Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and song… Read Full Bio ↴Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, Life thru a Lens, was released in 1997, and included his signature song, "Angels". His second album, I've Been Expecting You, featured the songs "Millennium" and "She's the One", his first number one singles. His discography includes seven UK No. 1 singles, and all but one of his 14 studio albums have reached No. 1 in the UK. Six of his albums are among the top 100 biggest-selling albums in the UK, with two of them in the top 60, and he gained a Guinness World Record in 2006 for selling 1.6 million tickets in a single day during his Close Encounters Tour.

Williams has received a record 18 Brit Awards, winning Best British Male Artist four times, Outstanding Contribution to Music twice, an Icon Award for his lasting impact on British culture, eight German ECHO Awards, and three MTV European Music Awards. In 2004, he was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame after being voted the Greatest Artist of the 1990s. According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), he has been certified for 20.2 million albums and 8.66 million singles in the UK as a solo artist. Five of his albums have also topped the Australian albums chart, and has sold 75 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He also topped the 2000–2010 UK airplay chart. His three concerts at Knebworth in 2003 drew over 375,000 people, the UK's biggest music event to that point. In 2014, he was awarded the freedom of his hometown of Stoke-on-Trent and had a tourist trail created and streets named in his honour. Williams' thirteenth album, XXV was released on 9 September 2022.

After 15 years, Williams rejoined Take That in 2010 to co-write and perform lead vocals on their album Progress, which became the second-fastest-selling album in UK chart history and the fastest-selling record of the century at the time. The subsequent stadium tour, which featured seven songs from Williams' solo career, became the biggest-selling concert in UK history when it sold 1.34 million tickets in less than 24 hours. In 2011, Take That frontman Gary Barlow confirmed that Williams had left the band for a second time to focus on his solo career, although he stated that the departure was amicable and that Williams was welcome to rejoin Take That in the future. Williams has since performed with Take That on three separate television appearances, and collaborated with Barlow on a number of projects such as the West End musical The Band.

Clean
Robbie Williams Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There was a time
When crazy days would start with wine
And now I tow a different line
I stay in bed and use my loaf instead of my bread
And stroll on 'cos I've been thinking so long
That something's gonna go wrong
It's gone to my head my vision's all blurred
And my legs feel like lead

But I'm clean yeah
Friends with Mr Sheen yeah
Don't have to wean myself up on nothing
I'm two minutes clean and that's not very often
Stroll on

There was a time
When I would dread what I had said
Waking up in someone's bed
Wondering who I was
Naked and cold
With an ache in my head
And stroll on 'cos I've been thinking so long
That's something's gonna go wrong
It's gone to my head my vision's all blurred
And my legs feel like lead

But I'm clean yeah
Friends with Charlie Sheen yeah
Don't have to wean myself up on nothing
I'm two minutes clean and that's not very often

I'm clean yeah
Gonna meet the queen yeah
I won't be obscene yeah
'Cos I'm two minutes clean and that's not very often

Stroll on and on and on and on and on
Oh yeah

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Robbie Williams's song Clean seem to be exploring the idea of sobriety and the changes it brings about. The song is a reflection on the past behavior of the artist and contrasts it with his present choices. In the first verse, Williams talks about how he used to start his days with wine and now he's changed his ways. He says that he stays in bed and uses his brain instead of his brawn. Throughout the song, he emphasizes that he's now living a clean lifestyle as opposed to his previous recklessness.

The chorus is a clear representation of Williams's commitment to staying clean, with lyrics like "I'm clean yeah, Friends with Mr. Sheen yeah," which is a nod to the cleaning product called Mr. Sheen, and "Don't have to wean myself up on nothing". He repeats "I'm two minutes clean and that's not very often" which seems to suggest that he's aware of the fragility of staying sober and how difficult it can be to maintain.

The song's bridge is a declaration of how far Williams has come, with lyrics like "Gonna meet the queen yeah, I won't be obscene yeah" showing how he's focused on his future and how he's not going to let his past mistakes hold him back. Overall, the song Clean is a powerful representation of the struggle to stay sober, the challenges of addiction and the bravery it takes to start a new chapter in life.

Line by Line Meaning

There was a time
Once upon a time

When crazy days would start with wine
Days filled with wine and wildness

And now I tow a different line
Now I have different priorities

I stay in bed and use my loaf instead of my bread
I rest and think deeply for myself

And stroll on 'cos I've been thinking so long
I keep going despite my worries

That something's gonna go wrong
Expecting the worst

It's gone to my head my vision's all blurred
My mind's in a fog

And my legs feel like lead
Feeling weighed down and tired

But I'm clean yeah
But now I'm sober

Friends with Mr Sheen yeah
Finding humor in sobriety with a reference to cleaning products

Don't have to wean myself up on nothing
Not needing any substances to be okay

I'm two minutes clean and that's not very often
Just recently sober and not sure how long it will last

Stroll on
Keep moving forward

When I would dread what I had said
Regretting past actions

Waking up in someone's bed
Waking up in a stranger's bed

Wondering who I was
Feeling lost and confused

Naked and cold
Vulnerable and exposed

With an ache in my head
A hangover

But I'm clean yeah
But now I'm sober

Friends with Charlie Sheen yeah
Finding humor in sobriety with a reference to Charlie Sheen's public struggles with addiction

Gonna meet the queen yeah
Aspiring to higher goals now that sober

I won't be obscene yeah
Won't act inappropriately

'Cos I'm two minutes clean and that's not very often
Still new to sobriety and knows it's a struggle

Stroll on and on and on and on and on
Keep moving forward no matter what

Oh yeah
An expression of confidence and determination

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: RICHARD WILLIS HAWLEY, PABLO COOK, ANTHONY GENN, ROBERT PETER WILLIAMS, MARTIN PAUL SLATTERY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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