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.
Sweet Gene Vincent
Robbie Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Skinny white sailor, the chances were slender
The beauties were brief
Shall I mourn you decline with some Thunderbird wine
And a black handkerchief?
I miss your sad Virginia whisper
I miss the voice that called my heart
Young and old and gone
Sweet gene Vincent
Who, who, who slapped john?
White face, black shirt
White socks, black shoes
Black hair, white star
Bled white, died black
Sweet gene Vincent
Let the blue roll tonight
At the sock hop ball in the union hall
Where the bop is there delight
Here come duck-tailed Danny dragging Uncanny Annie
She's tehone with the flying feet
You can break the peace daddy sickle grease
The beat is reet complete
And you jump back honey in the dungarees
Tight sweater and a pony tail
Will you guess her age when she comes back stage?
The hoodlums bite their nails
Black gloves, white frost
Black crepe, white lead
White sheet, black knight
Jet black, dead white
Sweet gene Vincent
There's one in every town
And the devil drives 'till the hearse arrives
And you lay that pistol down
Sweet gene Vincent
There's nowhere left to hide
With lazy skin and ash-tray eyes
A perforated pride
So farewell mademoiselle, knicker-bocker hotel
Farewell to money owed
But when your leg still hurts and you need more shirts
You got to get back on the road
The lyrics to Robbie Williams's song "Sweet Gene Vincent" are a tribute to one of the pioneers of rock and roll, Gene Vincent, who passed away at the age of only 36. The song begins with a description of Gene Vincent's physical appearance as a "blue gene baby" and a "skinny white sailor." The lyricist then mourns Vincent's decline and suggests easing the pain with "some Thunderbird wine and a black handkerchief." The singer misses hearing Vincent's "sad Virginia whisper" and "the voice that called my heart."
The chorus of the song repeats "Sweet Gene Vincent" and "young and old and gone", highlighting Vincent's influence on the genre even after his death. The lyricist also references Vincent's hit song "Be-Bop-A-Lula" with the line "Let the blue roll tonight at the sock hop ball in the union hall where the bop is there delight." The song continues with descriptions of various rock and roll archetypes, including "duck-tailed Danny dragging Uncanny Annie," as well as descriptions of death, such as "black gloves, white frost," "white sheet, black knight," and "jet black, dead white." The song culminates in a farewell to Vincent with the final lines "so farewell mademoiselle, knicker-bocker hotel, farewell to money owed, but when your leg still hurts and you need more shirts, you got to get back on the road."
Line by Line Meaning
Blue gene baby
Addressing Gene Vincent, calling him 'Blue Gene' affectionately
Skinny white sailor, the chances were slender
Gene was a slim man and despite having a career as a musician, he may not have had high chances of making it big
The beauties were brief
Gene's success was only a temporary moment
Shall I mourn you decline with some Thunderbird wine
A reference to the cheap wine sold by Ernest & Julio Gallo, a drink that might be had to make you forget Gene's current state
And a black handkerchief?
A black handkerchief represents Robbie's sadness and sorrow for Gene
I miss your sad Virginia whisper
Robbie reminisces about Gene's voice and his unique style of singing
I miss the voice that called my heart
The singer feels his connection to Gene's music deeply
Sweet gene Vincent
Gene Vincent was a legend, so the nickname 'Sweet' is fitting
Young and old and gone
Despite having a wild and exciting career, Gene Vincent passed away at the young age of 36
Who, who, who slapped john?
A nonsense phrase, similar to saying 'What does that mean?'
White face, black shirt
Describing Gene's unique fashion style
White socks, black shoes
Further description of Gene's unique fashion style
Black hair, white star
More description of Gene's fashion style, including his signature star tattoo
Bled white, died black
Having suffered from alcoholism, Gene's life was a mix of high and lows
Sweet gene Vincent
Again, Gene was a rock and roll legend
Let the blue roll tonight
Let the rock and roll music play
At the sock hop ball in the union hall
A reference to a dance party for teenagers that was popular during the 1950s
Where the bop is their delight
The teenagers loved to dance to rock and roll music
Here come duck-tailed Danny dragging Uncanny Annie
A description of two more characters at the dance party
She's tehone with the flying feet
Annie is an energetic dancer
You can break the peace daddy sickle grease
An encouragement for people to get up and dance
The beat is reet complete
The music is perfect for dancing
And you jump back honey in the dungarees
Describing the dance moves of a woman in denim clothing
Tight sweater and a pony tail
More fashion description
Will you guess her age when she comes back stage?
A question that many people ask themselves when they are enjoying their time partying and dancing
The hoodlums bite their nails
People might have felt intimidated by others in the room who were better dancers than they were
Black gloves, white frost
A reference to the famous villain from Batman, The Joker
Black crepe, white lead
Another reference to The Joker's makeup
White sheet, black knight
A white sheet might refer to a ghost, and the black knight could be a nod to a chess piece
Jet black, dead white
A play on words that could refer to The Joker
Sweet gene Vincent
A reminder of the rock and roll legend we are celebrating
There's one in every town
A reference to the fact that every city has a rock and roll music scene
And the devil drives 'till the hearse arrives
Gene was known to lead a wild and dangerous lifestyle that perhaps contributed to his early death
And you lay that pistol down
An encouragement to leave behind a lifestyle of danger and recklessness
Sweet gene Vincent
A final tribute to the man being celebrated
There's nowhere left to hide
A realization that there may be nothing left to discover about a person who has already passed
With lazy skin and ash-tray eyes
A reference to the way people may look when they are battling addiction or living a hard lifestyle
A perforated pride
The singer recognizes that Gene's life was full of contradictions and complexities
So farewell mademoiselle, knicker-bocker hotel
A goodbye to the past and the things that no longer matter, recognizing that they are part of a different time and place
Farewell to money owed
Acknowledging that Gene struggled with financial issues as well
But when your leg still hurts and you need more shirts
Robert recognizes that even though we may move on from the past, there is still a human desire to continue forward
You got to get back on the road
Acknowledging the importance of carrying forward and continuing to move on, regardless of hardship
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHARLES JEREMY JANKEL, IAN ROBINS DURY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TS50ER
There is only one man that can write lyrics like this and that is the late, great Ian Dury. I miss you Ian. God bless you mate!
dilove356
Lovely tribute to his friend Ian Dury
paul47796
Nice cover.
Rose Pink
beautiful
TONY VS
Que tiene el Vincent que ha todos nos hechiza???
Ziggy Baker
Nunca intente hacer compracion no cabe comparacion. Robbie lo hizo bien si no te gusto ok valido comprensible pero no le quita meritos a Robbie , Vato loco!
TheColdplayfan12
Cool
arnarne
This version doesn't add anything to the tune and it certainly isn't as good as the original. Rather pointless....
GGranger98
Self indulgence.