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.
Rudebox [Album Version
Robbie Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shake your rudebox
Do the rudebox
Shake your rudebox)
OK then, back to basics
Grab your shell toes and your fat laces
A little hand clap for some funk faces
Goes up your back and then down your spine
And when it hits your head
OK then, back to bass-heads
Dance like you just won at the Special Olympics
They got the rudebox off the back of a spaceship
So sick I just had to take it
The R-U-D-E-B-O-X
Up your jacksy, split your kecks,
Sing a song of semtex
Pocket full of Durex
Body full of Mandrax
Are we gonna have sex (yes)
Do you wear your knee socks (ohh)
Back to the rudebox
Got this double fantasy
Where we just never stop
I've got one design
And that's to funk you to the top
Know what's on my mind,
It's only one thing you will find
I got one design
And that's to bump you till you drop
Rudebox
Do the rudebox
'Cause you so nasty
Rudebox
Shake your rudebox
Why you so nasty?
Rudebox
Do the rudebox
'Cause you so nasty
Rudebox
Shake your rudebox
Why you so nasty?
OK then, back to spaceship
Take both pills, f.uck the Matrix
Jack those Jills, shake your Playtex
Rock three stripes, not the Asics
A-D-I-D-A-S old school, 'cause it's the best
(Yes)
TK Maxx cost less
(Yes)
Jackson looks a mess
(Bless)
OK then, what to do
If you try to jack me I'll rudebox you
If you rudebox me I'll rudebox your whole crew
'Cause it's what I do
Ain't that right boo (true)
I'll ride with you
If you can get me to the border
'Cause the sheriff's after me
For what I did to his daughter
I did it like this
(You did it like that)
I love it when you double clap (clap)
Got this double fantasy
Where we just never stop
I've got one design
And that's to funk you to the top
Know what's on my mind,
It's only one thing you will find
I got one design
And that's to bump you till you drop
Rudebox
Do the rudebox
'Cause you so nasty
Rudebox
Shake your rudebox
Why you so nasty?
Rudebox
Do the rudebox
'Cause you so nasty
Rudebox
Shake your rudebox
Why you so nasty?
OK then, check the tan line
Make your body shape
Like you're stood on a land mine
Call me on my mobile
Not the land line
And jack the main line
At the same time
OK, this is what we do
Got a jam so fresh
It's nice for you
OK, give me what you got
And dial 808
For the bass to drop
OK then, what's the fracas
Grab your cardy
Your lead hat and the bus pass
You don't sweat much
For a fat lass
Grab your rudebox
'Cause your box is righteous
OK bum, rush the show
I got high speed dubbing on my stereo
And all the tunes in the box are the cherrio
I know I told you before,
Did you hear me though
Got this double fantasy
Where we just never stop
I've got one design
And that's to funk you to the top
Know what's on my mind,
It's only one thing you will find
I got one design
And that's to bump you till you drop
Rudebox
Do the rudebox
'Cause you so nasty
Rudebox
Shake your rudebox
Why you so nasty?
Rudebox
Do the rudebox
'Cause you so nasty
Rudebox
Shake your rudebox
Why you so nasty?
Do the rudebox
Shake your rudebox
The song Rudebox by Robbie Williams is one of his signature tracks that combines elements of funk, pop, and electronic music. The chorus repeats the phrase "Do the Rudebox" followed by "Shake your Rudebox," which is a call to dance to the music. The song begins with a request to go back to basics, shake your body, and have fun. Robbie Williams then references funk music, the Special Olympics, and the bass-heavy elements of the track with the line "back to bass-heads."
The chorus is followed by more lyrics that reference sci-fi elements, including the word "spaceship," and a nod to Adidas, one of the most popular sports brands. Near the end of the song, Williams throws in a reference to "dial 808," which is a reference to the Roland TR-808 drum machine, which has been used extensively in hip hop and electronic music. Williams concludes by stating that he has "one design" with the song, which is to "funk you to the top."
Line by Line Meaning
OK then, back to basics
Let's go back to the fundamentals
Grab your shell toes and your fat laces
Put on your classic sneakers with thick laces
A little hand clap for some funk faces
Let's give a round of applause to some funky people
And make your body move in the following places
Let your body move in the ways I describe
Goes up your back and then down your spine
A dance move that involves movement to the top of your back and down your spine
And when it hits your head
The dance move reaches your head
OK then, back to bass-heads
Let's focus on the bass
Dance like you just won at the Special Olympics
Dance with excitement and happiness, as if you just won at the Special Olympics
They got the rudebox off the back of a spaceship
The rudebox was discovered on a spaceship
So sick I just had to take it
It's so good that I had to have it
The R-U-D-E-B-O-X
The box that is rude
Up your jacksy, split your kecks,
Put it in your butt, rip your pants
Sing a song of semtex
Sing a song about the explosive Semtex
Pocket full of Durex
Carry a pocket full of condoms
Body full of Mandrax
Have a body full of the sedative drug Mandrax
Are we gonna have sex (yes)
Are we going to have sex? (Yes)
Do you wear your knee socks (ohh)
Do you wear knee socks?
Back to the rudebox
Let's go back to the rudebox
Got this double fantasy
Have this wild fantasy in my head
Where we just never stop
Where we keep going non-stop
I've got one design
I have one goal
And that's to funk you to the top
And that goal is to make you dance until you reach the top
Know what's on my mind,
You know what I'm thinking
It's only one thing you will find
There's only one thing that stands out
I got one design
I have one intention
And that's to bump you till you drop
And that intention is to make you dance until you can't go on anymore
OK then, check the tan line
Let's check the tan line
Make your body shape
Contour your body
Like you're stood on a land mine
As if you're standing on a landmine
Call me on my mobile
Call me on my cell phone
Not the land line
Not the home phone
And jack the main line,
Make an international call
At the same time
While doing something else
Got a jam so fresh
Have a fresh, new song
It's nice for you
You'll like it
OK, give me what you got
Give me what you have
And dial 808
And put on the classic drum machine sound 808
For the bass to drop
For the bass to come in
OK then, what's the fracas
What's the commotion?
Grab your cardy
Put on your cardigan
Your lead hat and the bus pass
Take your heavy hat and bus pass with you
You don't sweat much
You don't sweat a lot
For a fat lass
Despite being overweight
Grab your rudebox
Take your rudebox with you
'Cause your box is righteous
Because your box is awesome
OK bum, rush the show
Go ahead and take control
I got high speed dubbing on my stereo
My stereo can record at high speeds
And all the tunes in the box are the cherrio
All the songs in the box are great
I know I told you before,
I may have mentioned this before,
Did you hear me though
But did you really listen?
Do the rudebox
Dance with the rudebox
Shake your rudebox
Shake the rudebox
'Cause you so nasty
Because you're so provocative
Why you so nasty?
Why do you act this way?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BILL O. LASWELL, DANIEL SPENCER MOULD, EDMUND CARL JR. AIKEN, KELVIN ANDREWS, ROBBIE SHAKESPEARE, ROBERT PETER WILLIAMS, SLY DUNBAR, WILLIAM EARL COLLINS
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!