From Take That to Swing King: The Robbie Williams Story
Robbie Williams is one of the most successful British solo artists of all time. His career began in rather different surroundings—as a member of the boy band Take That.
Joining the group in 1990, Robbie became part of one of Britain’s biggest pop phenomena. Take That went on to sell millions of records before Williams left in 1995 to pursue a solo career.
Leaving a hugely successful group is one thing. Leaving it and then trying to prove you can become a successful solo artist is another. Robbie’s first attempt didn’t exactly go to plan.
Life Thru a Lens and the Pressure to Succeed
Robbie’s debut solo album, Life Thru a Lens, arrived in 1997.
The first three singles failed to make the impact expected of a former Take That star, putting considerable pressure on the next release. Then came Angels. Suddenly, everything changed.
The song became Robbie’s signature tune and eventually one of the most recognisable British songs of the 90s. His debut album went on to sell millions of copies, while the final single, Let Me Entertain You, gave him an entirely different kind of anthem.
Robbie had gone from former boy-band member to solo star. And he was only getting started.
Who Actually Wrote Angels?
There’s an interesting story behind Angels. Contrary to the way the song is often presented, it wasn’t simply written from scratch by Robbie Williams and producer Guy Chambers.
The song originated with Irish songwriter Ray Heffernan, who wrote an early version in 1996 after experiencing the loss of his stillborn child.
According to Heffernan’s account, he encountered Robbie during a night out in Dublin. Robbie was struggling to write songs for his new solo career, and Heffernan invited him back to his parents’ home, where he played him a demo of Angels.
The two worked on the song together, and Robbie later reworked it further with Guy Chambers. Heffernan subsequently sold his rights to Robbie’s management and received a songwriting credit on the single.
The exact history of the song’s development has attracted controversy over the years, particularly around how the writing credits were presented. Rather than getting bogged down in the argument, the important point for a guitarist is that Angels evolved through several stages before becoming the version millions of people know.
And that is actually a useful songwriting lesson. Songs aren’t always finished when the first person writes them. Sometimes the arrangement, rewriting and interpretation are what turn a good idea into a great record.
The Ultimate Working-Band Tune
For guitarists, Angels is one of those songs that seems almost unavoidable. It’s everywhere: acoustic sets, piano bars, karaoke, tribute shows, weddings and cover bands.
It sits in that same category as Wonderwall—a song that audiences know immediately and musicians are expected to have in their repertoire.
That’s what makes it such a useful tune to learn. You don’t need a huge guitar arrangement. The song works if the guitar supports the vocal, establishes the harmony and leaves plenty of space for the melody.
If you’re playing it acoustically, the temptation is to overplay. Don’t. Get the chord changes clean, find the right strumming feel and concentrate on supporting the singer. That’s the real lesson.
Robbie Finds His Voice
With Angels and Let Me Entertain You establishing his solo career, Robbie’s next album, I’ve Been Expecting You (1998), took things even further.
It produced major singles including Strong, No Regrets, and She’s the One. At this point, Robbie had clearly escaped the shadow of Take That.
He wasn’t trying to reproduce the sound of his old group. His solo career became increasingly varied, moving between Rock-influenced Pop, big Ballads, Dance music and, eventually, Swing. That versatility became one of the defining features of his career.
From Pop Star to Swing King
Robbie really changed direction with Swing When You’re Winning, a hugely successful album built around classic swing material. It was another reminder that his career wasn’t going to follow a predictable path.
Rather than remaining tied to the sound that had made him famous, he stepped into a completely different musical territory and still make it feel like a Robbie Williams record.
For a musician, there’s a useful lesson here too. Your repertoire doesn’t have to be restricted to one genre. A good guitarist might play Rock in one band, Soul in another, acoustic Pop at a wedding and Swing standards the following weekend.
The more styles you understand, the more useful you become as a musician.
Let Me Entertain You
If Angels demonstrates Robbie’s ability to deliver a huge emotional ballad, Let Me Entertain You shows the other side of his personality.
It’s theatrical, energetic and deliberately over the top. The title says it all. This is Robbie the performer rather than Robbie the sensitive balladeer, and it became one of the songs that helped establish his reputation as a major live act.
That’s another reason it’s such a good working-band tune. You aren’t simply playing the chords. You’re playing the attitude.
A guitarist accompanying a song like this needs to understand the energy of the arrangement. Tight rhythm, strong dynamics and confidence matter more than filling every available space with guitar.
The Record-Breaking Robbie Williams
Robbie’s success eventually reached enormous proportions. In 2006, he entered The Guinness Book of World Records after reportedly selling 1.6 million tickets in a single day for his Close Encounters tour.
He also signed a huge record deal with Universal after leaving EMI, reportedly worth around $100 million. The move was part of a wider attempt to expand his career internationally, particularly in the United States.
That American breakthrough never reached the level of his success in Britain and Europe. But by then, Robbie had already established himself as one of Britain’s biggest solo performers. And his relationship with Take That wasn’t quite finished either.
In 2010, Robbie rejoined Take That for a reunion tour. After more than a decade as a solo artist, he was suddenly sharing the stage with the group that had launched him.
Building Your Robbie Williams Guitar Repertoire
If you’re learning Robbie Williams tunes for your guitar repertoire, start with the two obvious contrasts: Angels for the ballad. Let Me Entertain You for the rockier, more theatrical side.
Then explore Strong, No Regrets and She’s the One. The interesting thing is how different these songs can feel while still belonging to the same artist.
That’s a great lesson for any guitarist. Don’t just learn the chords. Understand the character of the song.
With Angels, support the singer and let the melody breathe. With Let Me Entertain You, bring the energy.
Learn the tunes to Entertain!
Robbie Williams’ career has taken him from boy-band fame to solo stardom, from emotional ballads to stadium rock and from pop hits to swing standards.
But perhaps the biggest lesson for a working guitarist is right there in the title: Let me entertain you.
Whether you’re playing a quiet acoustic set or standing on stage with a full band, knowing the song is only half the job. You also need to make people feel something, by entertaining them!
Robbie Williams Tunes | Related Pages
Angels | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Angels by Robbie Williams using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| E Esus4 | E | A Amaj7 | B |
I sit and wait, does an angel, contemplate my fate…
Start learning with the full lesson series: Angels – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Let Me Entertain You | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Let Me Entertain You by Robbie Williams using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, TAB, and backing tracks.
| F | Ab/F |
Hell is gone and heaven’s here there’s nothing left for you to fear…
Robbie Williams on the web
