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.
Don't Say No
Robbie Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And thrown into society
That was the end of you and me
From what we could have been
And if we didn't keep in touch
I guess we didn't care that much
We never understood that stuff
I never meant to let you down
But lettin' you down was easy
Didn't it break your heart
Maybe I'm just too needy
Do any of you still need me
In your lives, in your heart
Don't say yes just to please me
If you're still you and you aren't
But don't say no
We fought together laughed together
Said things that we hoped were clever
The thought of missing you forever
Makes me wanna cry
And now that you've grown up to be
A sentimental memory
Are you still you 'cause I'm still me
At least I hope so
A life beginning somewhere else
It was our time to die
Didn't it break your heart
Maybe I'm just too needy
Do any of you still need me
In your life, in your heart
Don't say yes just to please me
If you're still you and you aren't
Don't say no
So, what do you know?
Where do you go, has it been fun?
Oh, did you survive being buried alive
Like I did?
Didn't it break your heart
Maybe I'm just too needy
Do any of you still need me
In your life, in your heart
Don't say yes just to please me
If you're still you and you want
Don't say no
Didn't it break your heart
Maybe I'm just too needy
Do any of you still need me
In your life, in your heart
Don't say yes just to please me
If you're still you and then you aren't
Don't say no
The song "Don't Say No" by Robbie Williams talks about the regret one feels after losing touch with someone they were once close to. The song is about two people who were once friends or partners in their youth, but eventually grew apart as they got older. Williams sings about how easy it was for him to let the other person down, and how he wishes they could reconnect. He asks if they still need him in their lives and whether they are still the same people they were before. He urges them to be honest and not to say yes just to please him, but also not to say no.
The lyrics of the song display a sense of nostalgia and longing. Williams reminisces about the good times they shared and wishes that they could still have that connection. He realizes that they were young and naive back then, and perhaps didn't fully understand the value of their relationship. He also acknowledges the fact that we often lose touch with people as we go through different phases of our lives.
Overall, "Don't Say No" is a heartfelt and relatable song about the importance of maintaining connections with people we care about, especially when we have fond memories of them.
Line by Line Meaning
When we were only 17
Back when we were young and inexperienced
And thrown into society
We were unprepared to face the challenges of life
That was the end of you and me
Our relationship could have flourished, but things didn't work out
From what we could have been
We missed out on the potential of what our relationship could have become
And if we didn't keep in touch
We didn't prioritize keeping in contact with each other
I guess we didn't care that much
We didn't place much importance on maintaining our relationship
We never understood that stuff
We lacked knowledge about what it takes to maintain a healthy relationship
But now I need you
I have come to realize that I need your presence in my life
I never meant to let you down
I didn't intend to disappoint you
But lettin' you down was easy
I found it effortless to disappoint you, even though it wasn't my intention
Didn't it break your heart
Did the separation hurt you too?
Maybe I'm just too needy
Perhaps I am overly dependent on you
Do any of you still need me
Do you still have a need for me in your life?
In your lives, in your heart
Is there still a place for me in your heart and life?
Don't say yes just to please me
Don't give in to my desires just to please me
If you're still you and you aren't
If you cannot commit to this relationship as your genuine self, do not say yes
But don't say no
But don't reject me immediately either
We fought together laughed together
We shared happy and difficult moments together
Said things that we hoped were clever
We used to make each other laugh with our jokes and witty remarks
The thought of missing you forever
The thought of never seeing you again is heartbreaking
Makes me wanna cry
It brings tears to my eyes
And now that you've grown up to be
Now that we have both grown
A sentimental memory
Our bond is now mostly characterized by nostalgia
Are you still you 'cause I'm still me
Are we still fundamentally the same people that we used to be?
At least I hope so
I hope that we are still true to ourselves
A life beginning somewhere else
Our lives have led us in different directions
It was our time to die
Our relationship could no longer survive
So, what do you know?
What have you learned since we last spoke?
Where do you go, has it been fun?
What path have you taken in your journey through life, has it been fulfilling?
Oh, did you survive being buried alive
Did you make it through a trying situation?
Like I did?
In the same way that I survived losing you?
If you're still you and you want
If you want to maintain this relationship as your genuine self
Didn't it break your heart
Did the separation hurt you too?
Don't say yes just to please me
Don't give in to my desires just to please me
Don't say no
Don't reject me immediately either
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GALE HARRIS, ROBERT WOODBURRY JR WALKER, WILLIS J WILLIAMS, REGGIE YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
on Win Some Lose Some
Yet another fantastic Robbie Williams song. Absolutely fantastic.
Philip Kassabian
on Millennium
What a fantastic song by Robbie Williams.
Edy Souza
on Advertising Space
:)
Edy Souza
on Angels
Love! Love!