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.
Spread Your Wings
Robbie Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was the boy with the flash clothes
She was the girl with the acid stare
I saw her at The Place
You know she knows you know
How she shakes when she jacks her body
To the sounds of Oran Juice Jones and
Jocelyn Brown
Oh spread your wings before they fall apart
Home is where the hurt is darling
Follow your heart
So she walks into this dead end bar
Sticks her handbag on the chair
So she walks into this dead end bar
Puts hers handbag on the chair
And she weights the words we shared
When we were fifteen and still cared
'Cause she feels I'm a scar from the wound
That time can't heal
And I said
Don't let your dreams out of your head
Stick it to the man instead
Don't fool your heart lying about
The feelings that you had back then
Did you try to change your life?
Did you ever try to change your life?
You repeat and repeat
And repeat and repeat
Now what's up with that?
Now she loves somebody else
In flash clothes
She was the girl with the acid stare
And now she'd pay to have one of those
And she weighs the word she says
And she knows you exist
Now she feels
I'm the scar from the wound
That time can't heal
Oh spread your wings before they fall apart
Home is where the hurt is darling
Follow your heart
Spread your wings before they fall apart
Home is where the hurt is darling
Follow your heart
Heart, heart
The opening lines of Robbie Williams's song "Spread Your Wings" narrate the story of two individuals who grew up in the same neighborhood. The boy had flashy clothes, and the girl had an intense, piercing stare. The boy saw her at a club called The Place where she was dancing to songs by Oran Juice Jones and Jocelyn Brown. The girl's vibe drew him towards her as he watched her shake her body in perfect rhythm with the beat. However, as time went on, their lives took different paths. The girl ended up in a dead-end job while the boy became a superstar, but she still held a special place in his heart.
As the song progresses, the listener can hear the girl's side of the story, who walks into a dead-end bar and reminisces about her teenage years with the boy. She feels like she's a scar from the wound that time can't heal. But the boy advises her to stick it to the man and follow her dreams, not to fool her heart by lying about the feelings she had back then. In the end, the song's message is clear - regardless of where life takes you, always follow your heart.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to live around here
I used to live in this area
I was the boy with the flash clothes
I used to wear stylish clothes
She was the girl with the acid stare
She was a girl with a sharp or critical gaze
I saw her at The Place
I saw her at a specific venue referred to as 'The Place'
You know she knows you know
She is aware that I am aware of her
How she shakes when she jacks her body
Her body vibrates when she dances to the music
To the sounds of Oran Juice Jones and Jocelyn Brown
She danced to the music of Oran Juice Jones and Jocelyn Brown
Oh spread your wings before they fall apart
Take action before things get worse
Home is where the hurt is darling
The place where you feel pain the most is home
Follow your heart
Trust your instincts and make decisions accordingly
So she walks into this dead end bar
She enters a bar that has no way out
Sticks her handbag on the chair
Puts her purse on the seat
And she weights the words we shared
She is considering the past conversations we had
When we were fifteen and still cared
When we were younger and still interested in each other
'Cause she feels I'm a scar from the wound that time can't heal
She thinks that I am a reminder of a painful past that she can't forget
Don't let your dreams out of your head
Don't give up on your aspirations
Stick it to the man instead
Oppose the established authorities
Don't fool your heart lying about the feelings that you had back then
Don't lie to yourself about the way you used to feel
Did you try to change your life?
Have you attempted to make your life better?
Did you ever try to change your life?
Have you ever made an effort to improve your life?
You repeat and repeat, and repeat and repeat. Now what's up with that?
You keep doing the same thing over and over again. Why?
Now she loves somebody else, in flash clothes
She is now with someone else who also wears stylish clothes
And she weighs the word she says
She carefully considers her words
And she knows you exist
She is aware of my presence
Now she feels I'm the scar from the wound that time can't heal
Now she thinks I am a painful reminder of the past
Heart, heart
An exclamation expressing strong emotions of love or affection.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEPHEN DUFFY, ROBERT WILLIAMS
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!