the original on 24 November 2021 Retrieved 24 November 2021 Official 1999 I R M A Certified Quadruple Platinum Award Robbie Williams Life Thru A Lens Eil com Archived from the original on 10 May 2005 Retrieved 24 November 2021 Dutch album certifications Robbie Williams Life Thru A Lens in Dutch Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld en geluidsdragers Retrieved 24 November 2021 EnterLife Thru A Lens in the Artiest of titel box Select 2001 in the drop down menu saying Alle statussen Scapolo Dean 2007 The Complete New Zealand Music Charts 1966 2006 Maurienne House ISBN 978 1 877443 00 8 The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community Awards Robbie Williams Life Thru A Lens IFPI Switzerland Hung Medien Retrieved 24 November 2021 British album certifications Robbie Williams Life Thru A Lens British Phonographic Industry Retrieved 24 November 2021 IFPI Platinum Europe Awards 2002 International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Retrieved 24 November 2021 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Life thru a Lens amp oldid 1134229843, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
