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.
Were The Pet Shop Boys
Robbie Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Suburbia's a slipstream
To a memory
Of a time when you were
Close to me
I pretend
I'm there again
I close my eyes and see you
Then I feel you touch me
And it's 1984
I know what you will say
Before you start
In my heart
We're the Pet Shop Boys
We're the Pet Shop Boys
Every thought's a fashion
Or a crime
And every boy is just
A waste of time
But I pretend
It was different then
Maybe it's a habit
Maybe it's a sin
But I find out
When I try it on
It crawls beneath my skin
Once it gets inside me
It won't go
Now I know
We're the Pet Shop Boys
We're the Pet Shop Boys
Rent
Shopping
Being boring
It's alright
It's a sin
I'm not scared
In denial
I want a dog
I want a lover
Can you forgive her?
Do I have to?
What have I? What have I?
What have I done to deserve this?
We're the Pet Shop Boys
We're the Pet Shop Boys
In the song We're The Pet Shop Boys, Robbie Williams pays tribute to the iconic British synthpop duo, Pet Shop Boys. The lyrics focus on the power of memory and the ability of music to transport us back in time to a moment when we were happy or in love. The song begins by describing suburbia, a place where time seems to stand still and the past feels close. The singer then reflects on a time when he was close to someone, recalling the year 1984 when Pet Shop Boys were at the height of their success. He imagines being back in that time with the person he loved, feeling the same touch and hearing the same voices.
The second verse touches on the themes of nostalgia and loss, contrasting the past with the present. The singer laments the fact that the world has changed, that every thought is now a fashion or a crime, and that boys are now a waste of time. However, he also acknowledges that he still longs for the past and the feeling that came with it, even if it's a habit or a sin. The song then shifts to a series of references to other Pet Shop Boys songs, such as Rent, Shopping, Being Boring, It's Alright, It's a Sin, Can You Forgive Her?, and What Have I Done to Deserve This?, reinforcing the sentiment of nostalgia and a desire to go back in time.
Overall, We're The Pet Shop Boys is a song that celebrates the influence of a band that shaped a generation and remains an institution in British popular music.
Line by Line Meaning
Suburbia's a slipstream
Suburbia serves as a hazy and distant reminder of the past
To a memory
It is only in memory that the past can be revisited
Of a time when you were close to me
The memory is of a time when the singer and a lover were together
I pretend I'm there again
The singer is imagining being back in that time and place
I close my eyes and see you better than before
In his imagination, the singer sees his lover more vividly than he ever did in reality
Then I feel you touch me and it's 1984
The singer's recollection of his lover's touch transports him to a specific year in the past
I know what you will say before you start
The singer is so familiar with his lover that he can anticipate their conversations
In my heart
The singer's feelings are true and deep
Every thought's a fashion or a crime
The singer sees everything through a cynical and jaded lens
And every boy is just a waste of time
The singer finds relationships with men to be disappointing and unfulfilling
But I pretend it was different then
The singer forces himself to imagine that there was a time when things were better
Maybe it's a habit, maybe it's a sin
The singer acknowledges that his nostalgia may not be healthy or morally right
But I find out when I try it on
The singer experiments with his old feelings to see if they still fit
It crawls beneath my skin
The singer's emotions start to consume him
Once it gets inside me it won't go
The singer is struggling to let go of the past
Now I know
The singer understands the depth of his feelings
Rent, Shopping, Being boring
These are references to other songs by the Pet Shop Boys
It's alright, It's a sin
More references to Pet Shop Boys songs
I'm not scared
The singer is brave enough to explore his feelings
In denial
Despite his brave front, the singer is still having trouble accepting the present
I want a dog, I want a lover
The singer craves love and companionship
Can you forgive her? Do I have to?
More references to Pet Shop Boys songs
What have I? What have I? What have I done to deserve this?
Another reference to a Pet Shop Boys song
We're the Pet Shop Boys
The singer identifies with the Pet Shop Boys and their music
We're the Pet Shop Boys
Repetition of the previous line to emphasize the singer's association with the Pet Shop Boys
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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!